Agricultural Water Footprint of Southern Highbush Blueberry Produced Commercially with Drip Irrigation and Sprinkler Frost Protection

A study was conducted from 2010 to 2017 to determine the water footprint for producing blueberries in the Entre Ríos province of Argentina. Three cultivars of southern highbush blueberry (hybrid cross of Vaccinium sp.) were evaluated in the study, including “Star”, “Emerald”, and “Snowchaser”. In each case, the plants were irrigated by drip and protected from frost using overhead sprinklers. Water requirements for irrigation and frost protection varied among the cultivars due to differences in the timing of flowering and fruit development. The annual water footprint for fruit production in each cultivar is expressed in units of cubic meters of water used to produce one ton of fresh fruit and ranged from 212 - 578 m3∙t−1 for “Star”, 296 - 985 m3∙t−1 for “Emerald”, and 536 - 4066 m3∙t−1 for “Snowchaser”. “Snowchaser” flowered earlier than the other cultivars and, therefore, needed more water for frost protection. “Star”, on the other hand, ripened the latest among the cultivars and required little to no water for frost protection. Frost protection required a minimum of 30 m3∙h−1 of water per hectare and in addition to drip irrigation was a major component of the water footprint.

Protection of Allergic Asthma in Mice by Black Rice Bran Bioprocessed with Shiitake Mushroom Mycelia

We evaluated the potential of orally fed new food formulations to inhibit biomarkers reported to be involved in the causes of allergic asthma in mice. Asthma, a serious non-communicable disease, affects both adults and children and can be undertreated. New functional foods could provide therapeutic approaches. Here, the anti-asthma mechanism of a new functional food and three isolated fractions produced by bioprocessing black rice bran with shiitake mushroom mycelia was evaluated in mast cells, B cells, and orally fed mice and compared with non-bioprocessed black rice bran. In vitro, the treatments inhibited RBL-2H3 cell degranulation and immunoglobulin E (IgE) production. The in vitro anti-asthma effects were confirmed in orally fed mice following asthma induction by alumina and chicken egg ovalbumin (OVA). The suppression of asthma resulted from the inhibition of inflammation- and immune-related substances, including OVA-specific IgE, thymic stromal lymphopoietin, eotaxin, leukotriene C4, prostaglandin D2, and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and serum. The treatment also reversed the thickening of the lung airway wall. The inflammation and asthma inhibition seems to be regulated by the balance of the T-helper cells’ Th1/Th2 immune response and the inhibition of multiple biomarkers associated with the cause of asthma. Future human clinical studies with adults and children should determine the potential therapeutic value of the anti-asthma effects of the new functional foods.

Bioprocessed Black Rice Bran Potentiates the Growth Inhibitory Activity of an Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor against Murine Colon Carcinoma

This study determined the effect of orally fed polysaccharide-rich bioprocessed (fermented) black rice bran produced by culturing with shiitake (Lentinus edodes) mushroom mycelium on CT-26 colon cancer cells in vivo in an intracutaneously transplanted mouse tumor alone and in combination with intraperitoneally administered anti-PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor. Analysis of the isolated tumor weights at the end of the study shows that the average tumor size in control mice is 3.78 grams, and the average tumor size in mice treated with anti-PD-1 antibody is 2.16 grams. The average tumor size in mice treated with BRB-F alone is 2.25 grams, and the average tumor size in mice treated with anti-PD-1 antibody BRB-F combination is 1.38 grams. Thus, BRB-F or anti-PD-1 antibody alone each reduce tumor size by 40.5% or 42.9%, whereas the combination of BRB-F and anti-PD-1 antibody reduces tumor size by 63.5%, with their cooperative effect being statistically significant. The observed anti-tumor effects were accompanied by a series of biomarkers associated with cancer formation and inhibition. These results indicate that the reported potentiation of cancer therapy using drug-based medical chemotherapies with added checkpoint inhibitors in human patients are mechanistically similar with the functional food evaluated in the present study. These beneficial effects in mice challenge clinicians to investigate if the black rice bran food product can also protect against human cancer.

Characterization and application of monoclonal antibodies against Shewanella marisflavi, a novel pathogen of Apostichopus japonicus

Shewanella marisflavi strain AP629 was certified as a novel pathogen of the sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus. In this study, four monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) (3C1, 3D9, 2F2, 2A8) against strain AP629 were developed by immunizing Balb/C mice. 3C1 and 3D9 recognized S. marisflavi only, showing no cross reactivity to other gram-negative bacteria. However, 2F2 and 2A8 showed cross reactivity to all tested bacteria. Indirect immunofluorescence, and immunogold electron microscopy, showed the binding antigens of 3C1 and 3D9 were located at the secretion on the surface of strain AP629. The binding antigens of 2F2 and 2A8 were noted on the membrane of the cells. MAbs 3C1 and 3D9 recognized the lipopolysaccharide fraction of strain AP629, and 2F2 and 2A8 recognized in western-blotting protein antigens with molecular weights of 113 and 128 kDa respectively. MAbs 3C1 and 3D9 have the potential for use in pathogen diagnosis, epidemiology and studies on the mechanism of how S. marisflavi infects A. japonicus. Immunohistochemistry with 3C1 or 3D9 identified strain AP629 in the body wall of infected A. japonicus. In the adult sea cucumbers that were infected via body wall injection, positive signals were observed at the site of skin ulceration, and at the connective tissue of the non-ulcerated body wall. In addition, some large blue-stained cells aggregated at the connective tissue colonized by large numbers of bacteria. In juveniles infected via immersion infection, positive signals were observed at the cuticle of the body wall only. Our results suggest that 3C1 and 3D9 could be used in various immunological assays to study the invasion mechanism of strain AP629 in A. japonicus, the law of bacterial colonization, proliferation in different tissues of A. japonicus, and correlation between secretion on the surface of strain AP629 and its pathogenesis to A. japonicus.

Development of An Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay for Determination of the Furaltadone Etabolite,3-Amino-5-Morpholinomethyl-2-Oxazolidinone(AMOZ) in Animal Tissues

Objective To determine 3-amino-5-morpholinomethyl-2-oxazolidinone(AMOZ) residues released from protein bound AMOZ in animal tissues.Methods Polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies were produced in this study.A rapid,sensitive,and specific competitive direct enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(cdELISA) was developed.Results Rabbit polyclonal antibodies were used in the optimized cdELISA method,and exhibited negligible cross-reactivity with other compounds structurally related to AMOZ.The IC50of the polyclonal antibody was 0.16 ng/mL.The method limit of detection in four different types of animal and fish tissues was less than 0.06 μg/kg.Recoveries ranged from 80% to 120% for fortified samples with the coefficient of variation values less than 15%.The results of the cdELISA method were in good agreement with the results from an established liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry confirmatory method used for AMOZ residues.Conclusion The cdELISA method developed in the present study is a convenient practical tool for screening large numbers of animal and fish tissue samples for the the detection of released protein bound AMOZ residues.

Fungal endophytes in green coffee seeds

Green coffee seeds from Colombia, Guatemala, India, Kenya, Papua New Guinea, Puerto Rico and Vietnam were sampled for the presence of fungal endophytes. Stions of surface sterilized seeds were plated on yeast malt agar, and fungal growth was isolated for subsequent DNA extraction and sequencing. Several fungal genera were isolated, including Acremonium, Aspergillus, Eurotium, Fusarium, Gibberella, Penicillium, Pseudozyma and an undescribed clavicipitaceous species. The biological activities that these fungi might be playing in coffee seeds remain unknown, but in other plants some of the genera isolated have been reported to protect against plant pathogens.

Genome resequencing and transcriptome profiling reveal structural diversity and expression patterns of constitutive disease resistance genes in Huanglongbing-tolerant Poncirus trifoliata and its hybrids

Huanglongbing(HLB)is the most destructive bacterial disease of citrus worldwide.While most citrus varieties are susceptible to HLB,Poncirus trifoliata,a close relative of Citrus,and some of its hybrids with Citrus are tolerant to HLB.No specific HLB tolerance genes have been identified in P.trifoliata but recent studies have shown that constitutive disease resistance(CDR)genes were expressed at much higher levels in HLB-tolerant Poncirus hybrids and the expression of CDR genes was modulated by Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus(CLas),the pathogen of HLB.The current study was undertaken to mine and characterize the CDR gene family in Citrus and Poncirus and to understand its association with HLB tolerance in Poncirus.We identified 17 CDR genes in two citrus genomes,deduced their structures,and investigated their phylogenetic relationships.We revealed that the expansion of the CDR family in Citrus seems to be due to segmental and tandem duplication events.Through genome resequencing and transcriptome sequencing,we identified eight CDR genes in the Poncirus genome(PtCDR1-PtCDR8).The number of SNPs was the highest in PtCDR2 and the lowest in PtCDR7.Most of the deletion and insertion events were observed in the UTR regions of Citrus and Poncirus CDR genes.PtCDR2 and PtCDR8 were in abundance in the leaf transcriptomes of two HLB-tolerant Poncirus genotypes and were also upregulated in HLB-tolerant,Poncirus hybrids as revealed by real-time PCR analysis.These two CDR genes seem to be good candidate genes for future studies of their role in citrus-CLas interactions.

Metabolomic analysis of longissimus from underperforming piglets relative to piglets with normal preweaning growth

Background: Recent increases in intra-litter variability in weaning weight have raised swine production costs. A contributor to this variability is the normal birth weight pig that grows at a slower rate than littermates of similar birth weight. The goal of this study was to interrogate biochemical profiles manifested in skeletal muscle originating from slow growing(SG) and faster growing littermates(control), with the aim of identifying differences in metabolic pathway utilization between skeletal muscle of the SG pig relative to its littermates. Samples of longissimus muscle from littermate pairs of pigs were collected at 21 d of age for metabolomic analysis.Results: Birth weights did not differ between littermate pairs of SG and Control pigs(P > 0.05). Weaning weights differed by 1.51 ± 0.19 kg(P < 0.001). Random forest(RF) analysis was effective at segregating the metabolome of muscle samples by growth rate, resulting in a predictive accuracy of 81% versus random segregation(50%).Decreases in sugars in the pentose phosphate pathway(PPP) in the longissimus of SG pigs were detected(P < 0.05). Decreases were also apparent in glycolytic intermediates(glycerol-3-phosphate and lactate) and key glycolysis-derived intermediates(glucose-6-phosphate and fructose-6-phosphate; P < 0.05). SG pigs had increased levels of phospholipids, lysolipids, diacylglycerols, and sphingolipids(P < 0.05). Pathway analysis identified a cluster of molecules associated with muscle and collagen/extracellular matrix breakdown that are increased in the SG pig(glutamate, 3-methylhistidine and hydroxylated proline moieties; P < 0.05). Nicotinate metabolism was altered in SG pigs, resulting in a 78% decrease in the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide pool(P < 0.05).Conclusions: These metabolomic data provide the first evidence for biochemical mechanisms that should be investigated to determine if they have a potential role in the slow growth in some normal birth weight piglets that contribute to increased intra-litter variability in weaning weights and provides essential information and potential targets for the development of nutritional intervention strategies.

Characterization of spermidine hydroxycinnamoyl transferases from eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) and its wild relative Solanum richardii Dunal

Eggplant produces a variety of hydroxycinnamic acid amides(HCAAs)that have an important role in plant development and adaptation to environmental changes.In this study,we identified and characterized a spermidine hydroxycinnamoyl transferase(SHT)from eggplant(Solanum melongena)and its wild relative S.richardii,designated as SmSHT and SrSHT,respectively.SmSHT was abundant in flowers and fruits,whereas the level of SrSHT was remarkably low in all tissues.Heat-shock/drought treatment stimulated the expression of SmSHT in both leaves and fruits,indicating its involvement in plant stress response.Both SHT polypeptides had extremely high identity with just five amino-acid substitutions.Recombinant SmSHT catalyzed the synthesis of mono-,bi-and tri-acylated polyamines.Using caffeoyl-CoA as the acyl donor,SmSHT preferred spermidine as the acyl acceptor.When spermidine was the acyl acceptor,the donor preference order for SmSHT was caffeoyl-CoA>feruloyl-CoA>ρ-coumaroyl-CoA.SrSHT exhibited the same substrate specificity as SmSHT,yet exhibited significantly higher catalytic activity than SmSHT.For example,under caffeoyl-CoA and spermidine,Kcat of SrSHT was 37.3%higher than SmSHT.Molecular modeling suggests that five amino-acid substitutions in SrSHT result in four alterations in their predicted 3D structures.In particular,the conserved Lys402 adjacent to the DFGWG motif,and Cys200 in the crossover loop in SmSHT were replaced by Glu and Ser in SrSHT.These substitutions may contribute to the enhanced activity in SrSHT.Our study provides a platform to generate HCAA rich fruits for eggplant and other solanaceous crops.

Large-scale forest inventories of the United States and China reveal positive effects of biodiversity on productivity

Background:With the loss of species worldwide due to anthropogenic factors,especially in forested ecosystems,it has become more urgent than ever to understand the biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationship(BEFR).BEFR research in forested ecosystems is very limited and thus studies that incorporate greater geographic coverage and structural complexity are needed.Methods:We compiled ground-measured data from approx.one half mil ion forest inventory sample plots across the contiguous United States,Alaska,and northeastern China to map tree species richness,forest stocking,and productivity at a continental scale.Based on these data,we investigated the relationship between forest productivity and tree species diversity,using a multiple regression analysis and a non-parametric approach to account for spatial autocorrelation.Results:In general,forests in the eastern United States consisted of more tree species than any other regions in the country.The highest forest stocking values over the entire study area were concentrated in the western United States and Central Appalachia.Overall,96.4 % of sample plots(477,281)showed a significant positive effect of species richness on site productivity,and only 3.6 %(17,349)had an insignificant or negative effect.Conclusions:The large number of ground-measured plots,as well as the magnitude of geographic scale,rendered overwhelming evidence in support of a positive BEFR.This empirical evidence provides insights to forest management and biological conservation across different types of forested ecosystems.Forest timber productivity may be impaired by the loss of species in forests,and biological conservation,due to its potential benefits on maintaining species richness and productivity,can have profound impacts on the functioning and services of forested ecosystems.

The effects of fall fertilization on the growth of Chinese pine and Prince Rupprecht’s larch seedlings

Nutrient loading in the fall is a practical way to improve seedling quality and has been proven to increase nutrient accumulation,translocation and utilization.Few studies have reported on the variation in free amino acids as a result of fall fertilization,especially for diff erent seasonal needle habits(evergreen,deciduous).Therefore,a balanced two-factor factorial design with one fall fertilization treatment(10 mg N/seedling)and Chinese pine(Pinus tabulaeformis Carr.)and Prince Rupprecht’s larch(Larix principis-rupprechtii Mayr.)seedlings was used to examine growth response over one nursery season.Associated changes between fall fertilization,N storage and free amino acids were analyzed.Results showed that:(1)stem height,diameter and biomass for both species were similar between controls and fall fertilization treatments;(2)compared to controls,fall fertilization increased Chinese pine needle and root N by 17.7%and 36.9%,respectively.For Prince Rupprecht’s larch,fall fertilization resulted in 26.3%and 34.54%more N in stem and roots,respectively,than controls;(3)the three main amino acids in control and fertilization treatments in Prince Rupprecht’s larch seedlings were glutamine,arginine and proline,and in Chinese pine seedlings were glutamine,arginine andγ-amino butyric acid;(4)total amino acid contents were not signifi cantly increased by fall fertilization,but glutamine in Chinese pine and Prince Rupprecht’s larch increased by 64.2%and 35.2%,respectively.Aboveground biomass of Prince Rupprecht’s larch had higher proline contents than Chinese pine,which suggests that the stress resistance of the aboveground tissue may be higher for Prince Rupprecht’s larch.The results indicate that diff erent plant organs with various response are well adapted to nitrogen loading for nutrient storage in evergreen and deciduous conifer seedlings.

Early Identification of Stable Transformation Events by Combined Use of Antibiotic Selection and Vital Detection of Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) in Carrot (Daucus carota L.) Callus

Genetic transformation is a useful technique to complement conventional breeding in crop improvement. Although carrot has been a model organism for in vitro embryogenesis study, genetic transformation of carrot is still lengthy and labor intensive. An efficient transformation and detection system is desirable. Direct infection of Agrobacterium to carrot calli has provided an easy way for carrot genetic transformation. To improve the efficiency of antibiotic selection in this method, we report the combined use of an improved green-fluorescent protein, referred to as smGFP, to establish a versatile selection method for carrot callus transformation system. By combining antibiotic selection with the bright fluorescence observed in the callus tissue, we were able to easily identify stable transformants in early stage of the transformation process. In addition to the GFP expression of the callus cells, the transgenic nature of callus cells was confirmed with Southern and Western analysis. We found we can link the simplicity of carrot-callus-cell transformation, early detection of stable transformants with antibiotic selection, visualization of GFP fluorescence, and molecular analysis (Southern and Western) of callus tissue (non-photosynthetic tissue) to provide a more efficient way in identifying stable transformants at early stage of carrot transformation.

Development of Standard Reagents for Avian Influenza Virus Subtypes Diagnosis

Avian influenza(AI)is one of the most relevant viruses in the poultry industry.The AI virus(AIV)transmission from birds to human causing severe cases and mortality enhanced the magnitude of AI for public health.Consequently,the AIV diagnosis laboratories should be able to detect and identify endemic,epidemic and seasonal influenza strains and other wildlife influenza subtypes that cross the country’s borders.The development in quality controls in according with international rules comes to improve the performance of tests.With this purpose,the Brazilian Reference Laboratory for Avian Influenza(LANAGRO-SP)established a cooperation with the World Organization for Animal Health(OIE)to produce AIV master seeds,inactivated antigens and antiserum to attend the necessities of Brazil and other South America countries under the high quality control for all test.Seventeen of AIV master seed lots and seventeen of inactivated antigens lots produced reached hemagglutination(HA)titers of 1:512 and 1:256,respectively.In addition,fifteen AIV antiserum lots with hemagglutination inhibition(HI)titers reaching 1:4,096 were obtained.The AIV reference reagents produced and applied in laboratory routine successfully.

Influence of deficit irrigation on nutrient indices in wine grape (<i>Vitis vinifera</i>L.)

Deficit irrigation is widely used in wine grape production (Vitis vinifera L.) to meet wine quality goals yet its influence on tissue nutrient indices has not been well studied. The objective of this research was to determine whether response to water deficit compromised the prescriptive usefulness of tissue nutrient analyses. Tissue macro and micronutrient composition at bloom and veraison were evaluated over multiple seasons in nine wine grape cultivars grown under well-watered or deficit-irrigated conditions. Deficit-irrigated vines sampled at veraison had 2 to 12-fold higher petiole nitrate-nitrogen concentration, 6% lower blade nitrogen concentration and 13% lower blade copper concentration compared to well-watered vines. Water deficit influenced blade potassium concentration at veraison differently according to cultivar and was lower (cv. Malbec, Petite syrah, Viognier, Lemberger and Sangiovese), higher (cv. Merlot, Cabernet franc and Cabernet Sauvignon) or similar (cv. Grenache) to well-watered vines. Results from this study indicate that nutrient analysis of petiole or blade tissue sampled at veraison has limited diagnostic and prescriptive usefulness when vines are grown under a water deficit.

Phosphorus Dynamics in Two Poultry-Litter Amended Soils of Mississippi Under Three Management Systems

An experiment arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replications was conducted on a Lexington soil (fine-silty,mixed,active,thermic,Ultic Hapludalfs) and a Loring soil (fine-silty,mixed,active,thermic,Oxyaquic Fragiudalfs) in Mississippi from September 1997 to September 2000 on 18 runoff plots under natural rainfall condition to study the phosphorus (P) dynamics in poultry litter amended soils under three management systems combining tillage and planting date treatments to identify effective management practices in southern U.S.A.The management systems in the study were:1) tillage in the fall prior to litter application followed by a delayed planting of fall forages (CT-DP);2) tillage followed by immediate planting of the fall forage with subsequent litter application (CT-IP);and 3) no-till with planting prior to litter application (NT-IP).The results indicated that there was significant increase in soil P after 3 years of poultry litter application for both Lexington and Loring soils (P < 0.05).Based on P budget analysis,the majority of P from poultry litter application (> 90%),was accumulated in both soils.In Loring soil,soluble P mass in the runoff was significantly higher from NT-IP than from CT-DP and CT-IP over the entire study period (P < 0.01).For both soils,there were no significant differences in sediment P mass between management systems.For Loring soil,CT-DP and CT-IP were effective management practices to mitigate negative effects due to poultry litter application.

Assessment of suitable reference genes for qRT-PCR analysis in Adelphocoris suturalis

Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction(qRT-PCR) is the most commonly-used tool for measurement of gene expression, but its accuracy and reliability depend on appropriate data normalization with the use of one or more stable reference genes. Adelphocoris suturalis is one of the most destructive pests of cotton, but until recently knowledge of its underlying molecular physiology had been hindered by a lack of molecular resources. To facilitate research on this pest, we evaluated 12 common housekeeping genes studied in insects(GAPDH, ACT, βACT, TBP, SDH, βTUB, EF1γ, EF1α, EF1δ, RPL32, RPS15, and RPL27) for their expression stability in A. suturalis when subjected to various experimental treatments, including three biotic(developmental stage and sex, tissue type, and metathoracic scent gland for varying developmental stages and sexes) and one abiotic(RNA interference injection) conditions. Four dedicated algorithms(ΔCt method, geNorm, BestKeeper and NormFinder) were used to analyze gene expression stability. In addition, RefFinder provided an overall ranking of the stability/suitability of these candidates. This study is the first to provide a comprehensive list of suitable reference genes for gene expression analyses in A. suturalis, which can serve to facilitate transcript expression study of related biological processes in this and related species.

Analysis of docosanol using GC/MS:Method development,validation,and application to ex vivo human skin permeation studies

Docosanol is the only US Food and Drug Administration(FDA)approved over-the-counter topical product for treating recurrent oral-facial herpes simplex labialis.Validated analytical methods for docosanol are required to demonstrate the bioequivalence of docosanol topical products.A gas chromatography/selected ion monitoring mode mass spectrometry(GC/SIM-MS)method was developed and validated for docosanol determination in biological samples.Docosanol and isopropyl palmitate(internal standard)were separated on a high-polarity GC capillary column with(88%cyanopropy)aryl-polysiloxane employed as the stationary phase.The ions of m/z 83 and 256 were selected to monitor docosanol and isopropyl palmitate,respectively;the total run time was 20 min.The GC/SIM-MS method was validated in accordance with US FDA guidelines,and the results met the US FDA acceptance criteria.The docosanol calibration standards were linear in the 100-10000 ng/mL concentration range(R^(2)>0.994).The recoveries for docosanol from the receptor fluid and skin homogenates were>93.2%and>95.8%,respectively.The validated method was successfully applied to analyze ex vivo human cadaver skin permeation samples.On applying Abreva®cream tube and Abreva®cream pump,the amount of docosanol that penetrated human cadaver skin at 48 h was 21.5±7.01 and 24.0±6.95 ng/mg,respectively.Accordingly,we concluded that the validated GC/SIM-MS was sensitive,specific,and suitable for quantifying docosanol as a quality control tool.This method can be used for routine analysis as a costeffective alternative to other techniques.

Molecular markers reliably predict post-harvest deterioration of fresh-cut lettuce in modified atmosphere packaging

Fresh-cut lettuce is popular,but highly perishable product.Genetic studies of two bi-parental populations derived from crossing parents with rapid and slow rates of deterioration showed that the deterioration rate is a heritable trait(broad spectrum heritability,H2 of 0.56–0.87).The major genetic determinant of the deterioration rate in both populations was the quantitative trait locus(QTL),qSL4,located on linkage group 4.This QTL explained 40–74%of the total phenotypic variation of the trait in the two populations.Saturating the qSL4 region with single-nucleotide(SNP)markers allowed detection of six haplotypes in a set of 16 lettuce accessions with different rates of deterioration.Three of the haplotypes were always associated with very rapid rates of deterioration,while the other three haplotypes were associated with slow rates of deterioration.Two SNPs located 53 bp apart were sufficient to separate the 16 accessions into two groups with different rates of deterioration.The accuracy of markers-trait association was subsequently tested on 350 plants from seven F2 families that originated from crossing parents with different rates of deterioration.The H2 of deterioration rate in these seven families ranged from 0.64 to 0.90.The SNP-based analysis accurately identified individuals with rapid,intermediate,and slow rates of deterioration in each family.Intermediate rate of deterioration was found in individuals having heterozygous alleles at qSL4,indicating an additive effect of the alleles.The assay can be used for fast,accurate,and reliable identification of deterioration rate after processing for salad.

Identification of an Mg2+-Independent Soluble Phosphatidate Phosphatase in Cottonseed (Gossypium hirsutum L.)

Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) provides a major source of oil for food and feed industries, but little was known about the enzymes in the oil biosynthesis pathway in cottonseed. We are interested in a better understanding of enzymatic components for oil accumulation in cottonseed. The objective of this study was to identify one key enzyme in oil biosynthesis pathway: phosphatidic acid phosphatase (PAP, 3-sn-phosphatidate phosphohydrolase, EC 3.1.3.4). PAP hydrolyzes the phosphomonoester bond in phosphatidate yielding diacylglycerol and Pi. PAPs are generally categorized into Mg2+-dependent soluble PAP and Mg2+-independent membrane-associated PAP. Cottonseed from 25 - 30 days post anthesis was used for the study. The results showed that an Mg2+-independent soluble PAP activity was identified from the cottonseed. While the microsomal fraction of the extract provided only 9% of the PAP activity, 69% of the PAP activity was associated with the cytosol. The PAP activity correlated well with enzyme concentration and incubation time. The pH and temperature optima of the enzyme were pH 5 and 55℃, respectively. Under optimized assay conditions, the Vmax and Km values of cottonseed PAP for dioleoyl phosphatidic acid as the substrate were 2.8 nkat/mg of protein and 539 μM, respectively. Inclusion of the detergent Triton X-100 (0% - 0.5%) or magnesium chloride (1 mM) in the reaction mix did not alter activity to a significant degree. This is the first report of a PAP activity in the seeds of Gossipium hirsutum. This study should provide a basis for purification and characterization of this important enzyme from cottonseed in the future.

Socio-Economic Impact of the Rapid Response Erosion Database (RRED)

Rapid response is critical following natural disasters like wildfire. Fire, runoff, and erosion risks are highly heterogeneous in space, creating an urgent need for rapid, spatially-explicit assessment. In the past, data preparation has been time consuming and expensive, resulting in extensive losses in values-at-risk (VARs). The Rapid Response Erosion Database (RRED, http://rred.mtri.org/rred/) allows researchers and land managers to access properly-formatted spatial model inputs for the Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) anywhere within the continental US and eventually beyond. Comprehensive support for post-fire hydrological modeling is provided by allowing users to upload spatial soil burn severity maps, and within moments download spatial model inputs. The database has been used to help assess and plan remediation on more than a dozen wildfires in the Western U.S. RRED has already saved $694,000 between May 2016-December 2018 in administrative costs. In the future, the potential to save time and money on data preparation can extend beyond wildfire to include tracking contaminated sediments, agricultural pollution, and construction site erosion. RRED may also be a useful tool to protect VARs as illustrated by our analysis of recreation, property values, and clean drinking water.