Vitamin C in broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var. italica) flower buds as affected by postharvest light,UV-B irradiation and temperature

In this study, the changes in vitamin C, l-ascorbic acid (AA) and l-dehydroascorbic acid (DHA) levels in broccoli flower buds were examined during pre-storage and storage periods, simulating refrigerated transport with wholesale distribution and retail, respectively. Broccoli heads were pre-stored for 4 or 7 days at 0 °C or 4 °C in the dark and then stored for 3 days at 10 °C or 18 °C. During storage the broccoli heads were exposed for 12 h per day to three different levels of visible light (13, 19 or 25 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹) or a combination of visible light (19 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹) and UV-B irradiation (20 kJ m⁻² d⁻¹), or they were stored in the dark. The vitamin C content in broccoli flower buds during storage was significantly affected by pre-storage period and temperature. Higher vitamin C levels in flower buds after storage were observed for broccoli heads pre-stored for 4 days or at 0 °C as compared to those pre-stored for 7 days or at 4 °C. Storage temperature also affected vitamin C in broccoli flower buds, with higher levels observed for broccoli stored at 10 °C than at 18 °C. Hence, vitamin C in broccoli flower buds was demonstrated to decrease together with increasing pre-storage period, pre-storage temperature and storage temperature. AA in broccoli flower buds was influenced mainly by storage temperature and to a minor extent by pre-storage temperature. The DHA level and DHA/AA ratio were stable in flower buds of broccoli pre-stored for 7 days, whereas increasing tendencies for both DHA level and ratio were observed after pre-storage for 4 days. These results indicate a shift in the ascorbate metabolism in broccoli flower buds during storage at low temperatures, with its higher rate observed for broccoli pre-stored for shorter time. There were no effects of the light and UV-B irradiation treatments on vitamin C, AA and DHA levels in broccoli flower buds.     

Italian ryegrass establishment by self-seeding in integrated crop-livestock systems: Effects of grazing management and crop rotation strategies

We evaluated the re-establishment of an Italian ryegrass pasture by self-seeding on a no-till integrated crop-livestock systems (ICLS) in the southern region of Brazil. This work is part of a long-term experimental protocol initiated in 2003. We tested the effects of various management practices, such as summer crop systems (soybean vs. maize–soybean rotation), stocking methods (continuous vs. rotational) and grazing intensities (low vs. moderate), on Italian ryegrass pasture establishment. In addition, we tested resilience of the system by testing pasture's ability to re-establish following a year without seed head production. The experiment consisted in the rotation, on the same area, of Italian ryegrass pasture grazed by sheep during the winter and up to the end of the grass production cycle, and soybean or soybean-maize grain crops rotation cultivated during the summer. The pasture established itself by self-seeding since 2005. Data were collected in 2011 and 2012 stocking season. The soybean summer crop, continuous stocking and low grazing intensity, all positively affected the production of reproductive tillers in 2011. Grazing intensity in 2011 strongly influenced early vegetative tiller densities (before crop harvest) in 2012. However, none of the grazing intensity or the stocking method treatments affected herbage mass at the end of pasture establishment in 2011 or 2012. On the other hand, the soybean summer crop positively affected pasture establishment, both in term of tiller densities and herbage mass at the end of pasture establishment. The removal of all seed heads in 2011 (preventing seed production) resulted in the total failure of pasture establishment in 2012. Overall, Italian ryegrass establishment by self-seeding relies on the annual replacement of the soil seed bank. This experiment demonstrated that under various stocking methods, moderate grazing intensity and maize or soybean summer crop, Italian ryegrass pasture establishment by self-seeding remains successful even when the stocking periods extended up to the end of the grass production cycle. Self-seeding with moderate grazing intensity ensures successful pasture establishment, reduces labour and costs and allows to increase the stocking period and so animal live weight gain over the grazing season.     

Influences of sand cover on erosion processes of loess slopes based on rainfall simulation experiments

Aeolian-fluvial interplay erosion regions are subject to intense soil erosion and are of particular concern in loess areas of northwestern China.Understanding the composition,distribution,and transport processes of eroded sediments in these regions is of considerable scientific significance for controlling soil erosion.In this study,based on laboratory rainfall simulation experiments,we analyzed rainfall-induced erosion processes on sand-covered loess slopes(SS)with different sand cover patterns(including length and thickness)and uncovered loess slopes(LS)to investigate the influences of sand cover on erosion processes of loess slopes in case regions of aeolian-fluvial erosion.The grain-size curves of eroded sediments were fitted using the Weibull function.Compositions of eroded sediments under different sand cover patterns and rainfall intensities were analyzed to explore sediment transport modes of SS.The influences of sand cover amount and pattern on erosion processes of loess slopes were also discussed.The results show that sand cover on loess slopes influences the proportion of loess erosion and that the compositions of eroded sediments vary between SS and LS.Sand cover on loess slopes transforms silt erosion into sand erosion by reducing splash erosion and changing the rainfall-induced erosion processes.The percentage of eroded sand from SS in the early stage of runoff and sediment generation is always higher than that in the late stage.Sand cover on loess slopes aggravates loess erosion,not only by adding sand as additional eroded sediments but also by increasing the amount of eroded loess,compared with the loess slopes without sand cover.The influence of sand cover pattern on runoff yield and the amount of eroded sediments is larger than that of sand cover amount.Furthermore,given the same sand cover pattern,a thicker sand cover could increase sand erosion while a thinner sand cover could aggravate loess erosion.This difference explains the existence of intense erosion on slopes that are thinly covered with sand in regions where aeolian erosion and fluvial erosion interact.     

Serological survey of Toxoplasma gondii in captive nonhuman primates in zoos in Spain

Toxoplasma gondii is a widely distributed zoonotic protozoan parasite, which can affect most warm-blooded species. Some species of non-human primates (NHPs) are highly susceptible to T. gondii infection. The aim of the study was to determine the seroprevalence and risk factors associated with T. gondii infection in NHPs housed in zoos in Spain. Sera from 189 NHPs belonging to 33 species were collected in eight zoos. Additionally, 10 of the 189 animals were longitudinally sampled. Anti-T. gondii antibodies were detected in 48 NHPs (25.4%; confidence interval of 95% (CI_95%): 19.2–31.6) using a modified agglutination test (MAT; cut-off = 25). Seropositive animals had titers of 25 (6.3%), 50 (8.3%), 100 (8.3%) and ≥500 (68.8%). Seropositivity was detected in 15 of the 33 species (45.5%). Of the 10 NHPs sampled more than once, two animals (one Barbary macaque [Macaca sylvanus] and one common chimpanzee [Pan toglodytes]) seroconverted along the study period, while one seropositive chimpanzee increased antibody titers over time. The Hominidae family (OR = 5.9; CI_95%: 2.7–12.8) and sex (females) (OR = 2.1; CI_95%: 1.1–4.1) were risk factors potentially associated with seropositivity to T. gondii. Our results evince a widespread circulation of T. gondii in NHPs in zoos in Spain, which may be of conservation concern. Control measures should be implemented to minimize the risk of exposure of these species to T. gondii.     

Anthropogenically disturbed potentially toxic elements in roadside topsoils of a suburban region of Bishkek,Central Asia

The ecological environment in Central Asia is vulnerable to pressure from human activity due to the physical geography and climatic fragility of this region. A set of indicators suitable for the future assessment of this pressure needs to be proposed. Thirty‐six topsoil samples (0–5 cm) were collected from roadsides in a suburban region of Bishkek, the capital of the Kyrgyz Republic in Central Asia, and a risk assessment of anthropogenically disturbed potentially toxic elements (PTEs) was systematically conducted with classic statistical methods. The results of detrended correspondence analysis and principal component analysis clearly showed that topsoil samples with high contents of PTEs (Pb, Zn and Cu) were strongly affected by traffic within a distance threshold of 200 m and that anthropogenic effects decreased significantly with increasing distance from the highway. The enrichment factor and anthropogenic contribution for Pb were the highest among the three PTEs, with average values of 2.0% and 47.4%, respectively, suggesting enrichment. However, the results of the human health risk assessment also indicated that noncarcinogenic risks did not occur for any of the anthropogenic PTEs. The reported method provides a new systematic pathway to reveal anthropogenic influences on the geochemical composition of soil. The conclusions of this work will be highly valuable as important guidelines for agriculture, and the results of the PTE contents will provide a scientific basis for soil collection in future studies.     

透光抚育对“栽针保阔”红松林中红松生长过程的影响

[目的]通过研究长白山地区不同透光抚育强度下"栽针保阔"阔叶红松林中红松的生长情况,揭示透光抚育对"栽针保阔"红松林中红松生长过程的影响规律,旨在为阔叶红松林的恢复、经营提供有力的科学依据。[方法]研究5种透光抚育(未采伐对照、低度择伐、中度择伐、强度择伐及上层皆伐)对红松生长的影响。[结果]红松在群落中的地位随着透光抚育强度的增大逐步得到提升,同时透光抚育能够显著提高"栽针保阔"红松林内红松优势木(63.4%~146.5%、64.6%~158.6%)、平均木(57.9%~271.1%、42.5%~261.7%)和被压木(56.5%~182.6%、95.5%~245.5%)的树高和胸径,且呈现出随透光抚育强度的增大而递增的规律性。[结论]透光抚育能显著提高红松树高和胸径生长。     

利用自制骨炭除氟剂处理农村高氟地下水研究

在不同实验条件下将家畜骨制成骨炭除氟剂,通过除氟效果的比较筛选出最佳除氟剂制备方法。利用所制得的骨炭进行除氟静态吸附实验,研究了骨炭对氟的吸附效果以及温度、pH和地下水中常见阴阳离子等不同影响因素对骨炭除氟效果的影响。实验结果表明温度对骨炭除氟效果影响不大;低pH条件有利于骨炭对氟的去除;地下水常见阴阳离子中,Ca2＋和Mg2＋对骨炭除氟有一定的促进作用,而阴离子则起到不同程度的抑制作用。除氟后的骨炭可以利用NaOH浸泡方法进行再生,经三次再生后其吸附容量仍可达原来的94.3%,说明骨炭除氟剂具有良好的再生能力且可反复用于水中除氟。     

日本百脉根LjbHLH34基因克隆及耐旱功能鉴定

干旱是影响植物生长发育的重要环境因素。本研究分析了日本百脉根抗旱相关基因LjbHLH34的耐旱功能，初步解析其响应干旱胁迫的分子机制，以期为百脉根抗旱分子育种提供理论基础。本研究克隆得到的LjbHLH34基因大小为711 bp、编码236个氨基酸，属bHLH转录因子家族成员。系统进化树分析显示，LjbHLH34蛋白与拟南芥bHLHⅣ亚家族中AtbHLH34和AtbHLH104亲缘关系较近。实时荧光定量分析表明LjbHLH34在日本百脉根的根中表达量最高，叶中次之，茎中最少，暗示其在日本百脉根多个组织中发挥作用；同时LjbHLH34基因也受聚乙二醇(PEG)和脱落酸(ABA)诱导表达。在酵母中检测发现LjbHLH34具有转录激活活性；亚细胞定位试验表明LjbHLH34蛋白定位于细胞核中。将LjbHLH34基因转入拟南芥获得过表达株系。在200 mmol·L^-1甘露醇胁迫下，LjbHLH34转基因拟南芥的根长明显长于野生型。干旱处理后，野生型拟南芥比转基因拟南芥萎蔫程度更加明显，而转基因株系的相对含水量和超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)活性显著高于野生型，丙二醛(MDA)积累...     

云南瑞丽市滑坡影响因素的统计与分析

云南瑞丽市地质灾害类型有滑坡、崩塌、泥石流和不稳定斜坡等,其中以滑坡为主、共109个.影响滑坡的因素分为自然因素、诱发因素.自然因素指滑坡的坡度、滑体岩性、滑床岩性等在自然地质条件下形成的属性.诱发因素是指引发滑坡发生的因素,主要是降雨、地震、坡脚侵蚀、坡脚开挖等影响因素.自然因素统计表明,4～14°发育的滑坡较少,15 ～40°发育的滑坡较多;滑体岩性为含砾粉土和粉质粘土;滑床岩性以片麻岩、含砾粉土、泥岩为主,砂砾粉土次之,碎石土、粉质粘土、砂岩较少.诱发因素以降雨为主,坡脚侵蚀、地震、坡脚开挖次之.最后结合影响因素给出相关的分析.     

基于田间空气中病菌孢子浓度的小麦白粉病病情估计模型研究

2014和2015两年度利用Burkard定容式孢子捕捉器监测了高感小麦白粉病品种京双16种植区和中感品种众麦2号种植区田间空气中的病菌孢子浓度变化动态,同时利用小型气象站监测了田间的气象因子,通过分析京双16和众麦2号种植区空气中孢子浓度与空气温度、湿度、降雨、风速和太阳辐射率的相关性,发现空气中的孢子浓度主要与空气温度呈显著的正相关性(r0.348 3,P0.05)。在此基础上,分别分析了田间病情与调查日期前累积孢子浓度、一周前累积孢子浓度、前一周累积孢子浓度和当周累积孢子浓度的关系,结果表明,中感品种众麦2号田间病情与累积孢子浓度的关系均呈指数关系,其中田间病情与调查日期前累积孢子浓度或一周前累积孢子浓度的拟合效果最好,而感病品种京双16的田间病情与累积孢子浓度多呈对数关系,其中病情指数与一周前累积孢子浓度的拟合效果最好。