Living Mulch with White Clover Improves Phosphorus Nutrition of Maize of Early Growth Stage

We examined the effect of a living mulch with white clover on the growth of maize in an Andisol. Maize was grown using a living mulch without fertilizer application, or by conventional cultivation with or without fertilizer application. Although the living mulch did not affect the amount of available phosphate in soil, the phosphorus concentration of maize shoots increased due to the living mulch compared with conventional cultivation without fertilizer application. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) colonization of maize roots was higher with the living mulch than with conventional cultivation. These results suggested that a living mulch with white clover enhanced the phosphorus uptake by maize through AM colonization.     

Establishment of a model for chemoattraction of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Symbiodinium</Emphasis> and characterization of chemotactic compounds in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Acropora tenuis</Emphasis>

Corals harbor symbiotic dinoflagellates, Symbiodinium spp., acquired from surrounding environments. Because Symbiodinium are present at low densities in the water column, corals may attract these symbionts using chemotactic compounds. To examine whether corals contain chemotactic compounds, we established an assay to measure the chemotactic activity for Symbiodinium using an extract of the coral Acropora tenuis, a major reef-building coral in Japan. Our assay revealed that Symbiodinium strain NBRC102920 (clade A), which is taken up by juvenile A. tenuis polyps, is attracted to crude A. tenuis extracts. We found that the chemotactic compounds are water-soluble, heat-labile macromolecules and that the chemotactic activity was inhibited by N-acetyl-d-glucosamine (GlcNAc). We separated the GlcNAc-binding fraction (Fr-ActL) and identified it as the most plausible candidate for the chemoattractant, since the chemotactic activity of the crude A. tenuis extract appeared to be mainly attributable to the activity of Fr-ActL and was also inhibited by the addition of GlcNAc. These results indicate that chemoattraction is mediated via the binding of Symbiodinium to Fr-ActL.     

Purification and biochemical characterization of a cellulase from the digestive organs of the short-spined sea urchin Strongylocentrotus intermedius

We isolated a cellulase from the digestive organs of the short-spined sea urchin Strogylocentrotus intermedius using a combination of ion-exchange chromatography and gel filtration together with an assay for carboxymethylcellulase activity. The isolated cellulase was stained as a single band by Congo red. The molecular weight of the isolated cellulase, as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis under reducing conditions, was 59?kDa. The isolated cellulase exhibited hydrolytic activity toward carboxymethyl cellulose, with an optimum temperature and pH of 30?°C and pH 8.0, respectively. The thermal stability of the enzyme was characterized by determining the temperature at which activity decreased by 50?% with treatment for 30?min at pH 7.0 and found to be 32?°C. Cellulase activity remained at a high level at 5?C20?°C, which is the growth temperature of the short-spined sea urchin. These results confirm that the short-spined sea urchin should preferably be reared at a water temperature of <20?°C.     

Lipid characteristics of coastal migratory Sarda orientalis tissues

To characterize the 22:6 n-3 (docosahexaenoic acid, DHA) levels of the oriental bonito Sarda orientalis, a coastal migratory tuna species, total lipids (TL) of white muscle, dark muscle, liver, pyloric cecum, gonad, and other viscera were separated into lipid classes, the constituents of TL were quantified, and the fatty acid composition of TL, triacylglycerols (TAG), phosphatidylethanolamine, and phosphatidylcholine was analyzed. The crude lipid contents of muscle and other organs were 0.8–3.2% and 2.3–9.1%, respectively. DHA was found in TL of various organs at levels ranging from 19.2% to 27.6% in muscle and 16.3% to 28.5% in other organs. The levels of DHA in muscle TAG (8.2–16.0%) were lower than or comparable to those in visceral TAG (6.9–24.0%). These findings did not coincide with those observed in active-migratory tuna species, which accumulate DHA in their muscle TAG during migration. These findings suggest that the DHA distribution of S. orientalis is different from that observed in active-migratory tuna species, and that the differences may be due to migration type of the fish.     

A field study of the associations between behaviors and reproductive performance in lactating sows

The present study examined factors associated with suckling, eating and postural behaviors (standing, lying and sitting) and the relationships between sow behaviors and reproductive performance. A commercial farrowing-to-finish farm with approximately 300 female pigs was visited eight times for 3 years to record sow behaviors using time-lapse video recorders for 24 hr. The lactational and postweaning reproductive performances of each sow were recorded using a recording software system. Statistical models were built to investigate the factors associated with each behavior. Regression analyses were performed to determine the associations between behavior measurements and adjusted 21-day litter weights (A21d-Wt), weaning-to-first-mating intervals (WMI) and occurrence of >or= 2 dead piglets during lactation. The means of suckling intervals and frequency of postural changes of the 145 recorded sows were 47.5 +/- 0.59 min and 86.8 +/- 2.97, respectively. As parity increased from 1 to >or= 4, the suckling interval and total standing duration increased (P<0.05). The number of nursing piglets and observation days 4 to 21 of lactation were not associated with the suckling intervals. A longer duration of lactation was associated with a longer total standing duration and a higher frequency of postural changes (P<0.05). Shorter suckling intervals were associated with heavier A21d-Wt (P<0.05). Each change in postural behavior increased the likelihood of occurrence of >or= 2 dead piglets during lactation (P<0.05). No postural or suckling behaviors were associated with WMI. Eating behavior was not associated with any reproductive performance. In conclusion, sow behaviors during lactation were related to lactational performance but were not related to postweaning reproductive performance.     

Supplemental effect of bile salts to soybean meal-based diet on growth and feed utilization of rainbow trout <Emphasis Type="Italic">Oncorhynchus mykiss</Emphasis>

A feeding experiment was conducted to evaluate the supplemental effect of bile salts to a defatted soybean meal-based non-fish meal diet for rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss. A fish meal-based diet (FM) and two non-fish meal diets with and without bovine bile salts (SC+B and SC, respectively) were fed to fish (13 g initial weight) for 10 weeks. Fish fed diet SC showed inferior growth and feed efficiency, while bile salt supplementation improved the parameters to the same levels as fish fed diet FM. Crude fat and starch digestibility of diet SC-fed fish decreased after the 10-week feeding trial compared to the data obtained with fish that had no experience of the diet. Total biliary bile salt content and intestinal maltase activity of fish fed diet SC were the lowest among treatments, while these parameters were improved by bile salt supplementation. Morphological changes occurred in the distal intestine and liver of the diet SC group, although the histological features of fish fed diet SC+B were similar to those of fish fed diet FM. These results suggest that bile salt supplementation to a soybean meal-based diet improves the nutrient utilization by normalizing digestive processes in rainbow trout.     

Simple method of genomic DNA extraction from Rhizobia in dried nodules of Phaseolus vulgaris for strain differentiation by PCR-based DNA fingerprinting

Repetitive DNA peR fingerprinting of bacterial genomic DNA is a useful tool for typing and differentiation of rhizobial strains. The method was reported to be suitable for strain differentiation of Rhizobia present in individual root nodules of some leguminous plants without the need for isolation and cultivation of the strains, in which rhizobial genomic DNA was extracted directly from each fresh or frozen nodule. We developed a new protocol of rhizobial genomic DNA extraction/purification from dried nodules of Phaseolus vulgaris for generating repetitive DNA peR fingerprints of Rhizobia present in the nodules. The simplified protocol consists of only three major steps, heat extraction of genomic DNA from rhizobial cells prepared from dried nodules, ethanol precipitation of the DNA and Sephadex G-50 column purification of the DNA, and generated fingerprints with good quality for differentiation of Rhizobia strains. The protocol will be useful to examine the nodule occupancy of inoculated rhizobial strains in field experiments.     

Advanced treatment technique for swine wastewater using two agents: Thermally polymerized amorphous silica and hydrated lime for color and phosphorus removal and sulfur for nitrogen removal

The efficacy of advanced treatment of swine wastewater using thermally polymerized, modified amorphous silica and hydrated lime (M‐CSH‐lime) for color and phosphorus removal and sulfur for nitrogen removal was examined with a demonstration‐scale treatment plant. The color removal rate was approximately 78% at M‐CSH‐lime addition rates of > 0.055 wt/v%. The ‐P removal rate exceeded 99.9% with > 0.023 wt/v%. pH of the effluent from the M‐CSH‐lime reactor increased with the addition rate till a maximum value of 12.7, which was effective in disinfection. The recovered M‐CSH‐lime would be suitable as a phosphorus fertilizer because the total P₂O₅ content was approximately 10%. The nitrogen oxide (NOx‐N) removal rate by sulfur denitrification increased to approximately 80% when the NOx‐N loading rate was around 0.1 kg‐N/ton‐S/day. It was suggested that the combination of the two processes would be effective in the advanced treatment of swine wastewater.     

Development of a numerical model for evaluating the effect of litter layer on evaporation

A numerical model (LITEM) to evaluate the effect of the litter layer on evaporation was developed and used to estimate evaporation, soil temperature and soil water content. This model includes a sub-model to estimate the resistance of the litter layer to evaporation with its thickness and volumetric water content. The resistance of the litter layer to evaporation increases as volumetric water content of the litter layer decreases and as its thickness increases. Evaporation data in a deciduous broad-leaved forest measured using microlysimeter was simulated by the LITEM. The simulation showed good agreement with the measurement, and sound performance of the sub-model in simulation was also certified. According to the measurement for 2 days, evaporation from soil of 1.5 cm and 2 cm litter layers to that from bare soil was reduced to 47% and 61%, respectively. Loss of soil water content in three soils (bare soil, 1.5 cm litter layer and 2 cm litter layer) by evaporation was simulated by the LITEM, and the LITEM reasonably expressed the trend of volumetric soil water content. The simulated soil temperatures also showed good agreement with the field data.