bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Screening Soybean for Adaptation to Relay Intercropping Systems: Associations between Reproductive Organ Abscission and Yield
Authors: Du Qing , Chen Ping , Zheng Benchuan , Hu Yongchun , Yang Wenyu , Yong Taiwen
Published: October 2022

The flower and pod abscission is one of the characteristics of soybean that severely limits yield, especially when intercropped with maize. Therefore, suitable soybean cultivars for intercropping are urgently needed to improve farmland productivity. We conducted a two-year field experiment to evaluate the flower and pod abscission, dry matter production, and yield advantages of 15 soybean cultivars. The results of the principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis (CA) showed that 15 soybean cultivars were classified into three groups, i.e., high-yielding group (HYG), mid-yielding cultivars (MYG), and low-yielding cultivars (LYG). In the HYG group, ND12 and GX3 had characteristics of more flowers and pods and less abscission of flowers and pods. Moreover, the net assimilation rate (NAR) and relative growth rate (RGR) of HYG were significantly higher than the other. The HYG obtained a considerably higher partition ratio of 53% from biomass to seed than the other. Therefore, selecting and breeding cultivars with the characteristics of more flowers and pods and less abscission of flowers and pods can help to increase soybean yield in intercropping.
Water Stress Effects on the Morphological, Physiological Characteristics of Maize (Zea mays L.), and on Environmental Cost
Authors: Laskari Maria , Menexes George , Kalfas Ilias , Gatzolis Ioannis , Dordas Christos
Published: October 2022

Water stress is one of the most important yield constraints on crop productivity for many crops, and especially for maize, worldwide. In addition, climate change creates new challenges for crop adaptation as water stress appears even in areas where, until recently, there was an adequate water supply. The objective of the present study was to determine the effect of water availability on the morphological and physiological characteristics of maize, and also on the environmental cost under field conditions. The lowest water treatment (ET50) reduced leaf area index, plant height, chlorophyll content, assimilation rate and gas exchange parameters, photosynthetic efficiency, and silage yield. Furthermore, mild water stress (ΕΤ70) affected the characteristics that were studied but maintained a high crop yield. Moreover, the outputs/inputs ratio and energy efficiency showed similar trends, with the highest values under ΕΤ100 treatment and the lowest under ΕΤ50 treatment in two consecutive years. Therefore, the results of this study can be used by farmers in the Mediterranean area, who can maintain or improve their crop yield using a lower amount of water when the water supply is limited, thereby contributing to reducing the impact of global climate change and maintaining crop productivity.
Study on the Natural Ventilation Characteristics of a Solar Greenhouse in a High-Altitude Area
Authors: Liang Bohua , Zhao Shumei , Li Yanfeng , Wang Pingzhi , Liu Zhiwei , Zhang Jingfu , Ding Tao
Published: October 2022

The ventilation rate of a greenhouse is one of the major factors to consider when assessing its ventilation performance. Compared with plain areas, high-altitude areas have lower air pressure, thinner air, and stronger solar radiation, which in turn affect the magnitude of the local greenhouse ventilation rate. This paper is based on the use of online monitoring and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques for modeling and model validation. The average relative error (ARE), mean absolute error (MAE), root-mean-square error (RMSE), and determination coefficient (R2) of the temperature were 4.88%, 1.396 °C, 1.428 °C, and 0.9982, respectively. The ARE, MAE, RMSE, and R2 of the velocity were 9.525%, 0.035 m/s, 0.049 m/s, and 0.9869, respectively. Then, the distributions of the wind pressure, Reynolds number (Re), thermal pressure, air density, air speed, and temperature in greenhouses in high-altitude and plain areas were researched to obtain the relevant factors affecting the ventilation rates of greenhouses in high-altitude areas. In addition, correlation analyses were conducted for five variables affecting the ventilation rate: the inlet velocity, the temperature difference between the inside and outside of the greenhouse, the air density difference between the inside and outside of the greenhouse, total indoor radiation, and the internal heat source of the crop, and the coefficients of their correlations with the greenhouse ventilation rate were 1.0, −0.83, −0.72, −0.72, and 0.68, respectively. A natural ventilation rate model for plateau areas was developed, with the ARE, RMSE, and R2 between the sample values and fitted values determined to be 4.55%, 0.543 m3/s, and 0.9997, respectively. The model was validated by predicting the greenhouse ventilation rate in winter (3 January 2022), and the ARE, RMSE, and R2 of the sample values and predicted values were 9.726%, 8.435 m3/s, and 0.9901, respectively. This study provides a theoretical basis for further research on greenhouse ventilation characteristics in high-altitude areas.
Herbicide Resistance Status of Italian Ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) and Alternative Herbicide Options for Its Effective Control in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain of China
Authors: Li Wei , Wu Cuixia , Wang Mali , Jiang Minghao , Zhang Jingxu , Liao Min , Cao Haiqun , Zhao Ning
Published: October 2022

Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) was introduced into China as a kind of turfgrass and has invaded wheat fields of the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain, causing great losses to grain yield. The acetyl–CoA carboxylase (ACCase) inhibitor clodinafop-propargyl and the acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibitor mesosulfuron-methyl are highly efficient herbicides that have been widely used for control of this species, which has also resulted in its resistance evolution. However, the resistance status of L. multiflorum in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain of China remains unclear, which hinders the integrated management of this weed in winter wheat production systems. In the current study, a total of 37 L. multiflorum populations were collected from the wheat fields across the region, and their susceptibility to clodinafop-propargyl and mesosulfuron-methyl was assessed. Of these, 13 populations were resistant or evolving resistance to clodinafop-propargyl (R?, RR, and RRR) with resistance index (RI) ranging from 2.62 to 830.05, and 8 populations were resistant or evolving resistance to mesosulfuron-methyl (R? and RR) with RI ranging from 3.89 to 16.68. Seven populations showed multiple-resistance to both clodinafop-propargyl and mesosulfuron-methyl. Three ACCase (I1781L, I2041N, and D2078G) and four ALS (P197T, P197S, P197A, and W574L) resistance mutations were identified in the herbicide-resistant populations, and I1781L and P197T were predominant ACCase and ALS mutations, respectively. Real-time quantitative PCR assays showed that compared with the susceptible population, the ACCase expression was slightly upregulated in some of the clodinafop-propargyl-resistant populations (AH-01 and AH-05) following clodinafop-propargyl treatment, while the ALS expression in the mesosulfuron-methyl-resistant populations showed no significant change following mesosulfuron-methyl treatment. Whole-plant dose-response testing showed that the AH-01 population carrying an ACCase gene I2041N mutation exhibited cross-resistance to all the ACCase inhibitors tested and multiple-resistance to the ALS inhibitor bispyribac-sodium, the AH-05 population carrying an ACCase gene I1781L mutation and an ALS gene P197T mutation showed cross-resistance to all the ACCase and ALS inhibitors tested, and the HN-07 population carrying an ACCase gene D2078G mutation showed cross-resistance to all the ACCase inhibitors tested and multiple-resistance to some ALS inhibitors. All the resistant populations remained susceptible to the 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate inhibitor glyphosate and the photosystem II inhibitor isoproturon. This study has clarified the distributions of clodinafop-propargyl- and/or mesosulfuron-methyl-resistant L. multiflorum in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain of China, and target gene mutation was one of the most common mechanisms responsible for the resistance.
Melatonin Pretreatment Alleviated Inhibitory Effects of Drought Stress by Enhancing Anti-Oxidant Activities and Accumulation of Higher Proline and Plant Pigments and Improving Maize Productivity
Authors: Gul Nasib , Haq Zia Ul , Ali Hina , Munsif Fazal , Hassan Syed Shams ul , Bungau Simona
Published: October 2022

Drought stress has been shown to have harmful effects on crop productivity worldwide, including in Pakistan, due to rapid climate change scenarios. Extensive work has been reported on the influential role of melatonin (MEL) in either foliar or seed-primed applications; however, its role in root application is seldom reported. We investigated plant biochemical responses, including anti-oxidants, plant pigments, leaf water characteristics, and maize crop production, with MEL treatment under mild and severe drought stress. Maize Cvar. Jalal was subjected to drought stress (60% and 80% of full irrigation) at the four-leaf stage, and MEL was applied as pretreatment with irrigation water at different doses (0, 100, and 200µM). The findings of the study revealed that the Chl a, b, and a + b contents and the carotenoid content significantly increased with MEL application during severe and mild drought stress. After applying 200 µM MEL, leaf water attributes, comprising relative water content (RWC), leaf water content (LWC), and relative saturation deficit (RSD), increased by 1.9%, 100%, and 71.2%, respectively, during mild drought and 17%, 133%, and 32% under severe drought. The anti-oxidant activities of POD, CAT, and APX were remarkably enhanced with MEL during drought stress. Our results showed that root application of 200 µM melatonin boosted seed yield and water productivity by 31% and 38%, and plant biomass increased by 32% and 29% under mild and severe drought stressors compared to plants with no MEL, leading to increased drought tolerance.
The Effect of Selenium Foliar Application on the Physiological Responses of Edamame under Different Water Treatments
Authors: Moloi Makoena Joyce , Khoza Bongiwe Minah
Published: October 2022

Drought has devastating effects on crops, posing enormous risks to food security. This study investigated the impact of foliar applied selenium [at four concentrations (25, 50 and 75 mg/L)] on the photosynthesis capacity, antioxidative enzyme activities [ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and guaiacol peroxidase (GPX)] and yield parameters of a drought susceptible edamame under optimal watering and drought-stressed conditions. The study was conducted in the greenhouse under controlled conditions with leaf sampling done at vegetative, flowering and pod filling stages. Treatment of drought-stressed plants with selenium selectively induced PIabs and chlorophyll content at the vegetative stage. Ascorbate peroxidase was the only parameter induced at the flowering stage by selenium under drought stress. Selenium had no effect on all parameters under drought stress at pod filling, suggesting that the efficacy of selenium declines with time. In addition, yield parameters were not substantially affected by selenium under drought stress. Although selenium was effective for selected parameters, the application should only be limited to edamame growing under drought stress because, under well-watered conditions, it had negative impacts. Future studies should explore the responses drought stressed edamame after secondary application of selenium (i.e., at vegetative, flowering and pod filling).
Predicting In-Season Corn Grain Yield Using Optical Sensors
Authors: Oglesby Camden , Fox Amelia A. A. , Singh Gurbir , Dhillon Jagmandeep
Published: October 2022

In-season sensing can account for field variability and improve nitrogen (N) management; however, opportunities exist for refinement. The purpose of this study was to compare different sensors and vegetation indices (VIs) (normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI); normalized difference red edge (NDRE); Simplified Canopy Chlorophyll Content Index (SCCCI)) at various corn stages to predict in-season yield potential. Additionally, different methods of yield prediction were evaluated where the final yield was regressed against raw or % reflectance VIs, relative VIs, and in-season yield estimates (INSEY, VI divided by growing degree days). Field experiments at eight-site years were established in Mississippi. Crop reflectance data were collected using an at-leaf SPAD sensor, two proximal sensors: GreenSeeker and Crop Circle, and a small unmanned aerial system (sUAS) equipped with a MicaSense sensor. Overall, relative VI measurements were superior for grain yield prediction. MicaSense best predicted yield at the VT-R1 stages (R2 = 0.78–0.83), Crop Circle and SPAD at VT (R2 = 0.57 and 0.49), and GreenSeeker at V10 (R2 = 0.52). When VIs were compared, SCCCI (R2 = 0.40–0.49) outperformed other VIs in terms of yield prediction. Overall, the best grain yield prediction was achieved using the MicaSense-derived SCCCI at the VT-R1 growth stages.
Critical Evaluation of Biocontrol Ability of Bayoud Infected Date Palm Phyllospheric Bacillus spp. Suggests That In Vitro Selection Does Not Guarantee Success in Planta
Authors: Boulahouat Sarah , Cherif-Silini Hafsa , Silini Allaoua , Chenari Bouket Ali , Luptakova Lenka , Saadaoui Nora , Alenezi Faizah N. , Belbahri Lassaad
Published: October 2022

The vascular wilt of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.), also known as Bayoud and caused by Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. albedinis (FOA), is the most destructive disease in North Africa. The disease has resulted in huge economic losses due to declining crop yield and quality. The use of potential biocontrol agents is a sustainable and environmentally friendly strategy compared to synthetic fungicides. The use of date palm-associated microflora for the screening of native antagonistic bacteria with potential applications is the most promising way to control this disease. Thus, the epidemic palm groves (in the valley of M’zab-Ghardaia-Algeria) were chosen for the isolation of rhizospheric bacteria and endophytes from the soil and roots of healthy or infected plants. A total of 8 bacterial isolates (83, 84, 300, 333, 322, 260, 249, and 227) selected from 75 FOA-active strains, showed strong activity against several strains of FOA and other major plant pathogens. Their phylogenetic identification proved they belong to the genus Bacillus (Bacillus sp., B. subtilis, B. atrophaeus, B. halotolerans, B. amyloliquefasiens, and B. paralicheformis). Bacterial cultures and a cell-free culture supernatant tested alone or in co-culture showed FOA inhibitory activity. However, the effect of the co-culture did not show any synergy in both cases. Unlike diffusible compounds, volatile organic compounds did not show a significant antifungal ability. The concept of selecting biocontrol agents in vitro does not always guarantee in vivo performance. In addition to antibiosis, other strategies such as competition and resistance induction are required for biocontrol agent efficacy. To evaluate the biocontrol effect in vivo, germinated seeds of date palm were treated with bacteria, infected with the pathogen, and then incubated for 45 days at room temperature in the dark. The majority of the strains (84, 300, and 333) tested showed moderate fungistatic effects and the protection rate reached an average of 60%. In particular, promising results were obtained with B. paralicheniformis strain 260 which significantly protected palm seeds up to 85%, compared to its in vitro test where a low inhibition rate (27.77%) was recorded. Screening methods should be equipped with multifactorial or plant-mediated control mechanisms. Furthermore, these bacteria have shown other potentialities to improve plant growth and resist stressful conditions. Thus, an effective biocontrol agent must combine several beneficial characteristics to be used successfully in situ. In this respect, Bacillus remains the best candidate for biological control.
Effects of Different Irrigation and Drainage Modes on Lodging Resistance of Super Rice Japonica 9108
Authors: Hao Shurong , Ding Ting , Wang Xuan , Liu Xia , Guo Yugeng
Published: October 2022

In order to determine the optimal irrigation and drainage mode for the anti-lodging cultivation of Super Rice Japonica 9108, barrel loading tests of different irrigation and drainage modes were carried out in the Water-Saving Park of Hohai University in Nanjing from June to October in 2019 and 2020. Three treatments were set up: Frequent and Shallow Irrigation (FSI), Rain-catching and Controlled Irrigation (RC-CI) and Drought Planting with Straw mulching (DPS). In each mode, the growth index, stem morphology index, material production index and stem mechanical index of rice at yellow maturity period were measured, and their relationship with the lodging index was analyzed. The results showed that compared with FSI, the lodging index of RC-CI was reduced by an average of 24.0%. RC-CI can promote the lateral development of the base internodes, increase the accumulation of stem sheath dry matter and the internode fullness and enhance mechanical strength and anti-lodging ability of the stem. Meanwhile, RC-CI can appropriately reduce the plant height, so as to reduce the bending moment of the base internodes. As a consequence, the lodging risk was effectively reduced. The lodging index of DPS was reduced by an average of 16.0% compared with FSI. Because DPS was subject to severe water deficit, its internodes thickness and stem wall thickness were inferior to that of FSI, leading to the weakening of the mechanical strength of stem, and the morphological characteristics and mechanical characteristics of the stem were not improved. Despite this, DPS still had a strong resistance to lodging. The output rate and conversion rate of the stem sheath were reduced, and while the plant height and center of gravity height were significantly reduced, the bending moment remained low. Thus, DPS can still reduce the lodging risk of rice. Compared with FSI, the average yield of RC-CI increased by 5.8% in two years, and the average yield of DPS was reduced by 4.4% in two years. DPS under severe water deficit reduced the accumulation of dry matter in the panicle and the yield index of rice, which was not conducive to a high yield. Considering the yield and lodging resistance of the super rice “Japonica 9108”, RC-CI is the best irrigation and drainage mode, followed by DPS. This study can provide data support and theoretical support for regulating the lodging resistance of super rice through irrigation measures.
Rapeseed Leaf Estimation Methods at Field Scale by Using Terrestrial LiDAR Point Cloud
Authors: Hu Fangzheng , Lin Chengda , Peng Junwen , Wang Jing , Zhai Ruifang
Published: October 2022

Exploring the key technologies of agricultural robots is an inevitable trend in the development of smart agriculture. It is significant to continuously transplant and develop novel algorithms and models to update agricultural robots that use light detection and ranging (LiDAR) as a remote sensing method. This paper implements a method for extracting and estimating rapeseed leaves through agricultural robots based on LiDAR point cloud, taking leaf area (LA) measurement as an example. Firstly, the three-dimensional (3D) point cloud obtained with a terrestrial laser scanner (TLS) were used to extract crop phenotypic information. We then imported the point cloud within the study area into a custom hybrid filter, from which the rapeseed point cloud was segmented. Finally, a new LA estimation model, based on the Delaunay triangulation (DT) algorithm was proposed, namely, LA-DT. In this study, a crop canopy analyzer, LAI-2200C, was used to measure rapeseed LA in farmland. The measured values were employed as standard values to compare with the calculated results obtained using LA-DT, and the differences between the two methods were within 3%. In addition, 100 individual rapeseed crops were extracted, and the output of the LA-DT model was subjected to linear regression analysis. The R² of the regression equation was 0.93. The differences between the outputs of the LAI-2200C and LA-DT in these experiments passed the paired samples t-test with significant correlation (p < 0.01). All the results of the comparison and verification showed that the LA-DT has excellent performance in extracting LA parameters under complex environments. These results help in coping with the complex working environment and special working objects of agricultural robots. This is of great significance for expanding the interpretation methods of agricultural 3D information.
Enhancement of Hyphae Growth and Medium Optimization for Pleurotus eryngii-3 under Submerged Fermentation
Authors: Liu Changqing , Feng Jiajie , Wang Simin , Cao Yi , Shen Yuxiang
Published: October 2022

There are a variety of amino acids and polysaccharides contained in Pleurotus eryngii that can improve immunity and prevent cancer in humans. The purpose of this research was to investigate the improved quality hypha of P. eryngii-3, which could shorten the ripening cycle of the hypha and increase economic benefits to industries. In this paper, the quality hypha of P. eryngii-3 was investigated for the DCW, total protein, polysaccharides, laccase activity, and so on. The medium was screened and carbon and nitrogen sources were screened and optimized as 40 g/L of corn flour and soybean meal by P. eryngii-3. Then, the effects of pH, temperature, volume, and rotation speed were investigated, in which the suitable fermentation conditions were, respectively, pH = 6, a temperature of 27 °C, 90 mL of fermentation broth, and a 150 r/min rotation speed. Meanwhile, the transcription levels of Lcc1, Lcc5, Lcc8, and Lcc12 were upregulated by 10.25-, 3.32-, 2.33-, and 6.29-fold, respectively, after the optimization. In addition, the response surface method of the BBD was utilized for further improvements to the DCW by P. eryngii-3, in which the optimized DCW reached 17.2345 ± 0.7845 g/L.
Influence of Aged Wood Biochar on Mycorrhizal Colonisation, Growth and Leaf Gas Exchange of Wheat and Clover with Different Water Regimes
Authors: Maseka Peter , Sarcheshmehpour Mehdi , Solaiman Zakaria M.
Published: October 2022

Water scarcity is one of the most limiting environmental factors for crop productivity globally, where biochar application can play a role. To test this, a glasshouse experiment was conducted with aged biochar application with water regimes on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi colonisation, plant growth, phosphorus nutrition and leaf gas exchange in wheat and subterranean clover. Six treatment combinations (two biochar levels of 0 and 6 t ha−1; and three water regimes of well-watered, water-stressed and watering intermittently) were arranged in factorial completely randomized block design with three replications. The wheat and subterranean clover were grown and harvested 14, 24, 34 and 44 days after sowing. In this study, aged biochar had no significant effect on plant growth for both wheat and clover, regardless of water regimes. Shoot and root dry weights increased in well-watered conditions compared to water-stressed conditions. Root length and colonised root length increased with biochar addition for wheat, mostly in well-watered treatment. Phosphorus uptake increased in biochar treatment, and the effect was higher in well-watered conditions. Leaf photosynthetic rate (PN), stomatal conductance (gs), intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci) and transpiration rate (E) increased with biochar addition. For clover, the effect was higher in water-stressed than well-watered conditions. These results suggest that biochar may enhance water availability to clover plants in water-stressed conditions. However, the positive effect of biochar on plant growth under water-stressed conditions, varied with plant species, needs to be explored further in a range of crop species and biochar sources in addition to the material used in the current investigation.
Insight into the Root Transcriptome of a Boron-Tolerant Triticum zhukovskyi Genotype Grown under Boron Toxicity
Authors: Pandey Anamika , Khan Mohd. Kamran , Hamurcu Mehmet , Brestic Marian , Topal Ali , Gezgin Sait
Published: October 2022

Boron (B) toxicity is an important abiotic stress that drastically damages agricultural production worldwide, mostly in arid regions. Several studies have reported large losses in wheat due to high B in arable land. The identification of different B-toxicity-tolerant wheat germplasm and using them in breeding programs to develop tolerant cultivars is a potential solution to B toxicity. However, tolerance to B toxicity in such germplasm largely relies on the molecular changes in plants under B toxicity at the transcriptome level. Thus, the aim of this study is to determine the transcriptomic response of the roots of a B-toxicity-tolerant Triticum zhukovskyi genotype, PI296968, grown in a highly toxic B environment (10 mM B) in comparison with a control (3.1 μM B) treatment. T. zhukovskyi is a hexaploid wheat species forming a separate lineage from the main wheat lineage and can be a good source of genes for various stresses. However, it has been hardly explored for tolerance to any abiotic stress condition. This study is the first in the literature reporting the B toxicity tolerance of a T. zhukovskyi genotype along with the molecular changes occurring in it under B toxicity as compared to the control treatment. In the present study, 5992 genes were found to be significantly differentially expressed, with 1679 and 4313 up- and down-regulated genes, respectively. A number of transcription factors and pathways were identified to be significantly involved in the B toxicity response of the T. zhukovskyi genotype. A total of 12582 novel transcripts were determined in the study, with 9238 and 3344 coding and noncoding transcripts, respectively. The results not only suggest several candidate genes that can be further studied to improve wheat tolerance to B toxicity in upcoming breeding programs, but also enhance the understanding of the regulatory and molecular processes behind the wheat response to B toxicity. Further experiments are suggested to functionally characterize the identified high-B-responsive genes to confirm their role in providing B toxicity tolerance to the plants.
Disentangling the Genetic Diversity of Grass Pea Germplasm Grown under Lowland and Highland Conditions
Authors: Arslan Mehmet , Yol Engin , Türk Mevlüt
Published: October 2022

Grass pea is recognized as one of the most resilient and versatile crops, thriving in extreme environments. It has also high protein content and suitable for forage production. These abilities make the crop a superior product for guaranteeing food security in changing climate conditions. To address this concern, a total of 94 accessions were assessed in relation to three qualitative and 19 quantitative traits in lowland (Antalya, Turkey) and highland (Isparta, Turkey) conditions. There were significant differences among genotypes for all agronomic traits in lowland location. The maximum biological yield was detected in GP104 and GP145 with values of 22.5 and 82.4 g in lowland and highland, respectively. The t-test of significance for mean values indicated that there were significant differences between the growing areas for all agronomic traits except for number of pods. Principal component analysis using the 11 agronomic traits including maturity, yield and yield related-traits showed that 76.4% and 72.2% variability were accounted for the first four principal components (PCs) with eigenvalues ≥ 1 in collection grown in highland and lowland, respectively. The data on variations in agronomic, quality and forage traits detected in this research provided useful genetic resources. The parental genotypes which have desired traits can be used in grass pea improvement programs to develop new cultivars.
Comparison of the Responses of Soil Enzymes, Microbial Respiration and Plant Growth Characteristics under the Application of Agricultural and Food Waste-Derived Biochars
Authors: Mustafa Adnan , Holatko Jiri , Hammerschmiedt Tereza , Kucerik Jiri , Skarpa Petr , Kintl Antonin , Racek Jakub , Baltazar Tivadar , Malicek Ondrej , Brtnicky Martin
Published: October 2022

The conversion of bio-wastes to useful products such as biochar provide a suitable option not only to minimize the mass of wastes, but also to use the biochar as soil amendment. In the present study, food waste biochar (FWB) and agricultural waste derived biochar (AB), either alone or in combination (FWB + AB), were tested for their effects on soil microbiological characteristics (soil enzymes, soil basal as well as substrate-induced respiration), plant growth and photosynthetic parameters. Four treatments were tested: control, FWB, AB and FWB + AB. The results indicated that the application of AB significantly enhanced the plant above ground and below ground fresh and dry biomass as compared to other amendments and control (+41 to +205% compared to control). The application of FWB enhanced the quantum yield of photosystem II (QY-max, +4% compared to control) and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI, +13% compared to control). Moreover, the FWB application improved the soil dehydrogenase (DHA) activity (+24% compared to control). Furthermore, the soil basal respiration was found to be increased under AB application (+46% compared to control) and the substrate-induced respirations were relatively decreased, depicting negative effects of applied biochars on substrate-induced respirations. Thus, we concluded that the differential responses of observed crop and soil attributes might be related to the biochar specific effects on soil properties.
Lethal and Sublethal Effects of Fluxametamide on Rice-Boring Pest, Rice Stem Borer Chilo suppressalis
Authors: Li Yao , Wang Yingnan , Qian Chenglong , Tang Tao , Shen Ning , Wu Wei , Wang Jianming , Han Zhaojun , Zhao Chunqing
Published: October 2022

(1) Background: Fluxametamide is a novel isoxazoline insecticide. Rice stem borer Chilo suppressalis (Walker) is a destructive Lepidoptera pest of rice in China, and novel effective insecticides are required to be developed for controlling it due to its increasing resistance levels. (2) Results: In the lethal assay, the insecticidal activity of fluxametamide with median lethal dose (LD50) value of 1.308 mg/kg to the fourth-instar larvae of C. suppressalis was higher than that of chlorantraniliprole (LD50, 3.112 mg/kg) and lower than that of emamectin benzoate (LD50, 0.006 mg/kg). In the sublethal (LD10 and LD30) assay, the duration of third to sixth-instar larvae, the pupal duration, pupation rate, and life cycle rate were significantly increased in F0 generation. Both the length and weight of the ovarian tube were decreased with the dose increase of fluxametamide, and were significantly smaller in the LD30 treatment than those of the control group. In F1 generation, only the duration of eggs was significantly increased with LD30 treatment of fluxametamide, whereas other developmental parameters had no significant change. (3) Conclusion: Fluxametamide had relatively strong lethal and sublethal effects on C. suppressalis and probably was able to affect the population growth and progeny of C. suppressalis.
Dimensionality Reduction Statistical Models for Soil Attribute Prediction Based on Raw Spectral Data
Authors: Wei Marcelo Chan Fu , Canal Filho Ricardo , Tavares Tiago Rodrigues , Molin José Paulo , Vieira Afrânio Márcio Corrêa
Published: October 2022

To obtain a better performance when modeling soil spectral data for attribute prediction, researchers frequently resort to data pretreatment, aiming to reduce noise and highlight the spectral features. Even with the awareness of the existence of dimensionality reduction statistical approaches that can cope with data sparse dimensionality, few studies have explored its applicability in soil sensing. Therefore, this study’s objective was to assess the predictive performance of two dimensionality reduction statistical models that are not widespread in the proximal soil sensing community: principal components regression (PCR) and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (lasso). Here, these two approaches were compared with multiple linear regressions (MLR). All of the modelling strategies were applied without employing pretreatment techniques for soil attribute determination using X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF) and visible and near-infrared diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (Vis-NIR) data. In addition, the achieved results were compared against the ones reported in the literature that applied pretreatment techniques. The study was carried out with 102 soil samples from two distinct fields. Predictive models were developed for nine chemical and physical soil attributes, using lasso, PCR and MLR. Both Vis-NIR and XRF raw spectral data presented a great performance for soil attribute prediction when modelled with PCR and the lasso method. In general, similar results were found comparing the root mean squared error (RMSE) and coefficient of determination (R2) from the literature that applied pretreatment techniques and this study. For example, considering base saturation (V%), for Vis-NIR combined with PCR, in this study, RMSE and R2 values of 10.60 and 0.79 were found compared with 10.38 and 0.80, respectively, in the literature. In addition, looking at potassium (K), XRF associated with lasso yielded an RMSE value of 0.60 and R2 of 0.92, and in the literature, RMSE and R2 of 0.53 and 0.95, respectively, were found. The major discrepancy was observed for phosphorus (P) and organic matter (OM) prediction applying PCR in the XRF data, which showed R2 of 0.33 (for P) and 0.52 (for OM) without using pretreatment techniques in this study, and R2 of 0.01 (for P) and 0.74 (for OM) when using preprocessing techniques in the literature. These results indicate that data pretreatment can be disposable for predicting some soil attributes when using Vis-NIR and XRF raw data modeled with dimensionality reduction statistical models. Despite this, there is no consensus on the best way to calibrate data, as this seems to be attribute and area specific.
Technological Tools for the Early Detection of Bovine Respiratory Disease in Farms
Authors: Puig Andrea , Ruiz Miguel , Bassols Marta , Fraile Lorenzo , Armengol Ramon
Published: October 2022

Classically, the diagnosis of respiratory disease in cattle has been based on observation of clinical signs and the behavior of the animals, but this technique can be subjective, time-consuming and labor intensive. It also requires proper training of staff and lacks sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp). Furthermore, respiratory disease is diagnosed too late, when the animal already has severe lesions. A total of 104 papers were included in this review. The use of new advanced technologies that allow early diagnosis of diseases using real-time data analysis may be the future of cattle farms. These technologies allow continuous, remote, and objective assessment of animal behavior and diagnosis of bovine respiratory disease with improved Se and Sp. The most commonly used behavioral variables are eating behavior and physical activity. Diagnosis of bovine respiratory disease may experience a significant change with the help of big data combined with machine learning, and may even integrate metabolomics as disease markers. Advanced technologies should not be a substitute for practitioners, farmers or technicians, but could help achieve a much more accurate and earlier diagnosis of respiratory disease and, therefore, reduce the use of antibiotics, increase animal welfare and sustainability of livestock farms. This review aims to familiarize practitioners and farmers with the advantages and disadvantages of the advanced technological diagnostic tools for bovine respiratory disease and introduce recent clinical applications.
Betaine: A Potential Nutritional Metabolite in the Poultry Industry
Authors: Abd El-Ghany Wafaa A. , Babazadeh Daryoush
Published: October 2022

Poultry industry has been recognized as a fast-developing sector aiming to produce low-cost and high-nutrient foods for human consumption. This review article aimed to focus on the significant roles of dietary betaine supplementation in the poultry industry. In this respect, different effects of betaine on performance and carcass traits, as well as its osmoregulatory, anticoccidial, immune-modulatory, and heat-stress alleviation activities, were discussed. Different concentrations of betaine supplementation can improve the feed conversion ratio, final body weight, breast muscle yield, egg production ratio, and reduce body fat contents in broiler chicken, turkey, duck, geese, and quail diets. Betaine supplemented with methyl groups can eliminate the need to have some methyl-group donors, including choline and methionine, therefore having positive effects on feed conversion ratio in poultry diets. The osmolytic character of betaine can alleviate heat stress and have a positive impact on tonic immobility, which consequently reduces stress in poultry. By inhibiting distinct developmental stages of Eimeria species, betaine reduces the damaging effects of coccidiosis on broiler chickens and improves intestinal structure and function. The immunological, cardiovascular, neurological, renal, and hepatic metabolic systems benefit from betaine’s osmo-protective properties. Therefore, betaine has the potential to be considered as an alternative to feed additives and enhances the health status and productive performance of poultry.
Beneficial Effect of Proline Supplementation on Goat Spermatozoa Quality during Cryopreservation
Authors: Zhang Weijing , Min Lingjiang , Li Yajing , Lang Yaning , Hoque S. A. Masudul , Adetunji Adedeji Olufemi , Zhu Zhendong
Published: October 2022

Sperm cryopreservation contributes to the extensive utilization of artificial insemination (AI) in the daily livestock industry. However, due to the presence of few sperm with good biological function in post-thaw goat sperm, its use has been limited for AI purposes. Hence, its improvement has been the focus of many research studies. This study aimed to investigate the effects of proline supplementation of the freezing medium on goat sperm. The goat semen was cryopreserved with freezing medium supplementation of different concentrations of proline (0, 0.5, 1, 2 and 4 mM). The post-thaw sperm motility patterns, membrane integrity, acrosome integrity, lipid peroxidation (LPO) levels, malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), proline dehydrogenase (PRODH) activity, superoxide dis-mutase (SOD) activity, glutathione (GSH) levels and GSH/GSSG were evaluated. Likewise, the expression and immunofluorescent localization of PRODH in post-thaw goat sperm was also detected. It was observed that addition of 2 mM proline to the freezing medium significantly enhanced post-thaw goat sperm total motility, progressive motility, straight-linear velocity (VSL), curvilinear velocity (VCL), average path velocity (VAP), straightness (STR), linearity (LIN), membrane integrity and acrosome integrity. Interestingly, PRODH was expressed in post-thaw goat sperm, especially in the post-acrosome and sperm tail. Addition of 2 mM proline also significantly increased the post-thaw sperm PRODH activity compared to the control. Moreover, post-thaw goat sperm LPO levels and MDA levels were reduced by supplementation of 2 mM proline. Furthermore, compared to the control, the values of post-thaw goat sperm T-AOC, SOD activity, GSH level and GSH/GSSG were also significantly increased in 2 mM proline treatment. Reduction of post-thaw goat sperm apoptosis in 2 mM proline treatment was also observed as the levels of Caspase3 and Caspase9 were decreased by the supplementation with 2 mM proline. These observations suggest that the addition of 2 mM proline to the freezing medium increased post-thaw goat sperm quality by reducing oxidative stress during cryopreservation. These findings also provide novel insights into the use of proline as an efficient additive to enhance post-thaw goat sperm quality during cryopreservation.
Dietary Supplementation of a Commercial Prebiotic, Probiotic and Their Combination Affected Growth Performance and Transient Intestinal Microbiota of Red Drum (Sciaenops ocellatus L.)
Authors: Yamamoto Fernando Y. , Ellis Matthew , Bowles Paul R. , Suehs Blaine A. , Carvalho Pedro L. P. F. , Older Caitlin E. , Hume Michael E. , Gatlin Delbert M.
Published: October 2022

In the present study, the potential synergism between beneficial lactic acid bacteria (Pediococcus acidilactici) contained in a probiotic and a mixture of fermentable complex carbohydrates and autolyzed brewer’s yeast (or prebiotic) were explored in red drum. Four experimental diets were formulated from practical ingredients, and the basal diet was supplemented with either probiotic, prebiotic, or both supplements. Red drum juveniles (~5.5 g) were offered the four experimental diets for 56 days, and at the end of the feeding trial fish fed diets supplemented with probiotic had significantly better weight gain than those fed the non-supplemented diets, and higher protein content in their whole-body composition. Transient intestinal microbiome alpha and beta diversity were significantly affected by the dietary treatments. Interestingly, a higher relative abundance of the lactic acid genus Pediococcus was observed for fish fed diets supplemented with the prebiotic. A higher relative abundance was also observed for the predicted functions of the microbial metagenome, and many of these pathways involved the biosynthesis of essential amino acids, vitamins, and nucleotides. Even though no potential synergistic effect was observed, the individual inclusion of these prebiotic and probiotic supplements positively affected the intestinal health and growth performance of red drum, respectively.
Effects of Wet Fermented Soybean Dregs on Physical and Mechanical Properties of Pellets of Corn Stover
Authors: Chen Tianyou , Zhang Wenyu , Liu Yuxin , Song Yuqiu , Wu Liyan , Liu Cuihong , Wang Tieliang
Published: October 2022

Pelleting experiments were carried out in this study to clarify the influence mechanism of wet-fermented soybean dregs on the forming of corn stover. The effects of addition of water or wet fermented soybean dregs on the forming quality of corn stover were comparatively studied under different corn stover particle sizes and compression displacement. The fermented soybean dregs significantly affected the relaxed density, dimensional stability coefficient, and hardness of feed pellets. The relaxed density, dimensional stability coefficient, and hardness of feed pellets increased first and then decreased with the increase of fermented soybean dregs. The forming quality of corn stover added with fermented soybean dregs was higher than that of corn stover added with the same amount of water. The mechanism allowed soybean dregs to strengthen the bonding between corn stover particles and thus improved the quality of feed pellets. A certain amount of water was favorable for corn stover pelleting, but excessive water may decrease the quality of pellets. The comprehensive analysis showed that the addition of 5–10% fermented soybean dregs to the corn stover improved the relaxed density, dimensional stability coefficient, and hardness of feed pellets by 10.76–23.51%, 7.32–15.74%, and 33.39–454.47%, respectively.
Morphological and Molecular Identification of Anisakis spp. (Nematoda: Anisakidae) in Commercial Fish from the Canary Islands Coast (Spain): Epidemiological Data
Authors: Martin-Carrillo Natalia , García-Livia Katherine , Baz-González Edgar , Abreu-Acosta Néstor , Dorta-Guerra Roberto , Valladares Basilio , Foronda Pilar
Published: October 2022

The study aimed to perform the molecular identification of Anisakis larvae in commercial fish from the coast of the Canary Islands and to provide data on their infection level for the host and the species of this nematode parasite that we could find in several species of commercial interest in the Canary Archipelago. Fish specimens (n = 172) from the Canary coasts were examined for parasites. In total, 495 larvae were identified; PCR was carried out for the entire ITS rDNA and cox2 mtDNA region, obtaining sixteen sequences for the entire ITS rDNA region and fifteen for the cox2 mtDNA, this being the first contribution of nucleotide sequences of Anisakis species of fish caught from the Canary Islands. An overall prevalence of 25% was obtained in the fish analyzed, and five species of Anisakis were identified, these being Anisakis simplex (s.s.), Anisakis pegreffii, Anisakis physeteris, Anisakis nascettii and Anisakis typica and the hybrid Anisakis simplex x Anisakis pegreffii. The results obtained in this study have relevance for public health, since the pathology will depend on the species of Anisakis, so it is important to know the health status of fish in the waters of the Canary Islands to assure a safer consumption and take adequate measures, in addition to the provision of epidemiological data.
Carcass and Meat Quality Traits of Males and Females of the “Branca” Portuguese Autochthonous Chicken Breed
Authors: Meira Márcio , Afonso Isabel M. , Casal Susana , Lopes Júlio Cesar , Domingues Jéssica , Ribeiro Virgínia , Dantas Rui , Leite José V. , Brito Nuno V.
Published: October 2022

The “Branca” breed is a dual-purpose Portuguese autochthonous chicken breed, produced in extensive systems and in small flocks, especially in the Entre Douro and Minho regions. A total of 40 birds (n = 20/sex) were slaughtered between 38 and 42 weeks (males) and 110 and 120 weeks (females), and carcass and meat quality parameters were evaluated. The results showed significantly higher weights and differences for males between sexes and pieces (p ≤ 0.05) in the meat physicochemical composition. Water holding capacity (WRC), moisture and ash contents were influenced by sex. They were higher in males in the breast and drumstick and lightness (L*) and lipid content were higher in females (p ≤ 0.05). The breast meat presented greater lightness, moisture, ash and protein contents, while the drumstick showed a higher pH value, redness (a*) and lipid content, in both sexes (p ≤ 0.05). Regarding the nutritional properties, “Branca” meat revealed a good proportion of minerals and the female meat showed, in both pieces (p ≤ 0.05), significantly lower values for total saturated fatty acids (SFAs) and higher values for monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs). Breast meat was richer in n-3-PUFAs (C22:5n-3 and C22:6n-3) in both sexes (p ≤ 0.05). Considering the results obtained, it can be concluded that “Branca” breed meat is a healthy food characterized by a good general nutritional profile.