A typology of sloping and mountainous olive plantation systems to address natural resources management

Olive plantation systems occur in a wide variety throughout the Mediterranean, especially in sloping and mountainous areas. Recent drivers of change, including the widespread introduction of mechanisation, increased use of (chemical) inputs and (drip)irrigation have considerably added to this diversity. The various systems have very different resource use patterns and environmental and social performances. This article attempts to grasp these differences and to link systems characteristics to options for natural resources management in the spirit of contemporary agricultural policies that seek to promote a more sustainable agriculture. Cluster analysis was employed to classify 28 olive plantation systems distinguished by regional typologies developed for six study areas: Trás‐os‐Montes (Portugal), Córdoba and Granada/Jaén (both in Spain), Haffouz (Tunisia), Basilicata/Salerno (Italy) and West‐Crete (Greece). Six types of olive plantation systems resulted: (a) very extensive, (b) traditional extensive, (c) semi‐intensive low input, (d) semi‐intensive high input, (b) intensive and (e) organic. Natural resources management options to address soil erosion, low biodiversity, wildfire risk and excessive water use are explored for each of these systems. In the discussion, it becomes evident that an important quality for a typology lies in its capacity to differentiate likely future development pathways. If options are known, policy‐makers can make choices as to what the desired pathway is and what instruments to design to facilitate it.     

Diamondback moth females oviposit more on plants infested by non‐parasitised than by parasitised conspecifics

Abstract 1. When offered a choice, female diamondback moths (Plutella xylostella) oviposited more eggs on plants with non‐parasitised conspecific larvae than on plants with parasitised larvae. 2. The leaf area consumed by parasitised larvae was significantly lower than that by non‐parasitised larvae. However, this quantitative difference in larval damage did not explain the female’s ability to discriminate between plants with parasitised and non‐parasitised larvae, as females showed an equal oviposition preference for plants infested by higher or lower densities of non‐parasitised larvae. 3. Pupal weight and duration of the larval stage of P. xylostella were independent of whether larvae were reared on plants that were previously infested by either non‐parasitised or parasitised larvae. 4. The larval parasitoid Cotesia vestalis did not distinguish between plants infested by non‐parasitised larvae and plants infested by larvae that had already been parasitised by conspecific wasps. 5. Based on these data, it can be concluded that the moth oviposition preference for plants infested by non‐parasitised conspecifics relative to plants infested by parasitised conspecifics was not explained by plant quality or by the attractiveness of plants towards wasps. It is hypothesised that one of the reasons for this preference is avoidance of plants where a relatively high risk of parasitism is expected due to the emergence of parasitoids from the parasitised host larvae.     

籼爪交水稻F_2群体的蒸煮食味品质研究

分析了籼型高直链淀粉恢复系CG133R与糯性爪哇稻22号杂交衍生的F2群体的蒸煮品质变异及其与淀粉粘滞性特征间的相关性,以及F2群体颗粒结合淀粉合成酶(Wxa基因)和可溶性淀粉合成酶(SSⅡ-3基因)主效基因的遗传。结果表明:蒸煮品质指标和RVA谱特征值在F2群体中广泛分离,其中变异最大的是消减值,其次为胶稠度、直链淀粉含量。高直链淀粉材料各理化指标与RVA谱特征值的相关性不显著;RVA谱特征值在中、低直链淀粉含量和糯稻群体中与各理化指标存在显著或极显著相关;在中、低直链淀粉材料中,RVA谱特征值与糊化温度(GT)也存在显著或极显著相关。用Wxa基因和SSⅡ-3基因的分子标记检测到这两个基因在F2群体中存在偏分离,分别指向两个亲本类型。除高直链淀粉材料外,可以通过RVA谱特征值来辅助筛选优质水稻品种。     

基于DUS测试的上海粳稻地方品种遗传多样性分析

利用水稻DUS测试指南(2012版)中的38个水稻标准品种和52个基本测试性状对上海地区的172个粳稻地方品种进行遗传多样性分析,并与14个上海地区选育的申请品种保护的粳稻品种作比较。结果表明:地方品种表型性状共检测到176个等位变异,平均每个测试性状检测到3.6667个,变幅介于1~8个。Shannon's多样性指数(H')平均值为0.6834,变幅介于0~1.9327,77.08%的性状存在3个及以上的等位变异;地方品种的等位变异数、每个性状的等位变异数及其变异幅度、多样性指数平均值等均大于现代育成品种,在外观形态上,地方品种的遗传多样性比现代育成品种更丰富。利用UPGMA法进行聚类分析发现在相似系数为0.53时,可将186个粳稻品种分为3个类(亚)群,现代育成品种单独组成一个亚群;而主坐标分析将186个粳稻品种明显的分为地方品种和现代育成品种两大区。地方品种具有丰富的多样性,与现代育成品种具有明显的形态差异,可为今后粳稻育成品种的改良提供更多的形态基础。     

新疆野生油菜胞质雄性不育系1193A对应恢复基因的SSR标记分析

以油菜细胞质雄性不育系1193A和恢复系1193R2为亲本构建F2分离群体,并运用BSA法构建了可育和不育基因池。利用1521对SSR引物进行了多态性分析,结果表明有36对引物在亲本和基因池间都表现多态性,用F2单株验证表明有11对引物与恢复基因连锁,离恢复基因较近的2个标记CB10316和Bn GMS171分布在恢复基因Rf的两侧,遗传距离分别为3.9 c M和5.7 c M,可作为恢复系标记辅助育种的候选标记。     

Potential of Pteris vittata to Remove Tetracycline Antibiotics from Aquatic Media

The role of combined arsenic and antibiotics pollution in the environment has recently gained more attention. In this study, a new approach to eliminate tetracycline antibiotics (TCs) from water, via the fern species Pteris vittata (L.), an arsenic hyperaccumulator, was investigated. The encouraging results showed that more than half of the TCs could be removed from the water solution (with the starting concentration of TCs about 1.0 mg kg^?1 respectively) after one day of treatment. No TCs (less than 0.01 mg kg^?1) were detected in the solution after five days of treatment. The results showed that Pteris vittata has high ability to eliminate TCs, which makes it suitable for practical application. Further research found that TCs concentrations were very low in both the roots and the pinnae of Pteris vittata, which indicates that accumulation in the fronds is not the main removal mechanism and that degradation in the fronds might be the main cause. Present results provide a feasible method for simultaneous removal of arsenic and TCs from livestock-polluted wastewater. However, more research work should be done before any real-world application is made.     

Brackish Eutrophic Water Treatment by Iris pseudacorus L.-Planted Microcosms: Physiological Responses of Iris pseudacorus L. to Salinity

Iris pseudacorus L. has been widely used in aquatic ecosystem to remove nutrient and has achieved positive effects. However, little is known regarding the nutrient-removal performance and physiological responses of I. pseudacorus for brackish eutrophic water treatment due to high nutrients combined with certain salinity levels. In this study, I. pseudacorus-planted microcosms were established to evaluate the capacity of I. pseudacorus to remove excessive nutrients from fresh (salinity 0.05%) and brackish (salinity 0.5%) eutrophic waters. The degradation of total nitrogen and ammonia nitrogen were not affected by 0.5% salinity; 0.5% salinity promoted the degradation of nitrate nitrogen while severely inhibited the degradation of total phosphorus. Additionally, 0.5% salinity was found to induce stress responses quantified by measuring six physiological indexes. Compared to 0.05% salinity, 0.5% salinity resulted in significant decreases in the chlorophyll a, b and total chlorophyll contents of I. pseudacorus which closely related to photosynthesis (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the higher proline, malondialdehyde contents and antioxidant enzyme activities were detected in I. pseudacorus exposed to 0.5% salinity, which provided protection against reactive oxygen species. The results highlight that the cellular stress assays are efficient for monitoring the health of I. pseudacorus in salinity shock-associated constructed wetlands.     

Trace analysis of N‐acetyl‐L‐cysteine using luminol–H2O2 chemiluminescence system catalyzed by silver nanoparticles

N‐Acetyl‐L‐cysteine (NAC) can inhibit the luminol–H₂O₂, reaction, which is catalyzed by silver nanoparticles. Based on this phenomenon a new method was developed for NAC determination. Under optimum conditions, a linear relationship between chemiluminescence intensity and NAC concentration was found in the range 0.034–0.98 µg/mL. The detection limit was 0.010 µg/mL (S/N =3), and the relative standard deviation (RSD) was <5% for 0.480 µg/mL NAC (n =5). This simple, sensitive and inexpensive method has been applied to measure the concentration of NAC in pharmaceutical tablets. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The marine n-3 PUFA DHA evokes cytoprotection against oxidative stress and protein misfolding by inducing autophagy and NFE2L2 in human retinal pigment epithelial cells

Accumulation and aggregation of misfolded proteins is a hallmark of several diseases collectively known as proteinopathies. Autophagy has a cytoprotective role in diseases associated with protein aggregates. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common neurodegenerative eye disease that evokes blindness in elderly. AMD is characterized by degeneration of retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells and leads to loss of photoreceptor cells and central vision. The initial phase associates with accumulation of intracellular lipofuscin and extracellular deposits called drusen. Epidemiological studies have suggested an inverse correlation between dietary intake of marine n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and the risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases, including AMD. However, the disease-preventive mechanism(s) mobilized by n-3 PUFAs is not completely understood. In human retinal pigment epithelial cells we find that physiologically relevant doses of the n-3 PUFA docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) induce a transient increase in cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels that activates the oxidative stress response regulator NFE2L2/NRF2 (nuclear factor, erythroid derived 2, like 2). Simultaneously, there is a transient increase in intracellular protein aggregates containing SQSTM1/p62 (sequestosome 1) and an increase in autophagy. Pretreatment with DHA rescues the cells from cell cycle arrest induced by misfolded proteins or oxidative stress. Cells with a downregulated oxidative stress response, or autophagy, respond with reduced cell growth and survival after DHA supplementation. These results suggest that DHA both induces endogenous antioxidants and mobilizes selective autophagy of misfolded proteins. Both mechanisms could be relevant to reduce the risk of developing aggregate-associate diseases such as AMD.     

Chronic L‐DOPA induces hyperactivity,normalization of gait and dyskinetic behavior in MitoPark mice

Dopamine (DA) replacement therapy continues to be the gold standard treatment for Parkinson's disease (PD), as it improves key motor symptoms including bradykinesia and gait disturbances. With time, treatment induces side effects in the majority of patients, known as L‐DOPA‐induced dyskinesia (LID), which are often studied in animals by the use of unilateral, toxin‐induced rodent models. In this study, we used the progressive, genetic PD model MitoPark to specifically evaluate bilateral changes in motor behavior following long‐term L‐DOPA treatment at three different stages of striatal DA depletion. Besides locomotor activity, we assessed changes in gait with two automated gait analysis systems and the development of dyskinetic behavior. Long‐term treatment with a moderate, clinically relevant dose of L‐DOPA (8 mg/kg) gradually produced age‐dependent hyperactivity in MitoPark mice. In voluntary and forced gait analyses, we show that MitoPark mice with severe DA depletion have distinct gait characteristics, which are normalized to control levels following long‐term L‐DOPA treatment. The cylinder test showed an age‐dependent and gradual development of bilateral LID. Significant increase in striatal FosB and prodynorphin expression was found to accompany the behavior changes. Taken together, we report that MitoPark mice model both behavioral and biochemical characteristics of long‐term L‐DOPA treatment in PD patients and provide a novel, consistent and progressive animal model of dyskinesia to aid in the discovery and evaluation of better treatment options to counteract LID.