Dough properties and bread-making quality-related characteristics of Yumechikara near-isogenic wheat lines carrying different Glu-B3 alleles

We investigated the relationships of three allelic variations in Glu-B3 (ab, g, and h) with dough properties and bread-making quality-related characteristics using near-isogenic lines (NILs) of ‘Yumechikara’ that commonly carry Glu-A1a, Glu-B1b, Glu-D1d, Glu-A3f, Glu-B3ab and Glu-D3a. Measurement of peak time (PT) in a 2-g mixograph indicated that Glu-B3g was the most effective for a strong dough property, followed by Glu-B3ab, with Glu-B3h being the least effective. The results of measurement of mixing time during bread-making were similar to those for PTs, i.e., the lines carrying Glu-B3g showed the longest mixing time, followed by those of Glu-B3ab, and those of Glu-B3h showed the shortest mixing time. Since two parameters of bread-making quality, loaf volume (LV) and specific loaf volume (SLV), were affected by flour protein contents in all groups of the Glu-B3 genotype, we compared the effects of the three Glu-B3 alleles on those parameters using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) to remove the effect of protein content. The results indicated that the Glu-B3h group showed the largest SLV, followed by the Glu-B3ab group, and the Glu-B3g group showed the smallest SLV. These results suggest that the introduction of Glu-B3h into ‘Yumechikara’ makes it possible to breed varieties with good bread-making quality-related characteristics.     

Urea as an organic nitrogen source for hydroponically grown tomatoes in comparison with inorganic nitrogen sources

Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill., cv. Momotaro) plants were grown in nutrient solutions with several levels of urea, nitrate, and ammonium alone or in combination to evaluate the role of urea as an organic nitrogen source compared with that of nitrate and/or ammonium as inorganic nitrogen sources. Nitrogen deficiency and excess symptoms were detected in the urea-fed plants at lower (28 mg N L^-1) and higher nitrogen levels (336, 504 mg N L^-1), respectively. The effect of urea on plant growth and leaf elemental composition was intermediate between that of nitrate and ammonium. Solution pH under urea nutrition slightly increased or remained stable. When plants were cultured with the solution containing 168 mg N L^-1, the total dry weight of the plants which received urea+nitrate was significantly higher than that of the plant which received urea and was almost equal to that of the plants which received nitrate or nitrate+ammonium. Both absorption and utilization of nitrogen in the plants fed with urea decreased compared with those of the plants fed with nitrate or ammonium. The insufficient absorption and utilization of nitrogen were estimated to be the main factors associated with the growth reduction of tomato plants under urea nutrition. However, combined application of urea and nitrate is useful for adequate plant growth without a reduction of the cation absorption in tomato while maintaining a stable solution pH.     

Synthesis of Hydroxy-Sodalite (“Zeolite”) from Waste Coal Ash

Abstract

Nitrogen accumulation in the apical spikelet of the top primary branch (superior spikelet) and the second spikelet of the lowest secondary branch (inferior spikelet), of the ear on the main stem of rice plant (Oryza sativa L. var. Sasanishiki) was characterized during grain filling. In the superior spikelet, the accumulation of dry matter and nitrogen which started immediately after lowering, proceeded rapidly, and reached the maturation level at 20 d after heading. In the inferior spikelet, however, the amount of dry matter and nitrogen accumulation was minimal immediately after flowering. It increased when grain filling of the superior spikelet was almost completed. ¹⁵N-labeled ammonia was administered to the plants at different stages of ripening and the amount of incorporation in the spikelets was analyzed at harvest. The labeled nitrogen administered at the early stages of ripening was the main source of the labeled nitrogen incorporated in the superior spikelet. However, the labeled nitrogen incorporated in the inferior spikelet largely consisted of the labeled nitrogen administered at the late stages of ripening. When all the spikelets except for the five inferior spikelets were removed from the ear at various stages of ripening, the amount of dry matter and nitrogen accumulation increased immediately, irrespective of the stage of ripening.

These results indicate that dry matter and nitrogen partitioning among spikelets of the ear is highly regulated during ripening and their accumulation in the inferior spikelets at the early stage of ripening is suppressed by some unknown factor(s) which can be eliminated by the removal of the superior spikelets.     

Use of genetic markers to identify the illegal trade of billfish in the second largest fishing warehouse of Latin America

1. Billfish are oceanic pelagic species that are often caught by tuna fleets and are of great interest for sport fishing. Two species of billfish have specific legislation prohibiting their marketing and export in Brazil.
2. DNA barcoding is a universal system of molecular identification based on a sequence of mitochondrial DNA cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI), which serves as a diagnostic genomic marker in each species.
3. The barcode DNA technique was used to identify billfish marketed in the second largest fishing warehouse in Latin America, the CEAGESP (Companhia de Entrepostos e Armazéns Gerais de São Paulo), located in São Paulo, Brazil. Seventy‐nine samples of billfish were collected during three inspection visits carried out by Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e dos Recursos Naturais Renováveis.
4. After DNA sequencing, 70 samples (88.60%) were identified to the species level; 21 (30.00%) were identified as Xiphias gladius, 43 (61.42%) as Istiophorus platypterus and six (8.57%) as Kajikia albida. The sale of this latter species is prohibited in Brazil and it is considered Vulnerable on the list of endangered species of the IUCN and in the official list of species of endangered Fauna – Fish and Aquatic Invertebrates.
5. Molecular analyses proved to be very efficient at uncovering irregularities in the identification of the white marlin (K. albida), which was traded illegally in CEAGESP, demonstrating the ineffectiveness of the current monitoring techniques used and emphasizing the need for the adoption of better public policies for the conservation of the species.

     

Treatment of lead poisoning in wild geese.

Twenty-seven wild geese (Anser albifrons) suffering from lead poisoning caused by ingestion of lead shot were treated with disodium calcium ethylenediaminetetraacetate. The concentration of lead in blood ranged from 0.4 to 23.0 micrograms/ml, with a mean concentration of 5.6 micrograms/ml. In 22 of the birds, 1 to 48 lead pellets (mean, 10.5 pellets/bird) were seen on radiographs of their gizzards. Eleven of 27 birds recovered 3 to 8 weeks after the initiation of treatment. In the birds that recovered, the lead pellets were rapidly eroded as the birds recovered their appetites in response to treatment, and disappeared radiographically between treatment days 17 and 52. The birds that did not survive died within 4 weeks, despite decreased concentrations of lead in blood. Of these 16 birds, 15 had radiographic evidence of impaction of the proventriculus at the first examination and no evidence of resolution of the impaction at the time of death. In contrast, only 2 of the 11 geese that recovered had impaction of the proventriculus at the time of admission. Thus, the condition of the proventriculus seems to be the first consideration to evaluate in the prognosis of lead poisoning in geese.     

Cytokinin signaling and its inhibitor AHP6 regulate cell fate during vascular development

The cell lineages that form the transporting tissues (xylem and phloem) and the intervening pluripotent procambial tissue originate from stem cells near the root tip. We demonstrate that in Arabidopsis, cytokinin phytohormones negatively regulate protoxylem specification. AHP6, an inhibitory pseudophosphotransfer protein, counteracts cytokinin signaling, allowing protoxylem formation. Conversely, cytokinin signaling negatively regulates the spatial domain of AHP6 expression. Thus, by controlling the identity of cell lineages, the reciprocal interaction of cytokinin signaling and its spatially specific modulator regulates proliferation and differentiation of cell lineages during vascular development, demonstrating a previously unrecognized regulatory circuit underlying meristem organization.     

Characterization of royal jelly proteins in both Africanized and European honeybees (Apis mellifera) by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis

In this study, the proteins contained in royal jelly (RJ) produced by Africanized honeybees and European honeybees (Apis mellifera) haven been analyzed in detail and compared using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, and the N-terminal amino acid sequence of each spot has been determined. Most spots were assigned to major royal jelly proteins (MRJPs). Remarkable differences were found in the heterogeneity of the MRJPs, in particular MRJP3, in terms of molecular weights and isoelectric points between the two species of RJ. Furthermore, during the determination of the N-terminal amino acid sequence of each spot, for the first time, MRJP4 protein has been identified, the existence of which had been only implied by cloning of its cDNA sequence. The presence of heterogeneous bands of glucose oxidase was also identified. Thus, the results suggest that two-dimensional gel electrophoresis provides a suitable method for the qualitative analysis of the proteins contained in RJ derived from different honeybee species.