Macro-element absorption at maturity in relation to grain yield in high-yielding rice cultivars

Abstract

By applying nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) fertilizers at different rates and times to high-yielding rice cultivars, we determined the absorption of N, P, and potassium (K) in relation to the grain yield. The results showed that, at a higher top-dressing rate of N, the grain yield increased and the absorption of N, P, and K was stimulated, whereas top-dressing of P did not significantly increase the grain yield and nutrient absorption. The absorption of N, P, and K differed markedly among the cultivars, even at the same level of grain yield in the same field (for Yangdao 4 and Suweon 258). N absorption in line 9004 was 29.2 g m^?2 for a paddy grain yield of 1,250 g m^?2 (brown rice: about 1,000 g m^?2), being much higher than the value reported in the literature. The ratio of N : P : K absorption at different yield levels revealed that, with the increase of grain yield of the cultivars, the absorption of P and K relative to the absorption of N decreased. The absorption amounts and ratios of N, P, and K depended on the cultivars, yield levels~, and possibly, soils of the field.     

Three-dimensional underwater shape measurement of tuna longline using ultrasonic positioning system and ORBCOMM buoy

ABSTRACT:   The installation depth of the hook in longline fishing gear has previously been measured with micro depth loggers. Research that assumes the catenary shape of longline fishing gear by a simulation based on these data has been done. However, it was not known whether the branch line was tangled with the main line or flowed with the current. In this research, an ultrasonic positioning system generally used to investigate the underwater behavior of marine organisms, and a buoy with a communications satellite, have been used, and the 3-dimensional underwater shape of tuna longline fishing gear was measured. It was possible to monitor changes in fishing gear in real time. The possibility of high precision measurement was suggested with future technical improvement.     

Current status of freshwater prawn culture in Vietnam and the development and transfer of seed production technology

ABSTRACT:   In Vietnam, the giant freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii is becoming an increasingly important targeted species, as its culture, especially in rice fields, is considered to have the potential to raise income among impoverished farmers. The production of M. rosenbergii based on aquaculture reached over 10 000 tons per year in 2002, having increased from about 2500 tons since the 1990s. Until recently, lack of a stable supply of seed had been an important obstacle to the further expansion and development of M. rosenbergii culture, but cumulative research on larval rearing, especially in the 1990s, has led to the development of new seed production technology based on the 'modified stagnant green water system'. Following its dissemination by the efforts of provincial authorities, hatchery operators, and farmers, the freshwater prawn seed production industry developed rapidly in the Mekong Delta with over 90 hatcheries producing 76.5 million postlarvae in 2003. This is considered to have affected the expansion of rice–prawn farming in the Mekong Delta, leading to increased aquacultural production in the region. This paper reviews the current status of freshwater prawn culture in Vietnam and background history, and presents a socioeconomic evaluation of seed production technology implementation.     

Differences in plant canopy bi-directional reflectance factors among rice varieties

We statistically discuss the possible ways to classify rice varieties using canopy bi-directional reflectance factor (BRF) data. Fourteen varieties of rice (Oryza sativa L.) were grown in an experimental paddy field where environmental conditions such as soil, nutrients, water supply, and local climate were homogeneous. Spectral reflectance of each of the rice varieties was measured at nadir and at off-nadir angles of 45°, 30°, 15°, –15°, –30°, and –45° on both the principal and perpendicular planes at intervals of 1 nm from 400 to 850 nm. The reflectances in green (550–560 nm), red (675–685 nm), and near infrared (745–749 nm) bands at every measuring angle were computed for each rice variety. As a result of unpaired Student t-tests, the number of pairs of rice varieties that can be statistically distinguished using BRF data was larger than the number that can be distinguished using just the spectral reflectance data at the nadir angle. The difference in BRF among rice varieties was statistically significant.     

Effect of dietary vitamin E on broiler meat qualities,color, water‐holding capacity and shear force value,under heat stress conditions

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of dietary vitamin E (VE) on broiler meat quality, especially focused on PSE (pale color, soft and exudative), under chronic heat stress (HS) conditions. Twenty‐eight‐day‐old female Ross broilers were kept in independent cages with a controlled temperature of 24°C (normal temperature: NT) or 30°C (high temperature: HT). The NT chickens were fed basal feed. The HT chickens were fed basal feed (HT) or VE (200 mg/kg) added feed (HT + E). Broilers were weighed and slaughtered at 38 days old. The breast muscle was removed immediately and then the samples were used for determination of meat color, pH, water holding capacity (WHC) and shear force value (SFV). Body weight gain and feed intake were significantly decreased in the HT and HT + E groups compared to the NT group. VE supplementation did not affect the growth performance. Chronic HS at 30°C for 10 days may cause deterioration of meat quality such as PSE. The effects of chronic HS on meat quality were most significant in the toughness of broiler breast meat. Supplementation of VE in broiler feed would be effective to prevent the extent of PSE on broiler meat by chronic HS.     

Non‐invasive sampling technique for DNA extraction from captive Japanese Crested Ibis on Sado Island

The Japanese Crested Ibis Nipponia nippon is a critically threatened bird. The post‐hatch eggs of the current captive population of this species on Sado Island have been stored at room temperature for the long‐term. In this study, we investigated the suitability of the vascularized chorioallantois membrane from the eggs as a non‐invasive DNA source. Using microsatellite loci developed for the Japanese Crested Ibis, we performed three experiments for comparison of genotypes obtained among DNA. First, DNA from five different sites of the identical membrane showed the same genotypes at either of two loci examined. Second, DNA from the membrane of each full‐sibling birds and blood of their parents showed the genotypes that were consistent with Mendelian parent–offspring relationships at any of eight loci examined. Third, DNA from the membrane and blood of the same bird showed the matched genotypes at any of eight loci examined. These results indicate that the vascularized chorioallantois membrane from post‐hatch eggs stored at room temperature for the long‐ term can be used as a reliable DNA source of offspring that had hatched from the egg. This study will promote a molecular genetics study on genetic diversity of the current captive Japanese Crested Ibis population on Sado Island.     

Metabolic process of the C-sugars on the translocation pathways of cucumber plants

Studies on the metabolic process of photoassimilates and enhancement of sugar accumulation into fruit are important in fruit crop production. The metabolic process of the ¹⁴C-photoassimilates in cucumber plants was analyzed with respect to the vascular system. At 4 h after the start of ¹⁴CO₂ feeding, the ¹⁴C-photoassimilates synthesized in a selected leaf on the main shoot were translocated to the vascular bundles of the internode just below the ¹⁴CO₂-fed leaf. The radioactivity of ¹⁴C-stachyose was as high as that of ¹⁴C-sucrose in the vascular bundles of petiole and internode just below the ¹⁴CO₂-fed leaf as well as in the midrib, while the radioactivity of ¹⁴C-stachyose was lower than that of ¹⁴C-sucrose in the mesophyll. The ¹⁴C-photoassimilates appeared to have been translocated without any metabolic change in the translocation pathways between the petiole and internode just below the ¹⁴CO₂-fed leaf, because the ratio of ¹⁴C-stachyose radioactivity in the two parts was similar. At 8 h after the start of ¹⁴CO₂ feeding, the ¹⁴C-photoassimilates were translocated to the fruit. In the vascular bundles of the peduncle, the ratios of the radioactivity of ¹⁴C-stachyose and ¹⁴C-raffinose were lower, and the ratio of the radioactivity of ¹⁴C-sucrose was higher, than that at the petiole and internode just below the ¹⁴CO₂-fed leaf at 8 h after the start of ¹⁴CO₂ feeding. Therefore, it seemed that ¹⁴C-stachyose and ¹⁴C-raffinose were hydrolyzed to ¹⁴C-sucrose in the peduncle.     

Two histone marks establish the inner centromere and chromosome bi-orientation

For proper partitioning of chromosomes in mitosis, the chromosomal passenger complex (CPC) including Aurora B and survivin must be localized at the center of paired kinetochores, at the site called the inner centromere. It is largely unknown what defines the inner centromere and how the CPC is targeted to this site. Here, we show that the phosphorylation of histone H3-threonine 3 (H3-pT3) mediated by Haspin cooperates with Bub1-mediated histone 2A-serine 121 (H2A-S121) phosphorylation in targeting the CPC to the inner centromere in fission yeast and human cells. H3-pT3 promotes nucleosome binding of survivin, whereas phosphorylated H2A-S121 facilitates the binding of shugoshin, the centromeric CPC adaptor. Haspin colocalizes with cohesin by associating with Pds5, whereas Bub1 localizes at kinetochores. Thus, the inner centromere is defined by intersection of two histone kinases.