In silico screened Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) recombinant proteins upregulated under stress conditions are immunogenic in sheep

Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) is the causative agent of Johne's disease (JD) in ruminants. MAP is known to enter a dormant phase outside the host, typically on soil. In vitro experiments have reported regulation of certain MAP genes when exposed to stressors similar to what is thought to produce dormancy. It is believed that in vivo regulation of dormancy genes and associated proteins by MAP may play a role in evading the host defence mechanisms and induce the host immune response against these dormancy-related proteins. Five proteins encoded by dormancy-related genes that were previously found to be upregulated under stress conditions and predicted through in silico analysis to possess immune epitopes (three hypothetical proteins and two proteins involved in fatty acid metabolism) were selected. Recombinant proteins were produced, purified and evaluated by indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for immunogenicity using a panel of sera obtained from sheep unexposed and exposed to MAP. The antibody levels of the exposed group were significantly higher than the unexposed group (P<0.001). Individually, the five proteins were found to discriminate between sera from sheep exposed to MAP compared to unexposed sheep. At 91% diagnostic specificity, the diagnostic sensitivity of the recombinant antigen ELISA ranged from 24% to 42% and AUC(ROC) from 0.7015 to 0.8405.     

Potential impact of weedy Brassicaceae species on oil and meal quality of oilseed rape (canola) in Australia

Brassicaceae weeds are a widespread problem in Australian oilseed rape crops. The weeds not only compete for resources during crop growth, but also have the potential to reduce both oil and meal quality of the harvested crop. This study investigated oil and meal quality of weedy species from the Brassicaceae family that were collected throughout cropping regions of Australia. Eighty‐nine lines from 19 species were grown and evaluated in the same environment for their potential to contaminate Australian oilseed rape seed lots. Seed and flowering characteristics of each species were also examined. The glucosinolate concentration of most of the weedy species was greater than 100 μmol g^?1 of oil‐free meal, well above the threshold for meeting oilseed rape quality. Erucic acid content of 18 of the 19 weedy species also exceeded the oilseed rape quality standard of less than 2% erucic acid. This study highlights the potential of the weedy species to reduce the quality of Australian oilseed rape crops.     

Morphological and molecular characterization of Satputia (Luffa hermaphrodita Singh & Bhandari) revealed substantial diversity for use in breeding programme

Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution - Luffa hermaphrodita Singh &amp; Bhandari, known as Satputia, a semi-wild taxon originating from L. graveolens is an underutilized vegetable. It has a...     

兽药产品批准文号申报核发及管理有关问题探讨

兽药产品批准文号管理是我国控制兽药市场准入的前置性管理模式,本文就目前兽药产品批准文号申报、核发及管理中存在的一些问题进行了分析,对企业申报兽药产品批准文号时的注意事项进行了阐述。     

Potato intercropping systems with maize and faba bean

Potato is a major cash crop for Bhutanese highland farmers, who widely use intercropping systems combining potato (Solanum tuberosum) with maize (Zea mays). Scarcity of information on existing cropping practices limits the scope of present extension programs. Experiments evaluating potato intercropping systems with maize and faba bean (Vicia faba) were conducted at Yusipang (2700 m) and Kangma (1900 m). Potato yield reductions through intercropping ranged from 0–21 percent depending on year, and location. Variation in planting geometry and maize planting date did not affect potato yield reductions. The land equivalent ratio ranged from 1.03–1.06 for faba bean and from 1.11 to 1.49 for maize intercropping systems. Compared to potato as a sole crop maize intercropping increased gross benefits in Kangma by 12–15 percent with maize plant densities of 2.8 per m². In Yusipang, gross benefits were not increased through intercropping. Reducing risks of environmental and market impacts favor the use of intercropping systems.     

Genetic differentiation at microsatellite loci among populations of Mycosphaerella graminicola from California, Indiana, Kansas, and North Dakota

Mycosphaerella graminicola causes Septoria tritici blotch (STB) in wheat (Triticum aestivum) and is considered one of the most devastating pathogens of that crop in the United States. Although the genetic structures of M. graminicola populations from different countries have been analyzed using various molecular markers, relatively little is known about M. graminicola populations from geographically distinct areas of the United States and, in particular, of those from spring versus winter wheat. These are exposed to great differences in environmental conditions, length and season of host-free periods, and resistance sources used in geographically separated wheat breeding programs. Thus, there is more likely to be genetic differentiation between populations from spring versus winter wheat than there is among those within each region. To test this hypothesis, 330 single-spore isolates of M. graminicola representing 11 populations (1 from facultative winter wheat in California, 2 from spring wheat in North Dakota, and 8 from winter wheat in Indiana and Kansas) were analyzed for mating type frequency and for genetic variation at 17 microsatellite or simple-sequence repeat (SSR) loci. Analysis of clone-corrected data revealed an equal distribution of both mating types in the populations from Kansas, Indiana, and North Dakota, but a deviation from a 1:1 ratio in the California population. In total, 306 haplotypes were detected, almost all of which were unique in all 11 populations. High levels of gene diversity (H = 0.31 to 0.56) were observed within the 11 populations. Significant (P ≤ 0.05) gametic disequilibrium, as measured by the index of association (rBarD), was observed in California, one Indiana population (IN1), and three populations (KS1, KS2, and KS3) in Kansas that could not be explained by linkage. Corrected standardized fixation index (G″(ST)) values were 0.000 to 0.621 between the 11 populations and the majority of pairwise comparisons were statistically significant (P ≤ 0.001), suggesting some differentiation between populations. Analysis of molecular variance showed that there was a small but statistically significant level of genetic differentiation between populations from spring versus winter wheat. However, most of the total genetic variation (>98%) occurred within spring and winter wheat regions while <2% was due to genetic differentiation between these regions. Taken together, these results provide evidence that sexual recombination occurs frequently in the M. graminicola populations sampled and that most populations are genetically differentiated over the major spring- and winter-wheat-growing regions of the United States.     

Assessment of Carbon Balance in Community Forests in Dolakha, Nepal

This study assessed the net above-ground carbon stock in six community forests in the Dolakha district, Nepal. A survey was conducted of above-ground timber species, using random sampling. A tree-ring chronology for Pinus roxburghii was created to construct a growth model representative of the various mainly-pine species. The allometric model combined with tree ring analysis was used to estimate carbon stock and annual growth in the above-ground tree biomass. The out-take of forest biomass for construction material and fuelwood was estimated on the basis of interviews and official records of community forest user groups. The average annual carbon increment of the community forests was 2.19 ton/ha, and the average annual carbon out-take of timber and fuelwood was 0.25 ton/ha. The net average carbon balance of 1.94 ton/ha was equivalent to 117.44 tons of carbon per community forest annually. All the community forests were actively managed leading to a sustainable forest institution, which acts as a carbon sink. It is concluded that community forests have the potential to reduce emissions by avoiding deforestation and forest degradation, enhance forest carbon sink and improve livelihoods for local communities.     

Micropropagation of Darjeeling orange (Citrus reticulata Blanco) by shoot-tip grafting

Summary

Micropropagation of Darjeeling orange (Darjeeling mandarin) was done by shoot-tip grafting on the local rootstocks rough lemon, sour orange and Rangpur lime. Seedlings of these plants were raised in MS medium in standard conditions of temperature, light duration and plant age. Microbuds (0.2 mm long), aseptically excised from the scion, were grafted onto the decapitated rootstock seedlings. The micrografts in culture medium were grown under standard lighting. Rootstock seedlings showed optimum growth at 25–30°C. Optimum growth of the micrografts resulted from treatment in complete darkness for 4 d after grafting followed by exposure to 750 W for 16 h d^?1 for 15 d and 1500–2000 W for 16 h d^?1 for 39 d. The success of micrografting depended on the age of the rootstock seedling which was 21 d, 14 d and 14 d for sour orange, rough lemon and Rangpur lime respectively. The micrografts were then double grafted to the two year old rootstocks seedlings of the respective species and the age of the micrografts for the successful double grafts was also standardized. The survival rate was high with 40 d, 45 d and 45 d micrografts on sour orange, rough lemon and Rangpur lime respectively. The double-grafts were then indexed for tristeza virus and greening disease after six months’ growth in an insect-proof screenhouse and found to be free from these graft transmissible diseases.