Scientific Journals of INIA (Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria)
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Presentation of the Special Section Agro-silvo-pastoral Systems
Get PDFThe special section includes selected presentations given at the World Congress Silvo-Pastoral Systems 2016 , held in Universidade de Évora, Portugal from 27th to 30th September, 2016, in the frame of the working group “Forest management and modeling: silviculture, tree management and planning”. The aim of this special section is to give a comprehensive view of latest research developed in the frame of planning and management of agro-silvo-pastoral systems in several countries, with a climate characterized by two seasons, respectively dry and wet, and thus with drought as a limiting factor
Combining innovative mulches and soil conditioners in mountain afforestation with ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.) in the Pyrenees (NE Spain)
Get PDFAim of study: To assess the effectiveness for improving early seedling performance of the individual and combined application of (i) various doses of an innovative soil conditioner including polyacrylamide-free super-absorbent polymers, fertilizers, root precursors and humic acids; and (ii) innovative mulches based on renewable-biodegradable or recycled raw materials. The assessment was carried out in comparison with reference (commercial) soil conditioners and mulches.Area of study: Upper montane afforestation site located at 1,430 m altitude in the southern Pyrenees (NE Spain).Material and methods: We studied the effect of 15 treatments (various combinations of soil conditioners and mulches) on mountain ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.), testing survival, diameter and height growth and water and nutrient status during two growing seasons (2014-2015). We also assessed mulch durability during 2014-2016.Main results: The innovative soil conditioner improved diameter and height seedling growth (92% and 72% respectively) and water and nutrient status. The 40 g/seedling dosage was more cost-effective than the 20 and 80 g/seedling doses. The new formulation performed better in general than the commercial formulation. Mulches led to slight gains compared to control seedlings, and there were no major differences between the mulch models. The combined application of soil conditioners and mulches was not of particular interest.Research highlights: Soil conditioners consisting of synergic mixtures of water super-absorbent polymers, fertilizers, root growth precursors and humic acids can improve early seedling performance in coarse-textured, stony soils in montane conditions. Small mulches may be only of limited interest as long as weed competitiveness is poor.Keywords: ecotechnology; groundcovers; reforestation; seedling performance; restoration; water super-absorbent polymer; weed.Abbreviations used: GSn, growing season number ‘n’; leaf water potential, LWP; water super-absorbent polymers, SAP; soil conditioner with water super-absorbent polymers, SCwSAP; Soil Plant Analysis Development, SPAD
Species-diagnostic markers in the genus Pinus: evaluation of the chloroplast regions matK and ycf1
Get PDFAim of study: The identification of material of forest tree species using genetic markers was carried out. Two promising chloroplast barcode markers, matK and ycf1, were tested for species identification and reconstruction of phylogenetic relationships in pines.Area of study: The present study included worldwide Pinus species, with a wide representation of European taxa.Material and methods: All matK sequences longer than 1600 base pairs and ycf1 sequences for the same species were downloaded from GenBank, aligned and subsequently analyzed to estimate alignment statistics, phylogenetic trees and substitution saturation signals.Main results: We confirm the usefulness of the ycf1 marker for barcoding purposes and phylogenetic studies in pines, especially in studies focusing at the within-genus level relationships, but caution in the use of the matK marker is recommended.Research highlights: Incongruent phylogenetic signals between these two chloroplast markers are demonstrated in pines for the first time.Keywords: barcoding, conifers, phylogeny.Abbreviations: posterior probabilities (PP), bootstrap (BS)
Spanish wines in the US market: What attributes do US consumers look for in Spanish wines?
Get PDFThis paper analysed the impact of different attributes in Spanish quality wines on United States (US) demand behaviour. A hedonic price model was estimated in order to assess the values that US consumers give Spanish wines. The main results showed that the most influential factor on sale price was aging, which had a positive impact. US consumers valued the quality ratings provided by experts, especially in the upper price categories. The year of vintage and size of the winery were considered medium importance factors in decision-making, with the latest vintages and the smallest wineries receiving the highest ratings. Geographical origin (appellation) helped to explain consumer preferences. Although colour was the least important attribute in consumers’ purchase decisions, red wines were the most highly rated in this attribute
Short communication: Concentrate supplementation strategies in ryegrass pasture for productive performance in lambs
Get PDFThis study evaluated the effect of two concentrate supplementation strategies on performance, metabolic profile and economic evaluation of suckling lambs and ewes in ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) pasture. Twenty-seven ewes and 45 lambs were divided into three groups: (1) ryegrass pasture without supplementation - control (CON); (2) CON plus supplemented ewes and lambs at 1% of live weight (SEL), and (3) CON plus creep feeding supplemented lambs at 1% of live weight (CSL). Concentrate use increased (p<0.05) average daily gain (ADG) by 19.95% over CON (21.6 and 18.3% for SEL and CSL, respectively). Concentrate use contributed to minimizing forage quality fluctuation and provided greater ADG stability, mainly when ryegrass nutritional content and digestibility decreased. Blood metabolites profiles did not differ between groups, with exception of phosphorus which was higher for CON than SEL, and calcium which was higher for CSL than CON (p<0.05). Compared to CON, stoking rate values were greater to SEL (p<0.05). Compared to CSL, ewe and total stocking rate were greater (p<0.05) to SEL. Considering the control group as break even feed investment, SEL strategy had a positive economic return, while CSL showed economic losses. Concentrate use increased ADG of lambs and decrease the impact of nutrient quality changes of forage on daily gains, but must be considered that supplemental strategy used could affect negatively economic return
Short communication: Establishment and maintenance of donkey-in-mule pregnancy after embryo transfer in a non-cycling mule treated with oestradiol benzoate and long-acting progesterone
Get PDFFemale mules are considered as infertile; however, they could be used as recipients in interspecific embryo transfer. This study reports for the first time how it is possible to obtain the birth of a live Andalusian donkey foal after transfer a donkey embryo to a non-cycling mule. Two non-cycling mules were used as recipients, oestradiol benzoate was administered when donors showed oestrus and long-acting progesterone after ovulation. The mules also received long-acting progesterone every 7 days until 120 days of gestation. One embryo was collected from the two donor jennies and transferred to one of the mules after 5 days of progesterone treatment. Pregnancy was established and maintained after embryo transfer. The pregnant mule carried to term and delivered a live donkey foal after 375 days of pregnancy. In conclusion, non-cycling mules treated with oestradiol benzoate and long-acting progesterone can be successfully used as recipients of donkey embryos, which open new ways for the conservation of endangered donkey species
Eigenvector index for two female fertility traits based in random regression coefficients matrix in Holstein cows
Get PDFA total of 71,518 days open (DO) and number of services per conception (NSC) records of 28,523 Iranian Holstein cows were analysed by random regression model. Akaike’s information criterion and likelihood ratio test suggested that a model with quadratic Legendre polynomials for additive genetic and permanent environmental was best. Heritability in different parities ranged from 0.103 to 0.045 in first parity and 0.054 to 0.030 in sixth parity for DO and NSC, respectively. Estimated genetic correlations between parities decreased continuously with increasing distance between parities for both DO and NSC. The first eigenfunction explained 89.99% and 97.22 % of the total genetic variance of DO and NSC, while the second eigenfunction accounted 6.24% and 3.18%, respectively. Different selection indices were constructed for DO and NSC. Genetic response to improve overall fertility was greater when the index included the first eigenvector than the response obtained from indices excluding it. Similar genetic gains were obtained from the first eigenvector, which had a nearly flat associated eigenfunction along lactations and from selection by the intercept of the random regression. The first eigenvector indices were responsible of changes in the level of DO and NSC in a similar manner for all parities, without altering the shape of the response curve across parities. The second and third eigenvector indices modified the shape of this curve but the improvement in genetic gains by including them in the selection index were small (DO) or negligible (NSC) due to the small amount of variability associated with these components
Long-term straw incorporation benefits the elevation of soil phosphorus availability and use efficiency in the agroecosystem
Get PDFSoil pH and organic matter are important factors influencing phosphorus (P) fertilizer use efficiency. Long-term crop straw incorporation alters soil pH and soil organic matter. To explore the influence of crop straw incorporation on P fertilizer use efficiency, this research was conducted in a long-term field experiment (30 years) with a wheat-soybean cropping system and selected four treatments: no fertilization, mineral fertilization (NPK), mineral fertilization + 3750 kg/ha wheat straw (WS/2-NPK) and mineral fertilization + 7500 kg/ha wheat straw (WS-NPK). Results show that long-term straw incorporation not only accentuates soil acidification, but also elevates crop yields and soil P availability. Consequently, compared with the NPK treatment, straw incorporation contributed to higher P fertilizer use efficiency, which increased from 43% in 1983 to 72% in 2012 for WS/2-NPK, from 46% to 69% for WS-NPK, and from 34% to 60% for NPK treatments, respectively. Moreover, the P fertilizer use efficiency in all fertilization treatments could be categorized as follows: slowly increasing stage in 1982-2002, stable stage in 2003-2006, and rapidly increasing stage in 2007-2012. Correspondingly, the annual P balances of the WS/2-NPK and WS-NPK treatments ranged from positive to negative in the 1982-2003 and 2004-2012. Therefore, compared with mineral fertilization alone, long-term wheat straw incorporation has the associated benefit of elevating the P fertilizer use efficiency. However, to maintain sustainable high crop productivity, it is necessary to elevate the dose of P fertilizer input and reduce the soil acidification under wheat straw incorporation
Short communication: Efficacy of a non-pheromone semiochemical for trapping of western flower thrips in the presence of competing plant volatiles in a nectarine orchard
Get PDFNon-pheromone semiochemicals or allelochemicals (kairomones, synomones, allomones) are often derived from, or are similar to, host plant odours and depending on their use, these semiochemicals may have to compete with the same or similar odours emanating from adjacent host plants with unknown consequences on trapping efficacy. The aim of this study was to examine the efficacy of the non-pheromone thrips attractant methyl isonicotinate (MI) as a lure for Western flower thrips (WFT; Frankliniella occidentalis) over a range of Prunus persicae nectarine plant growth stages (flowering, green fruit, ripe fruit), when competition from different host plant odours may vary, and different numbers of thrips can be present, in a Catalan nectarine orchard in 2014 and 2015. Significant 2.4–3.9 × increases in WFT numbers in traps with MI compared with those without MI were consistent over the season (flowering, green fruit, mature fruit) despite overall differences in thrips numbers on these different occasions. These results suggest that MI is an effective lure throughout the nectarine growth stages despite the presumed presence of competing and changing host plant odours. Trap type and colour and MI release rate may be important for improving overall trap efficacy
