Replacing Soybean Meal with Alternative Protein Sources in Diets for Pond‐raised Hybrid Catfish, ♀ Ictalurus punctatus × ♂ Ictalurus furcatus

The present study investigated the replacement of soybean meal with combinations of two or three alternative protein sources in diets for pond‐raised hybrid catfish, ♀ Ictalurus punctatus × ♂ Ictalurus furcatus. Alternative protein sources evaluated included cottonseed meal, distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS), peanut meal, and porcine meat and bone meal (PMBM). Hybrid catfish fingerlings with a mean initial weight of 35 g/fish were stocked into 25 earthen ponds (0.04 ha) at a density of 14,826 fish/ha. Fish were fed once daily to apparent satiation for 166 d. No significant differences were observed for total diet fed, net yield, weight gain, survival, carcass yield, fillet yield, or fillet proximate composition among dietary treatments. Results show soybean meal may be completely replaced by combinations of cottonseed meal and one or two other alternative protein sources including DDGS, peanut meal, and PMBM in the diet without markedly affecting production and processing characteristics and fillet proximate composition of pond‐raised hybrid catfish. These alternative diets may be used during foodfish production when prices are favorable.     

Compatibility of root growth and tuber production of potato cultivars with dynamic and static water‐saving irrigation managements

The important root characteristics of root length density (RLD) and root mass density (RMD) generally differ among irrigation managements and potato cultivars. The objective of this study was to investigate the RLD and RMD variations and their functional relationships with gross potato tuber yield for two commercial potato cultivars, Agria and Sante, under different irrigation strategies. Full irrigation and water‐saving irrigation strategies, deficit and partial root drying irrigations, were applied statically (S) and dynamically (D) based on daily crop evapotranspiration. Results showed that SPRD had significantly greater RLD (3.64 cm/cm³) and RMD (132.7 μg/cm³) than other irrigation treatments. Between the potato cultivars, Agria had significantly larger values of RLD (3.50 cm/cm³) and RMD (138.7 μg/cm³) than Sante. The functional relationship between the root growth characteristics and tuber yield showed that under water‐saving irrigations, Agria increased root mass at the expense of gross tuber yield but Sante increased root mass to maintain larger gross tuber yields. However, Agria produced more roots and gross tuber yield than Sante, and it is concluded that Agria is a more drought‐tolerant potato cultivar, which is recommended for tuber production in regions where water might be scarce. It was shown that larger root production in potatoes was associated with improved tolerance to water stress.     

Leaf carbohydrates assimilation and metabolism affect seed yield of rapeseed with different waterlogging tolerance under the interactive effects of nitrogen and waterlogging

Waterlogging is a main factor causing rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) yield loss, and reasonable nitrogen (N) applications can compensate for this loss. To investigate the effects of N rates on seed yield of waterlogged rapeseed, the waterlogging-tolerant rapeseed variety ZS 9 and sensitive variety GH01 were waterlogged for 0 and 10 days with five leaves at the seedling stage under four N rates (0, 90, 180 and 270 kg/ha). Waterlogging significantly decreased seed yield, while N application can alleviate the yield loss. The yield decrease rate of waterlogged GH01 was greater than that of ZS 9 under the same N rate. During the seedling and bolting stage, the leaf photosynthetic rate (Pn) and ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) activity increased, while activities of adenosine diphosphate glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGPase), sucrose synthase (SuSy) and sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS) decreased with more N under the same watering conditions. Compared to the plants without waterlogging, the leaf Pn and Rubisco activity, starch and sucrose contents of waterlogged rapeseed decreased at the two stages; activities of AGPase, SuSy and SPS of waterlogged rapeseed decreased at the seedling while increased at the bolting stage for both the two varieties. At the flowering stage, the Pn, the activities of Rubisco, AGPase, SuSy, SPS and contents of sucrose, starch increased with more N application for both ZS 9 and GH01. Compared to the plants without waterlogging, the Pn and Rubisco activity for waterlogged plants of the two varieties increased; the waterlogged plants of tolerant variety had higher activities of AGPase, SuSy and SPS, while those of sensitive variety was significantly lower. However, the decreased starch and sucrose content were found in both tolerant and sensitive varieties. The activities of AGPase, SuSy and SPS at flowering were highly positively correlated with yield under the interactive effects of N and waterlogging. These results suggested that the flowering stage is the most important stage that N had the positive regulation on waterlogged rapeseed growth. The carbohydrates translocation from leaves to seeds of the tolerant variety were enhanced after waterlogging, while that of the sensitive variety was still inhibited. This was the main reason for the difference in yield between the two waterlogged varieties.     

基于P-S-R框架模型试点研究高寒地区生态承载力——以甘肃省迭部县为例

全面客观评价生态资源承载能力,进而为区域可持续发展提供理论依据。以甘肃省迭部县为例,首先,采用压力-状态-响应(P-S-R)模型构建生态承载力评估指标体系,运用层次分析法(Analytic Hierarchy Process,AHP)确定各指标权重,评估生态环境承载力现状;其次,在生态功能区层面对迭部县水源涵养功能及生物多样性功能进行评价;最后,对生态承载力状况进行成因解析。研究结果表明：（1）迭部县整体生态承载力得分为0.239,处于“较强”承载力状态,构成整体生态承载力的生态弹性力、资源和环境承载力和人类社会影响力得分分别为0.222、0.062和0.063。（2）2016年,迭部县单位面积水源涵养量为111.76 mm,水源涵养功能处于“高”状态,其中,水源涵养功能较高地区主要集中在以草地和针阔混交林为主的区域。（3）自然栖息地面积占迭部县总面积的83.67%,其自然栖息质量指数(Natural Habitant Quality Index,NHQI)处于“高”状态。（4）从自然和经济2个因素进行分析,发现迭部县生态环境条件较好,但林草地面积已呈现出逐渐减少状态,因此需要通过合理科学的开发引导,发展文化旅游事业,推动迭部县的可持续发展。     

Effects of Feeding Frequency on Apparent Energy and Nutrient Digestibility/Availability of Channel Catfish,Ictalurus punctatus,Reared at Optimal and Suboptimal Temperatures

This study examined the effects of feeding frequency (daily versus every other day [EOD]) on nutrient digestibility/availability of channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, reared at optimal (30 C) and suboptimal (24 C) temperatures. A 28% protein practical diet was used as the test diet, and chromic oxide was used at 0.75% of the diet as a maker. Twenty channel catfish of a mean weight of 141 g/fish were stocked into 12 flow‐through aquaria (110 L). Fish were fed daily or EOD to apparent satiation for 7 d before fecal samples were collected by the dissection method. Fish fed EOD to apparent satiation consumed more diet on days fed than those fed daily, and fish reared at 30 C consumed more diet than those reared at 24 C. Neither feeding frequency nor water temperature significantly affected apparent digestibility coefficients for energy and protein and apparent availability coefficients for total amino acids. Results show no advantage by feeding EOD over feeding daily on nutrient digestibility and diet utilization efficiency.     

Evaluating the Effects of Dietary Prebiotic Mixture of Mannan Oligosaccharide and Poly‐β‐Hydroxybutyrate on the Growth Performance,Immunity, and Survival of Rainbow Trout,Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum 1792), Fingerlings

This study investigated the effects of dietary poly‐β‐hydroxybutyrate (PHB) and mannan oligosaccharide (MOS) on the growth performance, digestive enzyme activities, and disease resistance of rainbow trout fingerlings. A total of 420 fingerlings, distributed equally into four different groups, each with three replicates, were fed a basal diet (control), 2% PHB (PHB), 0.2% MOS (MOS), or a diet supplemented with a mixture of 2% PHB and 0.2% MOS (PHB+MOS) for 60 d. Results showed that dietary PHB and/or MOS did not cause significant improvement in the growth performance of the fingerlings. The gut pH was markedly reduced; however, the activities of the digestive enzymes (except for pepsin and amylase by dietary PHB) were not significantly improved by the dietary supplements. Results also showed that dietary PHB and/or MOS markedly increased the resistance of the fingerlings toward Yersinia ruckeri infection, while the lowest total antibody was observed in fish fed control and MOS, indicating that MOS exerts its protective effects by modulating other mechanisms. Overall, this study provided a first screening effort to determine the effects of PHB and/or MOS as dietary supplements in rainbow trout fingerlings to develop an optimal prebiotic mix for improving the growth and health status of rainbow trout.     

捕食线虫性真菌的分离培养及分布规律

对自然界中的捕食线虫性真菌进行了分离和种属区分，并对分布规律进行了研究。从土壤、粪便等材料中获得了2类活性较强的捕食线虫性菌株：即套捕型(hooping)捕食线虫性真菌和粘捕型(sticking)捕食线虫性真菌。主要的代表种类有3种。这些捕食线虫性真菌在捕食性结构分生孢子形态及某些生物学特性上有一定差异。套捕型捕食线虫性真菌代表种为少孢节丛孢菌(Arthrobotrys oligospara)和梨形指环菌(Dactylaria pyriformis)，它们以菌环、菌网作为捕食性结构(器官)，以套捕方式杀灭线虫幼虫。梨形指环菌可产生多量厚垣孢子(chlamyalospore)。粘捕型捕食线虫性真菌代表种为纺锤隔指孢菌(Dactylella ellipsospora)。可形成菌结捕食线虫性结构，以粘捕的方式杀灭线虫幼虫。结果表明：捕食线虫性真菌在土壤和家畜粪便中的分离率是40．41％；此类菌适合于生存在阴暗、潮湿、富含腐植质的环境中。在温暖季节时，采用0．4g／L玉米粉琼脂培养基(CMA)易于对其进行分离培养。     

The advantages of the use of vitamin E and selenium for the prevention and therapy of porcine stress syndrome

In a feeding trial lasting for months Halothane-positive fattening pigs were put on a diet containing different concentrations of vitamin E and selenium. After a Myostress application vitamin E and selenium were additionally injected in order to examine stress resistance (CK-test) and regenerative capacity (histological examination of Musculus longissimus dorsi) of skeletal muscle. The study revealed that neither high dietary levels of vitamin E/selenium nor a vitamin E/selenium treatment applied after stress are capable of preventing stress related myopathy nor can they influence its healing up favourably.