Stärkegehalte von Kartoffelknollen in Abhängigkeit von Kalium-Ernährung und Knollenentwicklung

Starch content of potato tubers in relation to K nutrition and tuber growth In a pot experiment with potato (cv Saturna) K content in tubers increased from 1.0 to 2.6 % of tuber-DM due to increasing rates of K fertilizer. Simultaneously starch in tuber fresh matter decreased from 21 to 15 %. Highest starch content in tuber dry matter was obtained in that K treatment which gave the highest yield in dry tubers. Measuring starch accumulation during tuber growth revealed that already in the flowering stage differences exist in the starch contents of the tuber dry matter between the lowest and highest K treatments, namely 69 % for K₁ as compared with 64 % for K₅. The rate of starch accumulation between flowering and final harvest, however, was similar in all K treatments. This suggests that K supply affects the storage tissue at an early stage of tuber development probably via different water relations of tubers.     

BSE, feed and cattle in Switzerland: is there a spatial relation?

Cross-contamination of cattle feed with meat and bone meal (MBM) allowed in feed for other species is regarded as the current hypothesis for the infection pathway of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) cases occurring after the implementation of a ban on feeding MBM to cattle. This study was aimed at establishing a spatial relation between BSE cases in Switzerland and the findings of MBM in cattle feed. A cluster analysis and a cohort study were performed. Two hundred sixteen BSE cases born after December 1990 and detected until August 1st 2005, screening data of 504 feed producers between 1996 and 2001 and population data from the Swiss 2001 cattle census were included. The cluster analysis showed feed producer, positive for MBM contaminations in cattle feed, as possible cluster centres for BSE cases. In the cohort study, farms within a radius of 2 and 10 km around positive feed producers showed significantly higher odds to have a BSE case than the control group. The odds ratio and its 95% confidence interval were 2.23 (1.26-3.93) for the 2 km radius and 1.38 (1-1.9) for the 10 km radius. The results provide evidence for a spatial relation between cross-contamination and BSE occurrence. These findings support the hypothesis of cross-contamination to be an important route for BSE transmission after a feed ban.     

The survival and fecundity of buffalo flies after treatment of cattle with three anthelmintics

Two anthelmintics with known insecticidal action (ivermectin and closantel) and one with no recorded effect on insects (levamisole) were tested to evaluate their effects on buffalo fly (Haematobia irritans exigua). Blood from animals given closantel or levamisole had no significant effect on mortality of buffalo flies in an in-vitro assay. In contrast, blood from animals given ivermectin showed a dose-dependent effect on the mortality of buffalo flies. At 24 h after one injection of the recommended dose of ivermectin, 98% of the flies applied to cattle in an in-vivo assay are killed. Blood from cattle injected with ivermectin killed 95% of flies 8 d after injection and still killed 15% of flies at 18 days after injection. Surviving flies laid almost no eggs and this effect on flies was significant up to 33 d after injection. The results indicate that ivermectin may be useful to control buffalo fly populations in the field.     

Interactive effects of elevated CO2 and drought on nocturnal water fluxes in Eucalyptus saligna

Nocturnal water flux has been observed in trees under a variety of environmental conditions and can be a significant contributor to diel canopy water flux. Elevated atmospheric CO(2) (elevated [CO(2)]) can have an important effect on day-time plant water fluxes, but it is not known whether it also affects nocturnal water fluxes. We examined the effects of elevated [CO(2)] on nocturnal water flux of field-grown Eucalyptus saligna trees using sap flux through the tree stem expressed on a sapwood area (J(s)) and leaf area (E(t)) basis. After 19 months growth under well-watered conditions, drought was imposed by withholding water for 5 months in the summer, ending with a rain event that restored soil moisture. Reductions in J(s) and E(t) were observed during the severe drought period in the dry treatment under elevated [CO(2)], but not during moderate- and post-drought periods. Elevated [CO(2)] affected night-time sap flux density which included the stem recharge period, called 'total night flux' (19:00 to 05:00, J(s,r)), but not during the post-recharge period, which primarily consisted of canopy transpiration (23:00 to 05:00, J(s,c)). Elevated [CO(2)] wet (EW) trees exhibited higher J(s,r) than ambient [CO(2)] wet trees (AW) indicating greater water flux in elevated [CO(2)] under well-watered conditions. However, under drought conditions, elevated [CO(2)] dry (ED) trees exhibited significantly lower J(s,r) than ambient [CO(2)] dry trees (AD), indicating less water flux during stem recharge under elevated [CO(2)]. J(s,c) did not differ between ambient and elevated [CO(2)]. Vapour pressure deficit (D) was clearly the major influence on night-time sap flux. D was positively correlated with J(s,r) and had its greatest impact on J(s,r) at high D in ambient [CO(2)]. Our results suggest that elevated [CO(2)] may reduce night-time water flux in E. saligna when soil water content is low and D is high. While elevated [CO(2)] affected J(s,r), it did not affect day-time water flux in wet soil, suggesting that the responses of J(s,r) to environmental factors cannot be directly inferred from day-time patterns. Changes in J(s,r) are likely to influence pre-dawn leaf water potential, and plant responses to water stress. Nocturnal fluxes are clearly important for predicting effects of climate change on forest physiology and hydrology.     

Tau suppression in a neurodegenerative mouse model improves memory function

Neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) are the most common intraneuronal inclusion in the brains of patients with neurodegenerative diseases and have been implicated in mediating neuronal death and cognitive deficits. Here, we found that mice expressing a repressible human tau variant developed progressive age-related NFTs, neuronal loss, and behavioral impairments. After the suppression of transgenic tau, memory function recovered, and neuron numbers stabilized, but to our surprise, NFTs continued to accumulate. Thus, NFTs are not sufficient to cause cognitive decline or neuronal death in this model of tauopathy.     

Ancient DNA from the first European farmers in 7500-year-old Neolithic sites

The ancestry of modern Europeans is a subject of debate among geneticists, archaeologists, and anthropologists. A crucial question is the extent to which Europeans are descended from the first European farmers in the Neolithic Age 7500 years ago or from Paleolithic hunter-gatherers who were present in Europe since 40,000 years ago. Here we present an analysis of ancient DNA from early European farmers. We successfully extracted and sequenced intact stretches of maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from 24 out of 57 Neolithic skeletons from various locations in Germany, Austria, and Hungary. We found that 25% of the Neolithic farmers had one characteristic mtDNA type and that this type formerly was widespread among Neolithic farmers in Central Europe. Europeans today have a 150-times lower frequency (0.2%) of this mtDNA type, revealing that these first Neolithic farmers did not have a strong genetic influence on modern European female lineages. Our finding lends weight to a proposed Paleolithic ancestry for modern Europeans.     

Efficacy of Three Methionine Sources in Diets for Pacific White Shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei

Abstract.— To examine the need for supplemental dietary methionine and to determine the ability of different methionine sources to meet this need for Pacific white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei, a growth trial was conducted. A control diet (30% crude protein) was formulated to be deficient in methionine by inclusion of high levels of dehulled, solvent‐extracted soybean meal and with no fish meal (methionine level was 0.45% of diet as fed, 1.5% of total amino acids). Three test diets were manufactured based on the control diet but supplemented with l ‐methionine, dl ‐methionine, or an analog of methionine (2‐hydroxy‐4‐methylthio butanoic acid [HMTBA], calcium salt) at the level of 0.5% as fed (equivalent to 1.5% of total amino acids). Cystine was constant among these diets at 0.5% of diet as fed. A commercial feed (30% crude protein) was included as a reference. The culture vessels were flat‐bottomed, cylindrical, black fiberglass tanks (1.5‐m diameter) initially filled with 1000 L seawater and supplied with aeration and seawater from a well at a rate of 2 L/min. At the end of the trial, all surviving shrimp were counted and weighed. The trial was run outdoors, with a mean water temperature of 25.9 C. The mean survival, final weight, growth rate, and feed efficiency of shrimp in the control group were 95.9%, 10.8 g, 0.93 g/wk, and 0.44 g/g, respectively. The mean values of all the test treatments were 96.9%, 11.6 g, 1.00 g/wk, and 0.47 g/g, respectively. The final weight and growth rate of shrimp fed the control diet were significantly lower than those of shrimp fed the methionine‐supplemented diets, indicating that this species has a requirement for dietary methionine. There were no significant differences (P > 0.05) in any of the parameters among the test treatments, indicating that l ‐methionine, dl ‐methionine, and HMTBA can be used to meet the methionine requirement of this species under these experimental conditions. It is concluded that the three sources of methionine examined in this trial, l ‐methionine, dl ‐methionine, and HMTBA, are similar in their ability to meet the methionine requirement of this species.     

Oestrous Synchronization,Ovarian Superovulation and Intraspecific Transfers From a Closed Breeding Colony of Inbred SLA Miniature Pigs

The inbred SLA miniature pig is a unique animal model developed for organ transplantation studies and pre‐clinical experimental purposes. Reported oestrous synchronization and superovulation treatments were examined in two SLA haplotypes (AA and DD) to allow collection of embryos for both practical embryo transfer and experimental technologies from a closed breeding colony. Pre‐puberal miniature pigs were poor responders to oestrous synchronization treatments, while post‐puberal sows were equivalent to commercial sows. Following superovulation, the ovulation number (corpora .hemorrhagica) was higher (p < 0.05) in the cycling sows when compared with non‐cycling sows. Ovulations were equivalent to commercial pre‐puberal gilts and non‐cycling sows (p > 0.05). No difference in ovulation number between haplotypes was observed, which differs from the previous report (DD>AA). Collection of zygotes for pronuclear injection was the highest in the non‐cycling post‐puberal miniature pig group (p < 0.05), although significantly lower when compared with the commercial pig treatment groups (p < 0.05). The incidence of cystic endometrial hyperplasia in our colony was equivalent to rates observed in commercial pigs. Pronuclear visualization following centrifugation was the highest in the non‐cycling miniature sow group and approximates to about 25% of ovulations and about half the rate observed in the commercial pigs (50%). Miniature pig embryos transferred between SLA haplotypes and transfer of DD embryos to commercial pigs resulted in live births at a higher efficiency than previously reported. This study demonstrates the feasibility of undertaking assisted reproductive technologies in a closed breeding colony of inbred SLA miniature pigs without compromise to the breeding programmes.