Experimental investigation on the transport of different fish species in a jet fish pump

A jet fish pump with a throat of ø60 mm was designed to study its performance in the transport of different fish species and the physiological changes in fish thereafter. Experiments were conducted to investigate the fish transport rate and energy required to transport each ton of fish when transporting Carassius auratus, commonly known as the Chinese goldfish, Megalobrama amblycephala, or Wuchang bream, and Ctenopharyngodon idella, the grass carp. Fish were examined for external injuries as well as for several important enzymes and hormones which are indicators of tissue injury and stress. The results showed that the transport rate for all three species of fish rose dramatically with an increase in the primary stream rate. In this experiment, the transport rates of C. auratus, M. amblycephala and C. idella reached 2357 ± 37.2 kg ∙ h⁻¹, 2888 ± 41.6 kg ∙ h⁻¹, and 2060 ± 40.2 kg ∙ h⁻¹, respectively. However, both injury rate and energy required to transport each ton of fish increased no matter whether the primary stream rate was too low or too high. Considering both transport rate and injury rate, the mean primary stream rate of 80 m³ ∙ h⁻¹ was determined to be the optimal operating condition in this experiment. Fish were stressed and most likely some of their organs were damaged. However, most physiological indexes almost fully recovered after several hours.     

白鱼属鱼类一新种及其营养成份

本文对路南金线白鱼新种作了详细描记，新种体背体侧上方有3条金色带可与该属所有种相区别。文中对其营养成分作了分析，结果表明路南金线白鱼是营养价值很高的优质鱼种，现该物种已处于濒临灭绝状态，应加强保护。     

中国葡萄野生种对葡萄根癌病的抗性

通过田间接种鉴定，系统研究了中国葡萄属１３个种和变种的２６个株系对葡萄根癌病的抗性，筛选出高抗株系１０个。其中燕山葡萄（♀）因扦插容易生根，可用自根苗作为抗葡萄根癌病砧木进行嫁接试验，其余可用作抗葡萄根癌病的育种资源     

J172等5个柳树良种育苗试验

通过对5个柳树良种在不同类型区的扦插育苗试验,分析苗木生长量、生长季土壤含水量、土壤温度,结果表明:①各参试因素对生长量影响的程度依次为品种(系)>类型区>覆膜>扦插方法,因此在柳树壮苗培育中,应首先考虑优良品种的选择。②在不同类型区内,影响树木生长的主导生态因子亦不同。在高寒湿润区,热量是影响生长量的主导生态因子,故其覆用地膜的效果十分显著,其生长量较对照提高28.6%;在川塬区,土壤水肥是影响生长量的主导生态因子,故其覆用地膜的效果不太显著,应着重加强土壤水肥管理。     

New genes for disease resistances through somatic hybridization

Somatic hybridization, a process of combining protoplasts from different plants, can provide new sources of disease resistances for plants. In the case of wild and cultivatedSolanum species, the hybrids express resistances from each partner in the fusion and can often be crossed with cultivars to improve agronomic characteristics of the tubers. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analyses can provide a means for determining that the plants being investigated are actually hybrids as well as a means for following the introgression of DNA into progeny lines. These points are addressed in this paper with specific reference to somatic hybrids betweenSolanum brevidens and potato.     

The effects of agricultural fields and human settlements on the use of rivers by wildlife in the mid-Zambezi valley,Zimbabwe

After the eradication of the Tse-Tse fly in the Mid-Zambezi valley, human settlements and fields extended mainly along the main rivers. In order to investigate the consequences of this human development on wildlife diversity we monitored three rivers of the Mid-Zambezi valley in Zimbabwe: Angwa, Manyame and Kadzi. The rivers were divided in segments of 200 m which were checked for spoors in order to assess the number of species and the number of individuals that used the segments. Human settlements were also recorded. We used a GIS to define the spatial characteristics of the fields present along the rivers, and related them to the distribution and abundance of wild species spoors in the river beds and banks. Our results show that the number of species in one segment of the river decreased with the increasing size of the field area bordering the segment. For all the major ungulate species, the numbers of individuals recorded per segment decreased with increasing field area. A similar trend was observed for small and medium-sized carnivores, though they were in lower numbers when present. Our analyses thus confirm that the extension of human agriculture in wildlife areas has an impact on most wild species, but we also define some threshold value of field size above which there seem to be an acceleration of the decrease in wildlife density and diversity: 3.2 ha for medium and small herbivores and carnivores; only the elephant seem to tolerate larger field area with a threshold value of 32 ha.This revised version was published online in May 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Observations of Phytophthora spp. in Water Recirculation Systems in Commercial Hardy Ornamental Nursery Stock

Samples of water and sediment were taken from drains, reservoirs and wells from four commercial hardy ornamental nurseries with water recirculation systems. The samples were taken on seven different dates throughout a single year from August 1994 to July 1995. The samples were screened for Phytophthora species using five different methods: direct plating, three bait tests (using lupin seedlings, apples and Rhododendron leaves) and a DAS-ELISA (double-antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent-assay) with two antisera. In the nurseries with old water recirculation systems, Phytophthora species were detected in the drains and in the reservoirs. In the nursery with a new recirculation system, the pathogens were only present in the drains. None of the water samples from wells in any of the nurseries were contaminated. Phytophthora species were present in the water as well as in the sediment samples from drains and reservoirs. They were detected in the water recirculation systems irrespective of the season. The number of isolates increased about sevenfold between late summer and spring. At least 12 different Phytophthora species were identified: some isolates were previously unrecorded species. The epidemiology of the pathogens in outdoor water recirculation systems as well as the importance of the results for commercial nurseries is discussed.