Dietary probiotic supplementation (Shewanella putrefaciens Pdp11) modulates gut microbiota and promotes growth and condition in Senegalese sole larviculture

Probiotic supplementation in fish aquaculture has significantly increased in the last decade due to its beneficial effect on fish performance. Probiotic use at early stages of fish development may contribute to better face metamorphosis and weaning stress. In the present work, we studied the influence of Shewanella putrefaciens Pdp11 supplementation on growth, body composition and gut microbiota in Senegalese sole (Solea senegalensis) during larval and weaning development. S. putrefaciens Pdp11 was incorporated using Artemia as live vector (2.5 × 10⁷ cfu mL^?1) and supplied to sole specimens in a co-feeding regime (10–86 DAH) by triplicate. Probiotic addition promoted early metamorphosis and a significantly higher growth in length at 24 DAH larvae. S. putrefaciens Pdp11 also modulated gut microbiota and significantly increased protein content and DHA/EPA ratios in sole fry (90 DAH). This nutritional enhancement is considered especially important after weaning, where significantly higher growth in length and weight was observed in probiotic fish. Moreover, a less heterogeneous fish size in length was detected since metamorphosis till the end of weaning, being of interest for sole aquaculture production. After weaning, fish showed significantly higher growth (length and weight) and less variable lengths in fish when supplemented with probiotics. Both the enhancement of nutritional condition and the decrease in size variability associated with probiotic addition are highly interesting for sole aquaculture production.     

Variation at glutenin subunit loci,single kernel characterization and evaluation of grain protein in East African bread wheat varieties

Wheat breeding programs worldwide aim at developing cultivars that meet end user quality attributes demanded by producers, processors, and consumers. Selecting from breeding populations created from well characterized parental germplasm provides the best opportunity of identifying cultivars that combine the best alleles and grain phenotypes for the desired technological applications. In this study, 216 bread wheat lines associated with Ethiopian and Kenyan breeding programs including a few founder lines were profiled for high molecular weight glutenin subunits and low molecular weight glutenin subunits by SDS-PAGE. Additionally, total crude protein, relative puroindoline content by SDS-PAGE, kernel diameter, kernel weight and kernel hardness by SKCS were determined. Extensive allelic variation at the glutenin subunit loci was found, with Glu-B1 and Glu-B3 having highest diversity across subpopulations. Relative to wild type cultivar ‘Alpowa-1-soft’, the founder line BW21 had the lowest puroindoline content. The frequencies of soft and very soft wheat classes were lowest in the Ethiopian subpopulation and highest among the Kenyan lines. Accordingly, 12 lines considered to have optimal combinations of glutenin subunit alleles and kernel characteristics were highlighted and recommended for cultivar improvement.     

Observations on the increase of wild gilthead seabream,Sparus aurata abundance,in the eastern Adriatic Sea: problems and opportunities

The recent increase of the local population of gilthead seabream, Sparus aurata, in three areas along the southeastern Adriatic Sea: Malostonski Bay (Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina), Neretva Estuary (Croatia) and Boka Kotorska Bay (Montenegro) and its adverse effects on shellfish culture by preying on Mediterranean mussels, Mytilus galloprovincialis, and the European flat oyster, Ostrea edulis, are studied. The results from the analysis of the existing information show that the main reason for the recent increase is the escapes from local fish farm which enrich the local population constantly with new gilthead sea bream. The existence of practically endless food in the area of the shellfish farms allows the concentration of the population in the region instead of its dispersion along the Adriatic coast. Moreover, ecological analysis indicates that the gilthead seabream is facing a very low competition from other local species which enhances its capacity to further populate the region. While the impact on the ecosystem is not yet known, the socio-economic impact of the increase of the gilthead seabream population is evident today. Many shellfish farms are closing today in the region since the damages may reach over 90 % of the production.     

Characterization of a Fusarium poae world-wide collection by using molecular markers

Fusarium poae has been considered as a minor species among those that cause Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) disease but in recent years several researchers have documented a high frequency of occurrence of this species. In this study, a total of 173 F. poae isolates from Argentina, Belgium, Canada, England, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Switzerland and Uruguay were evaluated by using inter simple sequence repeats (ISSR) and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) to evaluate genetic variability within F. poae and to amplify MAT idiomorphs as a possible mechanism that could explain part of the variability found in this species. The molecular analysis obtained from both molecular markers showed a high intraspecific variability. However, a partial clustering between F. poae isolates and their geographic origin was obtained by ISSR markers while AFLP showed isolates from different geographic locations distributed throughout the dendrogram. Moreover, ISSR grouped all the F. poae isolates into a different cluster from the F. langsethiae and F. sporotrichioides isolates used as outgroups compared with the dendrogram obtained using AFLP markers. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) indicated a high genetic variability in the F. poae collection, with most of the genetic variability resulting from differences within, rather than between, American and European populations by using both molecular markers. Regarding MAT idiomorphs, for most F. poae isolates both MAT-1 and MAT-2 were present from each isolate.     

Incidence of Bois Noir phytoplasma in different viticulture regions of Spain and Stolbur isolates distribution in plants and vectors

The incidence of Bois Noir (BN) disease in grapevine plots, the population of the vector Hyalesthes obsoletus, and the distribution of stolbur phytoplasma isolates were studied over a 4 year period in five regions of Spain. BN incidence in affected plots ranged from 1 to 75 %. A study of the H. obsoletus population indicated that individuals of this insect vector were identified in most of the sampled plots with low populations, from 0.25–5 individuals per aspiration. The population peaks of H. obsoletus were reached at different dates between June 6th and July 24th, depending on the sampled zone and the year. The percentage of H. obsoletus individuals carrying the phytoplasma showed an average of 55 %. In Aragon, this percentage rose to 76 %. The strain tuf-b of stolbur phytoplasma was the most prevalent type in grapevine plants and H. obsoletus, except in grapevine plants from La Rioja where the strain tuf-a was detected in most plants. A study of the vmp1 gene revealed the presence of four different isolates in grapevine plants and H. obsoletus.     

Use of the 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectra signals from polyphenols and acids for chemometric characterization of cider apple juices

The low field region (5.8-9.0 ppm) corresponding to aromatic protons and the region 1.8-3.0 ppm of the (1)H NMR spectra were used for characterization and chemometric differentiation of 52 apple juices obtained from six cider apple varieties. The data set consisted of 14 integrated areas corresponding to resonances from acids and phenolic compounds. Multivariate procedures based on hierarchical cluster and discriminant analysis were performed on selected signals of the spectra to determine whether it was possible to distinguish the different juices. Cluster analysis was able to satisfactorily classify the six apple varieties. Discriminant analysis, by means of stepwise procedure for variables selection and leave-one-out for cross-validation, was applied to 40 samples from the year 2001, obtaining recognition and prediction abilities of 100%. The most discriminant variables corresponded to poliphenols, (-)-epicatechin, phloridzin-phloretin, and p-coumaric, chlorogenic, and malic acids. The classification model was applied to 12 samples from apples harvested in the years 2002 and 2003, and the prediction ability was 91.7%.     

Degradation kinetics of the antioxidant additive ascorbic acid in packed table olives during storage at different temperatures

The kinetics of ascorbic acid (AA) loss during storage of packed table olives with two different levels of added AA was investigated. Three selected storage temperatures were assayed: 10 degrees C, ambient (20-24 degrees C), and 40 degrees C. The study was carried out in both pasteurized and unpasteurized product. The effect of pasteurization treatment alone on added AA was not significant. In the pasteurized product, in general AA degraded following a first-order kinetics. The activation energy calculated by using the Arrhenius model averaged 9 kcal/mol. For each storage temperature, the increase in initial AA concentration significantly decreased the AA degradation rate. In the unpasteurized product, AA was not detected after 20 days in samples stored at room temperature and AA degradation followed zero-order kinetics at 10 degrees C, whereas at 40 degrees C a second-order reaction showed the best fit. In both pasteurized and unpasteurized product, the low level of initial dehydroascorbic acid disappeared during storage. Furfural appeared to be formed during storage, mainly at 40 degrees C, following zero-order kinetics.     

Removal of carbaryl, linuron, and permethrin by Lupinus angustifolius under hydroponic conditions

The metabolism of organic pollutants by plants normally requires contaminant direct uptake by cells. Factors affecting this uptake and the later distribution of chemicals within the plant include the physicochemical properties of the compounds (concentration, structure, solubility, log k(ow), diffusion rate) and the biochemical characteristics of the plant. This paper reports the tolerance, uptake, and effects of the pesticides carbaryl, linuron, and permethrin on Lupinus angustifolius germination and growth as well as contaminant intraplant distribution and possible degradation. Lupine plants were grown in hydroponic culture containing either 1 or 5 mg of the individual pesticides, or combinations of these (1, 5, or 10 mg of each), in 100 mL nutrient and water solutions. Analysis of the remaining solutions 8 days post-germination showed the water solutions to have higher remaining pesticide concentrations than nutrient solutions. Furthermore, in the presence of pesticides, germination was more frequent in the water solutions. After 16 days of growth, the plants were harvested, and their tissues were microwaved digested and analyzed by reversed-phase liquid chromatography. Although only minor quantities of each pesticide were detected in plant tissues, their amount in the roots was higher than in the stems. No accumulation was noted in the cotyledons, and only 2% of linuron was detected in the leaves. Mass recovery at the end of the experiment showed that 57, 53, and 55% of carbaryl, linuron, and permethrin, respectively, were degraded and/or bound in an irreversible manner to plant material. The results suggest that L. angustifolius could be useful for the cleaning/remediation of pesticide-contaminated water.     

Characterization of Edwardsiella tarda strains isolated from turbot, Psetta maxima (L.)

The biochemical, serological and molecular characteristics of a group of 21 Edwardsiella tarda strains isolated from turbot, Psetta maxima, in two different areas of Europe were analysed and compared with a total of 13 strains of this bacterial species with different geographical and host origins. All the turbot isolates were biochemically identical to the E. tarda strains included as reference. The use of different techniques including microagglutination, dot blot and Western blot of lipopolysaccharides allowed us to determine that all the turbot isolates constitute an homogeneous and distinctive serological group. Genetic analysis by randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis demonstrated that although the E. tarda strains from turbot were compiled in a unique group using the primers P3 and P6, two clonal lineages could be detected when oligonucleotides P4 and P5 were employed.