Financial performance of diverse levels of early competition suppression and pre-commercial thinning on loblolly pine stand development

New Forests - Competition suppression within loblolly pine plantations (Pinus taeda L.) is typically carried out within the first 2 years of a plantation, but competition control for longer...     

Acclimation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Anabas testudineus</Emphasis> (Bloch) to three test temperatures influences thermal tolerance and oxygen consumption

Teleost fish have developed their own specific adaptive mechanism, both behavioral and physiological, to maintain homeostasis in response to unfavorable temperatures. Therefore, this study was aimed at assessing the critical thermal maxima (CT_Max), critical thermal minima (CT_Min), and oxygen consumption rate of Anabas testudineus (17.03 ± 1.2 g) after acclimating to three preset temperatures (25, 30, and 35°C) for 30 days. The CT_Max and CT_Min were 40.15, 41.40, 41.88°C and 12.43, 13.06, 13.94°C, respectively, and were significantly different (P < 0.05). The thermal tolerance polygon for the specified temperatures was 278.30°C². The oxygen consumption rate (117.03, 125.70, 198.48 mg O₂ kg⁻¹ h⁻¹, respectively) increased significantly (P < 0.05) with increasing acclimation temperatures. The overall results indicate that the thermal tolerance and oxygen consumption of A. testudineus are dependent on acclimation.     

Microbial Phytase Supplementation in Rohu, Labeo rohita, Diets Enhances Growth Performance and Nutrient Digestibility

Abstract.— A feeding trial was conducted for 60 d to study the effect of dietary microbial phytase on growth performance and nutrient digestibility of rohu, Labeo rohita , fingerlings. One hundred and twenty fingerlings (average initial weight: 9.17 g/fish) were equally distributed into five experimental tanks, each with four replicates. Five isonitrogenous (35%) and isocaloric (16.79 kJ/g) diets were prepared from plant-based ingredients, supplemented with microbial phytase at the level of 0, 250, 500, 750, and 1000 U/kg diets and fed to T₀, T₁, T₂, T₃, and T₄ groups, respectively. Weight gain %, food conversion ratio, protein efficiency ratio, and apparent net protein utilization were significantly ( P  < 0.05) improved in groups fed phytase-supplemented diets compared to control, the highest being observed in T₃ group. Maximum apparent digestibility of phosphorus and crude protein was recorded in T₃ group. Bone ash, phosphorus (P), and calcium (Ca) contents were also significantly ( P  < 0.05) increased in phytase-fed groups. However, maximum was recorded in T₃ group. Results from the present study indicated that addition of 750 U microbial phytase/kg diets effectively improved nutrient utilization, bone mineralization, and hence growth of L. rohita fingerlings.     

Influence of dietary phosphorus on mineralization and morphology of Indian major carp,catla (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Catla catla</Emphasis>) fingerlings

The present study was conducted to investigate the changes in mineralization and morphology in response to graded levels of dietary phosphorus in Indian major carp, Catla (Catla catla) fingerlings (av. wt. 4.23 ± 0.87 g). The experimental system constituted of 24 150-L capacity plastic tanks (eight treatments, three replicates) stocked with 20 fingerlings each. Eight isonitrogenous and isocaloric semi-purified diets (crude protein 35%, crude lipid 8.5%) were formulated with graded levels of phosphorus (0%-control; 0.1; 0.3; 0.5; 0.7; 0.9; 1.1; 1.3; 1.5%) using KH₂PO₄. The fish were fed twice daily with the respective feeds for a period of 120 days. The percentage of ash content in whole body, vertebrae and opercular bones was found to be significantly (P < 0.05) lower in fish fed low levels of dietary phosphorus (T₁, T₂) in comparison with other treatments. The concentration of phosphorus and calcium was found to be significantly (P < 0.05) lower in whole body, vertebrae and opercula of fish fed low phosphorus diets (T₁, T₂) relative to treatments with higher levels of dietary phosphorus supplementation. The concentration of magnesium in opercular and vertebral tissues of T₁ group was significantly (P < 0.05) lower than all other groups. The X-ray radiographs did not reveal any skeletal deformities in any of the treatments. Truss analysis showed absence of significant morphological variations between fish of different treatments. The deficiency of dietary phosphorus in catla led to significantly lower mineralization of whole body and bone tissues, but the deficiency was not severe enough to cause skeletal deformities and morphological changes in the fish.     

Cell type-specific loss of BDNF signaling mimics optogenetic control of cocaine reward

The nucleus accumbens is a key mediator of cocaine reward, but the distinct roles of the two subpopulations of nucleus accumbens projection neurons, those expressing dopamine D1 versus D2 receptors, are poorly understood. We show that deletion of TrkB, the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) receptor, selectively from D1+ or D2+ neurons oppositely affects cocaine reward. Because loss of TrkB in D2+ neurons increases their neuronal excitability, we next used optogenetic tools to control selectively the firing rate of D1+ and D2+ nucleus accumbens neurons and studied consequent effects on cocaine reward. Activation of D2+ neurons, mimicking the loss of TrkB, suppresses cocaine reward, with opposite effects induced by activation of D1+ neurons. These results provide insight into the molecular control of D1+ and D2+ neuronal activity as well as the circuit-level contribution of these cell types to cocaine reward.     

Mineral status of Pangasius pangasius (Hamilton) fingerlings in relation to supplemental phytase: absorption, whole-body and bone mineral content

A 60‐day feeding trial was conducted to quantify the effects of microbial phytase supplementation on apparent absorption, whole body and bone contents of minerals in Pangasius pangasius fingerlings. Seven isoprotein (35.67%) and isocaloric (3870 kcal kg^?1) diets were prepared with graded levels of supplemental phytase at 0 (T₁), 150 (T₂), 250 (T₃), 350 (T₄), 500 (T₅), 1000 (T₆) and 2000 (T₇) FTU (Phytase Units) kg^?1. Three hundred and fifteen fingerlings of P. pangasius (1.97–2.05 g) were randomly distributed in seven treatments with three replicates each. There was significant increase (P<0.05) in tissue protein content in phytase‐supplemented groups compared with the control. Apparent absorptions of calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), magnesium (Mg), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), iron (Fe), potassium (K), copper (Cu) and cobalt (Co) were significantly (P<0.05) higher in the phytase‐supplemented groups than the control group. Faecal ash and P contents were significantly (P<0.05) higher in the control (T₁) than the phytase‐supplemented groups. Whole‐body contents of Ca, P, Zn, Fe, Cu and Co were significantly (P<0.05) improved by the dietary supplementation of phytase‐barring Mg and Mn. Concentrations of bone Ca, P, K, Cu and Co were significantly (P<0.05) higher in phytase‐supplemented groups. Bone ash contents (40.77–44.85%) were increased concomitantly with the increased level of phytase inclusion upto 500 FTU kg^?1 diet. It was observed that a minimum dose of 250 FTU phytase kg^?1 diet improved the mineral absorption and utilization in P. pangasius fingerlings.     

Interactions of Dietary Microbial Phytase, Citric Acid and Crude Protein Level on Mineral Utilization by Rohu, Labeo rohita (Hamilton), Juveniles

A 2 × 2 × 2 factorial experiment was designed to study the effect of microbial phytase (MP), citric acid (CA), and crude protein (CP) and their interactions on mineral utilization by rohu, Labeo rohita, juveniles. Two basal diets containing 25% (subnormal) or 35% (normal) CP were supplemented with MP (units, U/kg) and CA (%) at 0, 0; 500, 0; 0, 3; and 500, 3, respectively and fed to 125 juveniles (average initial weight: 13.16 g/fish). MP did not affect fecal ash content but CA (3%) addition activated MP. Apparent absorption of Zn, its content in whole body and plasma, was significantly (P < 0.05) higher in CA‐ and MP‐fed groups. Interaction between CA and MP was found for increased absorption of Na, P, K, Mn, Mg, Fe, and N, their concentrations in whole body and plasma. Cu and Ca absorption, and their concentration in body and plasma were increased as a result of addition of CA, MP, or their interaction. Thus, bioavailability of major minerals was highest in groups fed diets containing 500‐U MP and 3% CA. This improvement was more prominent in subnormal CP diet. Growth performance was also highest in this group. Thus, CA and MP at 25% CP diet had synergistic effect on mineral bioavailability in L. rohita.     

Potentially Toxic Trace Metals in Water and Lake-Bed Sediment of Panchpokhari,an Alpine Lake Series in the Central Himalayan Region of Nepal

This study assessed the level of potentially toxic trace metals (PTMs), seasonal variations, and their possible sources from the surface water and lake-bed sediment of Panchpokhari lake series, an alpine and glacial lake at 4160 m a.s.l. in Central Nepal. The lake series have five lakes, with Lake-1 larger than others. So, Lake-1 was investigated thoroughly during pre-monsoon and post-monsoon seasons. Sediment core was collected from the deepest basin of the Lake-1 during pre-monsoon. Most of the PTM concentrations were higher in the pre-monsoon season; however, Sc, Cr, Cu, Zn, As, and Ag were higher in the post-monsoon. This is an indication that the lake has been impacted either by natural or long-range transported atmospheric pollutants. Ti, Sb, and Ag had extremely high enrichment factor (EF) in waters, whereas Cd, Zn, and As had high EF in sediments indicating that these metals originated from anthropogenic sources. Furthermore, PTM concentrations in the sediment were in the increasing order of Hg < Cd < Ag < Mo < Sb < Sn < As < U < Sc < Co < Cs < Cu < Pb < Ni < Cr < V < Zn < Rb < Mn < Ti < Fe and showed that the upper layer (top 10 cm) of lake sediment has been receiving a higher load of PTMs in the recent period. he observed EF values also suggested that major sources of PTMs in the sediment were from crustal origin except for a few metals (Ti, V, Sb, and Ag) which were enriched anthropogenically due to long-range transport of atmospheric pollutants, deposited at the higher elevations. Nevertheless, the level of pollution in sediments was low as indicated both by EF and geo-accumulation index.