Influence of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Nigella sativa</Emphasis> seeds, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rosmarinus officinalis</Emphasis> leaves and their combination on growth performance,immune response and rumen metabolism in Dorper lambs

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of dietary supplementation of Nigella sativa L. seeds, Rosmarinus officinalis L. leaves and their combination on rumen metabolism, nutrient intake and digestibility, growth performance, immune response and blood metabolites in Dorper lambs. Twenty-four entire male Dorper lambs (18.68?±?0.6 kg, 4–5 months old) were randomly assigned to a concentrate mixture containing on a dry matter basis either, no supplement (control, T1), 1% R. officinalis leaves (T2), 1% N. sativa seeds (T3) or 1% R. officinalis leaves +1% N. sativa seeds (T4). The lambs had ad libitum access to urea-treated rice straw (UTRS) and were raised for 90 days. Supplemented lambs had greater (P?< 0.05) intake of DM and UTRS than the control lambs. The T4 lambs had lower (P?< 0.05) nutrient digestibility than those fed other treatments. Total and daily weight gain was greater (P?< 0.05) in T2 lambs than those fed other diets. The T3 and T4 lambs had greater (P?< 0.05) ruminal pH than the T1 and T2 lambs. Supplemented lambs had lower (P?<?0.05) ruminal total volatile fatty acids, acetate, propionate, NH₃-N and C18:0 than the control lambs. The T4 lambs had lower (P?< 0.05) population of Fibrobacter succinogenes, Ruminococcus albus, methanogens and total protozoa compared with those fed other diets. Supplemented lambs had lower (P?< 0.05) neutrophils, basophils and serum urea and greater (P?<?0.05) serum IgA and IgG compared with the control lambs. The current results emphasised the variation in the efficacy of medicinal plants in ruminant nutrition.     

QTL mapping of seedling biomass and root traits under different nitrogen conditions in bread wheat(Triticum aestivum L.)

Plant nitrogen assimilation and use efficiency in the seedling's root system are beneficial for adult plants in field condition for yield enhancement. Identification of the genetic basis between root traits and N uptake plays a crucial role in wheat breeding. In the present study, 198 doubled haploid lines from the cross of Yangmai 16/Zhongmai 895 were used to identify quantitative trait loci(QTLs) underpinning four seedling biomass traits and five root system architecture(RSA) related traits. The plants were grown under hydroponic conditions with control, low and high N treatments(Ca(NO_3)_2·4H_2 O at 0, 0.05 and 2.0 mmol L~(-1), respectively). Significant variations among the treatments and genotypes, and positive correlations between seedling biomass and RSA traits(r=0.20 to 0.98) were observed. Inclusive composite interval mapping based on a high-density map from the Wheat 660 K single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNP) array identified 51 QTLs from the three N treatments. Twelve new QTLs detected on chromosomes 1 AL(1) in the control, 1 DS(2) in high N treatment, 4 BL(5) in low and high N treatments, and 7 DS(3) and 7 DL(1) in low N treatments, are first reported in influencing the root and biomass related traits for N uptake. The most stable QTLs(RRS.caas-4 DS) on chromosome 4 DS, which were related to ratio of root to shoot dry weight trait, was in close proximity of the Rht-D1 gene, and it showed high phenotypic effects, explaining 13.1% of the phenotypic variance. Twenty-eight QTLs were clustered in 12 genetic regions. SNP markers tightly linked to two important QTLs clusters C10 and C11 on chromosomes 6 BL and 7 BL were converted to kompetitive allele-specific PCR(KASP) assays that underpin important traits in root development, including root dry weight, root surface area and shoot dry weight. These QTLs, clusters and KASP assays can greatly improve the efficiency of selection for root traits in wheat breeding programmes.     

警惕种子传带的南方番茄病毒Southern tomatovirus对我国番茄产业的危害

南方番茄病毒Southern tomato virus (STV)是近年来新发现的一种侵染番茄的病毒, 通常与多种病毒复合侵染, 可能与番茄的褪绿、黄化、衰退、果实变小等症状相关。该病毒最早在1984年发现, 并于2005年命名。我国首先于2015年在山东寿光发现。最近, 我们在山东和北京市多地的番茄样品中均检测到了该病毒, 并通过检测发现国内一些主要品种番茄种子的STV携带率达40%。STV基因组为一条双链RNA, 隶属Amalgaviridae科Amalgavirus属, 是严格种传病毒, 不能通过汁液摩擦接种和嫁接传播。鉴于STV的潜在危害以及与其他病毒高度复合侵染造成的严重损失, 本文介绍了STV检测方法, 并提出应开展对主栽品种的种子检测和针对性防控。     

氮肥配施下不同C/N作物残渣还田对红壤温室气体排放的影响

氮肥配施能够促进还田秸秆的分解,为了解其对不同C/N秸秆还田下温室气体排放的影响,采用培养实验方法,研究了油菜饼(C/N为4)、玉米秸秆(C/N为28)、水稻秸秆(C/N为41)和小麦秸秆(C/N为71)等4种不同C/N植物残渣在不同量氮肥(无氮、低氮和高氮)配施下对红壤温室气体(CO2、CH4和N2O)排放的影响。结果显示,氮肥配施增加了不同植物残渣的CO2-C累积排放量,且仅在高C/N的小麦秸秆处理中发现存在显著性差异,在低氮和高氮下CO2-C累积排放量分别达到1 271.44、1 212.83 mg·kg-1,显著高于无氮肥配施的883.40 mg·kg-1。土壤N2O累积排放量最大的为油菜饼处理组,低氮量的配施进一步增强了N2O的产生,其累积排放量达到5 550.42μg·kg-1,显著高于无氮肥配施的4 430.44μg·kg-1,然而当氮肥施用量进一步增加时却抑制了N2O的排放(3752.84μg·kg-1)。氮肥配施并未显著影响玉米秸秆和小麦秸秆处理组的N2O累积排放量。在培养期内,每一个处理均表现为CH4的吸收现象,氮肥施用能够增加土壤对CH4的累积吸收量,但差异显著性仅在对照和油菜饼处理中发现。     

中亚热带丘陵区茶园和林地土壤春季N2O排放及其影响因素

中亚热带地区春季降雨频繁,茶园施肥量大,该季节茶园土壤氧化亚氮(N_2O)排放量较高,研究春季茶园土壤N_2O排放及其影响因子有一定意义。以中亚热带丘陵区土壤为对象,采用静态箱-气相色谱法,研究了两种植茶年限茶园和林地土壤春季N_2O排放特征及其影响因子。结果表明:茶园N_2O排放量明显高于林地,50年茶园N_2O排放量明显高于20年茶园,林地N_2O的排放量最少;50年茶园、20年茶园和林地土壤春季N_2O累积排放量分别为2.07、1.39、0.22 kg·hm-2。两种植茶年限茶园土壤N_2O排放通量均与土壤NO_3~--N含量呈显著正相关(P0.05),林地土壤N_2O排放通量则与土壤NH_4~+-N含量呈极显著正相关关系(P0.01);茶园和林地土壤N_2O排放通量均与5 d累积降雨量之间存在显著的相关性。多元逐步回归分析显示,茶园土壤N_2O排放通量受土壤温度和NO_3~--N含量影响,共同解释其48%~49%的变化;林地土壤N_2O排放通量受土壤温度和NH_4~+-N含量影响,共同解释其55%的变化。这项研究显示施肥对春季茶园N_2O排放的促进作用与降雨有关。     

Versatile physiological functions of the Nudix hydrolase family in berry development and stress response in grapevine

Nudix hydrolases are widely distributed across all classes of organisms and provide the potential capacity to hydrolyze a wide range of organic pyrophosphates. Although Nudix hydrolases are involved in plant detoxification processes in response to abiotic and biotic stresses, the biological functions of Nudix hydrolases remain largely unclear in grapevine.In the present study, a total of 25 putative grapevine Nudix hydrolases(VvNUDXs) were identified by bioinformatics analysis and classified int...     

Dynamics of organic carbon and nitrogen in deep soil profile and crop yields under long-term fertilization in wheat-maize cropping system

Soil organic carbon(SOC) and nitrogen(N) are two of the most important indicators for agricultural productivity. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the changes in SOC and N in the deep soil profile(up to 100 cm) and their relationships with crop productivity under the influence of long-term(since 1990) fertilization in the wheat-maize cropping system. Treatments included CK(control), NP(inorganic N and phosphorus(P) fertilizers), NPK(inorganic N, P and potassium fertilizers),...     

Soil available potassium affected by rice straw incorporation and potassium fertilizer application under a rice–oilseed rape rotation system

Data from 147 field trials were collected to study the influence of straw incorporation on soil potassium (K) under an intensive rice–oilseed rape rotation system, while pot experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of rice straw incorporation on soil K availability. A significant correlation was observed between the soil available K and the relative yield (RRY) and the relative K uptake (RKU) of oilseed rape, with R² values ranging from 0.07 to 0.08 and from 0.10 to 0.11, respectively, when data were fitted to a logarithmic equation model. In approximately 30% of trials, RRY reached 90%, while soil test available K values were below the critical limit, indicating that soil K values at the time of sampling (within 1 week of rice harvest) underestimated the actual soil K supply capacity. The pot experiment results showed that soil available K was affected by straw incorporation and soil type in the fallow period. The NH₄OAc‐K and NaBPh₄‐K concentrations of soils increased at first, and then, plateaued after 28 days. Straw incorporation significantly influenced the critical soil K concentration, which is important for making accurate K fertilizer recommendation. These results suggested that straw K should be seriously considered in making K fertilizer recommendations. Extending the sampling time from 1 to 3 weeks after the harvesting of rice to stabilize the effects of straw incorporation may help achieve a more accurate evaluation of soil available K.     

REVIEW: Properties of Cereal Brans: A Review

Cereal brans are functional ingredients with high nutritive value and enormous health properties. Cereal brans have not been fully utilized in food systems despite their health benefits. This review presents an overview on the physical, chemical, microbiological, functional, and sensory properties of cereal brans for possible comparisons and selection to enhance the utilization of this underutilized milling fraction.