The impact of truncating data on the predictive ability for single‐step genomic best linear unbiased prediction

Simulated and swine industry data sets were utilized to assess the impact of removing older data on the predictive ability of selection candidate estimated breeding values (EBV) when using single‐step genomic best linear unbiased prediction (ssGBLUP). Simulated data included thirty replicates designed to mimic the structure of swine data sets. For the simulated data, varying amounts of data were truncated based on the number of ancestral generations back from the selection candidates. The swine data sets consisted of phenotypic and genotypic records for three traits across two breeds on animals born from 2003 to 2017. Phenotypes and genotypes were iteratively removed 1 year at a time based on the year an animal was born. For the swine data sets, correlations between corrected phenotypes (Cp) and EBV were used to evaluate the predictive ability on young animals born in 2016–2017. In the simulated data set, keeping data two generations back or greater resulted in no statistical difference (p‐value > 0.05) in the reduction in the true breeding value at generation 15 compared to utilizing all available data. Across swine data sets, removing phenotypes from animals born prior to 2011 resulted in a negligible or a slight numerical increase in the correlation between Cp and EBV. Truncating data is a method to alleviate computational issues without negatively impacting the predictive ability of selection candidate EBV.     

50年黑龙江省大豆遗传改良的产量及品质变化

本研究针对黑龙江省过去50年推广的大豆品种产量及品质变化进行研究。结果表明,品种推广年代与产量之间表现显著的线性回归关系,产量呈逐年增加的趋势,平均每年提高1．27％。产量的提高与英数、英粒数、粒数及收获指数密切相关,而与百粒重关系不大。经过50年的遗传改良,大豆蛋白质和脂肪含量变化不大,且品种间变异幅度较小。R2期（盛花期）叶氮含量、单株叶氮量、比叶氮及LAI（叶面积指数）与产量及品质关系不大,但此时期干物质重与产量里负相关关系,生育前期的干物质积累对产量的贡献不大。     

Impedimetric evaluation of compounds for antifungal activity versus Aspergillus niger

The procedure described utilized a microbial monitoring system (bactometer) to measure impedimetrically the inhibitory activity of known antifungal compounds (2-(thiocyanomethylthio)benzothiazole [TCMTB], 3-iodo-2-propynylbutyl carbamate [IPBC], chlorothalonil, tebuconazole, and copper-8-quinolinolate [Cu-8]) on growth of Aspergillus niger Teigh. in a liquid medium. The MIC values determined were based on the activity of the compounds to inhibit a change in the capacitance of the medium during a 96-h period after inoculation. The MIC values obtained with the bactometer were compared with MIC values derived from the inhibition of radial growth of A. niger on the same liquid medium solidified with agar. The MIC values for all the compounds tested were substantially lower when determined with the bactometer than on agar. The impedimetric evaluation of compounds for antifungal activity offers advantages of speed, sensitivity, and data collection.     

Effects of weed control practices on surface-dwelling arthropod predators in tomato agroecosystems

Weed control, an important practice in agroecosystems to protect crop production, is usually achieved with herbicides. However, these pesticides are expensive, pose potential risks to the environment, may affect some beneficial organisms indirectly, and decrease overall arthropod biodiversity, including pests and their natural enemies, by removing weeds that might act as hosts or shelters for many organisms. The activity density response of important surface-dwelling arthropod predators (ground beetles [Coleoptera: Carabidae], ants [Hymenoptera: Formicidae] and spiders [Arachnida: Araneae]) to herbicides (trifluralin and paraquat), and to two alternative weed management practices (rye straw mulch and mechanical treatment to maintain weeds below threshold levels, in comparison with an untreated check), was assessed using pitfall traps. The mulch treatment had the greatest effect on activity density, reducing the number of predators trapped significantly (P<0.05). Herbicide use resulted in significant (P<0.05) reductions in the activity density of ground beetles. Most predators were trapped in the check plots — which had the highest weed biomass, followed in turn by numbers trapped in the threshold weed control treatment, the full herbicide application and the mulch treatment plots. http://www.phytoparasitica.org posting July 10, 2002.