Investigation of meteorological drought characteristics in Fars province,Iran

Drought is a lack of moisture in nature, consistent or unnatural. The term consistent refers to a state of shortage, and unnatural refers to the deviation from an index of the regional natural condition. The objective of this research was to examine and forecast the intensity, duration, frequency and extent of droughts in Fars province. For this purpose, and in order to survey droughts in the province, a standard precipitation index (SPI) was determined as a selective index, considering its capacity to facilitate accurate positional analysis between various regions of the drought extent. For this, precipitation data within the same statistical period of 32 years (1968 to 1999) in 5 time scales of 3, 6, 12, 24 and 48 months from some 26 stations located within and out of the province were used, and the trends were assessed by using a time series analysis. At the next stage, RUN theory and Markov Chain were combined, on this basis to create transition probability and a steady matrix, and then the conditions of long term droughts in the province in terms of number and duration were forecast for the subsequent 10 years. The characteristics of the extent of drought were determined by using the Geographic Information System (GIS) with the help of geo-statistical methods. The results of the drought station surveys for the mentioned characteristics showed that the highest drought intensity (in terms of % deviation from normal) was at the Gozoon station and the longest duration of drought in months was at the Polkhan station; droughts both of long duration and with the highest frequency during the statistical period were observed at the Jahrom and Darshahy stations. The map of the extent of droughts showed higher intensity in the south and central regions of the province, while northern parts of the province were less sensitive to the effects of droughts. Also, the results of the maps of drought duration in various periods showed that droughts in the south of the province were of higher intensity and longer duration than elsewhere.     

Thecoma in a mare

A 4-year-old crossbred Thoroughbred mare was referred to the University of Tehran Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital for evaluation of a mass in the pelvic cavity. The mare had been partially anorectic and pyrexic. On clinical examination, the mare was thin and depressed, with body temperature of 38°C, a pulse rate of 38 beats/minute, and a respiratory rate of 10 breaths/minute. Palpation per rectum revealed a large, smooth and tense mass in the anterior part of the pelvic cavity. Ultrasound examination confirmed the presence of a soft tissue mass with a thick wall. The inner surface of the mass had a villous-like appearance. The stroma of the mass was mottled, with accumulation of speckled and hypoechoic to slightly hyperechoic fluid. Hormone assays revealed low serum concentration of testosterone. Serum progesterone concentration indicated that active luteal tissue and serum estradiol concentration was 24 pg/ml. On histological examination, the sections from the tumor were composed of oval- or spindle-shaped cells loosely arranged in diffuse sheets or irregularly interlacing fascicles. On the basis of these histological findings, the large tumor mass of the left ovary was considered to be a thecoma. To our knowledge, the details of the clinical, ultrasonographic, endocrinologic, and histologic findings of this tumor in the mare have not been described in the veterinary literature.     

Seasonal changes of mineral nutrients and phenolics in pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) fruit

Pomegranate fruit is an important source of potentially healthy bioactive compounds and mineral nutrients. Changes in total phenolic compound, concentrations, and levels of macronutrients (P, K, N, Mg, Ca and Na) and micronutrients (Zn, Cu, Mn, Fe and B) in arils and peel of pomegranate fruit were recorded from 10 days after full bloom until harvest. Total phenolics levels increased at early stage of growth both in peel and arils of fruit, but thereafter generally decreased during maturation and reached to 3.70 and 50.22 mg g⁻¹ of dry weight in arils and peel, respectively, at harvest. The amount of total phenolics in peel was markedly higher than arils of pomegranate fruit. The concentration of most elements in arils and peel decreased during fruit growth and development. At harvest the relative order of concentration of macronutrients both in arils and peel was K > N > Ca > P > Mg > Na. The concentration of most micronutrients was greater in the arils than in the peel especially in early season. The relative order of concentration of micronutrients in arils was B > Fe > Zn > Cu > Mn. The accumulation of all the macro- and microelement within the fruit also increased during fruit growth and development. These results provide important data on total phenolics and macro- and micronutrient changes during fruit growth and development, emphasizing that pomegranate fruit can be a good source of bioactive compounds and minerals.     

Molecular characterization and genetic relationship among almond cultivars assessed by RAPD and SSR markers

RAPDs and SSRs were used to study the genetic diversity of Iranian almond cultivars and their relationship to important foreign cultivars and three related species. Eight unidentified almond Shahrodi cultivars and three wild almonds (Prunus communis, Prunus orientalis and Prunus scoparia) were also included. Of the primers tested, 42 (out of 80) RAPD and 18 (out of 26) SSR primers were selected for their reproducibility and high polymorphism. A total of 664 polymorphic RAPD bands were detected out of 729 bands. The number of presumed alleles revealed by the SSR analysis ranged from 3 to 10 alleles per locus with a mean value of 6.64 alleles per locus. Both techniques discriminated the genotypes very effectively, but only RAPDs were able to discriminate the cultivars Monagha and Sefied. Results demonstrated an extensive genetic variability within the tested cultivars as well as the value of SSR markers developed in peach for characterization of almond and related species of Prunus. Dice similarity coefficient was calculated for all pair wise comparisons and was used to construct a UPGMA dendrogram. For both markers a high similarity in dendrogram topologies was obtained although some differences were observed. All dendrograms, including that obtained by the combined use of both the marker data, depicted the phenetic relationships among the cultivars and species, depending upon their geographic region and/or pedigree information. Almond cultivars clustered with accession of P. communis showing their close relationship. P. orientalis and P. scoparia were clustered out of the rest of P. dulcis.     

Study of male effect on feeding and estrus behavior of Afshari ewes

Tropical Animal Health and Production - This study was conducted to evaluate the male effect on the manifestation of estrus and feeding behavior of Afshari ewes during their breeding season. The...     

Integrated pest management of Tuta absoluta: practical implementations across different world regions

Journal of Pest Science - The South American tomato pinworm, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), has invaded most Afro-Eurasian countries and is threatening worldwide tomato...     

Biofloc technology with addition molasses as carbon sources applied to Litopenaeus vannamei juvenile production under the effects of different C/N ratios

The current study was conducted to evaluate the effects of increasing carbon to nitrogen (C/N) ratios on water quality, growth performance, and body composition of Litopenaeus vannamei juveniles. Shrimp with initial average weight of 2.50?±?0.3 g were cultivated for 35 days in 300-L tanks (160 L of water volume) with a density of 1 g per liter. The experiment was performed in five treatments with three replicates. One control group and four biofloc treatments with different C/N ratio were considered: C/N of 10 (CN10), 14 (CN14), 18 (CN18), and 22 (CN22). Shrimp were fed three times a day, and molasses just was added as a carbon sources to the biofloc treatments after each feeding. According to the results, the lowest amount of dissolved oxygen (5.33 mg L^?1) and pH (7.83) was observed in CN22 treatment, which showed a significant difference with other treatments (P?<?0.05). The highest level of total ammonia nitrogen (1.05 mg L^?1) and nitrite (mg L^?1) were recorded in control group, while the highest total density of heterotrophic bacteria was obtained in CN22 treatment. Growth performance parameters were at the highest level in the CN14 treatment, so the highest amount of final weight (6.88 g), biomass, and survival rate (94.79%) were observed in this treatment. The biochemical composition (protein, lipid, and ash) of the shrimp body and produced biofloc were affected by different C/N ratios, so these parameters were increased by rising of C/N ratio. In general, this study showed that the growth performance and body composition of Pacific white shrimp juveniles and water quality were suitable for rearing in biofloc system with C/N ratio of 14 than other treatments.

     

Assessment of vitamin C different levels in aquaponic system on Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and saffron (Crocus sativus): growth performances,hematology, serum biochemistry,and digestive enzyme activity

The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of improving the growth and physiological indices of plant and fish by adding different levels of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) to water in the aquaponic system using Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and saffron plant (Crocus sativus). 240# fish (12.5?±?0.21 gr) and 120# saffron corms (2.8?±?0.12 gr) were randomly assigned to 15 experimental units and underwent treatments of adding 0 (control), 2, 4, 6, and 8 mg L^?1 ascorbic acid to water, every 6 days, for 8 weeks. The fish final weight and subsequently other growth performance indices increased in the treatment of 4 mg L^?1 vitamin C compared to other treatments (P?≤?0.05). Some growth performances of saffron plants such as saffron production, in treatment of 6 mg L^?1, were significantly higher than the control group and reached from 17.34?±?0.27 mg flower^?1 in the control group to 25.4?±?1.61 mg flower^?1 in treatment of 6 mg L^?1. Measuring the serum biochemical parameters of the fish showed that, in the treatment of 8 mg/L ascorbic acid, the cortisol content in the blood reached its maximum (21.49?±?2.42 µg dL^?1). The trypsin activity in proximal intestine and mid-intestine significantly increased in treatments of 2, 4, and 6 mg L^?1, respectively. The current experiment showed that, by adding 4–6 mg/L ascorbic acid to the aquaponic system water (every 6 days), the optimal levels of Nile tilapia and saffron plant growth performances would occur.

     

A new look at the genus Crocus L. phylogeny and speciation: Insight from molecular data and chromosome geography

Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution - The genus Crocus of the family Iridaceae is a monophyletic genus with over 100 species. Due to the high degree of hybridization and the changes in the number...