Evaluating foliar nitrogen compounds as indicators of nitrogen status in Prunus persica trees

Mobile nitrogen (N) forms may be better N indicators of the N status of trees than total nitrogen (TN) due to their higher sensitivity to increasing N supply. A field experiment was carried out over a 3-year period to compare foliar concentrations of total N (TN), soluble N (SN), chlorophyll (Minolta SPAD readings), NH₄–N and NO₃–N as indicators of soil N availability in nectarine, Prunus persica L. Batsch, cv. ‘Fantasia’ (grafted on ‘Nemaguard’ peach, P. persica × P. davidiana) trees. Young trees were exposed to a range of fertilizer-N application rates. Based on correlation analysis, the best association between leaf N compounds with soil N supply and trunk diameter and/or fruit yield was obtained with TN and chlorophyll SPAD readings. Leaf concentrations of mobile N compounds (NH₄–N and NO₃–N) increased more than any other N compound under high N supply; however, their inconsistency among years and low leaf concentration difficult their use as N indicators. The optimum foliar TN for growth decreased with tree age, 4.4%, 3.6% and 3.3% in non-bearing 1-year-old trees, non-bearing 2-year-old trees and 3.3 fruit-bearing 3-year-old trees. The optimum SPAD readings were 40 in 2-year-old trees and 42 in 3-year-old trees. Stable N compounds (TN and chlorophyll SPAD) could be used to N diagnosis in the zone of N deficiency, and soluble N compounds (NH₄–N and NO₃–N) to diagnoses N excess.     

Effect of electrical stunning at slaughter on the quality of farmed turbot (Psetta maxima)

Food quality aspects of farmed turbot (Psetta maxima) were compared following two methods of slaughter: the current commercial method, by immersion in an ice slurry, which is then dewatered after approximately 20 min, or by first humanely, electrically stunning the fish using a prototype commercial stunner, before immersion in an ice slurry, which is dewatered after 20 min. Quality was assessed for up to 10 days of storage on ice following slaughter. No differences were found between the slaughter methods in terms of an overall carcass quality: overall appearance, haemorrhage, damage, burst gall bladder, staining of the body cavity by leakage from the gut or damage to the spine. No detectable difference was found between the treatments using the industry standard freshness scoring system, the Quality Index Method. Both groups of fish were classified as ‘Fresh’ after 10 days of storage on ice. Using objective measurements of colour, no differences between fish from either treatment were found in fillet colour. Changes in flesh pH were similar in electrically stunned and traditionally killed fish with a mean pH (±SE) at 2 h post‐mortem of 6.80±0.027 declining to 6.44±0.032 at 24 h post‐mortem. Humane electrical stunning of turbot at slaughter neither detectably improved nor decreased product quality as measured between 1 and 10 days of storage on ice.     

Loch fleet — a research watershed liming project

A research watershed liming project is being carried out at Loch Fleet in the Galloway District of southwest Scotland. This acid loch originally supported a brown trout fishery, but the number of fish caught by anglers declined during the 1950's and the fishery eventually disappeared about 20 yr ago. After 2 yr of pretreatment data collection, the first set of land time applications took place in the spring of 1986, and the resulting surface water chemical changes are very encouraging. Increases in pH and Ca concentration and decreases in A1 (especially the toxic labile monomeric fraction) concentrations have been observed in the streams and waters draining the treated subcatchments in the loch itself and in the loch outlet. Also, the normal trend for pH and Ca concentration to fall during periods of high flow in the main feeder stream has been reversed. In the spring of 1987, the loch was restocked with brown trout. Initial indications are that there has been very good survival of these fish, and that they managed to spawn during the 1987/88 winter. The chemical and biological changes brought about by the land treatments are described in detail.     

The Use of Biofilters to Reduce Atmospheric Methane Emissions from Landfills: Part I. Biofilter Design

Previous laboratory research has shown that biofilters have the potential to reduce CH₄ emissions from landfills by as much as 83%. However, to achieve this level of CH₄ reduction biofilters must be properly designed. The present study was conducted to develop a method for properly designing biofilters based on landfill size and location. A quadratic equation was developed to describe the dependence of CH₄ oxidation rate in a sandy loam textured soil as a function of soil temperature, soil moisture and ammonium nitrogen concentration. Using this equation and the average monthly soil temperature and moisture contents for the largest cities of each of the 48 contiguous states, the monthly CH₄ oxidation rate at each location was calculated. Then, assuming a standard landfill depth of 27.6 m, and a standard area of 121,500 m², the required biofilter size was calculated. Finally, the ratio of biofilter size to landfill size was calculated. Design calculations for biofilters located in the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas where the CH₄ oxidation rates are relatively high throughout the year indicate that the necessary biofilter sizes are small. In addition, biofilters in these states may be expected to be effective throughout the year. In contrast, the calculations indicated biofilter systems in the states of Idaho, Minnesota and North Dakota will have much lower efficiencies during much of the year due to unfavorable soil moisture and temperature ranges. Given proper design, installation and management, a biofilter should be capable of achieving a significant reduction in atmospheric CH₄ emission as compared to emissions from the same landfill without a biofilter.     

Role of basidiomycete fungi in the grapevine trunk disease esca

Phaeomoniella chlamydospora and wood-rotting basidiomycete fungi, namely Fomitiporia spp., are known esca pathogens. However, the effect of their mixed infections and the sequence of infection on disease development is unclear. To determine the effects of single and co-inoculations on symptoms, potted Vitis vinifera ‘Crimson Seedless’ was inoculated with P. chlamydospora either alone or in combination with one of four basidiomycetes: Coprinellus radians, Fomitiporia langloisii, F. polymorpha and the novel species Tropicoporus texanus. Basidiomycetes were isolated from vines with foliar symptoms of esca in California and Texas. In sequential co-inoculations, the effects of different sequences of infection (P. chlamydospora first, basidiomycete 6 months later; and vice versa) were tested, compared to simultaneous co-inoculations. Plants inoculated with P. chlamydospora either alone or in combination with a basidiomycete (in any sequence) did not differ significantly in the length of black-streaking lesions. In plants inoculated only with a basidiomycete, the appearance of large brown lesions, coupled with the absence of this wood symptom from control plants, suggests that C. radians, F. langloisii and T. texanus are pathogenic. Foliar symptoms resembling those of esca in the field (marginal and/or interveinal scorching, combined with red and/or yellow discoloration) were statistically more frequent among plants inoculated with F. polymorpha or T. texanus, either simultaneously or following P. chlamydospora, compared to single inoculations. Sequential co-inoculations of a basidiomycete before or after P. chlamydospora were associated with similar lesion lengths, suggesting that basidiomycetes may not require infection by P. chlamydospora in order to extensively colonize the wood.     

Evolution of sea surface temperature in the somali basin during the southwest monsoon of 1979

Satellite and research vessel observations of sea surface temperature during the southwest monsoon of 1979 show the development of large wedge-shaped areas of cold water along the Somali coast at both 5 degrees and 10 degrees N during June and July. The cold water associated with the large northern and southern Somali eddy systems could be traced several hundred kilometers offshore. By late August the cold wedge at 5 degrees N translated northeastward as far as 10 degrees N at speeds of 15 to 30 centimeters per second, indicating a coalescence of the systems.     

Slow crack growth in single-crystal silicon

Time-dependent crack growth has been measured on a precracked, single-crystal silicon cantilever beam 75 micrometers long that was excited at resonance. Growth of the precrack changes the resonant frequency of the beam, which is correlated to crack length. The measured steady-state crack growth rate was as slow as 2.9 x 10(-13) meter per second, although the apparatus can measure crack growth rates as low as 10(-15) meter per second. It is postulated that static fatigue of the native surface silica layer is the mechanism for crack growth. These experiments demonstrate the possibility of rate-dependent failure of silicon devices and the applicability of linear elastic fracture mechanics to small-scale micromechanical devices. The results indicate that slow crack growth must therefore be considered when evaluating the reliability of thin-film silicon structures.     

Effects of size and temperature on metabolic rate

We derive a general model, based on principles of biochemical kinetics and allometry, that characterizes the effects of temperature and body mass on metabolic rate. The model fits metabolic rates of microbes, ectotherms, endotherms (including those in hibernation), and plants in temperatures ranging from 0 degrees to 40 degrees C. Mass- and temperature-compensated resting metabolic rates of all organisms are similar: The lowest (for unicellular organisms and plants) is separated from the highest (for endothermic vertebrates) by a factor of about 20. Temperature and body size are primary determinants of biological time and ecological roles.