The prevalence of deleterious mutations during the domestication and improvement of soybean

Soybean(Glycine max L.)is a protein and oil crop grown worldwide.Its fitness may be reduced by deleterious mutations,whose identification and purging is desirable for crop breeding.In the published whole-genome re-sequenced data of 2214 soybean accessions,including 221 wild soybean,1132 landrace cultivars and 861 improved soybean lines,we identified 115,275 deleterious single-nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs).Numbers of deleterious alleles increased from wild soybeans to landraces and decreased from landraces to modern improved lines.Genes in selective-sweep regions showed fewer deleterious mutations than the remaining genes.Deleterious mutations explained 4.3%-48%more phenotypic variation than randomly selected SNPs for resistance to soybean cyst nematode race 2(SCN2),soybean cyst nematode race 3(SCN3)and soybean mosaic virus race 3(SMV3).These findings illustrate how mutation load has shifted during soybean domestication,expansion and improvement and provide candidate sites for breeding out deleterious mutations in soybean by genome editing and/or conventional breeding focused on the selection of progeny with fewer deleterious alleles.

Difference in volatile profile between pericarp tissue and locular gel in tomato fruit

Aroma, a complex mixture of volatile compounds, plays an important role in the perception and acceptability of tomato products by consumers. Numerous studies have reported volatile profiles in tomatoes based on measurement of the whole fruit or pericarp tissue, however, little is understood regarding the volatile compositions in the inner tissues. The objective of this study was to investigate the differences in volatile profile between pericarp tissue and Iocular gel in tomato fruit. Based on HS-SPME-GC-MS analysis, totally 42 volatile compounds were detected in FL 47 and Tasti-Lee tomato fruits. Regardless of cultivars, a substantial higher concentration of total volatile compounds was observed in pericarp than that in/ocular gel, associated with higher levels of aldehydes, hydrocarbons, and nitrogen compounds. Pericarp tissue possessed higher levels of cis-3-hexenal, hexanal, heptanal, octanal, nonanal, cymene, terpinolene, undecane, dodecane, 2-phenylethanol, 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one, 2-methylbutyl acetate, 1-nitro-pentane, and 1-nitro-2-phenylethane, while the abundances of 2-methylpropanal, butanal, 2-methylbutanal, 2-methyl-2-butenal, 2-methylpropanol, 3-methylbutanol, 2-methylbutanol, and 2-butanone were higher in Iocular gel. Principal component analysis （PCA） and cluster analysis using GC-MS and electronic nose （E-nose） data discriminated the two tissues.

Butyrate in combination with forskolin alleviates necrotic enteritis,increases feed efficiency,and improves carcass composition of broilers

Background:The emergence of antimicrobial resistance has necessitated the development of effective alternatives to antibiotics for livestock and poultry production.This study investigated a possible synergy between butyrate and forskolin(a natural labdane diterpene)in enhancing innate host defense,barrier function,disease resistance,growth performance,and meat quality of broilers.Methods:The expressions of representative genes involved in host defense(AvBD9 and AvBD10),barrier function(MUC2,CLDN1,and TJP1),and inflammation(IL-1β)were measured in chicken HD11 macrophages in response to butyrate and forskolin in the presence or absence of bacterial lipopolysaccharides(LPS).Intestinal lesions and the Clostridium perfringens titers were also assessed in C.perfringens-challenged chickens fed butyrate and forskolincontaining Coleus forskohlii(CF)extract individually or in combination.Furthermore,growth performance and carcass characteristics were evaluated in broilers supplemented with butyrate and the CF extract for 42 d.Results:Butyrate and forskolin synergistically induced the expressions of AvBD9,AvBD10,and MUC2 in chicken HD11 cells(P<0.05)and the synergy was maintained in the presence of LPS.Butyrate and forskolin also suppressed LPS-induced IL-1βgene expression in HD11 cells in a synergistic manner(P<0.05).The two compounds significantly reduced the intestinal lesions of C.perfringens-challenged chickens when combined(P<0.05),but not individually.Furthermore,butyrate in combination with forskolin-containing CF extract had no influence on weight gain,but significantly reduced feed intake(P<0.05)with a strong tendency to improve feed efficiency(P=0.07)in a 42-d feeding trial.Desirably,the butyrate/forskolin combination significantly decreased abdominal fat deposition(P=0.01)with no impact on the carcass yield,breast meat color,drip loss,or pH of d-42 broilers.Conclusions:Butyrate and forskolin has potential to be developed as novel antibiotic alternatives to improve disease resistance,feed efficiency,and carcass composition of broilers.

Phomalactone as the Active Constituent against Mosquitoes from <i>Nigrospora spherica</i>

The culture filtrate of a plant pathogenic fungus that infected Zinnia elegans and Hydrangea macrophylla was investigated for mosquitocidal constituents by bioassay guided isolation. The fungus responsible for the pathogenic effects on Zinnia elegans and Hydrangea macrophylla plants had been identified as Nigrospora spherica by molecular techniques. The mosquito adulticidal constituent in the culture filtrate was identified as phomalactone by spectroscopic techniques. Laboratory bioassays showed that phomalactone had larvicidal activity against permethrin susceptible and resistant Aedes aegypti larvae and topical adulticide activities on permethrin susceptible and resistant Aedes aegypti and Anopheles quadrimaculatus mosquitoes. Phomalactone was effective as a topical adulticide against the standard Orlando reference strain of Ae. aegypti with an LD50 of 0.64 μg/org. Activity against An. quadrimaculatus was 0.20 μg/org.

A New Fuzzless Seed Locus in an Upland Cotton (<i>Gossypium hirsutum</i>L.) Mutant

Various fiber mutants of cotton have been reported since 1920. Two of the best characterized mutants are the naked seed loci, N1N1 and n2n2. Recently, a naked-tufted mutant called 9023 nt4 was developed from the cultivar SC 9023 through chemical mutagenesis. The mutant was tested to determine if it was allelic to either N1, or n2 or was a unique mutant in a new uncharacterized locus. In 1999, one M3 plant from SC 9023 with tufted partially naked seed coat (fuzzless) was identified. In 2004, 2006, and 2007 (Lubbock, TX), 2007 (College Station, TX), and 2011 (Stoneville, MS), the homozygous naked seed mutant was evaluated with the non-mutated wild type parent (SC 9023) in rep-licated trials for agronomic and fiber traits. Crosses between the mutant and the wild type was made at Stoneville, MS in 2009. The F2 of this cross segregated in a 3 fuzzy: 1 fuzzless ratio indicating that the fuzzless trait in the mutant is controlled by a recessive locus. Allelism tests with N1N1, n2n2 and n3n3, lint percent, and fiber trait data indicated that the new locus in the mutant differs from the previously characterized fuzzless seed alleles in that it does not appear to decrease lint percent. We have putatively designated this gene nt4nt4 .

Bowen Ratio Energy Balance Measurement of Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) Fluxes of No-Till and Conventional Tillage Agriculture in Lesotho

Global food demand requires that soils be used intensively for agriculture, but how these soils are managed greatly impacts soil fluxes of carbon dioxide (CO2). Soil management practices can cause carbon to be either sequestered or emitted, with corresponding uncertain influence on atmospheric CO2 concentrations. The situation is further complicated by the lack of CO2 flux measurements for African subsistence farms. For widespread application in remote areas, a simple experimental methodology is desired. As a first step, the present study investigated the use of Bowen Ratio Energy Balance (BREB) instrumentation to measure the energy balance and CO2 fluxes of two contrasting crop management systems, till and no-till, in the lowlands within the mountains of Lesotho. Two BREB micrometeorological systems were established on 100-m by 100-m sites, both planted with maize (Zea mays) but under either conventional (plow, disk-disk) or no-till soil mangement systems. The results demonstrate that with careful maintenance of the instruments by appropriately trained local personnel, the BREB approach offers substantial benefits in measuring real time changes in agroecosystem CO2 flux. The periods where the two treatments could be compared indicated greater CO2 sequestration over the no-till treatments during both the growing and non-growing seasons.

Current status and future trends of precision agricultural aviation technologies

Modern technologies and information tools can be used to maximize agricultural aviation productivity allowing for precision application of agrochemical products.This paper reviews and summarizes the state-of-the-art in precision agricultural aviation technology highlighting remote sensing,aerial spraying and ground verification technologies.Further,the authors forecast the future of precision agricultural aviation technology with key development directions in precision agricultural aviation technologies,such as real-time image processing,variable-rate spraying,multi-sensor data fusion and RTK differential positioning,and other supporting technologies for UAV-based aerial spraying.This review is expected to provide references for peers by summarizing the history and achievements,and encourage further development of precision agricultural aviation technologies.

Portable device to assess dynamic accuracy of global positioning system(GPS)receivers used in agricultural aircraft

A device was designed to test the dynamic accuracy of Global Positioning System(GPS)receivers used in agricultural aircraft and other aerial vehicles.The system works by directing a sun-reflected light beam from the ground to the aircraft using mirrors.A photo detector points downward from the aircraft to detect the light beam,and photo detection circuitry triggers an event in the guidance system data file at the aircraft’s location corresponding to the precisely georeferenced position on the ground.Construction details are presented on the mirror-based light reflection system and photo-electronic circuitry designed to trigger an event in the guidance system’s log file.An example application evaluated the horizontal accuracy of a stand-alone GPS receiver by matching dynamic data with data from the aircraft’s guidance system.Results indicated a 2.16 s lead in position registered by the stand-alone receiver over that registered by the aircraft’s guidance system GPS receiver,which had been previously evaluated to be within 0.13 s of Real-Time Kinematic(RTK)-referenced time and position.

Evaluating effective swath width and droplet distribution of aerial spraying systems on M-18B and Thrush 510G airplanes

Aerial spraying plays an important role in promoting agricultural production and protecting the biological environment due to its flexibility,high effectiveness,and large operational area per unit of time.In order to evaluate the performance parameters of the spraying systems on two fixed wing airplanes M-18B and Thrush 510G,the effective swath width and uniformity of droplet deposition under headwind flight were tested while the planes operated at the altitudes of 5 m and 4 m.The results showed that although wind velocities varied from 0.9 m/s to 4.6 m/s,and the directions of the atomizer switched upward and downward in eight flights,the effective swath widths were kept approximately at 27 m and 15 m for the M-18B and Thrush 510G,respectively,and the latter was more stable.In addition,through analyzing the coefficients of variation(CVs)of droplet distribution,it was found that the CVs of the M-18B were 39.57%,33.54%,47.95%,and 59.04% at wind velocities of 0.9,1.1,1.4 and 4.6 m/s,respectively,gradually enhancing with the increasing of wind speed;the CVs of Thrush 510G were 79.12%,46.19%,14.90%,and 48.69% at wind velocities of 1.3,2.3,3.0 and 3.4 m/s,respectively,which displayed the irregularity maybe due to change of instantaneous wind direction.Moreover,in terms of the CVs and features of droplet distribution uniformity for both airplanes in the spray swath,choosing smaller CV(20%-45%)as the standard of estimation,it was found that the Thrush 510G had a better uniform droplet distribution than the M-18B.The results provide a research foundation for promoting the development of aerial spraying in China.

The role of seaweed as a potential dietary supplementation for enteric methane mitigation in ruminants: Challenges and opportunities

Seaweeds are macroalgae,which can be of many different morphologies,sizes,colors,and chemical profiles.They include brown,red,and green seaweeds.Brown seaweeds have been more investigated and exploited in comparison to other seaweed types for their use in animal feeding studies due to their large sizes and ease of harvesting.Recent in vitro and in vivo studies suggest that plant secondary compound-containing seaweeds(e.g.,halogenated compounds,phlorotannins,etc.)have the potential to mitigate enteric methane(CH_(4))emissions from ruminants when added to the diets of beef and dairy cattle.Red seaweeds including Asparagopsis spp.are rich in crude protein and halogenated compounds compared to brown and green seaweeds.When halogenated-containing red seaweeds are used as the active ingredient in ruminant diets,bromoform concentration can be used as an indicator of antimethanogenic properties.Phlorotannin-containing brown seaweed has also the potential to decrease CH_(4) production.However,numerous studies examined the possible anti-methanogenic effects of marine seaweeds with inconsistent results.This work reviews existing data associated with seaweeds and in vitro and in vivo rumen fermentation,animal performance,and enteric CH4 emissions in ruminants.Increased understanding of the seaweed supplementation related to rumen fermentation and its effect on animal performance and CH_(4) emissions in ruminants may lead to novel strategies aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions while improving animal productivity.

Dietary mitigation of enteric methane emissions from ruminants:A review of plant tannin mitigation options

Methane gas from livestock production activities is a significant source of greenhouse gas(GHG)emissions which have been shown to influence climate change.New technologies offer a potential to manipulate the rumen biome through genetic selection reducing CH4 production.Methane production may also be mitigated to varying degrees by various dietary intervention strategies.Strategies to reduce GHG emissions need to be developed which increase ruminant production efficiency whereas reducing production of CH4 from cattle,sheep,and goats.Methane emissions may be efficiently mitigated by manipulation of natural ruminal microbiota with various dietary interventions and animal production efficiency improved.Although some CH4 abatement strategies have shown efficacy in vivo,more research is required to make any of these approaches pertinent to modern animal production systems.The objective of this review is to explain how anti-methanogenic compounds(e.g.,plant tannins)affect ruminal microbiota,reduce CH4 emission,and the effects on host responses.Thus,this review provides information relevant to understanding the impact of tannins on methanogenesis,which may provide a cost-effective means to reduce enteric CH4 production and the influence of ruminant animals on global GHG emissions.

Multiple effects of grape seed polyphenolics to prevent metabolic diseases

Obesity is increasing in developing countries.Population studies show a relationship between affluence and obesity. Changing food intake patterns with affluence such as preference for foods with less astringent polyphenolic compounds and dietary fibers may increase risk of metabolic dysfunctions due to caloric imbalance.Animal models of obesity consistently show that grape seed procyanidins prevent increases in body and abdominal adipose weight gain, plasma cholesterol, liver weight gain and inflammation in animals on high fat diets. The mechanisms are not clear because the oral intake of procyanidins results in pleiotropic interactions with proteins in the mouth, stomach, small intestine, cecum and colon that affect the rate of digestion of bioavailability of macronutrients, sterols, and dietary fiber. Procyanidins also bind bile acids and reduce intestinal permeability to inflammatory bacterial cell wall fragment. Procyanidins are not degraded or metabolized until reaching the lower gut where they can be metabolized into phenolic acids by gut bacteria. While they are metabolized by gut bacteria,they also alter total numbers and distribution of phyla and species of gut bacteria. Gut bacteria are recognized as significant contributors to obesity and obesity related metabolic diseases. The review examines the different pleiotropic effects of grape seed procyanidins that have a significant effect on metabolic disease in animal models of obesity.

Rangeland restoration in Jordan:Restoring vegetation cover by water harvesting measures

Restoration of the degraded rangelands in Jordan using mechanized water harvesting and native species planting has become key to enhancing and maintaining the productivity and resilience of fragile ecosystems.A balanced interaction between the rangeland's hydrology and vegetation states is vital for achieving long-term sustainability.To gain a better insight into the impact of restoration on surface runoff and erosion and its role in recovering the ecosystem functions,we used the Rangeland Hydrological and Erosion Model(RHEM)to simulate various vegetation scenarios.Our research aims to understand the rangelands'water and sediment dynamics and the vegetation transition states of the ecosystem through evaluating the current(degraded)situation,assess the restoration approach on improving the degraded status(restored),and investigate the long-term sustainability of the restoration approach compared with historical rangeland conditions(baseline).Several scenarios were developed with rangeland experts,local community representatives,and measurements at protected and restored areas to represent the rangeland conditions.We found that restoration of the degraded Badia areas will decrease annual surface runoff from an average of 23.5 to 19.1 mm/year and soil erosion rate from 3.3 to 1.3 tons/ha.With time,restoration can bring back rangeland water and sediment dynamics closer towards the baseline conditions,which were 16.9 mm/year runoff rates and 0.85 ton/ha/year soil loss.The results indicate that restoration is a promising methodology to restore the degraded ecosystem and approximate the environment's historical hydrological regime.