Hydroxytyrosol 4-beta-D-glucoside,an important phenolic compound in olive fruits and derived products

There is increasing interest in olive polyphenols because of their biological properties as well as their contribution to the color, taste, and shelf life of olive products. However, some of these compounds remain unidentified. It has been shown that hydroxytyrosol 4-beta-D-glucoside (4-beta-D-glucosyl-3-hydroxyphenylethanol) coeluted with hydroxytyrosol [(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethanol] under reversed phase conditions in the phenolic chromatograms of olive pulp, vegetation water, and pomace of olive oil processing. A method to separate this compound from hydroxytyrosol by HPLC has been developed. The concentration of this glucoside increased in olive pulp with maturation and could be the main phenolic compound in mature olives. In contrast, the presence of this compound was not detected in olive oil by using HPLC-MS. The compound must be considered both in table olives and olive oil processing because of its glucose and hydroxytyrosol contribution to these products.     

A minimum data set for evaluating the ecological soil functions in remediation projects

Purpose

Soil functioning becomes a matter of growing concern in soil remediation projects as, apart from preparing contaminated land for construction purposes, some parts of the sites are usually transformed into green spaces for recreation and inspiration. The objective of this paper is to develop and apply a minimum data set (MDS) for evaluating the ecological soil functions for green areas in remediation projects.

Materials and methods

The MDS was chosen from the previous applications in literature. Using a nonlinear scoring algorithm to transform observed data into sub-scores for evaluating ecological soil functions, the MDS was applied on the Kvillebäcken site in Sweden. The mean sub-scores of the individual soil quality indicators (SQIs) were integrated into a soil quality index to classify the soil into one of the five soil classes. Monte Carlo simulations were used to treat the uncertainties in the predicted soil class resulting from spatial heterogeneity of SQIs, a limited sampling size, and analytical errors.

Results and discussion

The suggested MDS consists of soil texture, content of coarse material, available water capacity, organic matter content, potentially mineralizable nitrogen, pH, and available phosphorus. The high mean sub-score for organic matter at Kvillebäcken indicated that the soil was rich on organic matter thus having a good water storage and nutrient cycling potential. However, the low mean sub-score for potentially mineralizable nitrogen indicated limited biological activity in the soil. The low mean sub-score for the content of coarse fragments indicated plant rooting limitations. Further, the soil quality index (that integrates the sub-scores for SQIs) corresponded to soil class 3 and a medium soil performance with a high certainty.

Conclusions

The suggested MDS can provide practitioners with relevant basic information on soil’s ability to carry out its ecological functions. The suggested scoring method helps to interpret and integrate information from different SQIs into a decision-making process in remediation projects.     

Residual Nitrogen Effects in Organically Cultivated Beetroot Following a Harvested/Green Manured Grass-Clover Ley

ABSTRACT

The residual nitrogen (N) effect on beetroot following harvested grass-clover (H-ley) or corresponding twice-cut green manure (GM-ley) was compared with a barley control. The residual N at beetroot harvest, calculated as N in beetroot crop and mineral N in the 0–90 cm soil layer, was 83 kg ha^?1 for the GM-ley when barley was set to zero. The effect of GM-ley exceeded that of 3H-ley (3 harvests) by 74 kg N ha^?1 and 2H-ley (2 harvests) by 42 kg N ha^?1. Prediction of residual effects was studied using a model with a humification coefficient (hc) of 0.35 and another with different hc values for different plant materials. The former gave the best fit to observed data in regression analysis. The latter gave the best fit to observed data in absolute values. The residual N effect of GM biomass from summer cuttings corresponded to 40–70% of the potential effect.     

Influence of Cation Proportions of the Nutrient Solution on Tipburn Incidence in Strawberry Plants

To determine their influence on leaf tipburn incidence and yields six nutrient solutions with different proportions of potassium (K), calcium (Ca), and magnesium (Mg) were tested in ‘Camarosa’ strawberry plants. Response models were made to predict tipburn incidence, yields and fruit weight. A high Ca proportion in the nutrient solution was determinant for high yields in the first season, while a high Mg content was fundamental for high marketable yields during the two last seasons. In 2001 and 2002, the average fruit weight was higher with high Mg levels, and in 2000 the lowest fruit weights coincided with low levels of Ca in the nutrient solution. The models for tipburn incidence in 2000 and 2002 indicated that solutions with intermediate to high levels of Mg and intermediate to low levels of Ca resulted in a more frequent incidence of tipburn. Conversely, in 2001, the highest tipburn incidence appeared with high K contents.     

ADVERSE EFFECTS OF HUMIC SUBSTANCES FROM DIFFERENT ORIGIN ON LUPIN AS RELATED TO IRON SOURCES

Humic substances improve the efficiency of different iron (Fe) sources overcoming Fe deficiency chlorosis of plants. However, applied at high rates, they can promote negative effects on plants. The main objective of this work was to study the potential adverse effect of three humic acids from different origin when they were applied with two effective Fe sources for plants: Fe- ethylenediaminedihydroxyphenylacetic acid (EDDHA) and Vivianite. To this end, an experiment with lupin (Lupinus albus L.) was performed involving two factors: (i) Fe source, and (ii) humic substances from three different origin (composted cork, leonardite, and compost obtained from a mixture of olive husk with cotton gin trash) applied at 0, 0.1, and 0.5 g organic carbon (C) kg^?1 of growing media. At the rates used, humic substances promoted adverse effects on plant development, chlorophyll meter readings, and Fe content in lupin grown in calcareous media. Overall, the effect on dry matter and Fe content in plants was more relevant when Fe was supplied with Vivianite, the effect on chlorophyll meter readings being more significant when Fe was applied as Fe-EDDHA. Differences were also observed depending on the source of humic substances, those from leonardite promoting the greatest decrease in dry matter in roots and shoots. These humic substances possessed the highest values of spectroscopy index for aromaticity (A₂₅₄ ). On the other hand, the application of humic substances from olive husk compost, which exhibited the lower aromaticity index, resulted in the smallest decrease in dry matter production and chlorophyll meter readings. Dry matter in roots decreased logarithmically with increased values of the estimates of the amounts of aromatic compounds accumulated in the growing media (R² = 0.92; P < 0.01) with Vivianite as Fe source. Thus, the effects decreasing dry matter production, particularly in roots, and chlorophyll meter readings can be ascribed at least partially to the presence of phytotoxic aromatic compounds in humic substances.     

RESPONSE OF FRIJOLILLO RHYNCHOSIA MINIMA (L) DC. TO SUPPLEMENTARY PHOSPHORUS WITH THREE SOIL MOISTURE CONDITIONS: II. SOLUTE ACCUMULATION

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of induced drought conditions and phosphorous (P) application on osmotic adjustment as reflected in the accumulation of organic solutes in the leaves of frijolillo. The experiment took place under greenhouse conditions without climate control. Plastic containers were used measuring 20 cm high × 15 cm in diameter. In each container, five plants were evaluated from emergence to vegetative growth phase. Three soil moisture regimes were evaluated (25%, 50%, and 100% of field capacity) combined with four concentrations of phosphorous (0, 50,100 and 150 mg kg^?1 of soil). A completely randomized block design with a factorial arrangement of 3×4 with four replications was used. The cellular osmotic adjustment as a response to drought stress in frijolillo was associated with the accumulation of sugars, amino acids and proline in that higher concentrations than the control were measured with moisture at 25%. Concentrations of chlorophyll and carotene increased as soil moisture levels decreased.     

Vegetative propagation of Colutea istria Mill. from leafy stem cuttings

This study investigates the optimal conditions for the vegetative propagation of the multipurpose leguminous shrub Colutea istria from leafy stem cuttings. The conditions examined included 1) the origin of the cutting (apical, medial or basal), 2) indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) treatment (0, 50, 200 or 400 mg/l), 3) the relative humidity of the propagation environment (high or low), 4) wounding base of cutting, and 5) the season in which the cutting was taken. The rooting ability of the cuttings was significantly influenced by all these factors. Winter cuttings obtained from the middle and base of the branch showed a greater rooting capacity than those harvested from the apical area, while autumn cuttings harvested from the middle and apical areas of the branch showed a greater rooting capacity than those harvested from the base. Winter cuttings showed the best rooting capacity than autumn cuttings. IBA treatment (200 mg/l), high humidity (98-100%), and wounding increased the rooting capacity of the cuttings. The sprout of new leaves was higher in basal cuttings, while IBA and wounding also significantly enhanced the root number of rooted cuttings. A method for vegetatively propagating C. istria plants is given.     

Study of gastrointestinal parasites in water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) reared under Mexican humid tropical conditions

Tropical Animal Health and Production - The objective was to determine the frequency of gastrointestinal parasites (GP) genera affecting water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) reared under humid tropical...     

Dynamics in serum of the inflammatory markers serum amyloid A (SAA), haptoglobin,fibrinogen and alpha2-globulins during induced noninfectious arthritis in the horse

Despite the importance of noninfectious joint diseases in equine medicine, little is known about the acute phase response which may be elicited if the local inflammatory process of noninfectious arthritis is sufficiently strong, Therefore the aim of this study was to monitor the systemic inflammatory response during experimentally-induced noninfectious arthritis by studying the dynamics in serum of the acute phase proteins serum amyloid A (SAA), haptoglobin, fibrinogen and alpha2-globulins. Twenty-four Standardbred horses, age 3-7 years, found healthy on thorough clinical, radiological, haematological and serum biochemical examination, were injected aseptically into the right midcarpal joint with amphotericin B. Blood samples were drawn before induction of arthritis (0 h), and at 8, 16, 24, 36 and 48 h postinduction and then on Days 3, 4, 5 and 15 postinduction. All horses developed lameness with joint effusion and joint heat as well as increased respiratory rate, heart rate and body temperature. The lameness started to decline after 24-36 h and, in most animals, systemic signs disappeared on Day 2 postinjection. The concentration of the acute phase proteins increased following induction of arthritis. The SAA concentrations were higher than baseline concentrations from 16 h postinduction and were maximal at 36-48 h (227 times baseline concentration). The haptoglobin concentrations were higher than baseline concentrations from 24 h and were maximal at 48-96 h (1.14 times baseline concentration). The maximal concentrations of fibrinogen were seen between 36-72 h postinjection and increased on average 0.87 times from baseline concentrations. The fibrinogen concentrations were higher than baseline concentrations from 24 h postinjection. Alpha2-globulins concentrations showed a minor increase and increased 0.55 times from baseline concentrations. The markers had returned to baseline concentrations by Day 15. Our results demonstrate that amphotericin B-induced arthritis in a single joint gives rise to a systemic acute phase response measurable as increased concentrations in serum SAA, haptoglobin, fibrinogen and alpha2-globulins during the first 2 weeks of the condition and, thereby, that such an increase need not be indicative of infectious arthritis. Further research should be aimed at determining whether chronic noninfectious arthritis in the horse gives rise to increased acute phase protein concentrations in serum.