Percentage Of Depletion Research Articles

Influence of Seed Storage and Priming on Naturally Aged Seeds of Aromatic Joha Rice

Joha is a fine grain aromatic rice of Assam, well known in the world market. This rice is protected and tagged as a geographical indication. This study evaluated priming effects on naturally aged seeds of two varieties, Kon Joha and Keteki Joha, after 0, 3, 6 and nine months of storage under ambient conditions. Seeds were hydro-primed, osmo-primed with 5% and 10% PEG, halo primed with 1% and 2% KCl and primed with 5 ppm and 10 ppm GA3 for 12 and 24 hours. Seed moisture percentage, germination percentage, germination index, mean germination time, seedling length and dry weight, seed vigour index, field emergence, seed reserve utilization rate, seed reserve use efficiency, seed reserve depletion percentage, and biochemical parameters like electrical conductivity, lipid peroxidation and α-amylase were observed. Seed quality was gradually deteriorating due to ageing over the storage period. The rate of deterioration was faster for seedling vigour traits than germination parameters. There was a varietal difference in the rate of deterioration; it was slower in Kon Joha, an indigenous variety which also showed dormancy. The priming treatments were able to ameliorate the effect of seed ageing on seed germination, seedling growth and biochemical parameters in Kon Joha. Treatments with 1% KCl, 10 ppm GA3 and 5% PEG enhanced the germination parameters and vigour indicators. KCl (1%) priming was the best priming agent; 24 hours of priming for all agents was better than 12 hours.

Study of Closed-House Systems in Broiler Production

This study aims to determine broiler chickens' production performance in a closed-house system. The research was conducted in a closed-house system with a capacity of 22,000 CP 707 strains at plasma breeders of PT. Prosperous Star Together. The variables used in this study include harvested body weight, body weight gain, Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR), Performance Index (IP) and percentage of depletion. The research technique used is direct observation in the field. Sampling uses simple random sampling, where the sample is randomly selected from a specified number. Analysis tools used descriptive method. The measurement data will be compared with the performance standards of broiler chickens according to PT. Charoen Pokphand. The results showed that the average body weight at 25 days was 1.614 kg/head, increased body weight was 1.564 kg/head, FCR was 1.36, IP was 465.45 and depletion percentage was 1.95%. The conclusion that can be drawn from the results of this study is that the production performance of broiler chickens kept in a closed-house system reaches the standards of PT. Charoen Pokphand.

#5984 IDENTIFICATION OF AN ANTIBIOTIC-TREATED MOUSE MODEL TO STUDY THE GUT-KIDNEY AXIS

Abstract Background and Aims Microbiota and its modulation could influence several physiological functions, and there is growing interest in it as a cutting-edge research topic in the field of renal diseases. According to the literature, germ-free (GF) mice are the gold-standard animal model for studying the correlation between the changing microbiota and the effects in the host. Unfortunately, their generation and maintenance are often unfeasible and costly, and the lack of microbiota could influence the circulating levels of amino acids, thus affecting kidney growth. This study aims to identify a more advantageous mouse model, specifically an antibiotic-treated one, that exhibits a strong reduction of the gut microbiota without compromising the kidney functionality. Method Five-six weeks old C57/BL6 male mice were randomly divided into 5 groups: Group 1 (Tr1) received a cocktail containing ampicillin, gentamicin, metronidazole, neomycin (1mg/mL each) and vancomycin (0.5 mg/mL) by oral gavage for 10 days; Group 2 (Tr2) received drinking water (DW) supplemented with ampicillin (1 mg/mL) neomycin (1 mg/mL), metronidazole (1mg/mL) and vancomycin (0,5 mg/mL) for 14 days; Group 3 (Comb3) was treated with amphotericin-B (0.2 mg/mL) by oral gavage for 3 days followed by an antibiotic cocktail composed by vancomycin (10 mg/mL), neomycin (20 mg/mL), metronidazole (20 mg/mL) and amphotericin-B (1 mg/mL) administrated by oral gavage and ampicillin (1 mg/mL) provided in DW for 7 days; Group 4 (Comb4) was treated with a combination of ampicillin, neomycin, metronidazole and vancomycin (40mg/mL each) both by oral gavage and DW; Control Group (Ctr) received milliQ water only. Fecal DNA was used to assess the reduction of the intestinal microbiota by the 16S gene rRNA sequencing, and intestinal permeability was determined both in vivo by FITC-dextran and by measuring the expression of Zonulin-1 (ZO-1) on intestine sections. To verify the kidney integrity after treatment, renal morphology and fibrosis were evaluated by multiphoton microscopy, while transdermal measurement of GFR occurred by using MediBeacon device. Results Apart from Tr1, with the less percentage of microbiota depletion, the rest of antibiotics cocktails exhibited a significant microbiota reduction. Data regarding intestinal permeability in vivo by FITC-dextran were consistent with hematoxylin-eosin staining and revealed a reduced expression of ZO-1 in all antibiotics-treated groups versus Ctr, confirming that microbiota has been depleted as expected. In all the experimental groups, particularly Tr2, urine/serum parameters reestablished at Ctr levels after recovery and only Comb4 showed signs of fibrosis. The low intragroup variability and the homogeneous decrease of the most abundant phyla, as well as renal physiology evaluation, point to Tr2 as the most promising antibiotics cocktail among the tested ones. Conclusion The potential of our study lies in the feasibility to have a manageable mouse model to perform studies on the gut-kidney axis. In particular, it will be specifically used for the evaluation of fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) with feces of patients affected by kidney diseases, enabling us to determine whether intestinal dysbiosis may impair the kidney functionality. However, the characterized mouse model might be employed to assess the effect of the FMT from patients with renal pathologies not only on kidneys but also at systemic level.

Defining the reactivity of nanoparticles to peptides through direct peptide reactivity assay (DPRA) using a high pressure liquid chromatography system with a diode array detector.

The possibility of inducing skin sensitization reactions following exposure to various chemicals can lead to skin diseases, and the evaluation of skin sensitivity to such substances is very important. However, as animal tests for skin sensitization are prohibited, the OECD Test Guideline 442C was designated as part of an alternative testing method. Therefore, in this study, the reactivity of cysteine and lysine peptides to nanoparticle substrates was identified through HPLC-DAD analysis according to the skin sensitization animal replacement test method specified in the OECD Test Guideline 442C. In this study, all criteria for skin sensitization experiments specified in OECD Test Guideline 442C were satisfied. As a result of analyzing the disappearance rates of cysteine and lysine peptides for the five types of nanoparticle substrates (TiO2, CeO2, Co3O4, NiO, and Fe2O3) using the established analytical method, all were identified as positive. Therefore, our findings suggest that basic data from this technique can contribute to skin sensitization studies by providing the depletion percentage of cysteine and lysine peptides for nanoparticle materials that have not yet been tested for skin sensitization.

Assessment of trunk microtensiometer as a novel biosensor to continuously monitor plant water status in nectarine trees.

The objective of this work was to validate the trunk water potential (Ψtrunk), using emerged microtensiometer devices, as a potential biosensor to ascertain plant water status in field-grown nectarine trees. During the summer of 2022, trees were subjected to different irrigation protocols based on maximum allowed depletion (MAD), automatically managed by real-time soil water content values measured by capacitance probes. Three percentages of depletion of available soil water (α) were imposed: (i) α=10% (MAD=27.5%); (ii) α=50% (MAD=21.5%); and (iii) α=100%, no-irrigation until Ψstem reached -2.0 MPa. Thereafter, irrigation was recovered to the maximum water requirement of the crop. Seasonal and diurnal patterns of indicators of water status in the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum (SPAC) were characterised, including air and soil water potentials, pressure chamber-derived stem (Ψstem) and leaf (Ψleaf) water potentials, and leaf gas exchange, together with Ψtrunk. Continuous measurements of Ψtrunk served as a promising indicator to determine plant water status. There was a strong linear relationship between Ψtrunk vs. Ψstem (R2 = 0.86, p<0.001), while it was not significant between Ψtrunk vs. Ψleaf (R2 = 0.37, p>0.05). A mean gradient of 0.3 and 1.8 MPa was observed between Ψtrunk vs.Ψstem and Ψleaf, respectively. In addition, Ψtrunk was the best matched to the soil matric potential. The main finding of this work points to the potential use of trunk microtensiometer as a valuable biosensor for monitoring the water status of nectarine trees. Also, trunk water potential agreed with the automated soil-based irrigation protocols implemented.

Optimizing Antioxidant Activity and Phytochemical Properties of Peppermint (Mentha piperita L.) by Integrative Application of Biofertilizer and Stress-Modulating Nanoparticles under Drought Stress Conditions

Drought stress (DS) negatively affects plant growth, productivity, and quality in semi-arid and arid regions. Nowadays, application of biofertilizers and stress-modulating nanoparticles (NPs) improves plant performance under stressful conditions. The study evaluated the impacts of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (Myco-Root) and TiO2 NPs on the nutrient uptake, dry yield, essential oil (EO) productivity, and EO quality of peppermint (Mentha piperita L.) under different irrigation regimes. The treatments included three irrigation regimes containing irrigation after 20% (I20, well-watered), 40% (I40, mild DS), and 60% (I60, severe DS) maximum allowable depletion (MAD) percentage of the soil's available water as well as four fertilizer sources contain no fertilization (control), Myco-Root biofertilizer, TiO2 NPs, and an integrative application of Myco-Root + TiO2 NPs. The results demonstrated that the highest (195.72 g m-2) and the lowest dry yield (78.76 g m-2) of peppermint was obtained in well-watered conditions with integrative application of Myco-Root + TiO2 NPs and severe drought stress (I60) without fertilization, respectively. The dry yield of peppermint was reduced by 27.7 and 53.4% in mild (I40) and severe drought stress (I60), respectively. The maximum EO content (1.49%) and EO yield (2.30 g m-2) was recorded in mild drought stress (I40) treated with Myco-Root + TiO2 NPs. Based on the GC-MS and GC-FID analysis, 29 constituents were identified in peppermint EO, with the major constituents being menthol (38.99-52%), menthone (12.72-20.13%), 1,8-cineole (6.55-7.84%), and neo-menthol (3.14-4.52%), respectively. The maximum content of menthol, 1,8-cineole, and neo-menthol was obtained under mild drought stress (I40) fertilized with Myco-Root + TiO2 NPs. The results indicate that the integrative application of Myco-Root + TiO2 NPs could be used as an alternative method of using chemical fertilizers in sustainable agricultural systems for improving the EO quantity and quality of peppermint grown under drought stress conditions.

Azoxystrobin alters the dynamics of short‐term phosphorus uptake of mycorrhizal potato plants associated to Rhizophagus irregularis

AbstractBackgroundAzoxystrobin is widely used in crops against several fungal diseases, but may have potential negative effects on soil microorganisms beneficial to plants such as arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. To date, the impact of azoxystrobin has been studied on the growth and healing capacity of AM fungi, but not on the inorganic phosphorus (Pi) uptake dynamics.AimsThe aim of the study was to investigate the impact of azoxystrobin on the dynamics of Pi uptake by potato plants associated or not to Rhizophagus irregularis. Additionally, fungal root colonization, plant growth, and P accumulation were assessed.MethodsA semi‐hydroponic cultivation system was used using mycorrhizal (M) and nonmycorrhizal (NM) plants growing in presence/absence of azoxystrobin. The percentage of Pi depletion in the nutrient solution was determined by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy after 30 and 60 days of circulation.ResultsWhatever the presence/absence of the AM fungus, azoxystrobin decreased Pi uptake by plants after 30 days of growth. Conversely, after 60 days in absence of azoxystrobin, a larger Pi uptake was measured in the M plants, while the reverse was noticed in presence of azoxystrobin.ConclusionsThe M plants were more affected by azoxystrobin than those growing in absence of the fungicide, suggesting a direct effect of azoxystrobin on the AM fungus and an indirect effect on the plant–fungus associates via a potential imbalance in the transfer of nutrients. Although it is difficult to extrapolate our results to field, fungicide toxicity on crops inoculated with selected AM fungi deserves to be explored.

Influence of Internal Grinding Wheel using Aluminium Oxide with Boron Nitride and its Relation to Dressing and Surface Roughness

Performance of grinding wheel depends on different factors from dressing operations to wheel topography. This will directly show effect on grinding force, surface quality and wheel durability. During grinding, an improved wheel should reduce the number of passes as well as the dressing time (wheel gets loading) to increase the production rate and minimize the total cycle time to complete the parts. This paper presents several process parameters to obtain the improved surface roughness and round tolerance such as coarse dress depth of cut 30 microns for the first pass, fine dressing depth of cut 20 microns for the second pass and a dressing speed and feed rate of 0.5m/min respectively. The experiments with the optimal dressing parameters have been considered to check the wheel durability and its performance. The parameters investigated were wheel life, surface roughness and round tolerance from the experiments with different cutting variables like depth of cut, speed, feed rate and percentage of wheel depletion. For this purpose, a single point diamond dresser with four different test samples using Aluminium Oxide (Al2O3) with Boron Nitride (BN) for internal grinding wheels were chosen for the experiment.

Co-Application of TiO2 Nanoparticles and Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Improves Essential Oil Quantity and Quality of Sage (Salvia officinalis L.) in Drought Stress Conditions.

Drought stress is known as a major yield-limiting factor in crop production that threatens food security worldwide. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) have shown to alleviate the effects of drought stress on plants, but information regarding their co-addition to minimize the effects of drought stress on plants is scant. Here, a two-year field experiment was conducted in 2019 and 2020 to evaluate the influence of different irrigation regimes and fertilizer sources on the EO quantity and quality of sage (Salvia officinalis L.). The experiment was laid out as a split plot arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replicates. The irrigation treatments were 25, 50, and 75% maximum allowable depletion (MAD) percentage of the soil available water as non-stress (MAD25), moderate (MAD50), and severe (MAD75) water stress, respectively. Subplots were four fertilizer sources including no-fertilizer control, TiO2 nanoparticles (100 mg L−1), AMF inoculation, and co-addition of TiO2 and AMF (TiO2 + AMF). Moderate and severe drought stress decreased sage dry matter yield (DMY) by 30 and 65%, respectively. In contrast, application of TiO2 + AMF increased DMY and water use efficiency (WUE) by 35 and 35%, respectively, compared to the unfertilized treatment. The highest EO content (1.483%), yield (2.52 g m−2), and cis-thujone (35.84%, main EO constituent of sage) was obtained in MAD50 fertilized with TiO2 + AMF. In addition, the net income index increased by 44, 47, and 76% with application of TiO2 nanoparticles, AMF, and co-addition of TiO2 + AMF, respectively. Overall, the integrative application of the biofertilizer and nanoparticles (TiO2 + AMF) can be recommended as a sustainable strategy for increasing net income and improving EO productivity and quality of sage plants in drought stress conditions. Future policy discussions should focus on incentivizing growers for replacing synthetic fertilizers with proven nano and biofertilizers to reduce environmental footprints and enhance the sustainability of sage production, especially in drought conditions.

Response of seed reserve utilization and its associated traits in rice genotypes

An experiment on seed reserve utilization using seven rice genotypes was conducted at the Department of Seed Science and Technology, PJTSAU, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad in Factorial Completely Randomised Design with three replications during the year 2021. Seed reserve utilization and its associated traits viz., the weight of utilized seed reserve (WUSR), seedling dry weight (SLDW), remnant seed dry weight (RSDW), seed reserve utilization efficiency (SRUE), and seed reserve depletion percentage (SRDP) varied significantly among the genotypes, days to emergence and their interaction. While initial seed dry weight (ISDW) showed significance among genotypes only. About, the interaction between genotypes and days to emergence, significantly high ISDW (23.93 mg/seed), RSDW (530 mg) and SRUE (29.8) and significantly low WUSR (2.10 mg/seed) and SRDP (8.97 %) were recorded in AUS 276 on 6th day, while significantly high WUSR and SLDW were recorded in Dular (11.76 mg/seed) and Moroberekan (206.33 mg) on 14th day, respectively. Significantly low ISDW (9.30 mg/seed) and SLDW (49.67 mg) on the 6th day, significantly low RSDW (78.33 mg) and SRUE (14.8), and significantly high SRDP (66.63 %) on the 14th day was recorded in RNR 15048. The results explain that WUSR, SLDW, and SRDP increased significantly from the 6th day to 14th day for all the genotypes indicating the depletion of seed reserves for the growth and development of seedlings, and among the characters studied, WUSR is the most important for conversion into seedling tissue than seed reserve utilization efficiency.

In vitro interaction of potential antiviral TMPRSS2 inhibitors with human serum albumin and cytochrome P 450 isoenzymes

The interactions of four sulfonylated Phe(3-Am)-derived inhibitors (MI-432, MI-463, MI-482 and MI-1900) of type II transmembrane serine proteases (TTSP) such as transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2) were examined with serum albumin and cytochrome P450 (CYP) isoenzymes. Complex formation with albumin was investigated using fluorescence spectroscopy. Furthermore, microsomal hepatic CYP1A2, 2C9, 2C19 and 3A4 activities in presence of these inhibitors were determined using fluorometric assays. The inhibitory effects of these compounds on human recombinant CYP3A4 enzyme were also examined. In addition, microsomal stability assays (60-min long) were performed using an UPLC-MS/MS method to determine depletion percentage values of each compound. The inhibitors showed no or only weak interactions with albumin, and did not inhibit CYP1A2, 2C9 and 2C19. However, the compounds tested proved to be potent inhibitors of CYP3A4 in both assays performed. Within one hour, 20%, 12%, 14% and 25% of inhibitors MI-432, MI-463, MI-482 and MI-1900, respectively, were degraded. As essential host cell factor for the replication of the pandemic SARS-CoV-2, the TTSP TMPRSS2 emerged as an important target in drug design. Our study provides further preclinical data on the characterization of this type of inhibitors for numerous trypsin-like serine proteases.

Effect of subsurface drip irrigation manners and percentages of moisture depletion on some hydraulic parameters and potato yield

A field experiment was conducted in Silty Loam soil during the fall season 2020 in one of the fields of College of Agriculture (Jazeerat Al-Ramadi - Al Hamidiyah, Research Center) north of Ramadi city, latitude 33° 27“ 10.8” N, and longitude 43° 23“. 2.4” E. The soil was morphologically described and classified as (Torrifluvent) according to the American classification system (USDA, 2010). Three methods of subsurface drip irrigation were chosen Partial Drying of the Root zone PRD, Sub-surface Boarder irrigation SBI and conventional sub-surface irrigation SDI, with two moisture depletion of available water rates (25% and 50%). The results of the study showed that the PRD irrigation method had the highest mean of the total yield when depleting 25% of the prepared water which was 28.628 Meg h-1 and the lowest average was 27.088 Meg ha-1 when depleting 50%. Whereas, the PRD treatment gave the highest yield value of 29.75 Meg h-1 when depleting 25% of the available water, Also the PRD method gave the highest average values of 29,217 kg ha-1 compared to 26,142 kg ha-1 for SDI method. This was reflected in the total infiltration, saturated hydraulic conductivity and addition efficiency, the total infiltration using PRD irrigation method recorded the highest average values of 31.2 cm compared to 24.7 and 22.5 cm for SBI and SDI drip irrigation treatments respectively. The 25% depletion treatment was significantly superior to the 50% depletion treatment, which gave an average of 28.1 cm and 24.1 cm respectively. As for the saturated hydraulic conductivity, the mean values of the saturated hydraulic conductivity increased significantly in the PRD irrigation method for the depth 0-15 m, reaching the highest average values of 2.92 cm h-1 compared to 2.32 and 1.97 cm h-1 for SBI and SDI irrigation methods respectively. The depletion rate of 25% gave the highest rate of conductivity of 2.63 cm per hour-1, while the depletion rate of 50% gave the lowest rate of water conductivity of 2.17 cm h-1. The PRD treatment gave the highest mean values of water conductivity at 3.38 cm h-1 compared to 2.17 and 2.49 cm h-1 for SBI and SDI irrigation methods at 15-30 cm depth respectively. Irrigation with partial drying of the root zone PRD gave the highest efficiency rate, adding depth 15-30 cm, which was 97.07%, compared to 96.52 and 95.35% for SBI and SDI irrigation methods respectively.

INTESTINAL MICROBIOME BY HISTOCOPROLOGICAL ANALYSIS AND ITS CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE

The histocoprological method was used to study stool samples from patients with gastrointestinal diseases to determine the presence of helminths and assess the state of the intestinal microbiome. The main complaints of patients were abdominal pain, bloating, constipation and diarrhea. The patients were divided into two groups: those who took antibiotics and those who did not. Evaluation of the microbial background by histological stool preparations was carried out in total, morphologically by the density of the location of microbial colonies and the intensity of their color. Helminthiasis was ascertained by the detection of fragments of small nematodes, larvae, their cuticles and eggs. A high percentage of depletion of the microbial background for drugs with a decrease in the number of microbial colonies was noted in the first group (65.1% of those who took antibiotics). Among children, a weakening of the microbiome was found in 42 (88% – who also took antibiotics), that is, more often. The negative effect of antibiotics and other pathogens on the microbial background required its correction with the appointment of sorbents and prebiotics. All examined patients were found to have helminthiases (nematodes and mixed forms). Deworming was carried out with nemazole at age-specific dosages. In 57 patients who re-passed the analysis, after complex treatment, there was a positive trend, clearly traced in feces preparations.

Gamma radiation negatively impacted seed germination, seedling growth and antioxidant enzymes activities in tall fescue infected with Epichloë endophyte

Plants and their accompanying microorganisms growing in contaminated sites with long-lived gamma-emitting radionuclides may be affected by radiation stress. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of gamma radiation on symbiotic relationship between Epichloë endophyte and Festuca arundinacea plant along with the radio-sensitivity of a pair of clones of tall fescue with (E+) and without (E−) symbiotic Epichloë endophyte exposed to different doses of gamma radiation including 25, 50, 75, 100, 150, 200, 300, and 400 Gray (Gy) from a Cobalt-60 source. Both irradiated and non-irradiated seeds of each status were grown under controlled conditions. Seed germination indices, seedling growth and certain physiological criteria associated with plant responses to oxidative stress were examined. The results revealed that low doses (up to 75 Gy) of gamma radiation stimulated seed germination indices and seedling growth. However, high doses (100–400 Gy) significantly reduced the final germination percentage, germination rate index, coefficient of velocity of germination, and the seed reserve depletion percentage, and enhanced the mean germination time. Further, high doses of radiation reduced root and shoot lengths, root and shoot fresh weights, and activities of antioxidant enzymes (especially catalase and superoxide dismutase), and increased the content of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and malondialdehyde (MDA) of the seedlings. The results showed that the endophyte was present in seeds after gamma ray irradiation. However, the presence of endophyte in seedlings started to be reduced significantly (18.45% reduction rather than the control) at 50 Gy of gamma radiation. High doses (100 Gy and above) dramatically declined the presence of endophyte down to zero in seedlings compared to the control. In this study, the E− clone had higher seed germination and seedling growth as well as lower H2O2 and MDA contents under radiation stress as compared with the E+ clone. Additionally, shoot tolerance index (STI) indicated more radiation tolerance in the E− clone. According to the results of the present study, it is concluded that biological impacts of gamma radiation stress and the harmful effects on endophyte viability may cause more radio-sensitivity and changes in the growth and physio-biochemical aspects of the host plant.

Depletion percentage and nonlinear transmissivity as design criteria for groundwater-level observation networks

Intensive use of groundwater for irrigation has depleted available supplies in many areas of the world. Depletion reduces well yields, which negatively impacts agricultural productivity and profitability. The impact of groundwater depletion on wells depends on the relative changes in saturated thickness (depletion percentage) and the rates of change in transmissivity during depletion (nonlinear transmissivity). In heterogeneous aquifers of variable saturated thickness, the impacts on wells vary in time and space. An observation well network designed to account for these spatiotemporal variations is a key part of achieving sustainable development of groundwater. This paper presents a framework for incorporating estimates of depletion percentage and nonlinear transmissivity into GIS-based multicriteria analysis for observation-well network design. The workflow includes (1) selection of criteria using stakeholder input, (2) assessment of data quality, (3) interpolation of hydrogeologic surfaces with prediction standard errors, (4) estimation of hydraulic conductivity values, (5) calculation of saturated thickness and transmissivity using 3 and 4 above, (6) mapping of well densities, and (7) normalization of raster values and calculation of a priority index map. The framework is widely applicable, but flexible to adapt to local needs. By incorporating depletion percentage and nonlinear transmissivity, the methodology can help management agencies prioritize monitoring locations in areas where future depletions could have the greatest impacts on well yields.

Water productivity under deficit irrigation using onion as indicator crop

Improving water productivity (WP) through deficit irrigation is crucial in water-scarce areas. To practice deficit irriga-tion, the optimum level of water deficit that maximizes WP must be investigated. In this study, a field experiment was con-ducted to examine WP of the three treatments at available soil water depletion percentage (����) of 25% (reference), 45% and 65% using a drip irrigation system. Treatments were arranged in a randomized complete block design. The water deficit was allowed throughout the growth stages after transplanting except for the first 15 days of equal amounts of irrigations during the initial growth stage and 20 days enough spring season rainfall during bulb enlargement periods. Physical WP in terms of water use efficiency (WUEf) for treatments T1, T2, and T3 was 9.44 kg∙m–3, 11 kg∙m–3and 10.6 kg∙m–3 for mar-ketable yields. The WUEf and economic water productivity were significantly improved by T2 and T3. The WUEf differ-ence between T2 and T3 was insignificant. However, T2 can be selected as an optimal irrigation level. Hence, deficit irriga-tion scheduling is an important approach for maximizing WP in areas where water is the main constraint for crop produc-tion. The planting dates should be scheduled such that the peak water requirement periods coincide with the rainy system.

Priming improves germination and seed reserve utilization, growth, antioxidant responses and membrane stability at early seedling stage of Saudi sorghum varieties under drought stress

Seeds of three sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench.) varieties from Southwest Saudi Arabia were used to investigate the potential of osmopriming with polyethylene glycol (PEG 8000) to improve germination performance, seed reserve utilization and early seedling growth and drought stress tolerance. The primed (PS) and unprimed (UPS) seeds of the three sorghum varieties were germinated for 8 days under increasing PEG-induced osmotic stress. The treatments were arranged in a completely randomized design, in a factorial arrangement, with three sorghum cultivars (‘Zaydia’, ‘Shahbi’ and ‘Ahmar’) and four osmotic potentials (0.0; -0.4; -0.8 and -1.2 MPa) with four replicates of 50 seeds each. The results showed that drought stress affected seed germination and seedling emergence and establishment, but increased the activity of the antioxidant enzyme catalase (CAT). The strongest inhibition of germination and growth occurred at the highest PEG concentration and a significant difference was noticeable between the studied varieties. We confirmed also that seed osmopriming improved seed germination performance, seedling growth and enhanced the CAT activities while reduced malonyldialdehyde (MDA) accumulation and electrolyte leakage (EL) in the drought-stressed seedlings. Seed priming have enhanced also the α-amylase and total proteases activities in all varieties. The largest increase of these hydrolysing enzymes was shown in ‘Ahmar’. Furthermore, the PEG priming lead to improvement of the weight of utilized (mobilized) seed reserve (WUSR), seed reserve depletion percentage (SRDP) and total seedling dry weight (SLDW) of sorghum seedlings under water stress conditions. Still, the highest values or all three parameters were found in the ‘Ahmar’ variety. Under increasing drought stress conditions, ‘Ahmar’ showed the highest yield stability index (YSI) and the least EL and MDA contents in comparison to the other two varieties during the seedling establishment stage. Therefore, the former variety can tolerate better a rigorous water stress condition. ‘Zaydia’ appears to be the most vulnerable to drought stress. Thus, the use of species or varieties with eminent seed metabolic quality is an advantageous trait in drought-prone regions.

The Cataleptic, Asymmetric, Analgesic, and Brain Biochemical Effects of Parkinson's Disease Can Be Affected by Toxoplasma gondii Infection.

Purpose Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder with progressive motor defects. Therefore, the aim of the present investigation was to examine whether catalepsy, asymmetry, and nociceptive behaviors; the Nissl-body and neuron distribution; brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF); malondialdehyde (MDA); total antioxidant capacity (TAC) levels; and the percentage of dopamine depletion of striatal neurons in the rat model of Parkinson's disease (PD) can be affected by Toxoplasma gondii (TG) infection. Methods Fifty rats were divided into five groups: control (intact rats), sham (rats which received an intrastriatal injection of artificial cerebrospinal fluid (ACSF)), PD control (induction of PD without TG infection), TG control (rats infected by TG without PD induction), and PD infected (third week after PD induction, infection by TG was done). PD was induced by the unilateral intrastriatal microinjection of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) and ELISA quantified dopamine, BDNF, MDA, and TAC in the striatum tissue. Cataleptic, asymmetrical, nociceptive, and histological alterations were determined by bar test, elevated body swing test, formalin test, and Nissl-body and neuron counting in the striatal neurons. Results The results demonstrated that PD could significantly increase the number of biased swings, descent latency time, and nociceptive behavior and decrease the distribution of Nissl-stained neurons compared to the control and sham groups. TG infection significantly improved biased swing, descent latency time, nociceptive behavior, and the Nissl-body distribution in striatal neurons in comparison to the PD control group. The striatal level of BDNF in the PD-infected and TG control groups significantly increased relative to the PD control group. The striatal MDA was significantly higher in the PD control than other groups, while striatal TAC was significantly lower in the PD control than other groups. Conclusions The current study indicates that TG infection could improve the cataleptic, asymmetric, nociceptive and behaviors; the level of striatal dopamine release; BDNF levels; TAC; and MDA in PD rats.

Systematic evaluation of species-independent serum pre-fractionation strategies revealed cost-effective methods to reduce proteome complexity

In this study, the efficiency of one commercial (ProteoMiner™ -PM) and five simple and cost-effective laboratory chemicals (Acetone, TCA/acetone, DTT, ACN and DTT-ACN) based serum protein pre-fractionation strategies was compared in pig model by label-free quantitation based mass spectrometric approach to find out the most suitable strategy for reducing the complexity of serum proteome for subsequent proteomic studies. The highest serum protein depletion percentage and highest depletion of albumin, the most abundant serum protein, was observed in DTT-ACN method. The maximum number of serum proteins was identified in ACN followed by DTT-ACN method and importantly, detection of more number of low-abundant proteins (LAPs) could also be achieved by these two methods. Although PM method resulted into lowest dynamic range of protein abundance, quite a less number of proteins were identified by this method. Overall, sequential depletion using DTT-ACN and ACN methods provided advantage of simultaneous detection of more number of proteins along with LAPs with a reasonably high dynamic range of protein abundances over other methods and thus emerged as cheaper and effective alternatives to the commercial methods. Further, these methods are species-independent and hence can be applied in human and in any livestock species to simplify the serum proteome.

High guayule rubber production with subsurface drip irrigation in the US desert Southwest

Guayule is being produced for natural rubber in US desert areas, where irrigation requirements are high. Improved irrigation practices and methods are required to increase guayule yields and reduce its water use. Presently, there is no information available on guayule produced using subsurface drip irrigation (SDI). Therefore, we conducted an SDI guayule field study in 2012–2015 in Maricopa, Arizona, US. The objectives were to evaluate guayule dry biomass (DB), rubber yield (RY), and crop evapotranspiration (ETc) responses to water application level, and to compare these results to previously reported guayule irrigation studies. Guayule seedlings were transplanted in the field in October 2012 at 0.35-m spacing, in 100-m long rows, spaced 1.02 m apart. The field had 15, 8-row wide plots (5 irrigation treatments x 3 replicates). Irrigation treatments were imposed in a randomized complete block design starting in May 2013. Irrigation scheduling was based on the measured soil water depletion percentage (SWDp) of a fully-irrigated treatment, defined as 100% ETc replacement, and maintained at ≈20-35% SWDp. The other treatments received 25%, 50%, 75%, and 125% of irrigation applied to the 100% treatment on each day of irrigation. Destructive samples for dry biomass, rubber, and resin contents were periodically taken from each plot between February and November of each year until the guayule was bulk-harvested in March 2015. Results indicated ETc, DB, and RY increased with total water applied (irrigation + rain), which varied between treatments from 2080 to 4900 mm for the 29-month growing season. Final dry biomass and rubber yields of 61.2 Mg/ha and 3430 kg/ha, respectively, were achieved with the highest irrigation treatment level (125%) and these yields were significantly higher than those under all other irrigation levels. All SDI irrigation treatments except for the lowest 25% level had rubber yields from 24 to 200% greater than the maximum RY achieved under a companion surface irrigation study conducted simultaneously in Maricopa.