Changes in bacterial and archaeal community assemblages along an ombrotrophic peat bog profile

Biology and Fertility of Soils - Peatlands are archives of extreme importance for the assessment of past ecological, environmental and climatic changes. The importance as natural archives is even...     

Tuber quality and soft rot resistance of hybrids betweenSolarium tuberosum and the incongruent wild relativeS. commersonii

Tetraploid BC₃ hybrids between sexually incompatible speciesSolanum commersonii andS. tuberosum were characterized for tuber quality (stolon length, tuber eye depth, chipping color from 3-month storage at 5 C, and specific gravity) and soft rot resistance traits. For all analysed morphological traits, except stolon length, genotypes resembled theS. tuberosum phenotype. On average, the specific gravity of selected genotypes was quite high (1.087), and 12 of them had a value >1.090. As for chipprocessing ability, 4.8% of genotypes chipped well directly from cold storage, and 14.3% after reconditioning. All but one of these genotypes also possessed a high specific gravity of tubers. Variability was found for resistance toErwinia carotovora subsp.carotovora. In particular, 24% of hybrids had a rotted area diameter ≤ 4 mm and were classified as resistant. The average percentage ofcommersonii-specific markers still present in the BC₃ hybrids was 22%, ranging from 9% to 37%. Genotypes combining good qualitative tuber traits with a wild genome content lower than the average value of the population were selected for further breeding efforts. The importance of molecular-assisted selection is discussed.     

Preliminary results on quality and quality changes in reared meagre (Argyrosomus regius): body and fillet traits and freshness changes in refrigerated commercial-size fish

Meagre (Argyrosomus regius) intensively reared in tank by a Tuscany farm and fed commercial diets, were examined to study a) marketable and flesh nutritional traits in commercial-size fish and b) loss of freshness under refrigerated storage condition. Eighty fish, sampled in May, July and November (at 24, 26, 30 months of age) were submitted to linear measurements and weight of the most important body components. Whole fillets were analysed for moisture, lipid and fatty acid composition. Data were analysed by ANOVA (sampling date). A sub sample of fifty-four meagre (902–1840 g b.w.) was stored at 1 °C with ice cover and evaluated every 24 h after death until spoilage for the EU freshness classes, dielectric properties, rigor index, muscular and eye liquor pH, K₁% freshness index. Data were analysed by regression on time after death. A small sample of meagre (n = 6) and sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) (n = 6), reared in analogous rearing condition in the same farm were compared by ANCOVA on body weight (average b.w. 668 g). Meagre were characterised by 1.04 condition factor, 44% fillets, 6% viscera, negligible mesenteric fat (1%) and 94.5% dressing yield. The head incidence increased (P < 0.01) with b.w. increase. Moisture increased while lipid decreased (P < 0.01) in fillet from July to November (74.47 vs 75.96%; 2.93 vs 2.06%). An index of thrombogenicity calculated from the quantitative fatty acid composition was very low (0.10). In comparison with sea bass of the same body weight, meagre had greater length (41.2 vs 37.6 cm), head incidence (29.9 vs 20.7%) and dressing (94.8 vs 89.2%) and lower viscera (5.2 vs 10.9%), mesenteric fat (0.9 vs 7.9%) and intramuscular fat (2.24 vs 12.78%) incidences. Meagre had a 9-day shelf-life (E class from 1^st to 3^rdd and A class from 4^th to 7^thd). Rigor index and impedance remained higher than 90% and 66, respectively until the 3^rdd after death. The quality traits found for this species indicated meagre as a promising candidate for Mediterranean aquaculture.     

Precision land leveling for sustainable rice production: case studies in Cambodia,Thailand, Philippines,Vietnam, and India

Precision Agriculture - Laser-controlled land leveling (LLL) can help improve rice production's spatial and temporal management, leading to optimized water and crop management. This research...