Field trial of salad oil application for the induction of male flower browning ofCryptomeria japonica

A field trial of salad oil application for the induction of male flower browning ofCryptomeria japonica was conducted. The browning effect of salad oil applied from a helicopter was found to vary from clone to clone depending on the earliness of male flower development. When applied at the flower initiation stage, salad oil turned male flowers to a brown color; when applied later, the browning effect of salad oil was not clear. The effectiveness of the application depended on how close to the time of flower initiation it occurred. The harmful changes caused by salad oil solution were only observed on the leaves of Japanese plume-grass (Miscanthus sinensis), and no other effects on other plants were observed. Todd Davies for his warm hearted advice on English composition.     

Antioxidant compounds from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eucalyptus grandis</Emphasis> biomass by subcritical liquid water extraction

The effectiveness of subcritical liquid water processing for extraction of antioxidants from the leaves of Eucalyptus grandis biomass was evaluated by determining the capability of the processed samples to scavenge peroxynitrite radicals in vitro, as compared with the extracts obtained by conventional extraction. Pyrogallol (1), 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furaldehyde (2), and 4,4,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-dioxo-cyclohex-1-enecarboxylic acid (3) were identified as the major products obtained from the subcritical liquid water extracts. Among these, pyrogallol (1) exhibited stronger antioxidant activity than butylated hydroxytoluene, which was used as a standard for the antioxidant activity measurement. This research was presented at the conference of the Japan Society for Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Agrochemistry (JSBBA) in Tokyo, March 2007.     

Differences in dry matter production,grain production,and photosynthetic rate in barley cultivars under long-term salinity

Soil salinity is a major environmental stress causing significant loss of crop productivity. Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is one of the few field crops that can grow in salt-affected fields and varietal differences in productivity under salinity conditions were known. To clarify the trait most responsible for grain production under salt stress, barley cultivars that were salt tolerant (OUE812) or salt sensitive (OUC613) were grown from seedling to harvest stage in vermiculite containing various concentrations of NaCl. Dry weight of aboveground parts and grain weight decreased significantly with increasing NaCl concentration. The dry weight of the aboveground parts and grain weight decreased more significantly in OUC613 than in OUE812 for plants treated with 150 mM and 200 mM NaCl. A marked reduction in ripening percentage caused significantly decreased grain production in OUC613 as compared with OUE812. In plants treated with 200 mM NaCl, the photosynthetic rate decreased three weeks after starting the NaCl treatment, but a significant difference between cultivars in photosynthetic rate did not appear until seven weeks of NaCl treatment. OUE812 kept a higher photosynthetic rate during ripening than did OUC613 and dry matter production during the period from ripening to harvest was significantly larger in OUE812 than in OUC613. Keeping a higher photosynthetic rate might have contributed to higher grain production in OUE812. Higher ripening percentage and higher rate of photosynthesis during ripening might be target traits in breeding to improve the tolerance of barley to long-term salt stress.     

Insect growth regulators with hydrazide moiety inhibit strigolactone biosynthesis in rice

Strigolactones (SLs) are carotenoid-derived plant hormones involved in several growth and developmental processes. Also, SLs are allelochemicals that induce the seed germination of root parasitic plants and the hyphal branching of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. In this study, to identify novel lead chemicals that inhibit SL biosynthesis, we evaluated the effect of agrochemicals on SL biosynthesis. We found that the diacylhydrazine insect growth regulator, chromafenozide, reduced the endogenous level of 4-deoxyorobanchol (4DO), a major SL in rice. Furthermore, treatment with the same class of insect growth regulator, methoxyfenozide, also resulted in the reduction of 4DO levels in rice root exudates. These results suggest that chromafenozide and methoxyfenozide are novel lead inhibitors of SL biosynthesis.     

Dietary supplemental effects of red seaweed Eucheuma denticulatum on growth performance,carcass composition and blood chemistry of juvenile Japanese flounder,Paralichthys olivaceus

A 56‐day feeding trial was conducted to determine the effects of supplementing diets of juvenile Japanese flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus, with Eucheuma denticulatum (EDP). Isonitrogenous and isolipidic test diets were prepared using a fishmeal‐based positive control diet (PC) and a fishmeal‐soy protein concentrate negative control diet (NC) supplemented with 3 (D3%), 6 (D6%) and 9% (D9%) EDP. The test diets were assigned to tanks (12 fish tank^?1, initial mean body weight of 0.42 ± 0.01 g) in triplicates. Results of the feeding trial indicated that growth rates and feed efficiency significantly improved (P < 0.05) when 3% EDP was supplemented in the diets. However, there was a significant reduction (P < 0.05) of growth and feed efficiency in fish fed diets with higher supplementation levels. Protein, lipid, dry matter and ash contents of carcass and their corresponding nutrient retention values were not markedly altered in all dietary treatments. Fish fed diets supplemented with EDP exhibited higher (P < 0.05) omega‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acid accumulation in dorsal muscle when compared with those of fish fed NC. Blood chemical parameters showed significant differences (P < 0.05) in total cholesterol and triglyceride levels. These results suggest that EDP can be efficiently utilized by Japanese flounder and can promote best growth and feed utilization at a level of 3%.     

Effects of a superoptimal temperature on aquacultured yellowtail <Emphasis Type="Italic">Seriola quinqueradiata</Emphasis>

This study aimed to investigate the effects of a superoptimal temperature on growth, body composition, body size heterogeneity, and relationships among these factors in juvenile yellowtail. Fish (mean body weight?=?24 g) were tagged individually and reared for 70 days under two different water temperature regimes [optimal (25 °C) and superoptimal (30 °C)]. After rearing, fish reared at 30 °C showed lower survival, less food, feed and protein utilization, significantly lower growth performance, and a lower hepatosomatic index than fish raised at 25 °C. Variations in body indices among individuals were larger for fish reared at 30 °C than for fish reared at 25 °C. Mean whole body protein content was significantly lower in fish reared at 30 °C than fish reared at 25 °C. In addition, several glucogenic and/or aromatic amino acids were lower in fish reared at 30 °C than in fish reared at 25 °C. Whole body lipid levels tended to be lower in fish with lower body weight reared at 30 °C. These results suggest that fish raised at 30 °C will have lower growth performance, and lower concentrations of specific amino acids. Moreover, heterogeneity in body size and body lipid content is expanded by a superoptimal temperature.     

Dietary arginine requirement of juvenile kuruma shrimp Marsupenaeus japonicus (Bate)

The requirements for essential amino acids by kuruma shrimp, Marsupenaeus japonicus (Bate) have not yet been determined using the dose–response method due to poor utilization of crystalline amino acids (CAA). In a previous study, we produced coated CAA that could be used to retard leaching losses. Therefore, to determine the arginine requirement of juvenile kuruma shrimp, a growth study was conducted using test diets containing six levels of coated arginine (from 1.20% to 3.19% of diet) for 42 days. Crystalline amino acids was supplemented to correspond to the amino acid pattern in the whole body protein of the kuruma shrimp except for arginine. To reduce leaching losses, CAA were coated with carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) and diets were further bound with CMC and k‐carrageenan. Test diets were fed to triplicate groups of juveniles (0.25±0.02 g) twice a day. Proximate composition and the amino acid composition of shrimp whole bodies were analysed at the end of the feeding trial. Percent body weight gain (WG), specific growth rate, feed intake, feed efficiency ratio and protein retention efficiency were significantly affected by the dietary arginine concentrations. Estimating the arginine requirement of kuruma shrimp using broken‐line analysis of percent WG resulted in a value of 2.66% of diet or 5.32% of protein. After correcting for leaching of arginine from the diets, the optimum dietary value of arginine for kuruma shrimp was a little lower than the estimated value.     

Growth and Survival of Larval Red Sea Bream Pagrus major and Japanese Flounder Paralichthys olivaceus Fed Microbound Diets

To establish the practical use of microbound diets (MBD) for larval fish in mass seedling production, rearing experiments of larval red sea bream, Pagrus major , and Japanese flounder, Paralichthys olivaeeus , were conducted. A mixture of various protein sources was used, and dietary amino acid patterns were approximated to those of larval whole body protein. Two thousand red sea bream larvae and 1,000 Japanese flounder larvae, all 10 days old, were placed in 100 liter tanks with running sea water under ambient water temperature, which ranged from 18 to 20C. The particle size of MBD was 125 μm at the beginning of the experiment and adjusted as fish size increased thereafter. Employing MBD together with a small amount of live food could sustain the growth and survival of larval red sea bream and Japanese flounder. Thus, data from the present study indicates that substitution of artificial feeds for live foods is possible for larval fish production, although improvements in MBD diets may be necessary before they are adequate for large scale seedling production.     

Assessment of requirement values for essential amino acids in the prawn, Marsupenaeus japonicus (Bate)

The requirements of juvenile prawn, Marsupenaeus japonicus (Bate), 0.79 g initial body weight, for essential amino acids (EAA) were evaluated based on the daily increase of each EAA in the whole body when the prawn was maintained on a diet with a high nutritive value (a casein‐squid protein‐based diet). The quantities of each EAA needed daily for growth and maintenance of prawn are conceived to correspond to the daily requirements of this prawn species for EAA. Therefore, these requirement values of respective EAA should be supplied from dietary proteins. To determine these values, protein and amino acids of the whole body of the prawn were quantified before and after feeding experiments, and the quantities of respective EAA needed to meet the requirements were estimated based on the EAA profile of the whole body protein of prawn. As a result, the contents of EAA in dietary proteins (%) needed to meet the requirements of the prawn for EAA were assessed to be: threonine (2.3), methionine (1.3), valine (2.4), isoleucine (2.3), leucine (3.4), phenylalanine (2.6), lysine (3.2), histidine (1.1), arginine (2.9) and tryptophan (0.6), respectively, when the prawn are fed 50% protein diet with 90% protein digestibility at a ration size of 2% (% of body weight).     

Comparison of right atrium incision and right ventricular outflow incision for surgical repair of membranous ventricular septal defect using cardiopulmonary bypass in dogs

OBJECTIVE: To compare right atrium incision (RAI) and right ventricular outflow incisions (RVI) for surgical repair of membranous ventricular septal defect (VSD) facilitated by cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study. ANIMALS: Dogs (n=10) with VSD. METHODS: Medical records of dogs that had VSD repair were reviewed. Membranous VSD without any malformation and abnormality was confirmed on several clinical examinations and by angiocardiography. RAI (5 dogs) and RVI (5 dogs) was used for VSD access and repair facilitated by CPB. Procedure comparison was by surgical duration, postoperative recovery period, and occurrence of postoperative arrhythmia. RESULTS: Duration of surgery was similar for RAI and RVI; however, postoperative recovery time was significantly reduced with RAI. Significant moderate operative damage occurred with right atrium incision. CONCLUSIONS: Right atrium incision was more effective than RVI for repair of membranous VSD using CPB. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: RAI should be considered in preference to RVI for repair of membranous VSD using CPB.