Impact of bovine somatotropin administration beginning at day 70 of lactation on serum metabolites, milk constituents, and production in cows previously exposed to exogenous somatotropin.

Metabolic and production responses are reported for 72 cows treated with bovine somatotropin (BST) for 30 days starting at day 70 of lactation. Of these 72 cows, 48 had been exposed in the preceding lactation to long-term treatment with BST at 3 dosages and 24 (controls) had not been given BST. Approximately half of the cows in each group were parity-2 cows, the rest were older. Comparisons between groups were made separately for parity-2, and older cows. Analyses, using pretreatment values of each variable as a covariate, indicated that older cows, but not parity-2 cows, significantly (P less than 0.05) increased milk production during treatment. Parity-2 cows, however, had a significantly higher milk fat percentage than controls following treatment. Cows treated with 51.6 or 86 mg BST/d in both parity groups had significantly higher serum-free fatty acids than controls. Estimated net energy balances were significantly lower for older treated cows, but did not significantly differ from controls for parity-2 treated cows. Older cows in the 86 mg of BST/d group tended to have higher concentrations of blood glucose than did older control-group cows. Treatment with BST did not significantly increase serum ketone concentrations in any group of animals, and none of the cows developed clinical ketosis during this period. Estimated net energy balance (ENEB) during treatment was a significant (P less than 0.05) covariate for free fatty acid concentrations in older cows and for milk fat percentage in parity-2 cows. Covariate adjusted analyses, using ENEB during treatment as a covariate, indicated that lipolytic stimuli already acting may be enhanced by treatment with BST, but a negative energy balance was not a necessary precondition for free fatty acid concentrations to increase following somatotropin treatment. Similarly, milk fat percentages for parity-2 treated cows were significantly (P less than 0.05) higher during treatment than controls when ENEB during treatment was used as a covariate. Increased milk fat concentrations in parity-2 treated cows were not associated with significant increases in the ratio of C18:C4-10 milk fatty acids, indicating that increased milk fat resulted from either an increase in incorporation of C18 fatty acids into milk fat coupled with an increase in de novo mammary synthesis of C4-10 milk fatty acids or an increase in C12-16 fatty acids that may arise either from increased tissue mobilization, from diet, or from de novo mammary synthesis.     

Effects of ammonia on growth and molting of Litopenaeus vannamei postlarvae reared under two salinity levels

ABSTRACT

Litopenaeus vannamei postlarvae were exposed to 0, 6, 13, and 19 mg/L total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) treatments. After 45 days, shrimp weight and length were lowest under TAN concentrations of 13 and 19 mg/L (P ≤ 0.05). Maximum weight gain was observed in control and 6 mg/L treatments. Mortality was highest (80.55 ± 4.80%) under 19 mg/L reared in 35 ppt salinity. Average intermolt periods of PLs exposed to 0, 6, 13, and 19 mg/L TAN were 11.5 ± 0.7, 10.8 ± 1.3, 9.4 ± 1.0, and 8.7 ± 0.6 days under 35 ppt and 11.1 ± 0.5, 10.7 ± 0.6, 10.1 ± 0.5, and 9.5 ± 0.2 days under 45 ppt salinity. Although TAN increased postlarvae molting frequency, its negative effects on the shrimp growth and survival of PLs was directly linked to its concentration and exposure duration. Higher salinity reduces the effects of ammonia and increases the survival.     

Fortification of Bread Wheat Using Synthesized Zn-Glycine and Zn-Alanine Chelates in Comparison with ZnSO4 in a Calcareous Soil

ABSTRACT

Calcareous soils typically suffer from zinc deficiency and zinc sulfate is incorporated in many cultivated soils. Utilization of ZnSO₄ has some kinds of interaction with soil particles and organic matter. In this study, the efficacy of two znic(Zn)-amino acid chelates (Zn-ACs) i.e., Zn-alanine (Zn-Ala) and Zn-glycine (Zn-Gly) on wheat (Triticum aestivum, cv. N91-8) growth characteristics and zinc concentration in wheat was examined under greenhouse conditions and compared to the a commercial ZnSO₄. Results showed that Zn-Ala and Zn-Gly significantly increased the dry weight and shoot length of wheat in comparison to ZnSO₄ treatment. Soil application of Zn-Amino acid chelates proved to be the most influential source of zinc in increasing wheat growth and yield indices. Number of fertile spikelet and grain yield increased significantly respectively compared to ZnSO₄ treatment. Zn concentration and protein content of wheat grain in Zn-ACs treatment was significantly higher than the ZnSO₄ treatment. Soil application of Zn-ACs caused a significant decrease in the grain phytic acid (PA) concentration and also phytic acid to zinc molar ratio in comparison with ZnSO₄ treatment. According to the results, Zn-ACs could be utilized as a zinc fertilizer source for improving the zinc bioavailability in wheat.     

Contribution to the knowledge of the genetic diversity and taxonomy of some Iranian Trifolium species

Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution - Trifolium (Fabaceae) is widely distributed with more than 255 species. The current study contributed to the knowledge of the diversity and genetic population...     

Accumulation of heavy metal in Platanus orientalis, Robinia pseudoacacia and Fraxinus rotundifolia

Plants are capable of reducing environmental pollutions through uptaking contaminants in their tissues. In the study site, twenty one-year-old leaves and shoots as well as twenty soil samples were sampled and analyzed by Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP). We investigated the uptaking ability of lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) by the leaves and shoots of Platanus orientalis, Robinia pseudoacacia and Fraxinus rotundifolia in Karaj city, the western Tehran, Iran. We also evaluated the total metal accumulation capacity by using metal accumulation index (MAI). Results indicated that there was no significant difference in uptaking contents of Cd and Pb in the leaves among the trees. However accumulation of Cd in shoots of F. rotundifolia and R. pseudoacacia was significantly higher than that of P. orientalis. The accumulation of Pb in shoots of R. pseudoacacia was significantly higher than the other species. The amount of Pb in the soil of the study area was significantly higher than Cd. Concentrations of Cd and Pb in leaves of the three species are in the ranges of 2.4 2.7 mg Kg-1 and 7.1 14.4 mg Kg-1 , respectively. R. pseudoacacia had the highest MAI value for leaves (2.21) and F. rotundifolia had the highest MAI value for shoots (2.4).     

Morpho-physiological Response of Saffron (Crocus Sativus L.) to Particle Size and Rates of Zinc Fertilizer

A field study was conducted during 2015–2017 in order to evaluate effects of the foliar application of different sources and concentrations of zinc oxide (ZnO) on the yield and morpho-physiological characteristics of saffron. Experimental treatment included the foliar application of nano ZnO at a concentration of (3, 6, and 9 g L^?1), foliar application of normal ZnO at a concentration of (3, 6, and 9 g L^?1) and the control. Both types of ZnO had positive effects on the saffron yield and number of flowers, but the highest yield and flower number were obtained by the foliar application of 9 g L^?1 normal ZnO followed by 6 g L^?1 nano ZnO. Increasing concentrations of both fertilizers up to 3 g L^?1 had no significant effect on crocin, but the crocin content significantly decreased at higher concentrations. Effects of experimental treatments were significant on all morpho-physiological traits. The maximum chlorophyll a (1.74 mg.g^?1) was observed in normal ZnO at a concentration of 9 g L^?1 followed by nano ZnO at a concentration of 3 g L^?1. The increasing application of different types of fertilizers linearly increased the Peroxidase activity, but the highest activity of Catalase in normal ZnO and nano ZnO was measured after the foliar application at concentrations of 3 and 6 g L^?1, respectively.     

Application of unmanned aerial systems for high throughput phenotyping of large wheat breeding nurseries

Background

Low cost unmanned aerial systems (UAS) have great potential for rapid proximal measurements of plants in agriculture. In the context of plant breeding and genetics, current approaches for phenotyping a large number of breeding lines under field conditions require substantial investments in time, cost, and labor. For field-based high-throughput phenotyping (HTP), UAS platforms can provide high-resolution measurements for small plot research, while enabling the rapid assessment of tens-of-thousands of field plots. The objective of this study was to complete a baseline assessment of the utility of UAS in assessment field trials as commonly implemented in wheat breeding programs. We developed a semi-automated image-processing pipeline to extract plot level data from UAS imagery. The image dataset was processed using a photogrammetric pipeline based on image orientation and radiometric calibration to produce orthomosaic images. We also examined the relationships between vegetation indices (VIs) extracted from high spatial resolution multispectral imagery collected with two different UAS systems (eBee Ag carrying MultiSpec 4C camera, and IRIS+ quadcopter carrying modified NIR Canon S100) and ground truth spectral data from hand-held spectroradiometer.

Results

We found good correlation between the VIs obtained from UAS platforms and ground-truth measurements and observed high broad-sense heritability for VIs. We determined radiometric calibration methods developed for satellite imagery significantly improved the precision of VIs from the UAS. We observed VIs extracted from calibrated images of Canon S100 had a significantly higher correlation to the spectroradiometer (r = 0.76) than VIs from the MultiSpec 4C camera (r = 0.64). Their correlation to spectroradiometer readings was as high as or higher than repeated measurements with the spectroradiometer per se.

Conclusion

The approaches described here for UAS imaging and extraction of proximal sensing data enable collection of HTP measurements on the scale and with the precision needed for powerful selection tools in plant breeding. Low-cost UAS platforms have great potential for use as a selection tool in plant breeding programs. In the scope of tools development, the pipeline developed in this study can be effectively employed for other UAS and also other crops planted in breeding nurseries.

     

Serum biochemistry and hematology values and hemoglobin electrophoresis in Persian squirrels (Sciurus anomalus)

BACKGROUND: Serum biochemical and hematologic parameters are important in the management of game species in Iran, such as Persian squirrels. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to establish baseline serum chemistry and hematology values in Persian squirrels (Sciurus anomalus) and describe blood cell morphology and the electrophoretic pattern of hemoglobin. METHODS: Blood samples were collected from 30 Persian squirrels (Sciurus anomalus) maintained in captivity in the Tehran Zoo. Blood was placed into EDTA and serum clot tubes and analyzed using standard manual hematology and biochemical techniques. Hemoglobin electrophoresis was done on cellulose acetate paper strips. RESULTS: Minimum, maximum, and median values were obtained for 11 hematologic and 12 serum chemistry parameters. Hypersegmented neutrophils were observed frequently. We did not find basophils or band neutrophils. Hemoglobin electophoresis resulted in a band slightly anodal to that of human hemoglobin A. CONCLUSION: Biochemical and hematologic values in Persian squirrels were comparable to those of related species, and may be used as a standard profile for healthy Persian squirrels kept in captivity.     

Using kale (Brassica oleracea var. acephala) as a phytoremediation plant species for lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) removal in saline soils

Ornamental kale (Brassica oleracea var. Acephala) is usually planted from early autumn until late winter. Since most of the plants used for phytoremediation cannot be grown during this time, kale can be a suitable option for phytoremediation and utilized during autumn and winter in urban landscape, especially in metropolitan areas where high levels of cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) pollutions exist. Kale growth in saline soil at different growth stages (germination and vegetative growth stages) was studied in this investigation. A factorial experiment based on completely randomized design (CRD) with four replications was used in this study. Treatments included three levels of sodium chloride (NaCl) (0, 30, and 60 mg/kg), four levels of Cd (0, 4, 8, and 16 mg/kg), and four levels of Pb (0, 1, 5, and 10 mg/kg). Results indicated that increase in Cd and Pb concentrations in the soil decreased fresh and dry weights of the plants. The results of the various growth stages revealed that under salinity stress, kale plants were able to absorb more Pb than Cd and effectively remediate Pb in polluted and saline lands. Cd accumulation in control treatment was 6.2% more than that in the saline treatments, whereas, Pb accumulation in the highest NaCl level, 60 mg/kg salinity treatment was 7.64% more than that of the control condition. Also, proline content of the plants was significantly increased under Cd and Pb stress. From the results of this study, it was concluded that using kale plant is recommended for phytoremediation of saline soils with 10 and 16 mg/kg Pb and Cd contents, respectively.     

Review of doubled haploid production in durum and common wheat through wheat × maize hybridization

Production of doubled haploids (DHs) is an important methodology to speed the process of breeding and development of mapping populations in crops. The procedure for DH production includes two major steps: haploid induction and chromosome doubling. In recent years, wide hybridization between wheat and maize has become a main approach for haploid production in wheat. In this method, the maize chromosomes are completely eliminated during the early development of the hybrid seeds after wheat spikes were pollinated with maize pollen. Numerous wheat cultivars and mapping populations have been developed using wheat–maize hybridization. In this study, we review the procedures of DH production of durum and common wheat via wide hybridization with maize, the factors which affect the efficiency of DH production, and the mechanism of selective elimination of the maize genome during the early development of the hybrid embryos. We also report a highly efficient protocol for DH production in durum and common wheat, which was established based on the optimal conditions for each of the factors that affect the efficiency of DH production.