Farm-scale variations in soil color as influenced by organic matter and iron oxides in Japanese paddy fields

To understand how soil color is influenced by soil components at the farm scale, we evaluated spatial variation in soil color and related soil properties in Japanese paddy fields. After harvest of rice, 246 surface soil samples were collected in 10-m grids from five contiguous irrigated paddy fields, each with an area of about 0.5 ha. The samples were analyzed to determine color parameters (L*, a*, and b*), and contents of total C, total N, Fe oxides, sand, and loss-on-ignition. The results obtained were modeled and mapped geostatistically. All color parameters indicated strong spatial dependence with long ranges (>85 m). In contrast, total C and N showed short ranges (about 40 m). The contents of Fe oxides, sand, and loss-on-ignition showed intermediate ranges (50–85 m). The ranges of these properties and their distribution patterns suggested that the contents of total C and N were influenced by long-term application of manure and that sand content was influenced by topography and past land consolidation. Further soil color analysis after removal of organic matter or silt plus clay particles revealed that soil organic matter, texture, and Fe oxides affected soil color parameters in a complex manner. Prediction of total C from soil darkness was hindered by the presence of silt plus clay particles containing Fe oxides. On the other hand, citrate-dithionite extractable Fe was estimated accurately from the b* value (yellowness), which can be useful for predicting the occurrence of akiochi (autumn decline) disease of rice at the farm scale.     

Novel method for improving the antioxidative properties of fish meat by direct injection of sodium l-ascorbate into the blood vessels of live fish

The color of the red muscle of pelagic fish is used as an indicator of freshness, and sustaining a bright red color is important for maintaining the commercial value of pelagic fish. Feeding fish with antioxidant compounds can delay metmyoglobin (metMb) formation, but the process requires long-term feeding. Live cultured Japanese horse mackerel Trachurus japonicus were used in this study. After anesthetization, 2 ml of blood was drawn from blood vessels, and a parenteral solution including an antioxidant compound was injected. Browning, metMb formation, and lipid oxidation of dark muscle during chilled storage were delayed by injecting sodium l-ascorbate as an antioxidant compound in the blood vessels of live fish.     

Microwave and steam injection drying of CO2 laser incised Sugi lumber

To investigate the effect of CO₂ laser incising under five drying methods on drying characteristics of Sugi lumber, the squares (120 mm × 120 mm) of Sugi lumber with length of 650 mm were used. A half of samples were incised by CO₂ laser with incising density of 2,500 holes/m². Five types of drying methods were used: microwave drying, steam injection drying, and three combinations of microwave heating and steam injection drying. Steam injection drying was conducted by injecting superheated steam of 120 °C through a perforated plate heated to 140 °C of an injection press. Microwave was irradiated with the power of 3 kW at frequency of 2.45 GHz. The results indicated that incising helps heat through a specimen and thus the whole temperature raised rapidly, which was up to threefolds compared to that of no-incised one. Incised specimens dried by a combination of microwave heating for 1 h and steam injection showed the highest drying rate, which was up to 5.3 %/h. Incising and microwave heating contributed positively to dry lumber under more uniform distribution of moisture content and to reduce surface and internal checks. Incised specimen dried by microwave showed the most uniform distribution of moisture content without surface and internal checks.     

Two novel QTLs regulate internode elongation in deepwater rice during the early vegetative stage

Deepwater rice possesses internode elongation ability to avoid drowning under deepwater conditions. Previous studies identified three QTLs regulating internode elongation ability on chromosomes 1, 3 and 12 using different populations. However, these QTLs only induce internode elongation in response to deepwater conditions from the 7-leaf stage and not during the early leaf stage. In this study, we detected two novel QTLs, qTIL2 and qTIL4 regulating deepwater response at the early leaf stage using an F₂ population derived from the cross between NIL1-3-12 carrying the three QTLs regulating deepwater response in T65 (O. sativa ssp. japonica) genetic background and C9285 (O. sativa ssp. indica, deepwater rice). Plants of the BC₂F₂ population derived from NIL1-3-12/C9285 and the RILs of T65/Bhadua (O. sativa ssp. indica, deepwater rice) possessing these QTLs as well as the three QTLs previously identified also showed internode elongation during the early leaf stage. These results indicate that qTIL2 and qTIL4 regulate early internode elongation and function in coordination with the three major QTLs under deepwater conditions. The results presented here would not only help define the mechanism of deepwater response in rice but also contribute in the breeding of deepwater tolerant rice that is adapted to various water depths.     

Critical limits of the degree of compactness and soil penetration resistance for the soybean crop in N Brazil

In agricultural fields soil compaction is a major cause of physical degradation. Degree of compactness (DC) is a useful parameter for characterizing compaction and the response of crops for different soils. The objectives of this study were: (1) to identify the critical DC and PR values for soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill] using plant growth variables and (2) to verify the relationship between DC and PR, and assess which parameter is recommended for the evaluation of soil compaction. The study was conducted in a greenhouse in a completely randomized factorial design of 4 textures × 5 compaction levels for sandy loam and sandy clay loam soils, and 3 compaction levels for the clayey and very clayey soils. Soil samples were collected from the surface of a Xantic Kandiudox from the NE region of the State of Pará, Brazil. The DC was calculated from the maximum bulk density obtained by the Proctor test, and the PR curve was determined in undisturbed samples equilibrated in different matric potentials. The growth and development of the soybean was favored in the DC range of 80 to 85%, regardless of soil texture. The critical degree of compactness for the growth of soybean was around 98% regardless of soil texture, while the critical values for penetration resistance at field capacity varied according to soil texture and bulk density and were 28.2, 5.6, 3.5, and 5.2 MPa for the sandy loam, sand clay loam, clayey and very clayey soils, respectively. The root length was the plant growth variable most susceptible to soil compaction. Change in soil penetration resistance was poorly related with change in degree of compactness showing that one parameter cannot be replaced by the other. Because PR is quickly determined in field and have a direct relationship with plant growth, for the soils evaluated in this study we recommend the use of soil PR to assess the state of soil compaction.     

Ethanol Does Not Promote MeIQx-initiated Rat Colon Carcinogenesis Based on Evidence from Analysis of a Colon Cancer Surrogate Marker

Epidemiological studies suggest that alcohol consumption increases the risk of developing colorectal cancer. However, the data are confounded by numerous cosegregating variables. To cast further light on the relationships between alcohol intake and colon cancer development, 21-day-old male F344/DuCrj rats were fed 200 ppm 2-amino-3,8-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline (MeIQx) in their diet for 8 weeks and doses of 0, 0.1, 0.3, 1, 3, 10 and 20% of ethanol in their drinking water ad libitum for 16 weeks thereafter. The rats were sacrificed after 24 weeks of experiment, and aberrant crypt foci (ACF), surrogate lesions for colon cancer, were examined under a light microscope at low magnification. Ethanol was found not to affect the ACF formation at any dose compared with the initiated-controls. Furthermore, ethanol did not alter colon epithelial cell proliferation. These data, obtained by analysis of a colon cancer surrogate marker lesion, indicate that ethanol lacks promotion activity for MeIQx-initiated rat colon carcinogenesis.     

Finding of a highly efficient ZFN pair for Aqpep gene functioning in murine zygotes

The generation efficiencies of mutation-induced mice when using engineered zinc-finger nucleases (ZFNs) have been generally 10 to 20% of obtained pups in previous studies. The discovery of high-affinity DNA-binding modules can contribute to the generation of various kinds of novel artificial chromatin-targeting tools, such as zinc-finger acetyltransferases, zinc-finger histone kinases and so on, as well as improvement of reported zinc-finger recombinases and zinc-finger methyltransferases. Here, we report a novel ZFN pair that has a highly efficient mutation-induction ability in murine zygotes. The ZFN pair induced mutations in all obtained mice in the target locus, exon 17 of aminopeptidase Q gene, and almost all of the pups had biallelic mutations. This high efficiency was also shown in the plasmid DNA transfected in a cultured human cell line. The induced mutations were inherited normally in the next generation. The zinc-finger modules of this ZFN pair are expected to contribute to the development of novel ZF-attached chromatin-targeting tools.     

Dumontinia root rot of liver leaf caused by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Dumontinia tuberosa</Emphasis>

Foliar wilt as well as crown and root rot with sclerotia formation has affected potted liver leaf (Hepatica nobilis var. japonica f. magna) in Ojiya, Niigata Prefecture, Japan, since 2006. Apothecia developed from the sclerotia on soil surface of pots with the diseased plants in March. A fungus forming the apothecia was identified as Dumontinia tuberosa (Sclerotiniaceae) based on its morphology and demonstrated to cause the disease. We coined the name “Dumontinia root rot (Dumontinia-negusare-byo in Japanese) of liver leaf” for the new disease.