A novel screening method for rice allelopathic potential: the inhibitory‐circle method

Screening crop accessions for allelopathic activity is of paramount importance for crop allelopathy research. Previous bioassays often did not use a mixed culture of donor and target plants, did not use soil and were not conducted under natural conditions. In this study, we designed an inhibitory‐circle method in which a rice accession (donor plant) and Echinochloa crus‐galli (target plant) were cultured together in paddy soil under natural conditions. First, we determined that the highest allelopathic activity of allelopathic rice accession PI312777 was at the 5‐leaf stage, and the suitable distance of rice seedlings and E. crus‐galli was 12 cm apart. This method was then validated by a field test. A further 40 rice accessions were evaluated for allelopathic activity to E. crus‐galli using this method. Two rice accessions, PI312777 and Taichung Native 1, had highly allelopathic activity to E. crus‐galli (inhibitory rate > 50%), while another accession, Lemont, had non‐allelopathic activity. These experimental results were in accordance with previous studies using direct field experiments. The inhibitory‐circle method integrated three necessary conditions, that is donor and target plants grown together, with soil as the medium and under natural conditions for reliable results. The ‘inhibitory‐circle method’, which combined donor and target plants, soil medium and field conditions, can give reliable results in one step, compared with laboratory screening methods. Also, the ‘inhibitory‐circle method’ gave results in 30‐35 days, thereby substantially reducing the requirements for time, labour and cost.     

Effect of stachyose supplementation on growth performance, nutrient digestibility and caecal fermentation characteristics in broilers

1. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether the oligosaccharide stachyose enhances gastrointestinal tract health by fermentation and proliferation of desirable bacteria species and thus affects growth performance and nutrient digestibility in broilers. 2. A total of 432 1-d-old male Arbor Acres (AA) broilers were randomly allocated to one of 6 treatments, with 12 replicate pens per treatment and 6 birds per pen. Chicks were fed a maize-hamlet protein 300 (HP300) basal diet with 0, 4.0, 8.0, 12.0 or 16.0 g/kg stachyose. A sixth diet contained no HP300 but soybean meal (SBM) and provided 8.7 g/kg stachyose and 3.1 g/kg raffinose. The duration of the study was 42 d. 3. Stachyose contents above 12.0 g/kg depressed group body weights, average daily gain and feed/gain but not feed intake during the whole experimental period. Broiler growth decreased linearly and quadratically with increasing stachyose content. No differences were detected between diets supplemented with 12.0 g/kg stachyose and SBM. 4. Nutrient digestibility tended to decrease but not significantly with increasing stachyose. 5. Stachyose content had no significant positive effects on caecal pH, microflora population and the resulting short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) metabolites during the 42 d experiment, with only butyrate differing significantly in the initial period.     

Immune responses in piglets infected with highly pathogenic porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) infection compromises the host's innate and adaptive immunity. The aim of this study was to investigate the immune responses of piglets infected with highly pathogenic (HP) PRRSV (HuN4 strain) with or without the immunization with CH-1R attenuated PRRSV vaccine. The response was evaluated for the clinical signs, pathological changes and virus load in immune organs, antibody responses and levels of serum IFN-γ, IL-4 and IL-10. The result showed that in comparison with the piglets received the immunization, the piglets infected with HP-PRRSV alone had the thymus atrophy, decreased serum levels of IL-4 and increased serum levels of IL-10 and INF-γ. These results suggest that elevated IL-10 levels at the early stage of the infection may enhance virus survival and delay the induction of protective immunity, while increased levels of IL-4 induce the effective immune responses and increase the animals' health status.     

Survey on the contamination of Toxoplasma gondii oocysts in the soil of public parks of Wuhan, China

Toxoplasma gondii of warm-blooded animals and humans is an important pathogenic agent throughout the world. Soil is increasingly recognized as an important source in the transmission of Toxoplasma. To attain the contamination status of T. gondii in the soil of public parks, a total of 252 soil samples were collected from September 2009 to August 2010 at different sites located in 6 public parks of Wuhan, Hubei, China and detected by PCR and loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP). The detection limit of PCR/B1, PCR/529 and LAMP was determined to be 50, 5, and 5 tachyzoites in soil, respectively. Forty-one samples were found positive for Toxoplasma DNA by PCR on both genes, whereas LAMP products were generated in 58 samples (χ(2)=3.6328, P=0.0567). All parks were found contaminated and no significant difference was found among the parks (PCR: χ(2)=0.0072, P=0.9325; LAMP: χ(2)=0.6101, P=0.4347). However, contamination was found with significantly different among the four seasons (PCR: χ(2)=11.6066, P=0.0007; LAMP: χ(2)=12.4636, P=0.0004), with a gradual decrease in the prevalence from spring to winter on both analyses. This is the first investigation on soil contamination of public parks in China by T. gondii oocysts. The results indicate that the soil of public parks contaminated with T. gondii oocysts may play a role in the epidemiology of toxoplasmosis and effective preventive measures should be considered. Moreover, the conventional PCR and LAMP used in the present study are applicable to detect T. gondii oocysts in soil samples.     

妊娠母猪膘情对繁殖性能的影响

为研究妊娠母猪膘情与繁殖性能的关系,试验随机选用32头妊娠母猪,用B超活体测定其产前3 d倒数3、4肋骨间、胸腰椎结合处、腰荐椎结合处偏离背中线5~8 cm处背膘厚,并与其窝产仔数、产活仔数、死胎数、、仔猪初生重、初生窝重、18日龄断奶重、断奶窝重及断奶后发情天数等指标进行比较。结果显示,背膘厚度较薄组各项繁殖指标普遍优于背膘厚组,说明保持适当膘情对妊娠母猪繁殖性能的提高具有促进作用。     

影响我国水产饲料产业升级的科学性和技术性问题分析

我国的水产饲料工业发展历程非常短,真正开展水产动物营养研究与饲料生产应该是在20世纪80年代后期了,到现在不过30年的发展时间,但水产饲料工业的发展速度是非常快的,到2008年全国饲料总量为13 700万吨(2008中国饲料工业年鉴),而水产饲料为1 342万吨、占全国饲料总量的9.79%.     

Assessment of the impact of resistant and susceptible canola on Plasmodiophora brassicae inoculum potential

The impact on clubroot severity of growing susceptible canola or mixtures of resistant and susceptible canola genotypes was examined. Bioassays revealed greater clubroot severity and incidence, and reduced plant height, where 100% of a susceptible cultivar had been grown. A higher proportion of susceptible plants within a resistant canola crop increased root hair and secondary infections. Regression analysis of root hair infection and the amount of Plasmodiophora brassicae DNA (as determined by quantitative PCR) revealed strong linear relationships between the two parameters. The linear relationships between root hair infection and P. brassicae DNA were stronger for the resistant cultivar than for the susceptible cultivar when regression analysis was conducted by cultivar over the sampling dates. In conclusion, the cropping of a resistant cultivar reduced clubroot severity, while the presence of susceptible volunteer canola increased inoculum potential. Quantitative PCR was a reliable tool for the quantification of root hair infection.     

不同耕作方式对旱作区冬小麦生产和产量的影响

为了筛选出适宜旱作区推广的耕作技术,在旱作大田条件下,设置一次深翻、免耕覆盖、深松覆盖、传统耕作四种耕作方式,研究了不同耕作方式下花后土壤水分和养分状况、小麦旗叶叶绿素含量、小麦旗叶净光合速率和小麦籽粒灌浆速率及产量。结果表明,免耕覆盖、深松覆盖开花期和灌浆期0～40 cm土层土壤水分含量分别比传统耕作提高了4.13%、6.23%和5.50%、9.27%,0～40 cm土层土壤碱解氮、速效磷和速效钾含量均显著高于传统耕作,为小麦开花后生长发育提供了良好的环境,从而提高了小麦灌浆中后期旗叶叶绿素含量和净光合速率,促进花后干物质积累及干物质向籽粒转运,进而提高了籽粒灌浆速率,使得籽粒产量显著提高。     

Visualization of the effect of a surfactant on the uptake of xenobiotics into plant foliage by confocal laser scanning microscopy

A radiolabelling method is generally used to determine the foliar uptake of xenobiotics. This technique cannot provide any information on the localization of chemicals inside leaf tissues. The influence of an alcohol ethoxylate surfactant on the uptake of three fluorescent dyes, difluorofluorescein (hydrophilic), rhodamine B (moderately lipophilic) and a naphthalimide dye (lipophilic), into the leaves of three contrasting species, bean (Vicia faba), wheat (Triticum aestivum) and cabbage (Brassica oleracea), at 16 h after treatment was measured using a conventional wash‐off method and also visualized in vivo by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). Whereas the lipophilic dyes showed greater intrinsic uptake than the hydrophilic one, the enhancing effect of the surfactant on uptake was more pronounced for the latter. CLSM revealed that the presence of the surfactant increased the transport of difluorofluorescein into the epidermal cells of bean and wheat leaves, but not cabbage leaves. Rhodamine B showed greatest transcuticular diffusion in all three species, but most of the dye moved into the vacuole of the epidermal cells. The naphthalimide dye was strongly retained by the wax–cuticle layer of all species, even in the presence of the surfactant. CLSM has proven to be an attractive tool for studying xenobiotic diffusion. The results obtained using fluorescent dyes are believed to be applicable to the foliar uptake of herbicides.