Trunk Circumference Research Articles

Seasonal vine nutrient dynamics and distribution of Shiraz grapevines

Aim: The nutrient reserves in the grapevine perennial structure perform a critical role in supplying the grapevine with nutrients when demand cannot be sustained by root uptake. The seasonal changes in these reserves largely depend on the developmental stage and the associated growth requirements. These stored reserves are, in turn, influenced by environmental conditions and vineyard management practices, such as production levels and water availability. The aim of this study was to assess the nutrient dynamics of a major wine grape variety grown in Australia to determine the key nutrient uptake periods and to understand the mobilization patterns throughout a season.Methods and results: The own-rooted 10-year-old Shiraz vines used for the trial were located in the Riverina, which is a hot inland grape-growing region in New South Wales, Australia. Uniformly sized vines, identified by trunk circumference, were selected for 11 excavation dates with four replicates, from a month before bud-burst to leaf-fall. The above-ground section of the vines were separated into the different perennial, vegetative and reproductive organs. The below-ground section of the vines were obtained in an allocated area (6 m2/vine) and were excavated to a depth of 1 m, and the roots were separated into rootstock and three root sizes. Sub-samples of each tissue were freeze-dried and the remaining tissues were oven-dried at 70°C, and for both procedures the dry weight (DW) was recorded. For the nutrient analysis, the tissue sub-samples were ground up, and nutrients were determined with an nitrogen analyzer and an ICP-OES.The annual organs showed the highest nitrogen (N) concentrations in spring, with the leaves having 3% and inflorescences 2.5%, but stem N concentration was highest at the end of the season with 0.7% DW. Root N concentrations are at least double the other perennial sections, with these reserves declining early in the season and being replenished by leaf-fall. The changes in concentrations for perennial sections are similar for the other macro nutrients, but differ for Ca and S in the annual tissues. The N content of the perennial structure declined considerably until flowering, with a sharp increase after harvest. The majority of the N uptake occurred four weeks before flowering and four weeks before veraison, and more than half the N of the vine was allocated to the annual organs at harvest. Other macro nutrients show a pattern of decline and replenishment in the roots and wood and most nutrients were taken up predominantly four weeks prior to flowering.Conclusions: An important finding from the study revealed that the amount of each nutrient allocated to the perennial structure and annual parts varied between the nutrients. This understanding of the nutrient dynamics will lead to an optimization of individual nutrient status and supply for grapevines.Significance and impact of the study: This is the first time that whole-vine nutrient levels were followed through the season under Australian conditions and on a wine grape variety for all macro nutrients. Such information is critical to allow precise prediction and modeling of grapevine nutrient requirements.

The early performance and fruit properties of apricot cultivars grafted on Prunus spinosa L. interstock

The present study was undertaken to determine some pomological, physical and chemical properties of five apricot cultivars from University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Agriculture, Novi Sad, Serbia—‘Novosadska kasnocvetna’, ‘Novosadska rodna’, NS-6, NS-4, and ‘Buda’—and two selections (SK-1 and SK-3) grafted on myrobalan as a rootstock, with blackthorn (Prunus spinosa L.) used as interstock. The experiment was conducted during the 2013–2017 period at the experimental field for fruit growing of the University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Agriculture. The orchard was established in 2012 with 4 × 2 m tree spacing. Phenological characteristics, yield, trunk circumference, fruit and stone size, as well as chemical properties of Novi Sad’s apricot cultivars and selections were determined. The earliest flowering onset was observed in the cultivar ‘Buda’ and the latest in the selection SK-3. In all examined cultivars and selections, fruit weight was above 60 g and ‘Buda’ was particularly distinguished by its fruit weight and stone to flesh ratio. ‘Novosadska kasnocvetna’ had the lowest yield efficiency (0.4 kg cm−2), yield per tree (4.4 kg) and per ha (5.5 t). Cultivar NS-6 and selection SK-1 were the most productive, with the cumulative yield per tree of 27.1 and 26.2 kg, respectively. The highest trunk cross-sectional area in all five experimental years was measured for the cultivar ‘Buda’ (58.1 cm2). The highest soluble solids content was detected in the cultivar ‘Buda’ (16.1°Brix), while ‘Novosadska kasnocvetna’ had the highest total acid content (1.4%). Novi Sad’s apricot cultivars and selections yield good fruit quality, which can thus serve as a very powerful source of phenolic compounds.

Epiphytic lichen synusiae and functional trait groups in boreo‐nemoral deciduous forests are influenced by host tree and environmental factors

Deciduous forests with temperate broad‐leaved tree species are particularily important in terms of biodiversity and its protection, but are threatened habitats in northern Europe. Using multivariate analyses we studied the effect of forest site type, environmental variables and host tree properties on epiphytic lichen synusiae as well as on the composition of species‐specific functional traits. Epiphytic lichens were examined on Acer platanoides, Fraxinus excelsior, Quercus robur, Tilia cordata, Ulmus glabra and U. laevis in two types of forests: Humulus‐type floodplain forests and Lunaria‐type boreo‐nemoral forests on the talus slopes of limestone escarpment (klint forests). Klint forests located near the seashore were under greater maritime influence compared to floodplain forests located in inland Estonia which experience stronger air temperature contrasts. In addition to stand level and climatic variables, tree level factors (bark pH, trunk circumference and cover of bryophytes) considerably affected the species composition of the lichen synusiae. Overall, 137 lichen species were recorded, including 14 red‐listed species characteristic of deciduous trees. We defined 13 lichen societies and showed their preference to forests of a specific site type and/or host tree properties. In forests of both types, most of the epiphytic lichens were crustose, and had apothecia as the fruit bodies and chlorococcoid algae as the photobiont. However, the proportion of lichens with a foliose or fruticose growth form, as well as the proportion of lichens with vegatative diaspores, were higher in floodplain forests. In klint forests with a stronger influence from the wind, crustose species completely dominated, while species with vegetative diaspores were rare and most species dispersed sexually. Lichens with Trentepohlia as the photobiont were characteristic of these forests, and lichens with lirellate ascomata were prevailing, indicating the great uniqueness of the kint forests for epiphytic lichens in the boreo‐nemoral region.

Estimation of fruit load in mango orchards: tree sampling considerations and use of machine vision and satellite imagery

In current best commercial practice, pre-harvest fruit load predictions of mango orchards are provided based on a manual count of fruit number on up to 5% of trees within each block. However, the variability in fruit number per tree (coefficient of variation, CV, from 27 to 93% across ten orchards) was demonstrated to be such that the best case commercial sampling practice was inadequate for reliable estimation (to an error of 54–82 fruit/tree, and percentage error, PE, of 10% at a probability of 0.95). These results highlight the need for alternative methods for estimation of orchard fruit load. Pre-harvest fruit load was estimated for a case study orchard of 469 trees using (i) count of a sample of trees, (ii) in-field machine vision and (iii) correlation to a tree spectral index estimated using high resolution satellite imagery. A count of 5% of trees (23) in the trial orchard resulted in a PE of 31% (error of 37 fruit/tree), with a count of 157 trees required to achieve a PE of 10% (error of 12 fruit/tree). Sampling effort to achieve a PE of 10% was decreased by only 10% by sampling from aspatial k-means tree classifications based on machine vision derived fruit counts of all trees. Clustering based on tree attributes of canopy volume and trunk circumference was not helpful in decreasing sampling effort as these attributes were poorly correlated to fruit load (R2 = 0.21 and 0.17, respectively). In-field multi-view machine vision-based estimation of fruit load per tree achieved a R2 = 0.97 and a RMSE = 14.8 fruit/tree against harvest fruit count per tree for a set of 18 trees (average = 88; SD = 82 fruit/tree), using a faster region convolutional neural network trained the previous season. The relationship between WorldView-3 (WV3) satellite spectral reflectance characteristics of sampled trees and fruit number was characterised by a R2 = 0.66 and a RMSE = 56.1 fruit/tree. For this orchard, for which the actual fruit harvest was 56,720 fruit, the estimate based on a manual count of 5% of trees was 47,955 fruit, while estimates based on 20 iterations of stratified sampling (of 5% of trees in each cycle) had variation (SD) of 9597. The machine vision method resulted in an estimate of 53,520 (SD = 1960) fruit and the remote sensing method, 51,944 (SD = 26,300) fruit for the orchard.

A comparison of trunk circumference and width indices for hypertension and type 2 diabetes in a large-scale screening: a retrospective cross-sectional study

Anthropometric indices determine important risk factors for many chronic diseases. However, to date, no study has simultaneously analyzed the capabilities of trunk circumference and width indices to identify hypertension and type 2 diabetes in a large-scale screening study. The objectives of this study were to examine the associations of hypertension and - diabetes with circumference and width indices measured at the five identical positions (axillary, chest, rib, waist, and pelvic) and to compare the capabilities of circumference and width indices to identify the two diseases. Data were obtained from the Korean Health and Genome Epidemiology Study database. The associations and abilities of the circumference indices to identify diabetes were greater than those for hypertension. Overall, trunk circumference indices displayed stronger associations with and greater abilities to identify hypertension and diabetes than did trunk width indices at the five positions. In the comparative analysis between index pairs of circumference and width in patients with diabetes, significant differences were shown at all five positions and in the adjusted analysis of axillary, chest, rib, and pelvic positions. Therefore, width indices should not be used as an alternative indicator of type 2 diabetes in either men or women, except when measured at the waist.

INFLUENCE OF SOME ORGANIC FERTILIZERS ON DATE PALM CV. BARHI

This experiment was carried out at a private palm farm located in Great Musayib enacted / Babylon province on Barhi dates palm trees Phoenix dactylifera L. cultivar to determine the effect of spraying of chitosan and addition of both organic fertilizers and amino acids and seaweed extract in some vegetative traits (number of leaves, the circumference of the trunk and offshoots number) and leaves content (chlorophyll , dry weight and Proline) by spraying the chitosan at concentrations of 5 ml. l-1 and 10 ml.L -1 and the addition of both organic fertilizer and amino acids and seaweed extract at concentrations (1, 2) kg.tree -1 and (3 , 6) ml . L - 1 and (4, 8) ml l -1 respectively. Each treatment replicated five times with a factorial experiment using RCBD, one date palm for each experimental unit.The following are the main findings, The effect of chitosan spraying significantly increase the vegetative properties of the offshoots , the concentration 5 ml.l-1significant increases the number of weakness, trunk circumference and offshoots number, with 13.3 tinea, 31.9 cm, 3.09 offshoot sequentially. Spray 8ml.L-1(S2)of seaweed extract was significantly superior than control treatment and gave leaf chlorophyll content of 31.88 mg.g-1, leaf dry weight of 48.90 %. While the lowest results were in the control treatment, except the leaves proline content.

Variation in floral and growth traits in a macadamia breeding population

Macadamias are grown commercially around the world for their edible nuts. Identifying elite macadamia breeding selections with high yield potential is difficult due to the polygenic control of the trait, and more importantly the low heritability of yield. Indirect selection for yield may be possible through identification of correlated traits that have higher heritability, and are more efficiently measured. This study aimed to investigate component traits for yield by dissecting floral and growth traits of macadamia, including: raceme length, rachis width, floret density, number of florets raceme-1, raceme density, and trunk circumference. This is a preliminary study of 143 seedling progeny from 33 families across two sites in Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia, planted between 2001-2003. Average raceme lengths were variable between families, ranging from 10.2 cm in the '344' × '804' family to 21.1 cm in 'A38' × '816' progeny. Raceme length was significantly correlated with number of florets per raceme (rp=0.85 and rg=0.91, p<0.001), whilst raceme length was negatively correlated with floret density (rp=-0.30, p<0.001). Raceme length, raceme density and number of florets raceme-1 were statistically different between families (p<0.01). This paper shows that it is useful to identify component traits that may be more efficient to measure in order to indirectly select for complex traits like yield. These are preliminary findings of a larger study in which flowering characteristics will be compared with nut and shell characteristics and yield. Additionally, these findings will inform genomic selection models for yield prediction, as well as genome wide association studies for component traits.

Berenty Reserve—A Gallery Forest in Decline in Dry Southern Madagascar—Towards Forest Restoration

Berenty Reserve, a fully protected gallery forest beside the Mandrare River is renowned for its lemurs, but the continuous canopy of the main forest is shrinking, fragmenting and degrading. The aim of this study, before any restoration can be considered, is to investigate why canopy-cover is declining and define the forest’s vegetation status and composition. Our study includes analysis of tamarind age (the dominant species) and regeneration, forest extent, climate and soil. Measurement of trunk circumference and annual rings indicated a median age of 190 years, near the accepted maximum for tamarinds. There is no regeneration of tamarind seedlings under the canopy and an invasive vine, Cissus quadrangularis suffocates any regeneration on the forest margins. A vegetation survey, based on fifteen transects, broadly characterized three forest areas: continuous canopy near the river, transitional canopy with fewer tall trees, and degraded dryland; the survey also provided a list of the 18 most common tree species. Ring counts of flood-damaged roots combined with measurement to the riverbank show that erosion rates, up to 19.5 cm/year, are not an immediate threat to forest extent. The highly variable climate shows no trend and analysis of forest soil indicates compatibility with plant growth.

Sex difference in correlation between trunk circumference, BMI and body fat percentage in university students

Sex difference in correlation between trunk circumference, BMI and body fat percentage in university students

Impact of pruning on growth, yield and quality of mango cv. Dashehari

An experiment was carried out to study the impact of pruning on growth, yield and quality of mango cv. Dashehari. Ten treatments consisted of heading back of terminal shoots at two different levels viz., M1: 10 cm &amp; M2: 20 cm, with two level of frequency i.e., F1: annually &amp; F2: biennially and at two different timings i.e., T1: immediately after fruit harvest (June-July) &amp; T2: during rest period before the emergence of new growth (floral and vegetative) including control as M0F0T0 with and without Paclobutazol (PBZ), were imposed on the trees. The trial was laid out in Randomized block design replicated thrice and single tree served as treatment unit. On the basis of 6 years (2009-2014) pooled data, it was observed that the vigorous growth in terms of tree height (4.56 m), trunk circumference (43.56 cm) and tree spread (3.03 m) were observed in the trees under control (M0F0T0 without PBZ), whereas the trees which were pruned annually by heading back of 20 cm of terminal shoots during rest period before emergence of new growth along with paclabutrazol application (M2F1T2) showed less growth in terms of tree height (3.30 m) and spread (2.21 m). The annual pruning of tree by heading back of 10 cm of terminal shoots immediately after fruit harvest along with paclobutrazol application (M1F1T1) proved effective for increasing the number of fruits per tree (51.31), yield (9.09 kg/tree and 15.14 t/ha), B: C ratio (4.04), maintaining fruit quality and for having the appropriate dwarfing effect on the tree.

Survey of over 4, 500 monumental olive trees preserved on-farm in the northeast Iberian Peninsula, their genotyping and characterization

Inventorying, characterising and conserving on-farm ancient olive trees is a priority for safeguarding their genetic, natural and agricultural value and for protecting ancient genotypes threatened with extinction. In the “Taula del Sénia” (M-TdS) area (northeast Iberian Peninsula) a highly important cultural landscape has been preserved, in which the olive groves play an outstanding social and economic role: the ancient olive trees, sustained by many local farmers, constitute a living heritage and provide a clear example of High Nature Value (HNV). A total of 4526 ancient productive olive trees, with a trunk circumference (PBH) larger than 3.5 m, were inventoried and their spatial localization and biometric measurements were collected. 41 olive trees have shown the highest category in monumentality (PBH >8.1 m). The outstanding trees might be 634–1082 years old. The endocarp morphology of a representative sample of the most ancient trees from this settlement resulted in 14 different profiles. The ancient trees genotyped, through eight simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers, revealed 43 SSR profiles. The use of SSR enabled us to verify that most of the trees (98%) belong to the local cv. ‘Farga’, a male sterile variety with a rare chlorotype, only a few trees corresponded with other local varieties, ‘Morrut’, ‘Canetera’ and ‘Sevillenca’, and ten hitherto unidentified genotypes were distinguished, some with chloroplast lineages different from the ‘Farga’ type. The M-TdS area holds a unique living and exploitable heritage with the highest concentration of ancient olive trees worldwide. On-farm conservation of this germplasm by the community of local growers is enabling preservation of this important source of genetic variation, potentially holding traits of resilience and adaptation to adverse soil and climatic conditions, demonstrated by the survival of these trees over the centuries. Farmers have undertaken initiatives to valorize the olive oil deriving from these M-TdS trees.

Can large unmanaged trees replace ancient pollarded trees as habitats for lichenized fungi, non-lichenized fungi and bryophytes?

Management of ancient trees constitutes a major dilemma in the conservation of associated biodiversity. While traditional methods are often advocated, such practices may incur considerable costs and their effects have rarely been scientifically evaluated. We compared the communities of lichenized fungi, non-lichenized fungi, and bryophytes among equal number of coarse previously pollarded and unmanaged trees (n = 340). On 400 Ulmus glabra and 280 Fraxinus excelsior trees at 62 sites in Norway, we found 209 lichenized fungi, 128 non-lichenized fungi, and 115 bryophytes. Pollarded trees were richer in microhabitats than unmanaged trees and had significantly higher richness of bryophytes (ash) and non-lichenized fungi (ash and elm), the latter increasing with the availability of dead wood, cavities and coarse bark structure in pollarded trees. Further, the average total number of red-listed species, and red-listed lichenized fungi separately, were significantly higher on pollarded versus unmanaged trees, with diversity related to trunk circumference, depth of bark fissures and number of cavities. Our results underline the importance of microhabitats associated with old trees, but we cannot establish with certainty the importance of pollarding per se. Since we did not find any negative effect of canopy cover for community diversity, we assume that old trees with rich epiphytic communities can develop without management intervention. The high share (37 out of 49) of red-listed species occurring on unmanaged trees, and the fact that 11 red-listed species were found exclusively on unmanaged trees, may further indicate that unmanaged trees can with time replace the ancient pollarded trees as habitats for rich cryptogamic communities.

Effects of apple fruit fermentation (AFF) solution on growth and fruit quality of apple trees

It has been demonstrated that the use of organic materials in fruit orchards can effectively increase soil fertility, fruit production and fruit quality. Insect and disease damage, crop thinning, natural drop cause abscission and abscised parts are a source of organic additives for orchard production. In this study, we developed a fermented nutrient solution composed of young apple fruits, brown sugar, a fermenting agent and water. Diluted solutions (1:100 and 1:200) of this nutrient solution were sprayed on 2-year-old and 12-year-old apple (Malus domestica (Borkh.) ‘Fuji’) trees. The results showed that foliar spraying of the fermentation solutions significantly improved tree height, trunk circumference, shoot growth and leaf area of young apple trees, and increased the fruit weight, shape index, firmness, soluble solid content, volatile compound content and vitamin C content of adult apple trees, as compared to the control treatment. The effects of the 1:200 diluted nutrient solution were significantly greater than those of the 1:100 diluted nutrient solution. Foliar spray of a nutrient solution derived from young apple fruit promoted vegetative growth and fruit quality.

Effect of vine age on vine performance of Shiraz in the Barossa Valley, Australia

Background and Aims Old vineyards are often suggested to be superior to younger ones, a claim that has scarcely been investigated scientifically. The aim of this study was to investigate if vineyard age influences vine performance. Methods and Results Five commercial Shiraz vineyards in the Barossa Valley, SA, were selected; each site contained younger vines, which had been vegetatively propagated from older vines on the same site. Measurements of vegetative growth and reproductive development were obtained over three seasons. Results show that the effect of vine age is difficult to measure and separate from seasonal and site interactions. Vine age was strongly correlated with trunk circumference. Vines aged 49 years showed more similarities with older vines (93–168 years old) than with younger vines (6–28 years old). Conclusions Vine age had an impact on grapevine reproductive performance. Older vines produced a yield greater than that of younger vines. Greater vine size, measured by increase in trunk circumference over time, may be a key determining factor in increased reproductive capacity. Significance of the Study Vine age is commonly attributed to superior vine performance, as a precursor to fruit and wine quality. Our findings suggest that increasing vine age had a positive effect on reproductive performance in terms of yield, contrary to popular belief. This establishes a starting point for future studies that are underway to quantify if these findings have an effect on fruit and wine composition and sensory attributes.

Increasing the tolerance of fig tree to drought stress by trunk thinning

The fig tree is native to Iran, east of Asia and Syria. Shortage of precipitation and drought is one of the greatest problems in rain-fed fig cultivation areas. A random complete block design with three replications was used to investigate the effect of trunk thinning on drought disorders. Since 'Sabz' fig trees are trained with multiple trunks, 16 intensities of trunk thinning applied during winter pruning were compared. The treatments were obtained pruning five different groups of tree to leave 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4 trunks tree-1, respectively. The pruning intensity of each of the 16 treatments was evaluated calculating the ratio between the total circumference of the remaining trunks and the total trunk circumference before the application of thinning treatment (here after trunk diameter ratio). The results suggested that the different levels of trunk thinning had positive effects on leaf width, leaf number, leaf water potential, leaf temperature, fig fruit color and size. Thinning all the trunks had the best effect on tree vegetative appearance under drought stress conditions. Trunk thinning treatment that pruned trees to leave 2 trunks and provided a trunk diameter ratio of 0.5 was more suitable than other treatments in terms of vegetative growth and fruit quality and quantity. The latter pruning strategy is recommended for increasing tree tolerance to drought, fruit yield and quality. This will increase grower income and allow the protection of rain-fed fig orchards in dry years.

Agro-morphological characterisation and evaluation of a Serbian vineyard peach [Prunus persica (L.) Batsch] germplasm collection

Seventy-five vineyard peach [Prunus persica (L.) Batsch] accessions, obtained by seed propagation and originating from different regions of Serbia, were characterized using a set of 39 agro-morphological traits. The evaluation was carried out over a 3-year period in a vineyard peach collection situated at the Radmilovac Experimental Station, owned by the Faculty of Agriculture, Belgrade University. To investigate diversity, descriptive statistics and multivariate analyses were used. Most studied traits showed high variability. The variability of descriptive traits was highly pronounced for fruit ground and flesh colour; regarding metric traits, the highest variation was recorded for trunk circumference, petal width, flower density, fruit set, fruit weight, sweetness index, fruit taste and fruit flavour. According to PCA, traits with high discriminating power were those related to flower type, colour and size, fruit size and presence of over colour, tree height, ripening time and fruit taste. The cluster analysis grouped accessions into three main clusters and a few sub-clusters. Agronomically-important traits allowed a clear separation between the clusters, while morphological traits had almost no impact on this. This study provided information that is important for assessing the biodiversity of vineyard peach accessions, to develop guidelines useful for the description, classification and conservation of valuable local germplasm. Moreover, the phenotypic variability in the vineyard peach collection was found to be very high, suggesting there is extensive genetic diversity available for peach cultivar and rootstock breeding programs.

Improved Fruit Quality and Yield when Melons and Cherry Tomatoes were Grown in the Air-dome Greenhouse Compared to the Commonly Used Iron-frame Polyethylene Cover Greenhouse

This study was carried out to explore possibilities of cultivating horticultural crops in the air-dome greenhouse in comparison to the common iron-frame greenhouse as the standard. The levels of carbon dioxide and atmospheric pressure measured inside the air-dome greenhouse turned out to be higher than those measured inside the iron-frame greenhouse. Contrastingly, light intensity was relatively weaker inside the air-dome greenhouse due to the air-inflated double layers. Plants of melon and cherry tomato were cultivated from May 2 to August 12, 2016, respectively in the two greenhouses. For melon plants, growth in the air-dome greenhouse effectively increased fruit weight as well as trunk circumference compared to iron-frame greenhouse. Moreover, soluble sugar content of melon fruit was significantly higher when cultivated in the air-dome greenhouse. For cherry tomato plants, fruit yield of cherry tomato was significantly increased inside the air-dome greenhouse. Furthermore, it has been found that the air-dome greenhouse was considerably effective in shortening the growing period of melon and cherry tomato plants in comparison to the iron-frame greenhouse.

Clinical value of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in evaluating the improvement of metabolic indexes after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy

Objective To observe the changes of pre- and post-operative body fats of obese patients undergoing laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy which were evaluated by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) and investigate the correlation of the changes between body fat and insulin resistance. Methods The cohort study was conducted. The clinical data of 10 obese patients who were admitted to the Fourth Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University from October 2015 to February 2017 were collected. Ten obese patients received laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG). The pre- and post-operative body fat masses in the different parts and regions of the whole body [whole body, upper limbs, lower limbs, trunk, region of android (region A) and region of gynoid (region G)] were measured by DEXA and pre- and post-operative indexes of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) were calculated. Observation indicators: (1) fat parameters evaluated by DEXA and test results of other obesity related indicators; (2) test results of insulin sensitivity index. The patients were followed up by the professional team of metabolic surgery using telephone interview, outpatient and inpatient examinations up to February 2017, and DEXA using outpatient and inpatient examinations was performed at 6 months postoperatively. The measurement data with normal distribution were represented as ±s, and repeated measurement data were analyzed by the repeated measures ANOVA. The correlation analysis was performed by the Pearson, and the degree of correlation was analyzed by the factor analysis and multiple linear regression. Results (1) Fat parameters evaluated by DEXA and test results of other obesity related indicators: all the 10 patients were followed up. The fat masses and percentages of the whole body, upper limbs, lower limbs, trunk, region A and region G, BMI, waist circum- ference and HOMA-IR were respectively (55.6±13.7)kg, (6.2±1.9)kg, (17.8±3.6)kg, (31.7±12.7)kg, (5.6±2.4)kg, (8.8±1.5)kg, 50%±3%, 54%±5%, 50%±4%, 52%±3%, 57%±4%, 52%±4%, (42±8)kg/m2, (123±23)cm, 8.7±5.6 before operation and (37.4±11.3)kg, (4.0±1.2)kg, (11.2±3.0)kg, (20.4±9.6)kg, (3.5±1.7)kg, (5.1±1.4)kg, 43%±5%, 46%±5%, 42%±5%, 46%±5%, 48%±6%, 46%±5%, (30±6)kg/m2, (101±20)cm, 3.5±2.4 at 6 months postoperatively, with statistically significant differences between pre-and post-operations (F=11.282, 6.308, 15.789, 6.083, 7.836, 9.027, 5.485, 7.743, 8.620, 3.743, 4.704, 5.421, 13.281, 14.258, 4.465, P 0.05). (2) Test results of insulin sensitivity index: there was a positive correlation in the fat masses of the whole body, trunk, region A and region G, BMI, waist circumference and HOMA-IR (r=0.873, 0.874, 0.894, 0.696, 0.843, 0.816, P 0.05). The principal component of F1 and F2 were constructed by the factor analysis, F1 (trunk for the most) reflected the fat mass of the different parts of the whole body and F2 reflected the fat mass of peripheral limbs, the model of F1 was reasonable (t=5.033, P<0.05). The contribution rate of the whole body, upper and lower limbs, trunk, region A, region G, BMI and waist circumference were respectively 0.994, 0.633, 0.487, 0.887, 0.900, 0.897, 0.959, 0.897 in the F1 and -0.030, 0.716, 0.829, -0.446, -0.405, 0.423, -0.201, -0.283 in the F2, and the whole body fat mass (BFM) made a largest contribution rate for the preoperative HOMA-IR (0.994). There was a positive correlation between decrease of fat mass in region G and improvement of HOMA-IR at 6 months postoperatively (r=0.717, P<0.05). Conclusion BFM is an important index to evaluate the insulin resistance in female patients, and the decrease of fat mass in the region G is an important factor for the early remission of insulin resistance in female patients after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy. Key words: Obesity; Sleeve gastrectomy; Insulin resistance; Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry

Response of Colombar Grapevines to Irrigation as Regards Quality Aspects and Growth

Plant response in terms of root, shoot and trunk growth as well as berry growth and composition, was determined in an irrigation trial with Colom bar comprising four soil moisture regimes, moisture stress during five phenological stages and four irrigation systems. All measurements were taken over a period of time to show parameter changes during variousstages within a season. A dry 25% soil moisture regime as well as trickle irrigation improved the sugar/acid ratio by lowering the malate and total titratable acid (TT A) concentrations and by increasing the total soluble solids (TSS) compared to soil moisture regimes of 50%, 70% and 90% which showed no significant differences with regard to either juice composition or berry size. Both the 25% moisture regime and water stress during flowering and phase I of berry growth were detrimental to berry size and yielded high tartrate concentrations at veraison. Tricklers and micro-jets at a 90% soil moisture regime yielded similar curves for cumulative berry growth. Root growth studied in situ reached maxima at flowering and in the post harvest period. The 25% soil moisture regime suppressed formation of new roots. Trunk circumference measured annually was a reliable indicator of vine water stress. Daily measurements of trunk radius with the aid of dendographs showed a maximum growth rate in November as well as an une.xpected negative rate from veraison until harvesting. A programme for regulated irrigation according to the growth patterns of the various plant parts is set forth. Suppression of undesirable shoot growth without a deleterious effect on berry growth, and acquisition of a more favourable grape composition seems possible.

Agro bacterium tumef aciens biovar 3 Responsible for Reduction in Yield and Vigour of Muscat d' Alexandrie

Yield and vigour of crown gall (Agrobacterium tumefaciens) infected and healthy Muscat d' Alexandrie vines were compared over a five-year period. Crown-gall-infected plants exhibited a significant reduction in vigour as indicated by shoot mass and trunk diameter. A significant reduction in yield occurred during two seasons only. Gall size on vines (percentage of trunk circumference covered by gall) varied from 50% of trunk circumference.