4629 research outputs found
Sort by
Retorn de nutrients en el sòl dels prats a partir de les dejeccions de les vaques en extensius
No full textinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Salicylic acid and methyl jasmonate activate key genes of plant-defense pathways conferring partial protection to Polystigma amygdalinum in a susceptible almond cultivar
Get PDFRed leaf blotch (RLB) of almond, caused by Polystigma amygdalinum, is an economically important foliar disease affecting almond crops. This study explored the hormonal responses of two almond cultivars, namely ‘Tarraco’ (highly susceptible) and ‘Mardía’ (highly tolerant), to P. amygdalinum. Hormonal profiling and gene expression analyses were conducted to examine the roles of salicylic acid (SA), jasmonic acid (JA), and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic (ACC) acids, and methyl jasmonate (MeJA) in plant defense mechanisms. Results showed a significant accumulation of SA in symptomatic leaves of both cultivars, suggesting a SA-mediated defense response to the pathogen. However, no substantial changes in JA and ACC levels were observed. In ‘Tarraco’, expression of SA-responsive genes (PR1 and PR5) and ET/JA-associated genes (ACO and ERF1) increased, but the cultivar remained susceptible. In contrast, symptomatic ‘Mardía’ leaves exhibited increased expression in CAD, linked to lignin biosynthesis, while other hormone-related genes (ACO, ERF1, PR1, and PR5) did not show significant changes. Thus, ‘Mardía’ could be following a different defense strategy against RLB. Exogenous applications of SA and MeJA significantly reduced RLB incidence and severity in young ‘Tarraco’ trees, with MeJA enhancing ERF1 expression and SA increasing both ERF1 and CAD expression. MeJA also inhibited plant growth. These findings reveal contrasting defense mechanisms between the two almond cultivars, suggesting a possible protection against RLB through lignin biosynthesis. Furthermore, the protective role of SA would be associated with CAD, indicating a connection between SA signaling and the phenylpropanoid pathway.This research was funded by INIA (Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria, Spain; grant RTA2017-00009-C04-01), and AEI (Agencia Española de Investigación, Spain; grant PID2020-114468RR-C31). Jordi Luque was supported by the CERCA Program, Generalitat de Catalunya, Spain. Núria Real is the recipient of an INVESTIGO 2023 postdoctoral contract (100049ID3) from the Generalitat de Catalunya. Gemma Pons-Solé was supported by a predoctoral grant (PRE2018-085207) from AEI, Spain.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Effect of alternative nectar sources and herbivore-induced plant volatiles on the fitness and attraction of Aphidoletes aphidimyz
Get PDFEnhancing natural enemy populations in agricultural systems by combining habitat manipulation and herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) offers a promising approach to conservation biological control. The aphidophagous midge Aphidoletes aphidimyza is widely used in biological control programs in many crops, and the development of novel attract and reward (A&R) strategy may promote the establishment and survival of A. aphidimyza in crops. Here, we focus on (i) the attractiveness (under laboratory conditions) to A. aphidimyza of the HIPVs phenylacetaldehyde (Pal) and methyl salicylate (MeSA) and plants in the families Brassicaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Asteraceae and Fabaceae, all evaluated separately, and (ii) the effect of consuming nectar from Eruca vesicaria, Euphorbia segetalis, Moricandia arvensis, Calendula officinalis, Vicia faba, V. sativa, Medicago sativa, and Centaurea cyanus on A. aphidimyza survival, as well as the impact of the first five species on egg load. Neither of the tested HIPVs (Pal and MeSA) induced a positive chemotactic response in double-choice bioassays, nor did any of the tested plants. Survival curves varied according to the food provided; A. aphidimyza females fed V. faba, V. sativa (Fabaceae), or E. vesicaria (Brassicaceae) had the highest survival rates, significantly higher than those of A. aphidimyza fed only water. Plant food sources also impacted egg load, which was significantly higher in females fed C. officinalis than in those fed V. faba; egg numbers in females fed E. vesicaria did not differ significantly from either. Together, these findings represent a first step toward determining the potential of insectary plants for improving A. aphidimyza performance.The authors thank Aleix Teruel i Subirats and Pilar Hernández García for their support. This research work was funded by grants PID2019-107030RB-C21 and PID2022-139988OB-I00 funded by MICIU/AEI/https://doi.org/10.13039/501100011033 and, by ERDF/EU. LGMB is a beneficiary of the grant PRE2020-092229 funded by MICIU/AEI/https://doi.org/10.13039/501100011033 and, by “ESF Investing in your future”. All IRTA’s authors were also funded by the CERCA Programme / Generalitat de Catalunya.Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. The authors have not disclosed any funding.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Ectomycorrhizal fungi and root water uptake respond independently to water availability
Get PDFTemperate forests on their warm and dry distribution limits are expected to be most vulnerable to reductions in water availability. This prediction is mostly based on studies assessing single forest functions, mainly growth. Water and nutrient cycling are functions that rely on tree roots and their symbiotic association with ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi. Trees can compensate for seasonal reductions in water availability by shifting root water-uptake (RWU) towards deeper soil layers, but ECM fungi mostly dwell in the topsoil, thus suffering from desiccation and compromising nutrient uptake. We hypothesised that drier sites should depict larger seasonal shifts in RWU, but at the expense of lower ECM fungal diversity and colonization of fine roots by ECM fungi. We selected three beech Fagus sylvatica forests in their warm distribution limit with contrasting geographic locations and mean annual precipitation: northern Atlantic (2500 mm), intermediate transitional (1150 mm) and southern Mediterranean (780 mm). We collected soil, stem and root samples in spring (wet) and summer (dry) to: 1) quantify fine-root density and colonization by ECM fungi, 2) infer RWU from isotopic composition of plant and soil water and 3) characterize ECM communities through DNA-metabarcoding. Generalized and linear mixed models revealed that high topsoil moisture benefited ECM diversity, but higher diversity and ECM colonization did not imply larger contributions of the topsoil to RWU. The prevailing climate and abiotic conditions determined how ECM communities were structured, more than seasonal climatic variability. Across sites, communities differed in their functional diversity: ECM fungi with long hyphae, more vulnerable to water scarcity, dominated at the southernmost site, where water availability was the highest. Our results suggest that, in a climate change scenario, increasing drought might not compromise RWU, but it would still be detrimental for ECM communities, compromising key ecosystem services such as nutrient cycling and productivity.Funding was provided by the regional Government of the Basque Country (projects for basic and applied research: PIBA-2019-105) awarded to TEG and DM-M and by the Spanish Ministry of Science through grant MITICFOR (CNS2024-154609) and a Ramón y Cajal Fellowship (RYC2021-031759-I) and the Fundación BBVA (RESTICFOR - Programa Primas y Problemas de la Fundación BBVA 2023) awarded to TEG. TEG was also supported by the Generalitat de Catalunya (2021 SGR 00849). DM-M and AR-U were partially supported by the Spanish State Research Agency through María de Maeztu Excellence Unit accreditation 2018-2022 (ref. MDM-2017-0714). LW has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement no. 101003125) and the French Govt in the framework of the IdEX Bordeaux University ‘Investments for the Future' program / GPR Bordeaux Plant Sciences.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Fecal metabolomics to understand intestinal dysfunction in male dairy beef calves at arrival to the rearing farm
Get PDFFecal biomarkers are becoming an important analytical tool since feces are in direct contact with the inflamed intestine and site for the gut microbiome. The objective of this study was the identification of differential fecal metabolites by means of 1H-NMR to evaluate the management of male dairy beef calves, and which could become potential biomarkers of gastrointestinal disorders. Holstein calves were subjected to a protocol aimed to simulate real conditions of the dairy beef market. Three groups were studied: Control (CTR: high colostrum, no transport, milk replacer), LCMR (low colostrum, transport, milk replacer) and LCRS (low colostrum, transport, rehydrating solution). Fecal lactoferrin was determined as marker of intestinal inflammation, and metabolomic profiling was performed in feces collected the day after arrival to the farm. 41 polar and 10 non-polar metabolites were identified, of which proline, formate and creatine increased in the LCRS group, whereas butyrate and uracil decreased. Less differences were found in non-polar metabolites. Multivariate analysis indicated that most differences are found between the LCRS group and the others. In conclusion, this study indicates that feed restriction has a more important effect at this age than colostrum uptake and transport. These results should help to identify robust fecal biomarkers to assess calf intestinal health and improve management protocols.This work was funded by the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación Grant (PID2019-104021RB-I00/AEI/https://doi.org/10.13039/501100011033). The authors are also indebted to AGAUR for projects 2021 SGR 00642 and 2021 SGR 01552.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Common husbandry systems and practices for keeping beef cattle
Get PDFThis Technical report, prepared at the request of the European Commission, describes
common husbandry systems and practices for keeping beef cattle in the EU. It complements
the EFSA Scientific opinion on the welfare of beef cattle, which was published separately.
Using data from the scientific literature and information provided by EFSA stakeholders in an
EFSA’s Public Call for Evidence, it identifies the beef cattle categories of interest (suckler cows,
suckler calves, heifers, fattening cattle, breeding bulls, and cull dairy cows), and describes
main productive cycles, housing practices, and feeding strategies. Suckler cows raise calves
until weaning (at 5–11 months), primarily in systems with pasture access. Spring calving is
the most common practice, though autumn and non-seasonal calving also occur. During
winter, suckler herds are mainly kept in loose-housing with open straw bedded pens and fed
a forage-based diet. Fully indoor and year-round pasture systems are less frequent. Fattening
cattle originate from both suckler and dairy herds, are fattened for 6–15 months and are
slaughtered between 12 and 30 months of age. They are usually housed indoors on slatted
or solid concrete floors with bedding, though in some cases they are given access to pasture
or kept in outdoor feedlots. Their diet shifts from fibre- and protein-rich feeds during the
growing phase to energy-rich feeds during finishing. Breeding bulls used for natural mating
are usually kept in suckler systems with pasture access, whereas bulls used for artificial
insemination (AI) are housed in AI stations. Cull dairy cows, when fattened before slaughter,
are typically fed either indoors or on pasture. The welfare implications of these various
husbandry systems and practices are further assessed for each animal category in the EFSA
Scientific opinion on the welfare of beef cattle on farms, which was published separately.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
BIOHAZ scientific opinion on the equivalence of an alternative heat treatment process of feathers and down
Get PDFThe European Commission requested EFSA to provide a scientific opinion on the equivalence between the heat treatment process of feathers and down with dry heat to a temperature of 100°C for 30 min and the treatment set up in Commission Regulation (EU) No 142/2011, in terms of inactivation of relevant pathogens. To be considered at least equivalent to the methods in the legislation, the alternative method should be able to reduce the concentration of Enterococcus faecalis or Salmonella Senftenberg by at least 5 log10 and the infectious titre of Anelloviridae and Circoviridae by at least 3 log10. An extensive literature search (ELS) was conducted to identify studies in which the log10 reduction or the D value of the indicators were determined after dry heating in matrices with low moisture/water activity. The ELS did not provide any study on the inactivation of E. faecalis by dry heating. For S. Senftenberg, there was no clear data demonstrating a 5 log10 reduction. For Anelloviridae and Circoviridae there was limited evidence and only one study reported 1 log10 reduction after 30 min at 120°C. Given the available data and sources of uncertainty, it is not possible to conclude on a 5 log10 reduction of E. faecalis using the proposed method due to lack of evidence. Similarly, a comparable reduction of S. Senftenberg cannot be concluded due to conflicting evidence. For Anelloviridae and Circoviridae, it was not possible to conclude that a 3 log10 reduction is achieved with the proposed method, as only one study on dry heat was retrieved, which did not demonstrate such a reduction. Therefore, based on data available to date, applying dry heat to feathers and down at 100°C for 30 min cannot be considered equivalent to the treatment specified in the Regulation, in terms of inactivation of relevant pathogens.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Diagnostic Findings of Transmissible Viral Proventriculitis Associated with Chicken Proventricular Necrosis Virus in Processed Broiler Chickens in Argentina
Get PDFTransmissible viral proventriculitis (TVP) and chicken proventricular necrosis virus (CPNV) affect the broiler industry globally and are emerging diseases of economic importance. Here, we present the findings of TVP from processed broiler carcasses in Argentina following marked condemnation at the processing plant. We studied a total of 122 abnormally presenting proventriculi at processing from 42-to-50-day-old, male Cobb500™ broiler chicken carcasses from 11 farms belonging to the same company in 13 episodes of proventriculi–gizzards condemnation between December 2021 and April 2022. The proventriculi were enlarged and pale with a widened gastric isthmus. A histopathologic lesion score system was developed based on the presence of a combination of key microscopic findings, the distribution, and the severity of the lesions. Scoring of the affected proventriculi revealed 65% (79/122) with a score of 4, 23% (28/122) with a score of 3, and 12% (15/122) with a score of 2. Focal to multifocal immunoreactivity against the VP2-CPNV antigen within the necrotic glandular epithelial cells was noted in the affected proventriculi using immunohistochemistry. We found 84.4% (103/122) of the studied proventriculi with TVP lesions grossly and microscopically scored were positive for CPNV by RT-PCR. The sequencing results of the PCR product showed a high nucleotide sequence similarity (88.97%) to previously published VP1-CPNV sequences. We confirmed CPNV infection in most of the TVP affected proventriculi in all condemnation episodes at a broiler chicken processing plant in Argentina during the studied period. This study documents TVP associated with CPNV detection at processing plants in Argentina for the first time.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Resultats productius de l'experimentació en varietats d'alfals
No full textinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
LiDAR-derived indices and their relationship with productivity and oil quality attributes in high-density olive orchards
Get PDFOptimising the leaf area index (LAI) and light exposure are key aspects to improve yield and quality in high-density olive orchards. Traditionally, these characteristics are estimated using ceptometers, but this method is both labour intensive and dependent on light conditions, with limitations in effectiveness for precision horticulture management purposes. This study investigates the potential of four LiDAR-derived indices to: i) estimate the LAI and canopy light interception under different fertigation treatments, and ii) to assess their impact on yield and oil quality throughout a growing season in a high-density olive orchard. The treatments included two nitrogen dose rates (N0: 0 kg ha-¹ and N50: 50 kg ha-¹) combined with full irrigation (FI) and deficit irrigation (DI). The results provide strong evidence for the effectiveness of these indices in monitoring canopy response to treatments over time. The N50 and FI treatments increased the LAI and yield but led to poorer light attenuation within the canopy and lower oil quality. In contrast, N0 and DI promoted more light-permeable canopies and improved oil quality, with higher phenolic content, better oxidative stability and improved organoleptic oil attributes. These indices can improve the understanding of canopy light environments, help to optimise management practices, and ultimately improve the sustainability and profitability of intensive olive cultivation.This work was carried out with data acquired in the project IRTA2012–00059-C02–01 funded by Spain’s National Institute for Agricultural and Food Research and Technology, as well as in the projects AGL2010–22304-C04–03 and AGL2013–48297-C2–2-R funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. The study was carried out under the framework of the grants RTI2018–094222-B-I00 (PAgFRUIT project) and PID2021–126648OB-I00 (PAgPROTECT project) through MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and the European Union’s “ERDF, a way of making Europe”.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio