Does the provision of live black soldier fly and yellow mealworm larvae improve Muscovy duck welfare?

Background The provision of environmental enrichments to Muscovy ducks could reduce the expression of the aggressive behaviors.The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of black soldier fly(BSF)and yellow mealworm(YM)live larva provision on Muscovy duck performance,excreta corticosterone metabolites(ECM),behavior,and blood parameters.Methods A total of 1263-day-old female Muscovy ducklings were allotted to 18 pens(6 replicates/treatment,7 birds/pen)and assigned to 3 experimental treatments:a control group fed commercial feed,and two experimental treatments fed commercial feed plus the 5%(based on the expected daily feed intake,as fed basis)of BSF and YM live larvae(BSF and YM groups,respectively).A two-phase feeding program was applied:starter(from 3 to 31 days of age)and grower-finisher(from 32 to 55 days of age).The live weight,average daily gain,average daily feed intake,and feed conversion ratio were calculated.Larva consumption times were collected,and video recordings were performed during 3 periods(P)each day:the hour before(P1),during(P2),and after(P3)the larva administration.ECM were evaluated at 3,31,and 55-day-old.Finally,the total red and white blood cell counts,serum proteins,lipids,and liver and renal function serum enzymes were evaluated on 12 birds/treatment.Results The experimental treatment did not affect the growth performance of the birds(P>0.05).Larva consumption times were always similar between the two insect species,except at 14–18 days of age,were BSF larvae were consumed faster than YM larvae(P<0.001).The birds showed less walking activity during P2,and preening behavior increased in YM birds during P3.The C birds increased the attack behavior over the weeks(P<0.05).During weeks 1–3 the YM group reduced the attack frequency(P1>P3;P<0.05).Finally,the provision of live BSF and YM larvae significantly reduced the ECM at 55 days of age and the heterophil to lymphocyte ratio(P<0.05).Conclusions Live BSF and YM larva supplementation in Muscovy duck improves duck welfare,without impairing birds'growth performance.

Genomic signatures of different adaptations to environmental stimuli between wild and cultivated Vitis vinifera L

The application of population genetic methods in combination with gene mapping strategies can help to identify genes and mutations selected during the evolution from wild plants to crops and to explore the considerable genetic variation still maintained in natural populations.We genotyped a grapevine germplasm collection of 44 wild(Vitis vinifera subsp.sylvestris)and 48 cultivated(V.vinifera subsp.sativa)accessions at 54 K single-nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs)to perform a whole-genome comparison of the main population genetic statistics.The analysis of Wright Fixation Index(FST)along the whole genome allowed us to identify several putative“signatures of selection”spanning over two thousand SNPs significantly differentiated between sativa and sylvestris.Many of these genomic regions included genes involved in the adaptation to environmental changes.An overall reduction of nucleotide diversity was observed across the whole genome within sylvestris,supporting a small effective population size of the wild grapevine.Tajima’s D resulted positive in both wild and cultivated subgroups,which may indicate an ongoing balancing selection.Association mapping for six domestication-related traits was performed in combination with population genetics,providing further evidence of different perception and response to environmental stresses between sativa and sylvestris.

Ethylene-auxin crosstalk regulates postharvest fruit ripening process in apple

The ripening of climacteric fruits,such as apple,is represented by a series of genetically programmed events orchestrated by the action of several hormones.In this study,we investigated the existence of a hormonal crosstalk between ethylene and auxin during the post-harvest ripening of three internationally known apple cultivars:‘Golden Delicious',‘Granny Smith'and‘Fuji'.The normal climacteric ripening was impaired by the exogenous application of 1-methylcyclopropene(1-MCP)that affected the production of ethylene and the physiological behaviour of specific ethylene-related quality traits,such as fruit texture and the production of volatile organic compounds.The application of 1-MCP induced,moreover,a de-novo accumulation of auxin.The RNA-Seq wide-transcriptome analysis evidenced as the competition at the level of the ethylene receptors induced a cultivar-dependent transcriptional re-programming.The DEGs annotation carried out through the KEGG database identified as most genes were assigned to the plant hormone signaling transduction category,and specifically related to auxin and ethylene.The interplay between these two hormones was further assessed through a candidate gene analysis that highlighted a specific activation of GH3 and ILL genes,encoding key steps in the process of the auxin homeostasis mechanism.Our results showed that a compromised ethylene metabolism at the onset of the climacteric ripening in apple can stimulate,in a cultivar-dependent fashion,an initial de-novo synthesis and de-conjugation of auxin as a tentative to restore a normal ripening progression.