A domain-specific language framework for farm management information systems in precision agriculture

Precision Agriculture - Farm management information system (FMIS) is an important element of precision agriculture to support the decision making process in the agricultural business. Developing...     

Role of nitric oxide on the generation of atretic follicles in the rat ovaries

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of Nitric Oxide (NO) in the atresia of ovarian follicles in an animal model. Twenty adult, female rats (90 days old with body weights of210 +/- 10 g in the beginning of the experiments) were divided into 4 groups of 5 each. They were treated twice daily from the subcutaneous route for 21 successive days with either of the following chemicals: nitroglycerine, L-arginine, L-NAME, or saline. On day 22, all animals were sacrificed. Ovaries were dissected out free of connected tissue and were fixed in formaline 10%. Later, paraffine blocks were prepared and serial sections were made by means of H and E routine staining method. Intact and atretic follicles were counted separately. In addition, damages were analyzed qualitatively from the points of view of appearance and morphologic changes. In the evaluation of ovarian follicular structures, different types of healthy as well as atretic follicles were observed. In most of atretic follicles, the oocytes were abnormally elongated and increnation of their outlines were obvious. There were numerous macrophages around and inside of the atretic follicles. Our investigation regarding the distribution of atretic follicles in the ovaries of test groups revealed that atretic follicles in the L-NAME treated group were increased in comparison to the control group. Conversely, however, in the arginine-treated group, the atretic follicles were reduced compared to the control animals. Treatment with nitroglycerine of the rats decreased the number of atretic follicles significantly (p < 0.05) in comparison to the control group. In conclusion, enhanced NO, either from endogenous or exogenous origins, prevents atresia phenomenon, while inhibition of NO exerts an opposite effect.     

Endophyte effects on reproduction of a root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne marylandi) and osmotic adjustment in tall fescue

In a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial experiment, plants of one genotype of tall fescue ( Festuca arundinacea ) were grown in soil in pots in a glasshouse on two occasions. The treatments were either with (E+) or without (E–) infection by the fungal endophyte Neotyphodium coenophialum ; with (N+) or without (N–) inoculation by the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne marylandi ; and with or without water deficit stress. In the first experiment, nematode numbers after 5 weeks had increased 10 times in the E–/N– watered pots and 22 times in the E–/N+ stressed plants. Root dry weight was decreased in all E–/N+ pots, compared with E–/N–. In contrast, nematode numbers in all E+/N+ pots decreased to nearly zero and root dry weight was unaffected. Osmotic adjustment in the growing zone of stressed plants was –0·35 MPa in E–/N– pots, but only –0·10 MPa in E–/N+ pots. Osmotic adjustment was greatest (–0·64 MPa) in E+ pots of both nematode treatments and almost no nematodes survived in the N+ pots. In the second experiment, there was complete nematode mortality in the E+ pots. Plant water relations were unaffected by treatments, however. It is concluded that endophyte-enhanced persistence of tall fescue in M. marylandi -infested soils that are prone to drought may be explained at least partly by endophyte protection of roots from nematode damage. Nematode inhibition by the endophyte may operate in addition to direct influences of the endophyte on enhancing drought tolerance of the host.     

Effects of grazing on natural regeneration of tree and herb species of Kheyroud forest in northern Iran

We investigated the effects of grazing on natural regeneration, quantity, and diversity of woody species and dominant herb species in Kheyroud forest in northern Iran. We sampled vegetation in 5m2 plots in custom units, which are demarcated resource areas traditionally used by local livestock producers. The authors quantified number of species, height of seedlings, and diameter of seedlings. Height classes were 0-30 cm, 30-130 cm, and >130 cm, and diameter classes were 0-2.5 cm, 2.5-5 cm and 5-7.5 cm. The density of seedlings declined with distance from corral until reaching the custom unit boundary. Most seedlings had diameters of 0-2.5 cm and heights of 0-30 cm. Predominant species, Carpinus betulus and Acer capadocicum, were in plots near the centers of custom units, Fagus orientalis, Acer velutinum, Quercus castanifolia species were dominant in plots near the custom unit boundary. Plant species such as Oplismenus undulatifolius, Euphorbia amygdaloides, Rubus fruticos and Pteridium aquilinum were dominant in plots nearer to forest corral. Healthy seedlings were more numerous in plots nearest the corral, while defective and deformed seedlings were more abundant away from the corral. We conclude that grazing had negative effects on the quantity and quality of vegetative regeneration. Continuation of overgrazing will not only endanger the sustainability of forest ecosystems, but also will increase the challenge of sustainable forest management.     

Effect of short‐term fasting and re‐feeding on growth,digestive enzyme activities and antioxidant defence in yellowfin seabream,Acanthopagrus latus (Houttuyn, 1782)

An 80‐day feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the influence of different short‐term fasting and re‐feeding strategies on growth and physiological responses in yellowfin seabream, Acanthopagrus latus (2.4 ± 0.2 g) fingerlings. The fish were subjected to four different feeding regimes, and the control group fed four times daily to apparent satiation throughout the whole feeding period, while the other three groups were deprived for 2, 4 and 8 days followed by 8, 16 or 32 days of re‐feeding (F₂R₈, F₄R₁₆ and F₈R₃₂, respectively) in repeated cycles for 80 days. The fish in the control and F₂R₈ groups had the highest and the lowest total length, respectively (p < .05). Moreover, fish exposed to F₄R₁₆ had the highest hepatosomatic indices, while control fish had the lowest hepatosomatic indices (p < .05). Fish in the F₂R₈ group relatively had higher catalase and glutathione‐S‐transferase activities than other groups (p < .05). Furthermore, total protease, α‐amylase and alkaline phosphatase activities in the F₄R₁₆ and F₈R₃₂ were higher than the F₂R₄ and control groups (p < .05). Overall, this study showed that compensatory growth in weight and length and digestive enzyme activities were observed in the F₄R₁₆ and F₈R₃₂; however, the increase in the activity of antioxidant enzymes in the F₈R₃₂ group indicated that oxidative stress remained after 80 days of re‐feeding in the liver.     

Effects of different salinities on amino acid profile in Artemia franciscana

The effects of different salinity levels, including 10–15, 30–35, 70–75, 110–115 and 150–155 ppt, were evaluated on survival and the body amino acids (BAA) of Artemia franciscana. The results were expressed as total essential (TE), non‐essential (NE) and total amino acids (TAA); also, the ratio of the TE to NE (ENAA) on days 3 and 13 of the culture is reported. The study of changes in Artemia BAA showed that with the increase in the water salinity, the TE, NE and TAA increased significantly on days 3 and 13 of the culture. However, the highest ratio of ENAA was observed in the 110 gL^?1 salinity treatment on day 3 (1.067 ± 1.25). Regarding the effects of different salinity treatments on the survival rate of Artemia, it was observed that, generally, an increase in the water salinity would reduce the survival rate of this species. This reduction was observed on day 3 of culture in the salinity treatments above 120 (66.66 ± 1.68%) and below 30 gL^?1 (89.66 ± 0.34%) and on day 13 of culture in the salinity treatments below 30 (11.86 ± 0.13%) and above 70 gL^?1. Basically, it can be concluded that A. franciscana culture at a salinity of 110 gL^?1 can lead to the biological enrichment of Artemia in terms of amino acid profile.     

Past,present and future suitable areas for the relict tree Pterocarya fraxinifolia (Juglandaceae): Integrating fossil records,niche modeling,and phylogeography for conservation

European Journal of Forest Research - Pterocarya fraxinifolia, native to the southern Caucasus and adjacent areas, has been widely introduced in Europe. In this study, we investigate the following:...     

Metabolic resistance mechanisms to phosalone in the common pistachio psyllid, Agonoscena pistaciae (Hem.: Psyllidae)

The common pistachio psyllid, Agonoscena pistaciae, is the most damaging pest of pistachio in Iran, and is generally controlled by insecticides belonging to various classes especially, phosalone. The toxicity of phosalone in nine populations of the pest was assayed using the residual contact vial and insect-dip methods. The bioassay results showed significant discrepancy in susceptibility to phosalone among the populations. Resistance ratio of the populations to the susceptible population ranged from 3.3 to 11.3. The synergistic effects of TPP, PBO and DEM were evaluated on the susceptible and the most resistant population to determine the involvement of esterases, mixed function oxidases and glutathione S-transferases in resistance mechanisms, respectively. The level of resistance to phosalone in the resistant population was suppressed by TPP, PBO and DEM, suggesting that the resistance to phosalone is mainly caused by esterase detoxification. Biochemical enzyme assays revealed that esterase, glutathione S-transferase and cytochrome P450 monooxygenase activities in the resistant population was higher than that in the susceptible. Glutathione-S-transferases play a minor role in the resistance of the pest to phosalone.     

Prevalence, biology, pathology, and public health importance of linguatulosis of camel in Iran

Linguatula serrata is a cosmopolitan zoonotic parasite with its adult form occurring in the nasal and respiratory passages of canids as the definitive hosts, while its immature stages localize in the mesenteric lymph nodes, liver, spleen, lungs, and, rarely, in other organs, such as the ocular region of herbivorous intermediate hosts. Humans can behave as both intermediate and final host and are infected by visceral and nasopharyngeal linguatulosis. Consumption of infected, improperly cooked viscera of the intermediate hosts, including sheep, goats, cattle, camels, or other herbivores containing the larval stages of this parasite is a potential source of infection of human beings with the nasopharyngeal form of linguatulosis. However, nasopharyngeal secretions or feces of carnivores containing eggs of Linguatula are the main sources for infecting human beings with the visceral form of this infection. In the present study, the prevalence of infection by nymphs of L. serrata in 101 camels in Yazd Province, central Iran, was estimated based on histopathological studies of samples from two, apparently enlarged, mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN), together with one sample from a whitish pinpoint spot on the liver and spleen of each animal. Thirteen camels (12.9%) were infected with the nymphal stage of L. serrata. Age and sex did not play a significant role in the prevalence of this parasitic infection. The number of parasites in each MLN ranged from one to six larvae. In view of the consumption of raw or undercooked liver and visceral organs of camel by humans of this region, the importance of careful inspection at slaughter needs to be emphasized.