Thermal panting and respiratory alkalosis in the laying hen

1. Changes in respiratory rate (f), rectal temperature (T_r ) and blood acid‐base values were measured in laying hens exposed to ambient temperatures (T_a) of 32, 35, 38 or 41 °G.

2. At T_a 32 °G there was no panting. At T_a 35 °G panting occurred without any increase in T_r but there was a slight alkalosis (pH 7.55).

3. At T_a 38 °G T_r increased and panting was accompanied by moderate alkalosis (pH 7.58).

4. At T_a 41 °G T_r increased considerably and severe alkalosis developed (pH 7.65).

5. From the relation between T_r , f and pH it is concluded that some degree of alkalosis is a normal response to panting in the laying hen.     

Sustainability assessment of potato fields using the DEXi decision support system in Hamadan Province,Iran

Potato is a staple food crop and the most important agricultural commodity, which critically affects food security and economic stability in Hamadan Province, Iran. Ex-ante sustainability appraisal of new cropping systems and their comparisons with conventional systems can increase the efficiencies of innovations and changes within the production process. This study aimed to explore the sustainability levels of potato cropping systems in Hamadan Province, Iran. To this end, DEXi methodology was developed for the sustainability assessment of the cropping systems. For assessing the three dimensions of environmental, economic, and social sustainability in the four systems of traditional potato system (TPS), Quasi-industrial potato system (QIPS), industrial potato system (IPS), and government-promoted potato system (GPPS), five groups of features were utilized: (1) irrigation method; (2) seed placement; (3) farm machinery use; (4) agrochemical use; and (5) rotation. The impact assessments of the cropping systems were based on two, three, and two groups of ecological, social, and economic indicators, respectively. Employment, supply chain, protection, operational difficulty, productivity, profitability, input use, and biodiversity resulted in 21 basic indicators and 13 aggregated indicators, by which the cropping systems were described. The results revealed that GPPS with distinctive economic and social profiles could have a better overall sustainability despite the fact that some indicators like biodiversity could be negatively affected. Finally, three strategies were recommended for the sustainability of GPPS as follows: biodiversity enhancement, input substitution, and integrated water management.     

The Use of Sumac as a Natural Mordant in Green Production of Iranian Carpet

Dyeing is a state-of-the-art realm of textile engineering, however, the emphasis on petroleum-based products is now shifting towards green fibers, particularly, green manufacturing processes. In the present work, a natural mordant, sumac, was extracted and used alone and in combination with alum (a mineral mordant) in silk fibers dyeing with madder and Reseda green dye to make the green production of Iranian carpet possible. The FT-IR ATR spectra of the washed, mordanted, and mordanted dyed silk fibers revealed bonding between silk fibers and green materials. The color of the silk fibers dyed with madder and Reseda extraction was quantified in terms of CIELab (L*, a*, and b*) and K/S values. The effects of different treatments on fastness properties including light, wash, and rubbing fastness were assessed by ISO standard test method.     

Callus induction and in vitro plant regeneration of rice (Oryza sativa L.) under various conditions

The objective of the present study was to develop an effective protocol for optimum callus induction and complete plant regeneration for four varieties of rice (Oryza sativa L.) i.e., Super Basmati, Basmati-370, Basmati-371 and Fakhre Malakand. Calli were induced from mature seed scutelum. The Murashige and Skoog (MS) and Chu's N6 media containing hormone 2, 4-D (2, 4-Dichlorophenoxy acetic acid) in different concentrations were used for callus induction. Fakhre Malakand produced maximum calli on N6 media containing 3 mg L(-1) 2,4-D. while other three varieties showed maximum callus induction on N6 media containing 2.5 mg L(-1) 2,4-D. N6 media was found better than MS media for callus induction. For complete plant regeneration the calli of two varieties i.e., Basmati-370 and Basmati-371 were plated on N6 media containing different concentrations of NAA (1-Naphthalene acetic acid) and BAP (6-benzyl aminopurine). The maximum regeneration frequency (%) was observed on N6 media containing NAA 1 mg L(-1) and BAP 2.5 mg L(-1). It took 27-30 days for the callus to regenerate into a complete plant. Basmati-370 produced 4-7 plantlets per callus whereas Basmati-371 produced 4-8 plantlets per callus with regeneration frequencies of 61 and 69%, respectively.     

The N-acyl homoserine-lactone depleted Rhizobium radiobacter mutant RrF4NM13 shows reduced growth-promoting and resistance-inducing activities in mono- and dicotyledonous plants

Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection - The Alphaproteobacterium Rhizobium radiobacter (syn. Agrobacterium tumefaciens, “A. fa brum”) can live in close association with the...     

Relationship between biological characteristics of eggs and female brood stocks of Persian sturgeon <Emphasis Type="Italic">Acipenser</Emphasis><Emphasis Type="Italic">persicus</Emphasis>: a comparison with other fish species

We have determined a number of biological characteristics of the Persian sturgeon egg (including diameter, surface-to-volume ratio, yolk sphere and perivitelline space) and of female brood stocks (including age, length, weight, condition and absolute fecundity) in 420 specimens of the migratory population of Acipenser persicus in Gorgan bay of Iran from 2001 to 2004. In the hydrated egg, the average egg diameter, yolk diameter, surface-to-volume ratio and yolk sphere-to-perivitelline space ratio values were: 3.64 ± 0.17 mm, 3.26 ± 0.25 mm, 1.65 ± 0.08 and 0.75 ± 0.01, respectively. In this chondrostean species, the egg surface and volume were found to increase with increasing egg diameter, but the egg surface-to-volume ratio decreased. In Persian sturgeon, the surface-to-volume ratio and yolk sphere-to-perivitelline space ratio is very high; therefore, the metabolic rate is low and female spawning occurs in low-temperature waters. The statistical Pearson correlation between egg diameter relative to a number of brood stock characteristics, including fork length (r = 0.059), weight (r = 0.140), age (r = 0.081) and absolute fecundity (r = 0.095), were not significantly different (P > 0.05). An extensive comparison of these results with data published on other fish species is presented and discussed.     

Lutein as a natural carotenoid source: Effect on growth,survival and skin pigmentation of goldfish juveniles (Carassius auratus)

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of lutein supplementation on growth, survival and skin pigmentation for goldfish juveniles. Four diets enriched with different carotenoid sources (lutein, astaxanthin, canthaxanthin and a combination of lutein and canthaxanthin) were compared to a control diet without carotenoid supplementation. The carotenoid inclusion level was standardized at 50 mg kg‐1 in all treatments. 240 goldfish juveniles (1.07?0.57 g) were cultivated in 30 aquariums (30L) during 84 days. The experimental design was completely randomized with five treatments and six replicates. The dietary inclusion of carotenoid pigments did not affect the growth and feeding efficiency of goldfish juveniles. Supplementation with lutein presented higher survival values when compared to the other treatments. Astaxanthin and canthaxanthin supplementation increased the concentration of carotenoids on the skin of goldfish juveniles in relation to the control treatment. For the fish fed with the diet containing lutein, the skin pigmentation was as efficient as astaxanthin and canthaxanthin, but did not differ from the control and combined treatment (canthaxanthin + lutein). The lutein supplementation (50 mg kg‐1) improved survival and promoted efficient carotenoid pigmentation on the skin of goldfish juveniles.     

Ectopic expression of barley constitutively activated ROPs supports susceptibility to powdery mildew and bacterial wildfire in tobacco

ROPs (also called RACs) are RHO-like monomeric G-proteins of plants, well-known as molecular switches in plant signal transduction processes, which are involved in plant development and a variety of biotic and abiotic stress responses. The barley (Hordeum vulgare) ROPs RACB, RAC1 and RAC3 have been shown to be involved in cellular growth, polarity and in susceptibility to the biotrophic barley powdery mildew fungus Blumeria graminis f.sp. hordei. We produced transgenic tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) plants expressing constitutively activated (CA) mutants of the barley ROPs RACB and RAC3 to monitor the impact of heterologous ROP expression on cell polarity and disease susceptibility of tobacco. CA HvROPs influenced leaf texture, disturbed root hair polarity and induced cell expansion in tobacco. Both barley ROPs induced super-susceptibility to the compatible powdery mildew fungus Golovinomyces cichoracearum but only CA HvRAC3 induced super-susceptibility to the bacterial leaf pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. tabaci. Data suggest involvements of ROPs in tobacco cell expansion, polar growth and in response to bacterial and fungal leaf pathogens.     

Tilapia protein hydrolyzate improves growth performance,protein absorption and antioxidant status in Silver catfish (Rhamdia quelen)

This study evaluated the substitution of fish meal with tilapia protein hydrolyzate (TPH) in diets for Silver catfish (Rhamdia quelen) by verifying the effects on growth, body composition, blood and biochemical parameters, and biomarkers of oxidative stress. Five isoproteic and isoenergetic diets (37% crude protein, 3,800 kcal/kg) were produced with different substitution levels of TPH (0%, 5%, 10%, 15% and 20%) for fishmeal. The hydrolyzate was obtained by enzymatic hydrolysis from carcasses of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), which were exposed to swine pepsin enzyme at 36°C for four hours. The experimental design was completely randomised with five treatments and four replications. The inclusion of 20% TPH in diets for silver catfish increased the growth of Silver catfish juveniles. At levels above 5%, there was an increase in body protein deposition and the efficiency of oxidative metabolism.