Utilization of electron beam irradiated Jatropha kernel meal in the diet of Labeo rohita (Hamilton, 1822) fingerlings

Defatted Jatropha kernel meal (DJKM) was irradiated through electron beam radiation at 25 kGy (IJKM). After irradiation, PEs and phytate were decreased by 36.67% and 55.27%, respectively, with slight reduction in total hydrolysed amino acids in IJKM. A 45‐day feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the utilization of irradiated Jatropha kernel meal (IJKM) in the diet of rohu (Labeo rohita) fingerlings. Five isonitrogenous (300 g/kg CP) and isoenergetic (15 MJ/kg GE) diets such as T0 (control, without IJKM), T5 (50 g/kg IJKM), T10 (100 g/kg IJKM), T15 (150 g/kg IJKM) and T20 (200 g/kg IJKM) were prepared and fed to fish of respective treatments. Fish fed diets containing T15 and T20 groups exhibited significantly lower (p < .05) weight gain, FCE, PER, ANPU, HSI, ISI, survival rate, nutrient and energy digestibility, than the other groups. Fish of higher IJKM fed groups (T15 and T20) also showed lower muscle moisture, protein, ash and higher muscle lipid content. The liver catalase and SOD activities significantly decreased in the higher IJKM fed groups. It is concluded that IJKM (irradiated by 25 kGy electron beam) can be incorporated up to 100 g/kg in carp feed with the replacement of 33% soybean meal and 28% ground nut oil cake without compromising growth performances of Labeo rohita.     

Effects of dietary L‐lysine supplementation on growth,body composition and muscle‐growth‐related gene expression with an estimation of lysine requirement of GIFT tilapia

An 8‐week feeding trial was conducted with extruded practical diets containing 320 g/kg of crude protein from plant‐based sources to determine the effects of L‐lysine on growth performances, muscle‐growth‐related gene (myoD, myogenine and myostatin) expression and haemato‐biochemical responses in juvenile genetically improved farmed tilapia (GIFT). Five isonitrogenous and isoenergetic diets were formulated to contain graded levels of lysine (14.3, 16, 17.5, 19 and 20.5 g/kg of diet). Each diet was randomly assigned to triplicate groups of 30 juvenile fish (5.2 ± 0.1 g), which were fed thrice a day (9:00, 13:00 and 17:00 hr). Maximum growth performances were observed in fish fed with lysine at 19 g/kg of diet. There was no significant (p > .05) effect on whole‐body composition and amino acids profile by dietary lysine supplementation. Significant (p < .05) changes were observed in relative expression of muscle‐growth‐related genes namely myoD and myogenine and in plasma metabolites by dietary lysine supplementation. In contrast, the relative expression of myostatin was not affected by dietary lysine supplementation. Broken‐line regression analysis and second‐order polynomial regression analysis of weight gain and N gain against dietary lysine levels showed that the dietary lysine requirement for juvenile GIFT tilapia was 18–18.3 g/kg of diet and 19.3–19.5 g/kg of diet, respectively.     

印度选育出抗风香蕉新品种--Udhayam

位于泰米尔纳德邦的印度国家香蕉研究中心(NRCB)近期选育出1个杂交香蕉新品种——Udhayam。据研究人员介绍,该品种可耐低温,在多种土壤中均可种植。科研人员还将该品种与泰米尔纳德邦的当地的Karpuravalli品种、比哈尔邦的Kanthali品种、北方邦的Boodida Bukkisa和卡纳塔克邦的     

Dyeing behavior of chemically modified poly(1,4-phenylene sulfide) fiber towards disperse,anionic, and cationic dyes

Poly(1,4-phenylene sulfide) (PPS) exhibits good dimensional stability and flame retardant characteristics but its commercial development as fibers is highly limited due to lesser dyeing and finishing characteristics. Hence in the present study, we focused on the anionic and cationic modifications of PPS to enhance its dyeing ability towards disperse, cationic, and anionic dyes. Novel sulfonation and chloromethylation-quaternization of PPS fiber were carried out to achieve an industrially viable dyeing process methodology. The chemically modified PPS fiber is dyed with disperse, cationic, and anionic dyes, and the dyeing adsorption efficiency is quantitatively studied using a dye-o-meter equipped with UV-visible absorption spectroscope. The ideal parameters for dye adsorption were determined as a function of dyeing time, material-toliquor ratio, dyeing temperature, carrier concentration, sulfonation, and chloromethylation. The fastness properties of the dyed fabrics were also studied. Overall, with a maximum dye uptake of 99 % and 90 % achieved for sulfonated PPS and quaternized PPS respectively, the optimized conditions can be readily scaled-up to the commercial dyeing of PPS fiber with disperse, anionic, and cationic dyes.     

Enzymological,histological, and serum biomarker responses of snubnose pompano on complete replacement of fishmeal using cottonseed meal supplemented with lysine and methionine in the diet

Fish Physiology and Biochemistry - In a feeding experiment, cottonseed meal (CSM) was used to replace fishmeal (FM) in the diet of snubnose pompano, Trachinotus blochii, supplemented with lysine...     

Ecophysiological attributes of Mikania micrantha,an exotic invasive weed,at two different elevations in the tropical forest regions of the Western Ghats,South India

Mikania micrantha H.B.K. is a fast‐growing, perennial vine and one of the world's worst alien invasive weeds. It is a major threat to agro‐ecosystems, plantation crops and agro‐forestry systems. An attempt was made to understand the physiological adaptation and ecological amplitude of M. micrantha at two different altitudes and seasons in the Western Ghats of south India. The relationships between the net photosynthetic rate (P_N) and other physiological parameters, like stomatal conductance (g_s), transpiration rate, intercellular CO₂ concentration, vapor pressure deficit and water use efficiency, and environmental factors, like photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), leaf temperature and air temperature, were analyzed in order to understand their physiological adaptabilities. The P_N exhibited a peak at 10.00 hours and declined gradually at both elevations; however, the populations at the lower elevation had a significantly greater P_N than the populations at the higher elevation in November. The P_N and g_s were positively correlated with the PAR. Under significantly different PAR levels, the difference in the average P_N was not significant for summer but was significant for winter between the two elevations. It suggested that the photosynthetic ability of M. micrantha is not affected by a difference in altitude (451 m and 912 m), as the differences in the environmental parameters were inconspicuous between the two elevations. These results indicated that this weed possesses great phenotypic plasticity and thrives better at lower elevations.     

Tartaric acid catalyzed furfurylation of beech wood

European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) is a major tree species of European forest which is underexploited because of its low dimensional stability and durability. Similarly to what has been developed with radiata pine, furfurylation might be the answer to optimize the utilization of local beech wood. Beech wood furfurylation process was studied using five different catalysts: maleic anhydride, maleic acid, citric acid, itaconic acid, and tartaric acid. Optimization of the furfurylation process was investigated for different catalyst and furfuryl alcohol (FA) contents, and different duration of polymerization. The following properties were studied: weight percent gain (WPG), leachability, anti-swelling efficiency (ASE), wettability, modulus of elasticity, modulus of rupture, Brinell hardness, and decay durability. Tartaric acid, never investigated up to now, was retained as catalyst to perform furfurylation due to its efficacy compared to other catalysts and its novelty. Wood modification with FA and tartaric acid as catalyst led to samples with high WPG even after leaching, improved ASE, and lower wettability with water. Increasing the polymerization duration increased the fixation of FA in treated wood. Most of all, treatment gave a significant improvement in mechanical properties and resistance to wood decaying fungi.     

Immunomodulation and interferon gamma gene expression in sutchi cat fish,Pangasianodon hypophthalmus: effect of dietary fucoidan rich seaweed extract (FRSE) on pre and post challenge period

A 45‐days feeding trial was conducted to study the immunomodulatory effect and interferon gamma gene expression of dietary fucoidan rich seaweed extract (FRSE) from Sargassum wightii on Pangasianodon hypophthalmus fingerlings. One hundred and eighty fingerlings were distributed into six experimental groups in triplicates. Each group was stocked with 10 fish and fed to satiation with iso‐nitrogenous (34.96 ± 0.09–35.18 ± 0.03 CP%) and iso‐caloric (368.65 ± 0.86–375.09 ± 0.26 Kcal/100 g) purified diets containing either 0% FRSE (control), 1% FRSE (TF₁), 2% FRSE (TF₂), 3% FRSE (TF₃), 3% seaweed powder (TS₃) or 6% seaweed powder (TS₆) in the feed. After feeding trial the experimental fish were challenged with Aeromonas hydrophila. Immunological parameters like respiratory burst activity, lysozyme activity, phagocytic activity and total leukocyte count (TLC) were increased with the increasing level of dietary FRSE, whereas serum Albumin/Globulin (A/G) ratio and blood glucose level exhibited decreasing trend (P < 0.05). Increased TLC, blood glucose level, respiratory burst activity, serum A/G ratio, lysozyme and phagocytic activities were recorded during the post‐challenge period. Maximum expression of interferon gamma (IFN‐γ) gene was recorded in FRSE fed groups than the control group both in pre and post challenge condition. After challenged with A. hydrophila the highest survival was observed in TF₂ and TF₃ groups whereas lowest survival was observed in the control group. Hence, dietary supplementation of FRSE at an optimum level of 2% reduced the stress and improved the immune status of P. hypophthalmus fingerlings.     

Influence of thermal power station effluents on hydrobiology of seawater

The hydrobiological parameters of the waters in the vicinity of ash slurry and cooling water outfall from Ennore Thermal Power Station located on the shore of Bay of Bengal, Madras were determined. In the outfall site, an increase in mean temperature (35 °C), salinity (3.5%), nitrite ? N (25 μg L^?1), ammonia ? N (185 μg L^?1), phosphate ? P (1 mg L^?1), silicate ? SiO₂ (1.65 mg L^?1), chlorophyll a (21.1 mg m^?3), respiration (76% of gross production), suspended solids (3.84 g L^?1), BOD (3.65 mg O₂) and decrease in pH (8.1), dissolved oxygen (DO) (5.5 mg L^?1), nitrate ? N (15 jig L^?1), gross production (16.6 Mg C m^?3 hr^?1) were recorded. Phaeopigment and respiration were inversely related with chlorophyll a and net productivity, respectively. Microbial biomass varied spatially, but was generally low (114.5 jig L^?1), at the outfall site. The hydrobiological characteristics of water with high turbidity indicate that the ash slurry and coolant water play a crucial role in a localized area resulting in environmental disturbance. The effect was profoundly influenced by an initial dilution, dispersion, wave mixing and current direction. The ecological relationships between these parameters and their implications in coastal pollution are discussed.     

Metabolic responses of juvenile GIFT strain of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) to dietary L‐tryptophan supplementation

A 60‐day indoor feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary tryptophan supplementation on growth performances, whole‐body chemical composition, expression of muscle growth‐related genes (MyoD, myogenin and myostatin), and haematological and biochemical responses of juvenile genetically improved farmed tilapia (GIFT). Five corn–soy‐based isonitrogenous and isoenergetic diets were formulated to contain graded levels of dietary tryptophan (2.6, 3.2, 3.7, 4.2 and 4.8 g/kg of diet). Each diet was randomly assigned to triplicate groups of 30 fish (5.3 ± 0.1 g) per experimental unit, which were fed thrice a day (9:00, 13:00 and 17:00 hr). Maximum growth performances and feed utilization were observed in fish fed tryptophan at 3.7 g/kg of diet. There was no significant (p > .05) effect on whole‐body composition and amino acid profile by dietary tryptophan supplementation. However, significant (p < .05) differences were observed in plasma metabolites and the mRNA expression of MyoD, myogenin and myostatin. Serum cortisol level was found significantly lowest in fish fed tryptophan at 3.7 g/kg of diet. Second‐order polynomial regression analysis of weight gain and nitrogen gain against dietary tryptophan levels indicated that the optimum dietary tryptophan requirement for maximum growth and feed utilization of juvenile GIFT tilapia was 3.8 g/kg of diet.