Strategic tillage in Australian conservation agricultural systems to address soil constraints: How does it impact weed management?

In the conservation agricultural systems practised in Australia, cultivation is not commonly utilised for the purpose of weed control. However, occasional use of tillage (strategic tillage) is implemented every few years for soil amelioration, to address constraints such as acidity, water repellence or soil compaction. Depending on the tillage method, the soil amelioration process buries or disturbs the topsoil. The act of amelioration also changes the soil physical and chemical properties and affects crop growth. While these strategic tillage practices are not usually applied for weed control, they are likely to have an impact on weed seedbank burial, which will in turn affect seed dormancy and seedbank depletion. Strategic tillage impacts on seed burial and soil characteristics will also affect weed emergence, plant survival, competitive ability of weeds against the crop and efficiency of soil applied pre-emergent herbicides. If growers understand the impacts of soil amelioration on weed demography, they can more effectively plan management strategies to apply following the strategic tillage practice. Weed seed burial resulting from a full soil inversion is understood, but for many soil tillage implements, more data is needed on the extent of soil mixing, burial of topsoil and the weed seedbank, physical control of existing weeds and stimulation of emergence following the tillage event. Within the agronomic system, there is no research on optimal timing for a tillage event within the year. There are multiple studies to indicate that strategic tillage can reduce weed density, but in most studies, the weed density increases in subsequent years. This indicates that more research is required on the interaction of amelioration and weed ecology, and optimal weed management strategies following a strategic tillage event to maintain weeds at low densities. However, this review also highlights that, where the impacts of soil amelioration are understood, existing data on weed ecology can be applied to potentially determine impacts of amelioration on weed growth.     

Use of Mass Vaccination with a Reduced Dose of REV 1 Vaccine for Brucella melitensis Control in a Population of Small Ruminants

Mass vaccination with reduced dose 1/50 Rev 1 strain live vaccine (1–2 109 colony forming units), administered subcutaneously, over a four and a half year period reduced the prevalence of Brucella melitensis in Kuwait's small ruminant population from 5.8% in 1993 to 2.02% in 1997.Serological test results using the Rose Bengal Plate Test, Rivanol Agglutination Test and Complement Fixation showed no evidence of persistence of positive serology in animals nine or more months after vaccination. Questionnaires and post-vaccination flock inspections found that the effects on gestation (abortions) were minimal – and not proven to be due to the vaccine.The conclusion from these findings is that mass vaccination with reduced dose Rev 1 administered by the subcutaneous route is a practical field strategy for control of Brucella melitensis.     

SDS－PAGE电泳在鉴别用牛乳掺伪的新疆特种乳中的应用

[目的]采用十二烷基磺酸钠-聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳(SDS-PAGE)鉴别一定比例掺伪的特种乳中所含的牛乳成分及确定最低检测掺伪比例。[方法]按一定的比例(1∶1、1∶4、1∶10、1∶20、1∶100、1∶200和1∶400(V牛乳/V特种乳))掺伪,离心分离乳清蛋白,SDS-PAGE电泳,确定掺伪差异性蛋白并进行灰度分析。[结果]SDS-PAGE可以快速、有效地分离各乳乳清蛋白以及掺伪的牛乳乳清蛋白。[结论]SDS-PAGE鉴别掺伪的最低比例为1∶10(V_(牛乳_/V_(特种乳))。     

新疆盐渍化区土壤养分的空间结构和分布特征

结合地理信息系统(GIS),在面积约为2000km2的新疆典型盐渍化区渭干河流域布设了土壤取样点43个,测定了土壤表层(0~30cm)养分(全氮、全磷、全钾、碱解氮、速效磷、速效钾)的空间变异规律。结果表明:七种养分元素中除了碱解氮、速效磷的含量服从对数正态分布,其它养分元素均符合正态分布;半方差分析得出各项目都能很好的用模型来拟合,全氮、全磷、速效钾符合指数模型,碱解氮、速效磷、全磷符合球状模型。只有有机质是符合高斯模型;全氮和碱解氮的系统空间相关性很弱,而其余养分元素均表现出中等强度的空间相关性,变程在14.3km~67.0km之间,相差比较大;用Kriging插值法对未测点的养分元素进行最优估计,绘制含量分布图,从而可以更直观的反映研究区土壤养分的空间结构和分布特征。     

The low down on association mapping in hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

The past few decades have witnessed hundreds of family-based linkage studies mapping for numerous traits but only a limited number of QTLs were actually cloned, tagged, or used for marker-assisted selection. Although providing valuable information, this conventional approach cannot be scaled up to underpin the incredible amount of phenotypic variation in the form of 266, 589 hexaploid wheat accessions maintained in public germplasm collections. Association mapping has recently emerged as an alternative and more powerful mapping approach where a natural population is surveyed to determine marker-trait associations using linkage disequilibrium (LD). After its first application for milling quality in 2006, association mapping studies in hexaploid wheat are being extended to tag yield traits, protein quality, and tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Advances in genotyping technology and statistical approaches greatly accelerated the shift from conventional linkage-based mapping to LD-based association mapping. Association mapping stands out because of simultaneous utilization of a large number of ex situ-conserved natural variation due to historical recombination events accumulated over centuries.     

Functional properties of protein isolates extracted from stabilized rice bran by microwave, dry heat, and parboiling

Protein isolates extracted from differently stabilized rice bran were analyzed to work out the food use potential. Bulk density remained higher for isolates obtained from heat stabilized bran, the treatments were found to have positive impact on the oil absorption properties, while the water absorption was slightly impaired owing to some possible configurational changes. Surface hydrophobicity and emulsion properties were improved with bran stabilization. Isolates exhibited better foaming properties owing to the flexible nature of protein molecules, with less intensive disulfide bonding, that were slightly affected by the stabilization treatment. Nitrogen solubility index followed a curved pattern with the least value near isoelectric point that showed an increasing trend toward basic pH, and parboiled protein isolates exhibited better gelling properties among the isolates.     

Localization of heat shock proteins and histopathological changes in the kidneys of transported pigs

To demonstrate the expression of heat shock proteins (Hsps) in the kidney, 5 kinds of Hsps, namely, Hsp70, Hsp72, Hsp86, Hsp90, and Hsp27, were examined in pigs after 6-h-transports by using western blot analysis. All 5 Hsps were detected in the kidneys of both the transported and control pigs. Hsp expression in the control pigs indicated that Hsps have some physiological functions in addition to stress-response functions. With the exception of Hsp27, a significant reduction was observed in all the levels of Hsps in the kidneys of the transport-stressed pigs after 6 h of transport, particularly in the levels of Hsp70 and Hsp72, which belong to the HSP70 family; and Hsp86 and Hsp90, which belong to the HSP90 family. The results indicate that 6-h-transports are not only related to renal pathological injury but also to a reduction in most of Hsp levels in the kidney. However, slight Hsp27 induction (P < 0.05) indicates that Hsps that undergo different changes following transportation stress are involved in different physiological functions. Whether the decreased amount of a certain Hsp may indicate damage and/or overuse and whether Hsps actually protect kidney tissue from such overuse remain to be elucidated.     

Enhancement of maize plant growth with inoculation of phosphate-solubilizing bacteria and biochar amendment in soil

Maize plant has an absolute requirement of nutrients (N, P, and K) for growth and development. The microbial application can facilitate in addressing limited access to chemical fertilizer concern. Moreover, biochar and phosphorus-solubilizing bacterial (PSB) community can contribute together in nutrient availability. Both have the P-supply potential to the soil, but their interaction has been tested less under semiarid climatic conditions. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the potential of biochemically tested promising PSB strains and biochar for maize plant growth and nutritional status in plant and soil. Therefore, two isolated PSB strains from maize rhizosphere were biochemically tested in vitro and identified by 16S rDNA gene analysis. The experiment was conducted in the greenhouse where the plant growth and nutrient availability to the plants were observed. In this regard, all the treatments such as PSB strain-inoculated plants, biochar-treated plants, and a combination of PSBs + biochar-treated plants were destructively sampled on day 45 (D₄₅) and day 65 (D₆₅) of sowing with four replications at each time. PSB inoculation, biochar incorporation, and their combinations have positive effects on maize plant height and nutrient concentration on D₄₅ and D₆₅. In particular, plants treated with sawdust biochar + Lysinibacillus fusiformis strain 31MZR inoculation increased N (32.8%), P (72.5%), and K (42.1%) against control on D₆₅. Besides that, only L. fusiformis strain 31MZR inoculation enhanced N (23.1%) and P (61.5%) than control which shows the significant interaction of PSB and biochar in nutrient uptake. PSB and biochar have the potential to be used as a promising amendment in improving plant growth and nutrient absorption besides the conventional approaches.     

运输应激猪肝脏中热应激蛋白的定位与表达

 利用免疫组织化学定位方法和Westernblot技术 ,对长途运输试验猪肝脏中 5种不同分子量的热应激蛋白HSP70 、HSP72 、HSP86、HSP90 和HSP2 7进行定位和表达。所有长途运输后应激猪和对照猪肝脏组织中均同时检测到了上述 5种HSP。肝细胞胞浆和胞核均显示阳性信号 ,但HSPs在肝细胞中的定位有差异 ,大多数HSP70 、HSP72 和HSP2 7主要分布于肝细胞胞浆内 ,而HSP90 和HSP86阳性颗粒在核内的分布比其在胞浆中的分布更为明显。肝小叶周边区有明显颗粒变性和脂肪变性的肝细胞中HSPs的阳性染色信号较弱。 6h的长途运输应激后 ,与对照组相比 ,HSPs在肝脏组织中的表达量存在差异 ,表现为HSP70 家族的HSP70 和HSP72 的表达没有明显的升高 (P >0 .0 5 ) ,HSP90 家族的HSP90 的表达出现极显著的增加 (P <0 .0 1) ,然而 ,HSP90 家族的HSP86和小分子量家族的HSP2 7的表达量呈现明显的下降 (P <0 .0 5 )。     

Evaluating the utility of the Gulf Stream Index for predicting recruitment of Southern New England‐Mid Atlantic yellowtail flounder

The justification for incorporating environmental effects into fisheries stock assessment models has been investigated and debated for a long time. Recently, a state‐space age‐structured assessment model which includes the stochastic change in the environmental covariate over time and its effect on recruitment was developed for Southern New England‐Mid Atlantic yellowtail flounder (Limanda ferruginea). In this paper, we first investigated the correlations of environmental covariates with Southern New England‐Mid Atlantic yellowtail flounder recruitment deviations. The covariate that was most strongly correlated with the recruitment deviations was then incorporated into the state‐space model and alternative effects on the stock‐recruit relationship were estimated and compared. For the model that performed best as measured by Akaike information criterion, we also compared the estimates and predictions of various population attributes and biological reference points with those from an otherwise identical model without the environmental covariate in the stock‐recruit function. We found that the estimates of population parameters are similar for the two models but the predictions differed substantially. To evaluate which model provided more reliable predictions, we quantitatively compared the prediction skill of the two models by generating two series of retrospective predictions. Comparison of the retrospective prediction pattern suggested that from an average point of view, the environmentally explicit model can provide more accurate near‐term recruitment predictions especially the one year ahead recruitment prediction. However, the accuracy of the near‐term recruitment prediction from the environmentally explicit model was largely determined by the accuracy of the corresponding environment prediction the model provides.