The Economics of Kappaphycus Seaweed Cultivation in Developing Countries: A Comparative Analysis of Farming Systems

The farming of the red seaweed Kappaphycus alvarezii and related species as raw material for the hydrocolloid carrageenan rapidly spread from the Philippines in the late 1960s to Indonesia, Tanzania, and other tropical countries around the world. Although numerous studies have documented positive socioeconomic impacts for seaweed farming, factors such as diseases and distance to export markets have led to an uneven development of the industry. Using standard budgeting techniques, this study adapted production and market data from a FAO-led global review of seaweed farming to develop comparative enterprise budgets for eight farming systems in six countries (Indonesia, the Philippines, Tanzania, India, Solomon Islands, and Mexico). Although the basic technology package is the same across countries, the study revealed large differences in the economic performance of systems due to wide variations in farm prices and the scale of operations. Although seaweed farming is a suitable activity for small-scale producers, a minimum of 2,000 m of cultures lines are still necessary to ensure adequate economic returns. Greater farming plots may be needed if farm prices are well below the average farm prices paid in Indonesia and the Philippines. Policy recommendations are made to improve the economic potential of underperforming systems.     

Ecosystem effects of invertebrate fisheries

Since the 1950s, invertebrate fisheries catches have rapidly expanded globally to more than 10 million tonnes annually, with twice as many target species, and are now significant contributors to global seafood provision, export, trade and local livelihoods. Invertebrates play important and diverse functional roles in marine ecosystems, yet the ecosystem effects of their exploitation are poorly understood. Using 12 ecosystem models distributed worldwide, we analysed the trade‐offs of various invertebrate fisheries and their ecosystem effects as well as ecological indicators. Although less recognized for their contributions to marine food webs, our results show that the magnitude of trophic impacts of invertebrates on other species of commercial and conservation interest is comparable with those of forage fish. Generally, cephalopods showed the strongest ecosystem effects and were characterized by a strong top‐down predatory role. Lobster, and to a lesser extent, crabs, shrimp and prawns, also showed strong ecosystem effects, but at lower trophic levels. Benthic invertebrates, including epifauna and infauna, also showed considerable ecosystem effects, but with strong bottom‐up characteristics. In contrast, urchins, bivalves, and gastropods showed generally lower ecosystem effects in our simulations. Invertebrates also strongly contributed to benthic–pelagic coupling, with exploitation of benthic invertebrates impacting pelagic fishes and vice versa. Finally, on average, invertebrates produced maximum sustainable yield at lower levels of depletion (~45%) than forage fish (~65%), highlighting the need for management targets that avoid negative consequences for target species and marine ecosystems as a whole.     

Inheritance of pseudo-self compatibility in self-incompatible garden and greenhouse chrysanthemums, Dendranthema grandiflora Tzvelv

Summary Self incompatibility (SI) can be used to alleviate costly hand emasculation and pollination in F₁ hybrid chrysanthemum seed production. SI, however, disrupts the progression of inbreedig (selfing or full-sib mating). Consequently, inbreds are selected for breakdown of the SI system or the presence of pseudo-self compatibility (PSC). PSC inbreds, recombinant inbreds, and noninbred cultivars were selfed and/or intercrossed to determine PSC expression across environments and generate 1–3 inbred generations (I₁–I₃). Percent PSC ranged from 0–68.8% for inbred parents, 0.2–99.7% for recombinant inbreds, and 0.6–25.7% for noninbred cultivars. There was no indication of end-of-season PSC. The majority of parents (78%) were classified as low PSC and this trend continued in the I₁ (70.1%), I₂ (65.6%), and I₃ (83.6%) generations; mid PSC was rarer (11.9–18.8%) and high PSC the least common (4.5–15.6%). PSC distributions were primarily continuous, rather than discrete, indicating quantitative inheritance. In several inbred families, 100% of the I₁ individuals were SI; this was not correlated with parental PSC level. Inbred families derived from selfing low and mid PSC parents were the most likely to reach extinction due to inbreeding depression. High PSC was not highly heritable, since I₁ progeny were predominantly SI or had low to mid PSC levels. Most 153-1 values for PSC:SI segregations (1:1, 1:3, 3:1) were not significant at the 5% level. Realized heritability (H _R ) estimates for PSC ranged from a low of 0.05% to 10.19%, although increased H _R values did not account for inbreeding depression or genetic mechanisms preventing selection for high PSC. The highest individual %PSC increased over the high parent with SI × low PSC or SI × mid PSC parents in all cases; progeny means did so only in SI × low PSC. Low × low crosses were split evenly between an increase and decrease in progeny or highest individual mean. Since all low × low crosses and low selfs produced 43–50% of the progeny with PSC levels higher than the parents, it appears that most low parents possess some unexpressed PSC genes. Mid PSC parents responded similarly to low PSC genotypes. An increase in PSC was found when crossing SI × PSC parents, illustrating a threshold effect. PSC × PSC crosses (high × low, low × low) produced SI, low, and mid PSC I₁ individuals but did not show a heterotic effect, since the PSC parents had already surpassed the PSC threshold. Selfing high PSC parents, however, suggested different genetic control. Progeny and highest individual means behaved the same; 83% decreased and 17% remained the same for PSC levels. The drop in PSC indicated non-additive gene action. Thus, the PSC threshold with additive gene action holds when selection for higher PSC levels is being done from low and mid PSC parents, but once high PSC levels are obtained, non-additive gene action prevails.Abbreviations self pollinated - H _R Realized Heritability - PSC Pseudo-Self Compatibility - SC Self Compatibility - SI Self Incompatibility     

Energy Metabolism During Late Gestation and Lactation in Muciparous Sows in Relation to Backfat Thickness and the Interval from Weaning to First Oestrus

Ten crossbred, fourth or fifth parity sows were divided into 2 groups - high (H) and low (L) - according to their backfat thickness 9 days before parturition. Body weight, backfat thickness and litter weight were recorded repeatedly during a 5 week lactation period. The length of the interval from weaning to first oestrus was also noted. All sows were fed a commercial diet (11.9 MJ/kg, 14.5% crude protein). During gestation, daily food intake was 2.2 kg/sow, while during lactation it was 3.0 kg/sow plus 0.4 kg/piglet.Blood samples were drawn on day 9 before parturition and on days 2,7,14 and 21 of lactation. The samples were analysed to determine concentrations of glucose, urea nitrogen, creatinine, triglycerides, free fatty acids and beta-hydroxybutyric acid. In both groups, concentrations of free fatty acids and urea nitrogen were low on day 9 before parturition while those of triglycerides were high, indicating anabolism regardless of backfat thickness.During the first week of lactation, concentrations of free fatty acids increased in the H-group but not in the L-group, and concentrations of urea nitrogen were higher in the H-group. These differences, together with the greater loss of weight observed in the H-group, indicate that catabolism of maternal fat and protein depots was more pronounced in the Η-group than in the L-group during this time. On day 14 of lactation, both groups showed equally low concentrations of free fatty acids, decreasing creatinine concentrations and stable triglyceride and urea nitrogen concentrations. Furthermore, weight loss during the second and third weeks of lactation was low in both groups. These facts, taken together, indicate that the catabolic rate was decreasing in both groups during this period. No differences in return to oestrus interval were noted between the groups. The present study indicates that under a restricted feeding regime the catabolic rate during the first week of lactation is higher in sows with higher backfat thickness in late gestation.As lactation progresses, a more balanced metabolism is achieved regardless of backfat thickness, which may tend to reduce differences in return to oestrous interval.     

Influence of stress and nutrition on cattle immunity.

Today, the scientific community readily embraces the fact that stress and nutrition impact every physiologic process in the body. At last, the specific mechanisms by which stress and nutrition affect the immune function are being elucidated. The debate among animal scientists concerning the definition and quantification of stress as it relates to animal productivity and well-being is ongoing. However, an increased appreciation and understanding of the effects of stress on livestock production has emerged throughout the scientific community and with livestock producers. The intent of this article is to provide an overview of the general concepts of stress and immunology, and to review the effects of stress and nutrition on the immune system of cattle.     

Hepatic lipidosis and other test findings in two captive adult porcupines (Erethizon dorsatum) dying from a "sudden death syndrome".

Routine postmortem examination and histologic evaluation of tissue sections demonstrated hepatic lipidosis (HL) in 2 adult captive porcupines with a history of sudden death. The male porcupine had a markedly enlarged pale liver that microscopically showed large unilocular vacuoles within hepatocellular cytoplasm. The periparturient female had similar but less marked hepatic lesions and an incidental pulmonary mycosis. These findings suggest HL as an important differential of spontaneous death in captive porcupines. It is hypothesized that in addition to the widely documented causes, HL in captive porcupines may be specifically associated with nutritional imbalances caused by the feeding of unsuitable commercial diets. The possible association of the condition with dietary and other factors in captive porcupines needs to be thoroughly investigated.     

Glasser's Disease of Swine Produced by the Intratracheal Inoculation of Haemophilus suis

The intracheal inoculation of pigs with Haemophilus suis led to the production of Glasser's disease at every attempt without significant pulmonary involvement. Isolation of this organism from the experimental animals was possible only in the acute phase of the disease.

The indirect fluorescent antibody technique when applied to frozen sections of tissues obtained from the experimentally infected pigs at autopsy, revealed a few rod forms but mostly “round bodies” of H. suis in animals from which the organism was isolated, and “round bodies” only in the pigs from which the organism was not isolated.

Attention is drawn to the similarities between the lesions caused by H. suis and Mycoplasma hyorhinis, and to the confusion which may result therefrom. It is stressed that the laboratory diagnosis of these two diseases is complicated by the fact that both agents may not be isolated on the media commonly used in diagnostic laboratories. Both organisms necessitate the use of special media where the clinical and autopsy results indicate polyserositis and arthritis.

     

Suppression of cytokine-inducible nitric oxide synthesis during intraperitoneal meth a tumor growth

Nitric oxide (NO*) synthesis is induced within many tumors. The timecourse of NO* synthesis was evaluated during intraperitoneal Meth A fibrosarcoma progression. While increasing macrophage recruitment into ascites was noted, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) antigen and function peaked between days 3-6 after tumor implantation. The capacity of cells to respond to LPS and IFNgamma stimulation was markedly depressed on day 9 and 11. Cellular proliferation correlated in an inverse fashion with levels of NO* synthesis. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy and nitrotyrosine immunostaining failed to show accumulation of characteristic target cell lesions induced by NO*. These findings lead us to conclude that NO* production was increasingly suppressed during Meth A tumor progression. Depression of NO* production did not correlate with levels of the inhibitory cytokines TGFbeta and IL-10, but could be partially overcome by addition of sepiapterin (a tetrahydrobiopterin prodrug). Thus, depletion of essential co-factors necessary for iNOS function may contribute to depressed NO* responses during cancer progression.     

拮抗链霉菌防治马铃薯疮痂病的大田试验研究

 本文报道了利用拮抗链霉菌防治马铃薯疮痂病的大田试验研究。拮抗链霉菌接种在0.8公顷的病田中。不同接种量和接种方法均显著地影响防治效果。3年的试验表明:拮抗菌系以蛭石接种形式防效优于种薯浸泡。一般情况下,连续2年接种或高接种量的防效优于1年或低接种量的防效。不同菌系的防效差异明显,单个拮抗菌的防效优于2个拮抗菌混合使用的效果。甜玉米和大豆轮作结合拮抗菌显著降低了马铃薯疮痂病的危害。