The flammability of shrubs and trees in anAcacia mangium plantation based on silica-free ash content

Preliminary research to understand the flammability of 14 species of shrubs and 8 species of trees based on silica-free ash content was done in order to recognize which shrubs or trees are more flammable. The results show that the silica-free ash content of shrubs and trees leaves was greater than the stems ranging between 1.7% and 11.4% for leaf and 0.4% and 7.8% for the stems. The shrubsDicranopteris linearis, Imperata cylindrica, Eupatorium pubescens, Lantana camara, Eugenia sp.,Cliforia laurifolia, Pterospermum sp.,Hibiscus similis, Clidemia hirta andTrema orientalis must be considered when fire invades the plantation as well as the treeParaserianthes falcataria, Eucalyptus urophylla, Calliandra callothyrsus, andPeronema canescens.     

Changes in photosynthesis,growth, and sugar content of commercial sugarcane cultivars and Erianthus under flood conditions

Sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) is an economical crop in the tropical and subtropical countries. However, because of global climate change, flooding has become problematic, particularly during the rainy season, in Thailand. We investigated the effects of floods on three commercial sugarcane cultivars, namely NiF8, U-thong 6 (UT6), and U-thong 9 (UT9), as well as Erianthus spp. Growth was assessed using a pot experiment in a glasshouse with two treatments: (1) control and (2) 60 d of flooding followed by 30 d of normal conditions. In comparison with control, during prolonged flooding, Erianthus showed greatly decreased CO₂ assimilation, whereas NiF8, UT6, and UT9 showed slightly declined CO₂ assimilation. Growth in plants subjected to 60 d of flooding was less influenced by floods while sucrose content was not affected except in UT6. During flooding, some roots died, resulting in plants compensating adventitious roots to offset the negative effects of root death and to assist them in maintaining their growth, which appeared from the submerged nodes, with different characteristics for each cultivar. However, 30 d after draining, roots remained damaged, while adventitious roots died, resulting in lesser growth as compared with the control, but it did not significantly affect sucrose content and sugar yield. This study suggests that sugarcane plants need to produce the adventitious roots to compensate their roots’ death during flooding and require time to recover their root system after flooding for obtaining the optimum yield and quality at harvest.     

Breeding opportunities for early,free-threshing and semi-dwarf <Emphasis Type="Italic">Triticum monococcum</Emphasis> L.

Einkorn wheat, Triticum monococcum L. (2n = 2x = 14, A^mA^m genome), is a primitive, cultivated form of diploid wheat. The shortcoming of einkorn is that it lacks the free-threshing habit. Early heading and semi-dwarf traits are also required to fit modern agricultural practice. In the present study we developed T. monococcum pre-breeding germplasm having early, free threshing traits by utilizing an early heading source, two sources of soft glume (spike) and three sources of semi-dwarfism to combine their phenotypes into pre-breeding materials. We found two different genes determined free threshing of einkorn wheat. One of them was the sog (soft glume) gene from Triticum sinskajae Filat. et Kurkiev (2n = 2x = 14, A^mA^m genome) and another was the sos (soft spike) gene, which was completely linked or pleiotropic with the gene for semi-dwarfism. The genes sos, spd (short peduncle) and sd17654 (semi-dwarf CItr 17654) were utilized to develop semi-dwarf T. monococcum lines. Field performance of 6 early and free-threshing pre-breeding materials with sos and spd genes were tested over three crop seasons. Five semi-dwarf pre-breeding materials (PBMs) were obtained. However, these materials had slightly less grain yield than #252 (tall and hulled check) and PBM-1 (tall free-threshing check). Harvest index of the pre-breeding materials was improved due to the presence of sos and spd genes. If optimized cultivation practice is performed, these pre-breeding materials can be utilized as sources of early, free-threshing and semi-dwarf traits to produce modern T. monococcum varieties.     

Involvement of microaerophilic iron-oxidizing bacteria in the iron-oxidizing process at the surface layer of flooded paddy field soil

Journal of Soils and Sediments - To reveal whether microaerophilic Fe(II)-oxidizing bacteria (FeOB) participate in the Fe(II) oxidation at the oxic-anoxic interface in flooded paddy field soil,...     

Effects of dietary β-carotene on the immune response of rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss

SUMMARY: We attempt to assess the impact of different levels of dietary β-carotene on immune function in rainbow trout. Semi-purified diets containing 0, 40, 200, and 400 mg β-carotene/kg dry diet were fed for 12 weeks to fish with average weight of 45 g. In addition to the humoral and cellular immune parameters, growth and feed utilization were examined. There were no marked differences in growth and feed utilization showing that β-carotene was not particularly efficient in enhancing growth of rainbow trout. Of the immune parameters measured, total immunoglobulin was significantly highest for the 200 mg β-carotene fed group. Serum complement activity (alternate pathway) at 200 and 400 mg β-carotene supplementation was significantly higher than that of the unsupplemented group. An increasing trend in lysozyme activity was observed, however, the differences among the groups were not significant. Phagocytic activity was similar among diet groups except at the highest level of supplementation where it was the maximum. Oxygen radical production by peripheral blood leukocytes appeared to be lower at higher levels of carotenoid supplementation. Overall, dietary β-carotene clearly enhanced immune response parameters in rainbow trout such as serum complement activity and total plasma immunoglobulin but did not show a definite influence for the other factors examined in the present study.     

Immunohistochemical localization of inhibin subunits in the testis of the bull

The differential localization of the inhibin beta subunits betaA and betaB in the testis of adult bull was studied using specific monoclonal and polyclonal primary antibodies. Inhibin betaA- and betaB-subunits were localized only in the Sertoli cells. The inhibin betaA-subunit was observed in the cytoplasm while the betaB-subunit was localized in the nucleus. No specific findings depending on spermatogenic stages were observed among the seminiferous tubules. Moreover, the inhibin alpha-subunit was not detected in the testis of the bulls. In addition, no inhibin subunits were detected in the Leydig cells and spermatogenic cells. These findings indicate the presence of betaA- and betaB-subunits in the bull, which may suggest a possibility that activin is produced and/or stored in the Sertoli cells and regulates spermatogenesis in an autocrine/paracrine manner. Moreover, the inhibin betaB-subunit may be produced in the nucleus but the functional meaning of this is not yet clear.     

Trail antigen in Eimeria stiedai sporozoites associated with a thrombospondin-related motif and the entry of cultured cells

In order to examine the antigenic similarity and specificity of the trail antigen of Eimeria stiedai and Etp 100, a microneme protein of Eimeria tenella, monoclonal antibodies to the trail antigen of E. stiedai sporozoites were selected by an indirect immunofluorescent antibody method. The monoclonal antibody of one clone, 3D10, reacted with the anterior portion of non-fixed sporozoites. By immunoblotting, the monoclonal antibody was found to react with a 100 kDa antigen of E. stiedai sporozoites, and a 117 kDa antigen of E. tenella sporozoites and merozoites. It was also found to react with a recombinant protein with thrombospondin-/properdin-like motifs homologous to E. tenella microneme protein Etp 100. The monoclonal antibody significantly inhibited the penetration of E. stiedai sporozoites into cultured rabbit hepatobiliary epithelial cells. These results suggest that E. stiedai sporozoites have a trail antigen, located in the anterior region on the outer surface of the sporozoites, which has an epitope with thrombospondin-/properdin-like motifs similar to E. tenella microneme protein Etp 100. This protein may play an important functional role in the process of penetration of host cells.     

Arthroderma benhamiae infection in a rabbit

The isolate from the rabbit with dermatophytosis which was transmitted to the owners was proved to be Arthroderma benhamiae (-) by mating experiments as well as by chitin synthase 1 (CHSI) gene analysis.     

Identification of novel inhibitors of calling and in vitro [14C]acetate incorporation by pheromone glands of Plodia interpunctella

Some octopamine agonists were found to suppress in vitro biosynthesis of the calling pheromone of the Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella. Isolated pheromone-gland preparations incorporated sodium [14C]acetate at a linear rate for 3 h when incubated with the pheromone biosynthesis activating neuropeptide (PBAN). This incorporation was dependent on the dose of PBAN (up to 0.5 microM). Thin-layer chromatography of a pheromone-gland extract revealed quantitative incorporation of radioactivity into a product exhibiting the same mobility as (Z,E)-9,12-tetradecadienyl acetate, the main component of the calling pheromone of P interpunctella. Twenty-seven octopamine agonists were initially screened using a calling behaviour bioassay of female P interpunctella. Four derivatives with activity in the nanomolar range were identified which were, in order of decreasing pheromonostatic activity: 2-(2,6-diethylphenylimino)thiazolidine > 2-(2,6-diethylphenylimino)oxazolidine > 2-(2,6-dimethylphenylimino)thiazolidine > 2-(2-ethylphenylimino)oxazolidine. These compounds also showed in vitro inhibitory activity in intracellular de novo pheromone biosynthesis. The results of the present study indicate that these derivatives could provide useful information in the characterization and differentiation of octopaminergic receptor types and subtypes.