Studies on a mixed bacterial culture from soil which degrades the herbicide linuron

A stable mixed bacterial culture which degrades the herbicide linuron was isolated from soil by enrichment with linuron in a liquid mineral medium. Radio-respirometry studies showed that the culture mineralised linuron completely. No intermediate degradation products were detected in the medium. The culture was able to utilise linuron as a source of both nitrogen and carbon and was also able to degrade the related herbicides monolinuron and chlorbromuron and the possible intermediate degradation products of linuron: 3,4-dichlorophenyl-l-methylurea, 3,4-dichlorophenylurea and 3,4-dichloroaniline. The culture was unable to degrade the 1,1-dimethyl substituted ureas monuron, diuron or metoxuron. The culture contained Gram-negative aerobic rods, and Gram-positive aerobic non-spore-forming rods and cocco-bacilli. Of 124 isolates from the mixed culture, none degraded linuron in pure culture, indicating that a consortium of organisms is involved. Further investigation suggested that Pseudomonas spp. were important components of the population responsible for degradation.     

N2O5 oxidizes chloride to Cl2 in acidic atmospheric aerosol

Molecular chlorine (Cl2) is an important yet poorly understood trace constituent of the lower atmosphere. Although a number of mechanisms have been proposed for the conversion of particle-bound chloride (Cl-) to gas-phase Cl2, the detailed processes involved remain uncertain. Here, we show that reaction of dinitrogen pentoxide (N2O5) with aerosol-phase chloride yields Cl2 at low pH (<2) and should constitute an important halogen activation pathway in the atmosphere.     

Effect of exercise, training, circadian rhythm, age, and sex on insulin-like growth factor-1 in the horse

Insulin-like growth factor-1 could be a useful marker in the horse for diagnostic, selection, or forensic purposes, provided its physiological regulation is well understood. The objective of this study was to investigate factors, such as acute exercise, fitness training, time of day, sex, and age, that may influence serum IGF-1 in normal, healthy horses. Throughout a 9-wk training program, 6 geldings maintained a mean (+/- SEM) IGF-1 concentration of 302 +/- 29 ng/mL. Moderate or high intensity exercise had no effect on IGF-1 concentrations, when pre- and postexercise values were compared. Over a 24-h period, there was some variation in IGF-1 concentrations but no clear diurnal rhythm. Concentrations of IGF-1 were measured in a large population of thoroughbred horses (1,880) on 3 continents. The population deviated slightly from a normal distribution (P < 0.001) because of large IGF-1 concentrations in 10 horses. The global mean IGF-1 concentration was 310 +/- 2.2 ng/mL, with a greater mean value (P < 0.001) in gonad-intact males (336 +/- 5.6 ng/mL) than in females (303 +/- 3.2 ng/mL) or geldings (302 +/- 3.2 ng/mL). However, the greatest IGF-1 concentrations observed for all stallions, mares, and geldings were 627, 676, and 709 ng/mL, respectively. In mares and geldings, IGF-1 concentrations showed a gradual decrease with advancing age (P < 0.001), but the effect was much less marked in stallions. This study confirms that IGF-1 concentrations are stable, compared with GH concentrations, in the horse and that a meaningful measure of IGF-1 status can be obtained from a daily serum sample.     

The susceptibility of selected conifer foliage to infection with Phytophthora lateralis

The foliage of seven different genera of conifers including 10 species and 17 different cultivars was tested for its susceptibility against two isolates of Phytophthora lateralis from two different lineages. Detached green shoot tips were floated in zoospore suspension and the lesion size was assessed after 7 days. xCupressocyparis leylandii, Juniperus media and Cedrus deodara were the most resistant hosts, whereas Chamaecyparis obtusa was most susceptible. Thuja plicata and Thuja occidentalis, Chamaecyparis pisifera and Chamaecyparis lawsoniana, Taxus baccata and Cupressus macrocarpa were of medium susceptibility. For comparison, a small subset of four hosts was also tested for stem susceptibility. The stems of whole potted plants were inoculated with the same two isolates as used for the leaf susceptibility tests. Chamaecyparis lawsoniana was highly susceptible, whereas the stems of xC. leylandii, T. baccata and T. plicata were not susceptible. Most conifers were similarly affected by both tested lineages of P. lateralis although the isolate of the Pacific Northwest lineage caused slightly longer lesions on C. lawsoniana in the stem inoculation tests.     

Different ways in which CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> can be released during the turnover of roots in soil

Here, we investigated how root age and mode of death influenced their subsequent turnover and rate of C loss from soil. Young white-coloured and older pigmented roots of Cistus monspeliensis were excised (to simulate death by mechanical severance) or frozen (to simulate death by cell rupture) and immediately buried in soil. CO₂ loss from soil was then measured over time. In a parallel experiment, the rate of CO₂ loss from severed or ruptured roots in the absence of soil was determined. Our results revealed large differences in root chemistry related to age, with young roots having a lower C:N ratio and a greater nutrient content (soluble C, N, P and K). Both root age and mode of death resulted in very different temporal patterns of C release from soil. The amount of C lost from soil followed the series: severed white roots (42.6 ± 3.3 mg C) > ruptured pigmented roots (27.7 ± 0.4 mg C) = ruptured white roots (27.1 ± 0.5 mg C) > severed pigmented roots (10.1 ± 1.0 mg C) > soil only (3.0 ± 0.2 mg C). Therefore, depending on the treatment, 7 to 41% of the total root-derived C was lost as CO₂ over the duration of the experiment. Comparison with soil-free treatments revealed that the CO₂ release from the severed roots buried in soil was not associated with microbial breakdown but caused by root-induced autophagy in an attempt to keep themselves metabolically active. Ruptured roots also induced a rapid loss of CO₂ which we ascribe to the diffusive loss of root solutes into the soil and subsequent microbial mineralization. Surprisingly, the rate of C loss from soil was greater from the severed root tips than those that were ruptured. Our results imply two distinct routes of C loss dependent on how roots die, one which bypasses the microbial community and one which flows through it.     

The effects of incorporating sugar beet pulp with forage maize at ensiling on silage fermentation and effluent output using drum silos

The effects of incorporating sugar beet pulp with forage maize at ensiling on silage fermentation, effluent output and pollution potential of the effluent was investigated using 200-litre drum silos. A forage maize crop (Zea mais) was harvested on four different dates, generating four different stages of maturity [dry-matter (DM) content 154–235 g kg⁻¹ DM], and molassed sugar beet pulp (MSBP) was added at five different rates (0, 2, 7, 13, 18 kg MSBP 100 kg⁻¹ fresh maize crop). A total of fourteen treatments (each replicated three times) were evaluated. The chemical analysis of the maize silages and the mixtures produced showed that MSBP addition increased DM, ash, neutral cellulase gaminase digestibility (NCGD) and metabolizable energy (ME) contents of the mixture significantly (P < 0·01) for all harvesting dates except for harvest date 1. Silage fermentation in terms of final pH was unaffected by MSBP addition, although lactic acid concentration of the effluent tended to increase with increased MSBP addition. When no MSBP was included, large volumes of effluent were produced, ranging from 200 g kg⁻¹ to 100 g kg⁻¹. MSBP addition significantly (P < 0·01) decreased effluent production except for the driest material. A curvilinear equation was fitted to predict effluent production from DM of the forage maize and pressure applied to the sample (adjusted r²=0·95). In addition, a curvilinear equation was fitted to predict the MSBP addition rate required to prevent effluent production (adjusted r²=0·65). For harvest dates 1, 2 and 3, the biological oxygen demand for 5 days (BOD₅) and the chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentration of the effluent were significantly increased (P < 0·05) with increased levels of MSBP addition. However, the pollution potential per kg of material ensiled was significantly reduced (P < 0·05) with increased MSBP addition, since less effluent was produced. The experiment indicates that ensiling low DM silages with appropriate levels of MSBP produces nutritionally valuable silages with reduced pollution potential.     

Periodic chilling exposure during nursery culture

Five week old white spruce [Picea glauca (Moench) Voss] seedlings were placed within controlled-temperature growth chambers, and subjected to one of four periodic, chilling treatments for approximately 16 weeks. The treatments differed in the frequency of 24 hour exposure to 5 °C the seedlings received, and ranged from no chilling (control), to once every two, three or four days. After 25 weeks of growth, the control seedlings were significantly taller than all chilling-exposed seedlings, but stem diameters were similar. Chilling did not affect either needle length or needle density compared to control seedlings. During a water deficit test, frequently chilling-exposed seedlings maintained significantly higher mid-day shoot water potentials under extreme water stress. Re-watering after the drought resulted in all chilling-treated seedlings recovering faster to pre-stress shoot water potential levels than the control seedlings. Measurements of new root growth after 21 days at 10 °C indicated that previous chilling exposure delayed or inhibited new root production.     

The aetiology of spinal deformity in Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L.: influence of different commercial diets on the incidence and severity of the preclinical condition in salmon parr under two contrasting husbandry regimes

A large-scale trial of the effect of different commercial diets on the incidence of preclinical spinal deformation, as assessed by radiography, and the influence of two contrasting rearing systems was carried out. Two sets of three populations of Atlantic salmon, each of 20 000 first feeding fry of identical hatchery origin, created from equal numbers of eggs from 15 different families, were reared under commercial conditions on two different farms. Three commercial (closed formula) extruded fish meal-based diets were used in this study (diets A, B & C). Each diet was fed to one population of 20 000 fish at each site. Fish were fed a percentage of their body weight per day, with feeding rates set at commercial levels, based on water temperature, day length and fish biomass. Additional hand feeding was used to ensure satiation in all tanks. Fish in each tank were bulk-weighed and counted at the beginning and at 2-week intervals throughout the study. The fish were grown for 30 weeks. In addition, phosphorus (P) digestibility was evaluated by in-feed absorption testing in rainbow trout. The morphology of the radiographic lesions conformed to those described previously. Statistical analysis using multivariate regression analysis showed that date of sampling, site and diet were all statistically significant (P < 0.001) on univariable analysis. Farm A had significantly more affected fish than farm B (P < 0.001), which may have been attributable to variation in dissolved oxygen levels. The available dietary P levels were low in each diet. The number of fish affected in the group of fish being fed diet B was significantly lower than in the groups being fed diets A or C (P < 0.001). It appears most likely that the occurrence of preclinical radiographically apparent defects in parr which are believed to lead to the condition known as 'spinal deformity' is predominantly caused by a deficiency of available dietary P in first-feeding fry. The availability of dietary P may also vary considerably between diets formulated using different ingredients. Phytate-P associated with plant ingredients may affect the availability of P as well as other essential dietary nutrients. Additionally, diets for the production of salmonids in fresh water are currently formulated to keep P effluent to a minimum compatible with healthy spinal development. These various factors combine to make it crucial that small Atlantic salmon, especially first-feeding fry, are provided with carefully formulated diets fortified to an adequate level with a high quality source of available P.