Genotype × environment interaction and growth stability of several elm clones resistant to Dutch elm disease

Conventionally hybrid elm clones obtained within breeding programs for Dutch elm disease (DED) resistance were selected to meet requirements for use as ornamentals. However, it has been long and commonly observed that these clones may show hybrid vigour and enhanced growth. Nowadays DED resistant hybrid elm clones, which have been released to the market or are under evaluation for an upcoming release, are numerous enough to be considered for timber production or short rotation coppice (SRC). But experimental testing of the growth performances of these clones in different environments is still lacking. In this paper, growth and stability of performance of 24 DED resistant hybrid elm clones planted at three experimental sites with contrasting environmental conditions in Italy were studied. Height and diameter were measured yearly from 2001 to 2009, and the mean yearly increments after plant establishment were calculated. The study revealed a general good growth performance of the majority of the clones with mean height increments above 1 m/year, and an excellent growth performance of some genotypes. Analysis of variance showed significant effects of clone, site and clone × site interaction, for both height and diameter increments. Stability analysis of diameter and height increments was performed by using two parametric (CV% and W²) and two non-parametric (Hühn's S_i⁽¹⁾ and S_i⁽²⁾) indexes. According to all indexes, two clones showed superior and stable growth. These clones may be suitable for planting in a range of environments. In addition, several other clones had high growth in general or at a particular site. The results support our belief that these elm clones could be successfully used for timber and biomass production, and provide new knowledge for an informed choice of the most suitable genotypes.     

Punicalagin and catechins contain polyphenolic substructures that influence cell viability and can be monitored by radical chemosensors sensitive to electron transfer

Plant polyphenols may be free radical scavengers or generators, depending on their nature and concentration. This dual effect, mediated by electron transfer reactions, may contribute to their influence on cell viability. This study used two stable radicals (tris(2,3,5,6-tetrachloro-4-nitrophenyl)methyl (TNPTM) and tris(2,4,6-trichloro-3,5-dinitrophenyl)methyl (HNTTM)) sensitive only to electron transfer reduction reactions to monitor the redox properties of polyphenols (punicalagin and catechins) that contain phenolic hydroxyls with different reducing capacities. The use of the two radicals reveals that punicalagin's substructures consisting of gallate esters linked together by carbon-carbon (C-C) bonds are more reactive than simple gallates and less reactive than the pyrogallol moiety of green tea catechins. The most reactive hydroxyls, detected by TNPTM, are present in the compounds that affect HT-29 cell viability the most. TNPTM reacts with C-C-linked gallates and pyrogallol and provides a convenient way to detect potentially beneficial polyphenols from natural sources.     

Occurrence of pipecolic acid and pipecolic acid betaine (homostachydrine) in Citrus genus plants

The presence of pipecolic acid and pipecolic acid betaine, also known as homostachydrine, is herein reported for the first time in Citrus genus plants. Homostachydrine was found in fruits, seeds, and leaves of orange, lemon, and bergamot (Citrus bergamia Risso et Poit). As homostachydrine was not commercially available, as a comparative source, extracts of alfalfa leaves ( Medicago sativa L.) were used, in which homostachydrine is present at high concentration. Then, the results where confirmed by comparison with an authentic standard synthesized and purified starting from pipecolic acid. The synthesized standard was characterized by a ESI-MS/MS study using a 3D ion-trap mass spectrometer. When subjected to MS/MS fragmentation in positive ion mode, homostachydrine, unlike its lower homologue proline betaine (also known as stachydrine), showed a pattern of numerous ionic fragments that allowed unambiguous identification of the compound. For the quantitation in the plant sources, high sensitivity and specificity were achieved by monitoring the transition (158 → 72), which is absent in the fragmentation patterns of other major osmolytes commonly used as markers for studies of abiotic stress. As for the metabolic origin of homostachydrine, the occurrence in citrus plants of pipecolic acid leads to the hypothesis that it could act as a homostachydrine precursor through direct methylation.     

Limitations for revegetation in lead/zinc minesoils (NW Spain)

Purpose

Metal mining is the main cause of soil contamination caused by heavy metals. Mine tailings and minespoils generally offer hostile environments for plant growth due to their low nutrient availability, low organic matter content, and high trace metal content. This study was carried out with the aim of characterizing the soils that have developed on the tailings from an abandoned lead and zinc mine in Galicia (NW Spain) and determining the soil factors that limit revegetation.

Materials and methods

We selected three zones: (a) the minespoils, (b) in the mining area, and (c) the settling pond, where the sludge from the flotation process was deposited. A control soil was also sampled outside of the mining area. We analyzed the physicochemical properties and metal levels in the mine spoil and soil samples we collected.

Results and discussion

The results indicate that the main physical limitations of minesoils are their low effective depth, high porosity and stoniness, while the main chemical limitations are low organic matter content and low CEC and an imbalance between exchangeable cations. These minesoils are strongly affected by high Zn and Pb levels which hinder revegetation.

Conclusions

As high concentrations of toxic trace elements and a high pH are important factors in limiting the plant growth, the restoration procedure must overcome the oxidation processes by adding organic amendments that also contribute towards fixing heavy metals or by implanting spontaneous vegetation adapted to the mine conditions, such as common broom (Cytisus scoparius) or white birch (Betula celtiberica).     

Incidence of subclinical endometritis and its effects on reproductive performance of crossbred dairy cows

In dairy cattle, uterine infections are not life threatening and often unavoidable; however, they reduce fertility and increase the production costs of properties. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of subclinical endometritis from 32 to 70 days in milk (DIM) and its effects on the reproductive performance of crossbred dairy cows. Lactating cows (Holstein/Gir; n?=?172), with no history of retained placenta, without clinical signs of uterine infection were used. The body condition score (BCS) was evaluated on a scale from 1 to 5. Ultrasound examination was performed to evaluate uterine lining and ovarian activity, while vaginal mucus was analyzed by gloved hand. The diagnosis of subclinical endometritis was performed by endometrial cytobrush technique. The samples were collected, stained, and examined microscopically; positive cases for subclinical endometritis were considered with the presence of ≥5 % of neutrophils. Later, the cows were submitted to conventional artificial insemination or timed artificial insemination. The incidence of subclinical endometritis in the herd was 26 %, and this was not affected by the season of calving, presence of corpus luteum, DIM, and parity. Cows with a BCS ≤2.50 had a higher incidence of subclinical endometritis. The conception rate to first insemination and pregnancy rate at 150 days postpartum were not influenced by the presence of subclinical endometritis in crossbred dairy cows.     

Immunohistochemical identification and localization of orexin A and orexin type 2 receptor in the horse gastrointestinal tract

The aim of the present study was to investigate the presence and the distribution of cells containing orexin A and orexin type 2 receptor in the horse stomach and gut, by means of immunohistochemical techniques.Orexin A was identified in the stomach fundic and pyloric regions and in the duodenum. In the same stomach regions, a large subset of orexin A-positive cells also showed orexin type 2 receptor-like immunoreactivity. Moreover, in the duodenum, many of them, seemed to store serotonin.Characteristically, enteric neurons or ganglia also displayed orexin A and, sometimes, orexin type 2 receptor immunoreaction.Orexin A and orexin type 2 receptor immunoreactivity was also found in the nerve fibers in the enteric submucosal layer.Our results, together with data present in the literature, could contribute to the understanding of complex mechanisms regulating the horse gut functionality that are depending very likely on the consequence of the co-operation of both a central and a peripheral control.     

Quantification of Heavy Metals from A.M.D. Discharged into a Public Water Supply Dam in the Iberian Pyrite Belt (SW Spain) Using Centered Moving Average

In this work, the determination of moving averages is proposed as a method for quantifying metal, arsenic, and sulfate discharges into a water course undergoing acid mine drainage processes which flows into a public water supply dam in the Iberian Pyrite Belt. The analysis of the results obtained by applying moving averages shows that the highest metal and sulfate concentrations occur in October, coinciding with the first rainfall and the sponging of mine dumps, with November and December being the months when the highest contributions to the Andevalo Dam take place. The discharge of acid mine waters with its corresponding metal load into the Andevalo Dam means, for a single hydrological year, more than 6,000 t of sulfates, almost 600 t of iron, and 1 t of As, of special relevance for the hydrochemical quality of the stored waters. When they arrive at the dam, these metals precipitate, since the water pH is near 7, and remain latent in the bottom sediment as long as the chemical makeup of the dam water does not change.     

CD34 glycoprotein identifies putative stem cells located in the isthmic region of canine hair follicles

It is widely documented that a pool of multipotent stem cells located in humans and mice hair follicle outer root sheath (bulge region) is involved in the restoration of the whole follicular unit during each anagen phase. To the authors' knowledge, data regarding the location and characterization of hair follicle stem compartment in dogs have not been reported in the recent relevant literature. In this study, we investigated the haematopoietic stem and progenitor cell antigen CD34 as a marker of putative stem cells located in a bulge-like region of canine hair follicles. The presence of CD34 mRNA and glycoprotein was assessed on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded canine skin samples by in situ hybridization technique and by standard immunohistochemistry, respectively. A strong expression of CD34 mRNA and glycoprotein was observed in a well-defined area of the hair follicle isthmic region and appeared uniformly concentrated at the level of the basal layer of the outer root sheath. These findings provide compelling support to the hypothesis that in dogs, a subpopulation of basal keratinocytes located in the hair follicle isthmic region and characterized by the selective expression of CD34 is potentially associated with the stem cell compartment of this skin appendage.     

Fish species identification in surimi-based products

Whole fish morphologically identified as belonging to Theragra chalcogramma, Merluccius merluccius, Merluccius hubbsi, and Merluccius capensis and 19 fish products commercialized as surimi with different commercial brands and labeled as T. chalcogramma were analyzed by direct sequence analysis of the cytochrome b gene. A phylogenetic analysis of surimi products was performed as well. Results demonstrated that mislabeling is a large-scale phenomenon, since 84.2% of surimi-based fish products sold as T. chalcogramma (16/19) were prepared with species different from the one declared. In fact, only three samples (samples 15-17) were found to belong to T. chalcogramma. In the remaining samples, Merluccidae (samples 4-14), Gadidae (samples 18 and 19), Sparidae (sample 1), and Pomacentridae (samples 2 and 3) families were detected. A phylogenetic tree was constructed, and the bootstrap value was calculated. According to this methodology, 11 samples were grouped in the same clade as Merluccius spp.