Alternative Nutrient Sources Research Articles

Utilization of sludge derived from landfill leachate treatment as a source of nutrients for the growth of Nicotiana alata L.

The sludges derived from the leachate treatment (LS) represent an important environmental and operational problem in the landfill management. On the other hand, they can be utilized as an alternative source of nutrients and organic matter. The main objective of this work was to evaluate the reuse of the LS of a sanitary landfill in Santa Fe city - Argentina, as an organic amendment for the development of Nicotiana alata L. plants. Different doses of LS were applied to a soil mixture for potted seedling growth. The response surface methodology was applied, using a one-factor design. Once the phenological stage of flowering began, the plants were harvested. Physiological and biochemical determinations were made in order to evaluate the effects of the different amendments. Application of LS notably improved growth parameters such as stem height, leaf area and dry matter. Additionally, the content of proteins and photosynthetic pigments was enhanced. Through the multiple regression statistical analyses, the relationship between the response variables and the sludge content was established. The multivariate optimization analysis yielded 53% as the optimal sludge content. Our results indicate that this sludge, in appropriate doses, can be used as an organic amendment for the revegetation of sanitary landfills.

English

Tropical agriculture is highly dependent of soluble fertilizers, what raises the cost of production. An alternative to reduce the costs inputs is the use of low-cost alternative nutrient sources, such as the basic rocks. The aim of the work was to evaluate the effect of basalt powder on the soil chemical properties and plant growth. The experiment was arranged in a 2×2×2×3+4 factorial scheme: two soils (clay soil and sandy clay loam soil); two crops (maize and soybean); two agricultural inputs (basalt rock powder and limestone); three application rates (33, 66 and 99 Mg ha–1 of basalt powder or 1, 2 and 4 Mg ha–1 of limestone), and four additional control treatments, with four repetitions. The use of basalt powder resulted in greater shoots growth of maize and soybean plants when compared to the limestone. Basalt powder provided a significant increase in soil pH, Ca and P concentration; however, the higher concentration of P in the soil did not result in the greater P uptake by the plants. Even without a significant increase in the Mg concentration of the soil, basalt rock powder improved the absorption of this nutrient by the maize and soybean plants. Key words: Remineralizer, rock, soybean, maize.

Watermelon bug (Aspongopus viduatus) full‐fat meals as an alternative dietary protein on broiler chickens’ growth performance, meat, and blood

Insects were considered a sufficient sustainable and alternative source of nutrients for poultry, watermelon bug is the main pest ofwatermelons in Sudan. The insect meal contain high protein with relatively cheap price. This study was conducted to evaluate using watermelon bug meal as protein source on broiler chickens’ diet. 144 one-day-old chicks were distributed in a completely randomized experimental design with 4 treatments and 3 replicates of 12 birds. A control, B, C and D, (treatments), the powder of insects 0, 10, 20, and 30g/kg rations, was carried for 6 weeks. Weekly record of feed intake, weight gain and feed conversion ratio were taken. Data were analyzed by ANOVA the standard error of the mean (SEM) was used to measure how far the sample mean of the data is likely to be from the true population mean. Adding watermelon bug meal (WMBM) to the diet at 10, 20, and 30 % WMBM of feed essentially increased the body weight of chickens from 395.87g in the first week with concentration of 10 % to 1715.00g in the fifth week, followed by C (20 %) inclusion of WMBM which increased the body weight from 380.13g to 1773.33g, respectively. The highest FCR was recorded in D (30 %) WMBM feed. There was a significant difference in the means weight of heart, and gizzard. The blood analysis revealed no increase in the percentage of cholesterol while there were significant (p < 0.05) differences in total protein and triglycerides. Significant differences were observed in flavor, texture and juiciness values among all treatments. In conclusion, the current results confirmed that the addition of WMBM to the diet of broiler chickens can improve growth and meat performance.

Targeting ACSS2 with a Transition-State Mimetic Inhibits Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Growth.

Acetyl-CoA is a vitally important and versatile metabolite used for many cellular processes including fatty acid synthesis, ATP production, and protein acetylation. Recent studies have shown that cancer cells upregulate acetyl-CoA synthetase 2 (ACSS2), an enzyme that converts acetate to acetyl-CoA, in response to stresses such as low nutrient availability and hypoxia. Stressed cancer cells use ACSS2 as a means to exploit acetate as an alternative nutrient source. Genetic depletion of ACSS2 in tumors inhibits the growth of a wide variety of cancers. However, there are no studies on the use of an ACSS2 inhibitor to block tumor growth. In this study, we synthesized a small-molecule inhibitor that acts as a transition-state mimetic to block ACSS2 activity in vitro and in vivo. Pharmacologic inhibition of ACSS2 as a single agent impaired breast tumor growth. Collectively, our findings suggest that targeting ACSS2 may be an effective therapeutic approach for the treatment of patients with breast cancer. SIGNIFICANCE: These findings suggest that targeting acetate metabolism through ACSS2 inhibitors has the potential to safely and effectively treat a wide range of patients with cancer.

Evaluation of the sensitivity and production of flowers in tagetes erecta l. Exposed to high doses of sodium from irrigation with landfill leachates

Purpose Reuse of landfill leachate is an effective alternative for their nutrients to mitigate decrease in freshwater. On the other hand, the growth of vegetation in the final disposal areas provides many benefits such as improving the visual impact, controlling of hydric erosion, etc. The purpose of this work was to evaluate landfill leachate as irrigation water and source of nutrients for growth of Tagetes erecta L., an ornamental plant with phytoremediation capacities. Method Vegetal growth, physiological responses and mineral elements uptake of the ornamental plant Tagetes erecta L. were studied with different levels of landfill leachate irrigation. The landfill leachate was provided by the municipal waste treatment. Experimental period covered 34 days of daily watering between the beginning and end of the flowering stage. Three different irrigation treatments were used: T1: 10% leachate; T2: 25% leachate; T3: 50% leachate. Hoagland's solution served as the control treatment. Results The irrigation treatment with a dose of 50% leachate causes a clear deterioration in the plant and its flowers. In lower doses, the plant responds favorably to both the production of flowers and the main features of them. Also, the water-use efficiency (WUE) is diminished in those plants irrigated with the major dose of leachate. Conclusion Maintaining controlled doses, landfill leachates can be used as an alternative source of water and nutrients. Irrigation with leachates of these characteristics should be done in dosages not higher than 25% to avoid possible damage of Tagetes erecta L. growth.

Abstract PS17-39: Inhibition of acetate metabolism enhances host anti-tumor immunity

Abstract Acquired resistance to anti-cancer therapy is an enormous challenge. One of the main factors contributing to therapy resistance is tumor hypoxia. The stress imposed by tumor hypoxia forces cancer cells to adapt in order to survive. These metabolically adapted cancer cells are often more invasive, more malignant, and more drug resistant. As a result, the cancer cells that emerge from hypoxic tumor regions are more likely to cause patient relapse. There is therefore a critical need to understand the mechanisms that promote the survival of cancer cells in stressful tumor microenvironments. We previously showed that the enzyme acetyl-CoA synthetase 2 (ACSS2) supports cancer cell metabolism in hypoxic and nutrient-depleted environments. ACSS2 endows cancer cells with the ability to use acetate as an alternative nutrient source to drive acetyl-CoA biosynthesis during stress and genetic silencing of ACSS2 inhibits human breast tumor growth in xenograft models. Given the important role of acetate metabolism in breast cancer we expanded upon our studies by using immunocompetent hosts and syngeneic mouse tumor models. Our results revealed a previously unknown role of ACSS2 in modulating host anti-tumor immunity. We found that ACSS2 deficient tumors are unable to grow when host immunity is intact. Depletion of host immunity (T cells) using genetic or pharmacological models rescues the growth of ACSS2 deficient tumors. Pharmacological inhibition of ACSS2 in tumors in vivo displayed gene signatures associated immune infiltration and activation within the tumor microenvironment. Moreover, ACSS2 deficient breast cancer cell lines show a marked susceptibility to T cell killing in vitro. Our current research demonstrates a novel role for acetate metabolism in supporting tumor extrinsic modulation of host anti-tumor immunity. Since activation of acetate metabolism via ACSS2 is a near universal hallmark of metabolically stressed cancer cells, targeting acetate metabolism represents an unrealized opportunity with significant upside for improving current therapeutic modalities in breast cancer. Citation Format: Katelyn Miller, Zachary T. Schug. Inhibition of acetate metabolism enhances host anti-tumor immunity [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2020 San Antonio Breast Cancer Virtual Symposium; 2020 Dec 8-11; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(4 Suppl):Abstract nr PS17-39.

Photosynthetic Nutrient and Water Use Efficiency of Cucumis sativus under Contrasting Soil Nutrient and Lignosulfonate Levels.

To reduce the use of commercial conventional inorganic fertilizers, the possibility of using pulp and paper industry wastes in agriculture as an alternative source of nutrients is recently under study and discussion. This work aimed to evaluate the effect of sodium lignosulfonate application to soil on photosynthetic leaf nutrient (N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, and Na) and water use efficiency. A pot culture experiment was conducted with cucumber seedlings, using five lignosulfonate concentrations (0, 1, 2.5, 5, and 10 vol. %) in sandy soil under sufficient or low nutrient availability for plants. The impact of nutrient availability on the plants’ physiological traits was stronger than the lignosulfonate impact. Under sufficient nutrient availability, the lignosulfonate application resulted in decreased photosynthetic N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, and Na use efficiency. Cucumber growth and development, and photosynthetic nutrient, water, and light use efficiency were significantly reduced with a nutrient deficiency. The sodium lignosulfonate application was not successful in eliminating the negative effects of nutrient deficit on cucumber seedlings.

Application of liquid organic and inorganic fertilizer on growth and production of hybrid maize

Organic fertilizers can be an alternative source of plant nutrients. The aim of experiment is to determine the effect of liquid organic and inorganic fertilizer application on hybrid mayze growth and yield. The experiment was conducted at Soppeng regency, South Sulawesi from September to December 2019. The experiment was set in Randomized Block Design with eight level of treatments and three replications. Treatments were (P1) control, (P2) inorganic fertilizer 100% recommendation, (P3) inorganic fertilizer 75% recommendation; (P4) liquid organic fertilizer 5 ml 2 L−1 water + P3; (P5) liquid organic fertilizer 10 ml 2 L−1 water + P3; (P6) liquid organic fertilizer 15 ml 2 L−1 water + P3; (P7) liquid organic fertilizer 20 ml 2 L−1 water + P3; and (P8) liquid organic fertilizer 10 ml 2 L−1 water + P2. Combinations of liquid organic plus inorganic fertilizer produce better growth and higher production than only inorganic fertilization and control. The combination of liquid organic and inorganic fertilizer 75% recommendation (15 ml 2 L−1 water + NPK Phonska 300 kg ha−1 + Urea 150 kg ha−1 show better agronomic performance and yield components with grain yiled 8.2 t ha−1 higher than other treatments. This dosage could be used for optimum maize production.

Mining coproducts as alternative sources of nutrients for the cultivation of sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum)

The aim of this study was to evaluate the alterations in the chemical attributes of the soil and the nutritional attributes of leaves, as well as the productivity of sugarcane subjected to the use of mining coproducts from Irati and Corumbataí Formations. First, we performed the chemical and mineralogical characterizations of the inputs and the soil. The study was carried out in Paranavaí/PR – Brazil in Arenosol. The treatments were arranged within a split-plot system, designed in randomized blocks with four repetitions. The experimental plots were composed of 4 inputs that are sources of Ca, Mg and S (limestone, rhythmite, gypsum and fidagran) and, for the subplots, inputs that are sources of K (phonolite and clayey siltstone). Right after the application of the inputs, the sugarcane was planted. After 7 months of cultivation, we collected leaves for the determination of macronutrients and, after 14 months, the sugarcane was harvested. Afterwards, we collected the soil samples to determine the pH and the available ions P, K + , Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ , S–SO 4 2- . According to the results, the rhythmite increased the soil pH, in general, by 27% in both subplots and contributed to an increase in Ca 2+ (89%) and Mg 2+ (307%) contents in the evaluated depths and S–SO 4 2- (63%) at a depth of 20–40 cm. The treatments composed by phonolite allowed, on average, K + 129% higher values than those found in clay siltstone. The inputs applied, in general, allowed greater accumulation of K, Mg and S by the plants. The results demonstrate that the mining coproducts from Irati and Corumbataí Formations can be used as alternative and clean sources of nutrients, increasing the contents of available ions in the soil and the accumulation of nutrients by the plants. • Mining coproducts increased the pH and the contents of macronutrients available. • Coproducts enable greater accumulation of macronutrients by the sugarcane. • These coproducts can be used as alternative and clean sources of nutrients.

Agricultural by-products and oyster shell as alternative nutrient sources for microbial sealing of early age cracks in mortar

Bio-concrete using bacterially produced calcium carbonate can repair microcracks but is still relatively expensive due to the addition of bacteria, nutrients, and calcium sources. Agricultural by-products and oyster shells were used to produce economical bio-concrete. Sesame meal was the optimal agricultural by-product for low-cost spore production of the alkaliphilic Bacillus miscanthi strain AK13. Transcriptomic dataset was utilized to compare the gene expressions of AK13 strain under neutral and alkaline conditions, which suggested that NaCl and riboflavin could be chosen as growth-promoting factors at alkaline pH. The optimal levels of sesame meal, NaCl, and riboflavin were induced with the central composite design to create an economical medium, in which AK13 strain formed more spores with less price than in commercial sporulation medium. Calcium nitrate obtained from nitric acid treatment of oyster shell powder increased the initial compressive strength of cement mortar. Non-ureolytic calcium carbonate precipitation by AK13 using oyster shell-derived calcium ions was verified by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis. Stereomicroscope and field emission scanning electron microscopy confirmed that oyster shell-derived calcium ions, along with soybean meal-solution, increased the bacterial survival and calcium carbonate precipitation inside mortar cracks. These data suggest the possibility of commercializing bacterial self-healing concrete with economical substitutes for culture medium, growth nutrient, and calcium sources.

Effects of biotite syenite on the nutrient levels and electrical charges in a Brazilian Savanna Ferralsol

ABSTRACT In the Brazilian Savanna, most of the soils have a low natural fertility. In order to overcome this limitation, farmers use large amounts of soluble fertilizers, causing environmental impacts. In the present study, finely ground biotite syenite (0; 600; 1,200; 1,800; and 2,400 kg ha-1) was evaluated as an alternative source of nutrients and electrical charges in a weathered Ferralsol from the Brazilian Savanna. Additionally, the development and nutrition of maize plants were analyzed. The values of Ca + Mg, T, t, Zn, Cu, Fe and Mn in the soil were not affected by the addition of biotite syenite, but the available P and K and the permanent charges were increased. The biotite did not increase the contents of P, Ca and Cu in the maize leaves, but it increased the contents of N and K. Increases of 103, 125 and 128 % were also detected, respectively, for plant height, stem diameter and leaf dry matter. The biotite syenite was able to increase the soil P, K and permanent charges, as well as the maize uptake of N and K, thus helping in the plant growth.

The fate of urea

Context Organic amendments (OAs) from agricultural and non-agricultural industries provide an alternative source of nitrogen (N) and other nutrients for crop production, especially with increasing costs of synthetic fertilisers. Aims This study examined the fate of urea in combination with OA in the form of raw mill mud, composted mill mud and high N compost in a maize field experiment on a sandy loam soil in a rain-fed subtropical environment. Methods OAs (346 kg N ha−1) were incorporated at sowing with 15N labelled urea (200 kg N ha−1) applied 28 days later, including a no OA control. Key results Grain yield, aboveground biomass and roots were not significantly different across all treatments, averaging 8.1, 17.4 and 1.3 t ha−1 at harvest. Total N uptake was 249.1 kg N ha−1 (on average) with fertiliser, native soil N and OAs sources accounting for 49.5, 44 and 6.5% of the total N uptake respectively. There was no significant difference in N fertiliser recovery between the OA treatments and the unamended control, with 61.7 and 3.7% of the applied N recovered in the plant and soil (to 100 cm), respectively, at harvest. Nitrogen fertiliser losses were equivalent to 33.6% of the applied N and were attributed to N leaching after extensive rainfall events late in the growing season. Conclusions OAs with high mineral and/or organic N content at time of application can supply significant amounts of plant available N but high levels of soil mineral N at sowing may hinder their full potential. Implications Reducing N loss and cost, and improving overall soil fertility by replacing synthetic N fertilisers with OAs may contribute to more environmentally sustainable crop production.

Evolution of the Interest on Edible Insects

Insects are being used as foods in both ancient and present days in different societies. A FAO report of 2013 reckoned that insect, farming in a that large-scale, would be the most effective way to addressed global food insecurity. At present nevertheless, there are poor knowledge on sustainably of farm insects and about species that would be best suited commercially. In the present work a tentative was made to describe the state of the art up to today on the subject of edible insects with emphasis on the important facts about them. In particular, special attention was given to <i>Tenebrio molitor</i> and <i>Hermetia illucens</i>, considered among the most promising insect larvae with extraordinary potential to be a food source alternative. The role that they can play when looking for more environmentally friendly alternatives for proteins and fats and the role of edible insects in the preservation of the environment were highlighted. A survey on the <i>Web of Science</i> data base was made in order to establish the evolution on the number of published articles about edible insects and in particular the two mentioned edible insects with time. it is worth mentioning that until the 1980 decade, the number of published articles on edible insects was very poor. In the mentioned data base, it was found that the first article on that subject was published on 1973. The amazing and increasing interest on experimental studies using edible insects in the last three decades correlate to the search for alternative sources of quality proteins and other important nutrients found in edible insects, besides the classical protein sources such as meat or to a less extent, plant proteins.

Impact of Vermicompost, Poultry Manure and Jeevaamrit on Growth Parameters of Kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa) cv. Allison

The present investigation was conducted on 6 years old kiwifruit vines cultivar ‘Allison’ at a spacing of 4.0 m × 6.0 m for two consecutive years 2018-19 and 2019-20 at experimental block of Department of Fruit Science, Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan (HP). The experiment was laid out in triplicate in Randomized Block Design with 8 treatments under three farming systems viz., Inorganic Fertilizer Based System (IFBS), Organic Farming Based System (OFBS) and Subhash Palekar’s Natural Farming System (SPNFS). The maximum leaf area (158.1 cm2), leaf area index (4.36), chlorophyll index (51.2), comparative photosynthetically active radiation (612 µ mol quanta m-2 s-1) was found in the treatment (T8) receiving 30 liters of jeevaamrit (JM) + 3 kg ghana jeevaamrit and 40 kg FYM per vine under SPNFS. Among OFBS, the treatment T2 (100% recommended dose of nitrogen (RDN) through vermicompost and poultry manure on 50:50 basis) observed maximum leaf area (151.8 cm2), leaf area index (4.35), comparative photosynthetically active radiation (642 µ mol quanta m-2 s-1) but lower significantly lower chlorophyll index (51.2) over T1 (Recommended dose of inorganic fertilizers + FYM) treatment of IFBS. Hence application of 30 litres jeevaamrit and 3 kg ghana jeevaamrit (both in 3 equal splits first in end of January, second in February and third in the month of April) along with 40 kg FYM per vine or alternatively substitution of 100% RDN through vermicompost and poultry manure on 50:50 basis along with 40 kg FYM were found to be best and alternate different option in place of inorganic fertilizers to ‘Allison’ cultivar of kiwifruit under mid-hill conditions of Himachal Pradesh, India. Furthermore, the research emphases mainly on improving soil health without compromising growth and yield of kiwifruits in the region. By using alternative sources of nutrients, farmers can obtain the comparable growth and yield of kiwifruits.

Evaluation of Yield and Quality Attributes of Grafted Brinjal under Treated Paperboard Mill Effluent Irrigation and Sludge Application

Field experiment was conducted to assess the impact of paperboard mill sludge compost and treated paperboard mill effluent irrigation on growth and yield of grafted brinjal. Among the different treatment combinations, application of phosphorus enriched ETP sludge compost at 5 t ha-1 along with treated effluent through drip irrigation and recommended level of NPK (200:150:100 kg NPK ha-1) resulted the highest brinjal yield of 42.7 t ha-1. There were no adverse effects on soil properties due to sludge compost application and treated effluent irrigation. Quality attributes of the fruits which include anthocyanin content, total phenol content, ascorbic acid content, titrable acidity and protein content were not affected due to the composted sludge application along with treated effluent irrigation. Thus, the treated effluent and the composted sludge which complies with the state pollution control board norms can be used as a viable alternative source of irrigation and nutrients for grafted brinjal cultivation without adversely affecting on crop quality.

Adsorption of Phosphate and Nitrate Using Modified Spent Coffee Ground and Its Application as an Alternative Nutrient Source for Plant Growth

Phosphate (PO43-) and Nitrate (NO3-) are two main nutrients that cause water eutrophication. In the other hand, the presence of PO43- and NO3- is needed for plant growth. The aims of this study are to recycle Spent Coffee Ground (SCG) modified with calcium hydroxide for adsorption PO43- and NO3-. The optimum adsorption capacity for PO43- and NO3- is 36.74 mg/L and 20.21 mg/L, respectively. The Freundlich isotherm model was suitable for PO43- and NO3- adsorption. The kinetic model for adsorption was linear using Pseudo-second order. The application of modified SCG after enrichment with PO43- and NO3- for plant growth (Raphanus sativus) showed optimum growth at a dose of 0.3% with value of germination index was 203%.

Feeding behavior of lambs fed diets containing old man saltbush hay

Background: We hypothesized that a diet with old man saltbush hay used as an alternative source of nutrients could partially replace the concentrate in the feeding of feedlot lambs. Objective: This study evaluated the behavior and performance of lambs fed diets containing increasing levels of old man saltbush hay plus concentrate. Methods: Twenty-four castrated Santa Inês lambs at approximately eight months of age (22 ± 1.97 kg) were confined in a randomized complete design and fed diets containing 30, 40, 50, and 60% (dry matter: DM) of old man saltbush hay. Results: The intake of DM and neutral detergent fiber was not affected (p&gt;0.05) by the level of old man saltbush hay. Intake of mineral salt decreased (p&lt;0.01) as the proportion of old man saltbush in the diet increased. Weight gain (kg) and feed efficiency worsened (p&lt;0.05) with 40% inclusion of old man salt bush hay. The time spent on feeding and chewing increased (p&lt;0.05), while idle time was reduced (p&lt;0.01) with dietary inclusion of old man saltbush. Feed efficiency decreased (p&lt;0.05) with the inclusion of old man saltbush. Conclusion: Dietary inclusion of old man saltbush affects the feeding behavior and performance of lambs in feedlot.

Nutritive value and digestibility of macronutrients from sheep and alpaca skin hydrolysates as a new alternative in juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) feeding

BackgroundThe protein source from fish meal is very important in trout feeding, but it is expensive and very scarce. Alternative nutrient sources are required to achieve sustainability as trout production rapidly grows in Peru. The objective of this research was to determine the proximate chemical composition and the apparent digestibility coefficient (ADC) of dry matter, organic matter, crude protein, crude fat, and digestible energy of hydrolyzed sheep (HSS) and alpaca (HSA) skins in juvenile rainbow trout.MethodsA total of 450 fishes were randomly distributed in nine digestibility tanks, with 60.0 ± 1.32 g of initial weight and 6.4 kg/m3 of stocking density. The water quality parameters were as follows: pH 8.4, temperature 11.5 °C, and dissolved oxygen 6.2 mg/l. The skin hydrolysates were treated at 130 °C with 15 psi pressure for 120 min. Fish were fed a reference diet and an experimental diet containing 70% reference diet and 30% skin hydrolysate. The ingredients of the diets were mixed and then extruded at 95 °C with 4-mm diameter (Extruder Khal® EE800). The ADC was determined by the indirect method using insoluble ash as a non-digestible marker.ResultsThe ADC in HSS and HSA was similar for dry matter (67.7 vs 69.1%), organic matter (66.9 vs 68.2%), crude protein (70.4 vs 70.1%), and digestible energy (3.35 vs 3.24 Mcal/kg DM), but crude fat values were different (12.3 vs 48.0%; p < 0.001, respectively).ConclusionThe hydrolyzed sheep and alpaca skins had a high content of macronutrients with an acceptable apparent digestibility of nutrients, making them a viable alternative to improve the nutritive value of more economical feeds for rainbow trout feed.

Proximal chemical evaluation and fatty acid in the chicatana ant and jumile

In the state of Tlaxcala, Mexico, the chicatana ant (Atta mexicana) and jumile (Edessa spp.) are foods that the population regularly consumes and are alternative sources of nutrients. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the proximal chemical composition (moisture, protein, lipids, ash and carbohydrates) and fatty acids (FA) in commercialised dehydrated chicatana ant and jumile using instrumental methods such as refractive index (RI) and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometer (GC-MS). Protein and lipids were predominant in chicatana ant and jumile (33.74% and 39.25%, and 32.00% and 39.00%, respectively). In insect oils, RI and GC-MS results demonstrated that chicatana ant oil contains a high saturated FA percentage (58.40%), with heneicosanoic acid (C21:0) being the predominant saturated FA (46.35%), while jumile oil presented a higher percentage of unsaturated acids (99.27%), with γ-linolenic acid being the predominant unsaturated FA (77.00%). Therefore, both insects are foods with important protein and FA percentage, with jumile containing a higher concentration of unsaturated FA, which is desirable in the diet.

The effect of domestic sewage effluent and planting density on growth and yield of prickly pear cactus in the semiarid region of Brazil

Agricultural and livestock productivity in the semiarid region depend on the occurrence of rainfall, soil fertility and forage supply. The use of domestic sewage effluent can be used as an alternative source of water and nutrients for crops growth in the semiarid region. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of irrigation with treated domestic sewage effluent on the growth and biomass production of prickly pear cactus (Opuntia tuna L.) at different planting densities. The experiment was carried out in a randomized block design, arranged in a 3 x (4 + 1) split-plot scheme, with four replicates. The treatments consisted of three planting densities (66,667, 52,282 and 33,333 plants ha−1) and four frequencies of application of irrigation (2.3 days with well water and 7, 14, and 21 days with sewage effluent) and a control treatment (rainfed condition). Irrigation with domestic sewage effluent allowed profitable production of prickly pear cactus and improved its growth and forage production compared to rainfed and irrigated with drinking water, regardless of the irrigation interval or plant spacing. Dense cultivation 66,667 plants ha−1 increase the biomass production of the prickly pear cactus cultivar ‘Orelha de Elefante Mexicana’ under irrigation with domestic sewage effluent at 7-day intervals.