Intensive housing: the last straw for pigs?

The concept of coping can be used to relate the environmental conditions provided for livestock to their responses--their productivity and their welfare. Pigs are "ecological generalists" and hence are "designed" to cope with a wide variety of environmental conditions. They, however, show clear limits to their adaptability both in terms of the space they require and the pen materials they can endure without injury. Even where they adapt to a wide range of conditions, there often is a particular environment that gives optimum performance. Examples of temperature requirements and feeding facilities are discussed. The process of coping is shown to impose a biological "cost" in some instances and, although a pig has adapted to a specific environment, questions still remain concerning whether keeping a pig in that environment is justifiable.     

Strategies for increasing the selenium content of wheat

Selenium (Se) is essential for humans and animals but has no known function in plants. Excess accumulation is toxic to both plants and animals. Dietary intake of Se is low in a large number of people worldwide. This is due to low bioavailability of Se in some soils and consequently low concentrations of Se in plant tissues.Both selenate and selenite are taken up by plants and subsequently translocated around the plant. Selenate, an analogue of sulphate, is transported by the sulphate transporter family. Some plants are able to accumulate high internal concentrations of Se (hyperaccumulators); however, genetic variation in accumulation ability amongst non-accumulators such as cereals, is relatively small.Within plant tissues, Se enters the pathways for sulphate assimilation and metabolism and will replace cysteine and methionine in proteins, often with detrimental effect. Alternatively, Se may be accumulated as methylated derivatives or lost from the plant following volatilisation.Agronomic biofortification of crops with Se-containing fertilisers, which is practised in some countries, provides the best short-term solution for improving Se content of wheat. Longer-term genetic improvement, particularly by targeting substrate discrimination of transporters between selenate and sulphate, for example, may provide a means to enhance uptake and promote accumulation.     

Sulfur metabolism in Allium cepa is hardly affected by chloride and sulfate salinity

Salinity as a major agricultural problem can affect crop growth and quality. Onion (Allium cepa L.) plant contains a wide variety of sulfur-containing compounds which may be involved in plant protection against salt stress. In the current study, a similar reduction in growth caused by chloride and sulfate salts was observed when onion was exposed to equimolar concentrations of Na⁺. Also, no difference was observed for shoot/root ratio and dry matter content of roots and shoots. Plants accumulated Na⁺ and the respective anions (chloride and sulfate) which in turn caused changes in the content of other nutrients. The content of potassium and calcium was decreased more than the other elements by both sodium salts. Sulfate salinity resulted in substantial increase in total sulfur and sulfate content but chloride salinity affected neither the total sulfur nor sulfate content of the roots and shoots, only in onion exposed to 200 mM chloride salt, those of roots and shoots were reduced. Furthermore, the water-soluble non-protein thiol content as well as the content of alliin remained rather unaffected. In conclusion, either salts affected the uptake and distribution of sulfate in onion, but had no or only a minor effect on the plant sulfur metabolism.     

Indices of soil nitrogen availability for an ecological site classification of British forests

An adequate supply of nitrogen (N) is essential for the successful establishment and sustainable productivity of forest stands. N deficits may necessitate the use of artificial fertilisers. Availability of N in the inorganic forms, and the relative abundance of the NO₃-N and NH₄-N components, influences the species composition of natural forest vegetation. Hence it is essential to use reliable measures of soil N supply that fully reflect its ecological significance. The new Ecological Site Classification (ESC) used in British forestry employs a multi-factorial definition of soil nutrient regime (SNR), including soil N. To develop this, a soil and vegetation study was made at 89 forest sites throughout Great Britain covering the major soil types used for forestry. “Total N” levels were compared with separate pre- and post-incubation measures of the two inorganic N components as potential indices of soil N supply. Multivariate statistical analysis showed that the major discriminant chemical variables for the sampled soils were pH, calcium and NO₃-N and that these were also the main variables influencing the species composition of the ground vegetation. Total N and NH₄-N were less effective discriminant variables for these sites. In some infertile soils the levels of NH₄-N or total N may be of greater importance, as NO₃-N is usually in very limited supply. A multivariate gradient of SNR, which incorporates the NO₃-N measures, has been adopted for use within the ESC system. The position of a site on this gradient can be estimated quantitatively from soil type, ground vegetation species composition and humus type. This enables soil N supply and overall SNR to be assessed in a simple but effective way that guides the operational management of British forest soils for sustainable productivity. It will also be possible to use these techniques to monitor the nutritional status of forest sites over time.     

Repair of an open radial fracture in an adult horse

An open radial fracture in an adult horse (450 kg) was repaired by internal fixation, using two 18-hole 4.5-mm broad dynamic compression plates and 5.5- and 4.5-mm bone screws. The fracture healed completely, but when evaluated 9 months after surgery, the horse was lame on the fractured limb at a trot. Local infiltration of anesthesia along the distal half of the bone plates greatly ameliorated the lameness, suggesting that the plates were irritating the soft tissues and extensor tendons along the cranial and lateral aspects of the antebrachium. Both bone plates were removed simultaneously with no complications, and the horse became sound.     

Mechanisms of resistance to acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase inhibitors: a review

Resistance to acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase (ACCase) inhibitors has developed in at least 10 grass weed species in recent years. In most instances, resistance is conferred by an ACCase alteration in the resistant biotypes that reduces sensitivity to aryloxyphenoxypropionate (AOPP) and cyclohexanedione (CHD) herbicides. Analysis of ACCase from many of these resistant weed biotypes suggests the presence of different mutations, each conferring a different pattern and level of resistance to various AOPP and CHD herbicides. In all cases analyzed to date, resistance is controlled by a single dominant or semi-dominant nuclear gene. In several weed biotypes, resistance is conferred by enhanced herbicide detoxification, primarily through elevated expression or activity of cytochrome P450 monooxygenase(s). This mechanism can confer cross-resistance to herbicides from other chemical classes with different modes of action. Finally, multiple herbicide resistance, i.e. the acquisition of several different resistance mechanisms, has been reported in some weed biotypes. ©1997 SCI     

CoRoT measures solar-like oscillations and granulation in stars hotter than the Sun

Oscillations of the Sun have been used to understand its interior structure. The extension of similar studies to more distant stars has raised many difficulties despite the strong efforts of the international community over the past decades. The CoRoT (Convection Rotation and Planetary Transits) satellite, launched in December 2006, has now measured oscillations and the stellar granulation signature in three main sequence stars that are noticeably hotter than the sun. The oscillation amplitudes are about 1.5 times as large as those in the Sun; the stellar granulation is up to three times as high. The stellar amplitudes are about 25% below the theoretic values, providing a measurement of the nonadiabaticity of the process ruling the oscillations in the outer layers of the stars.