Effects of different irrigation regimes on a super-high-density olive grove cv. “Arbequina”: vegetative growth,productivity and polyphenol content of the oil

The effects of multiple irrigation regimes on the relationships among tree water status, vegetative growth and productivity within a super-high-density (SHD) “Arbequina” olive grove (1950 tree/ha) were studied for three seasons (2008–2010). Five different irrigation levels calculated as percentage of crop irrigation requirement using FAO procedures (Allen et al. in Crop evapotranspiration. Guidelines for computing crop water requirements. Irrigation and drainage paper 56. FAO, Rome, 1998) were imposed during the growing season. Periodically during the growing season, daytime stem water potential (Ψ _STEM), inflorescences per branch, fruits per inflorescence and shoot absolute growth rate were measured. Crop yield, fruit average fresh weight and oil polyphenol content were measured after harvest. The midday Ψ _STEM ranged from ?7 to ?1.5 MPa and correlated well enough with yield efficiency, crop density and fruit fresh weight to demonstrate its utility as a precise method for determining water status in SHD olive orchards. The relationships between midday Ψ _STEM and the horticultural parameters suggest maintaining Ψ _STEM values between ?3.5 and ?2.5 MPa is optimal for moderate annual yields of good quality oil. Values below ?3.5 MPa reduced current season productivity, while values over ?2.5 MPa were less effective in increasing productivity, reduced oil quality and produced excessive crop set that strongly affected vegetative growth and fruit production the following season. On the basis of the result given here, irrigation scheduling in the new SHD orchards should be planned on a 2-year basis and corrected annually based on crop load. Collectively, these results suggest that deficit irrigation management is a viable strategy for SHD olive orchards.     

Effects of adding polyclonal antibody preparations on ruminal fermentation patterns and digestibility of cows fed different energy sources

Nine ruminally cannulated cows fed different energy sources were used to evaluate an avian-derived polyclonal antibody preparation (PAP-MV) against the specific ruminal bacteria Streptococcus bovis, Fusobacterium necrophorum, Clostridium aminophilum, Peptostreptococcus anaerobius, and Clostridium sticklandii and monensin (MON) on ruminal fermentation patterns and in vivo digestibility. The experimental design was three 3 × 3 Latin squares distinguished by the main energy source in the diet [dry-ground corn grain (CG), high-moisture corn silage (HMCS), or citrus pulp (CiPu)]. Inside each Latin square, animals received one of the feed additives per period [none (CON), MON, or PAP-MV]. Dry matter intake and ruminal fermentation variables such as pH, total short-chain fatty acids (tSCFA), which included acetate, propionate, and butyrate, as well as lactic acid and NH(3)-N concentration were analyzed in this trial. Total tract DM apparent digestibility and its fractions were estimated using chromic oxide as an external marker. Each experimental period lasted 21 d. Ruminal fluid sampling was carried out on the last day of the period at 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 h after the morning meal. Ruminal pH was higher (P = 0.006) 4 h postfeeding in MON and PAP-MV groups when compared with CON. Acetate:propionate ratio was greater in PAP-MV compared with MON across sampling times. Polyclonal antibodies did not alter (P > 0.05) tSCFA, molar proportion of acetate and butyrate, or lactic acid and NH(3)-N concentration. Ruminal pH was higher (P = 0.01), 4 h postfeeding in CiPu diets compared with CG and HMCS. There was no interaction between feed additive and energy source (P > 0.05) for any of the digestibility coefficients analyzed. Starch digestibility was less (P = 0.008) in PAP-MV when compared with CON and MON. In relation to energy sources, NDF digestibility was greater (P = 0.007) in CG and CiPu vs. the HMCS diet. The digestibility of ADF was greater (P = 0.002) in CiPu diets followed by CG and HMCS. Feeding PAP-MV or monensin altered ruminal fermentation patterns and digestive function in cows; however, those changes were independent of the main energy source of the diet.     

Testicular Volume and Daily Sperm Output in Ragusano Donkeys

A careful evaluation of daily sperm output (DSO) and seminal parameters is indicative of the potential fertility of the animal and at the same time is useful for maximization of the reproductive activity. The aim of this article was to evaluate the seminal parameters, testicular volume (TV) calculated by ultrasound measurements, DSO, and any eventual relationship between these in Ragusano donkey jackasses. Eight Ragusano donkey stallions underwent a morphometric evaluation of the testes by ultrasound to calculate the TV, and daily semen collection for 10 consecutive days. TV ranged from 250 to 500 cm³ and no significant differences could be observed between the left and right testes. Only ejaculates from 4 to 10 days were analyzed, given that there was evidence that the sperm extragonadal reserve interfered with the total number of sperm in ejaculates during the early days. DSO in the Ragusano donkey ranged from 7 to 23 × 10⁹ sperms. The seminal parameters showed high values of motility, viability, and low abnormality percentages. Age, TVs, and sperm parameters were not significantly correlated. The correlation between TV and DSO was poor (P = .1) in this study and this may suggest that TV and DSO might simply not be highly correlated in the donkey.     

Infection of sandflies by a cat naturally infected with Leishmania infantum

Despite the recent reports of feline leishmaniosis from Southern Europe, cats are still regarded as unusual Leishmania hosts. A cat found chronically infected with Leishmania was submitted to xenodiagnosis. After being sedated, the animal was exposed to the bite of 100 laboratory-reared Phlebotomus perniciosus in a fine net cage for 90 min. Four out of 19 blood-fed sandflies (21%) showed motile promastigotes at the dissection. Parasites cultured from cat's lymph node and an infected fly were identical at PCR-RFLP genotyping and identified as Leishmania infantum MON-1, the main zymodeme responsible for human and canine leishmaniosis in Southern Europe. This is the first evidence of transmissibility of feline parasites to a proven vector, suggesting that cats may represent an additional domestic reservoir for L. infantum.     

Nutrient Removal,Fertilization Needs and Yields of Protea Plants Cultivated in Subtropical Conditions

A study of nutrient removal was carried out in commercial protea plantations of each of the cultivars ‘Scarlett Ribbon,’ ‘High Gold,’ ‘Veldfire,’ and ‘Sunrise’ of Leucospermum cordifolium, and of the species L. patersonii,located in a subtropical region (La Palma, Canarian Archipelago).

Flowering stems of optimal commercial quality were taken from each of the mentioned cultivars and species, once a year (2003 and 2004) at harvest time (January to April), and the different organs were analyzed separately. Flowering stems of the cultivars ‘High Gold’ and ‘Veldfire’ presented the highest contents of most studied nutrients, whereas the opposite was observed in ‘Scarlett Ribbon’ and L. patersonii. Mean yields of flowering stems varied very much among cultivars, and the highest ones were those of ‘High Gold’ and ‘Scarlett Ribbon’. The cultivar ‘High Gold’ removed the highest quantities of studied nutrients, and the contrary was observed in L. patersonii for most of them.

Suitable rates of nitrogen (N): phosphorus (P): potassium (K) fertilizers for nutrient restitution purposes were 1:0.08:0.40 for ‘Scarlett Ribbon,’ 1:0.08:0.66 for ‘High Gold,’ 1:0.08:0.38 for ‘Veldfire,’ 1:0.09:0.75 for L. patersonii;and 1:0.18:1.11 for ‘Sunrise’.     

Agronomic, chemical and genetic variability of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) of different origin by LC-UV–vis-DAD and AFLP analyses

The identification of a bi-univocal correspondence between geographical origin of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) and the composition of its stigmas has recently been the subject of many research papers, which have focused on the analysis of the differences among the so called “minor components”, such as flavonoids and volatiles, in the secondary metabolic pattern of this spice. Saffron pigments (crocetin esters), on the other hand, constitute the majority of the metabolites found in its stigmas, and their spectrophotometric measurement is still used as an official method to determine the quality of the spice in terms of coloring power. To our knowledge, no attempts have been made to find a correspondence between the geographical origin of different saffron samples and their morphological traits and pigments pattern. In this paper, we have demonstrated that saffron corms of different origins, grown in the same experimental field, produce daughter corms with different dimensions and still produce stigma samples with different pigment profiles. Furthermore, daughter corm dimensions and pigment profile even more so, may be related to the origin of the sample, and therefore pigments can be used as chemotaxonomic markers. Compositional analyses results were corroborated by genetic data obtained using AFLP molecular markers.     

A Rare Case of Deradelphus Cephalo‐Thoracoomphalopagus in Lamb

Male cross‐breed lamb conjoined twins were sent for examination. The twins came from a farm located in the outskirts of Palermo. The twins were spontaneously delivered and found dead by the farmer. X‐ray examination and necropsy were performed. The deformity was identified as deradelphus cephalo‐thoracoomphalopagus. This condition has never been reported in veterinary literature. Our case reports of male conjoined twins characterized by two separated hearts with their own pericardial sacs and two separated livers. These findings represent a rare condition in conjoined twinning.     

In vivo growth and tolerance to lime-induced iron chlorosis of leaf-derived cvs. Tomuri and Hayward kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa) somaclones

Summary

The present paper reports on somaclonal variation of leaf-derived ‘Tomuri’ and ‘Hayward’ somaclones regenerated at variable pH, and the effect of the in vitro selection pressure on their tolerance to lime-induced iron chlorosis as adult plants in pots and in the field. In most plants grown in pots, the above ground component length (AGL) and the node number (NN), and also root weight of ‘Hayward’, tended to increase with the regeneration pH (RpH). The higher vigour of ‘Hayward’ somaclones regenerated at high pH seemed to be confirmed in the field. In contrast, the pH selection pressure during regeneration had no clear effect on plant tolerance to lime. For ‘Hayward’, the group of somaclones obtained at pH 5.7 showed at high lime levels higher average AGL and NN than those of plants regenerated at pH 7; while clone 7.5-1, the only surviving somaclone among those obtained at the highest pH, was apparently the most tolerant to lime. The percentage of ‘Tomuri’ somaclones obtained at pH 7.5 that seemed less sensitive to lime was slightly higher than those of somaclones regenerated at pH 5.7 and 7. ‘Tomuri’ and ‘Hayward’ controls were both very sensitive to lime. Some somaclones which had been able to grow at high pH in vitro were also fairly tolerant to lime when cultured in pots and/or in the field, especially ‘Tomuri’ 5.7-5, -6; 7-6, -8, -14 and 7.5-6, and ‘Hayward’ 5.7-5; 7-2, -3, -5 and 7.5-1. The in vitro regeneration and selection methods here described therefore seem useful for creating and selecting new variability in kiwifruit and promising for obtaining plants tolerant to high pH and lime levels in the soil.     

Thermographic medium-far ground-based proximal sensing for in-field wheat Stagonospora nodorum blotch detection

Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection - Thermal imaging is a potential remote sensing tool for estimating fungal wheat diseases. This study for the first time investigated the suitability of...