Impact of soil water content on maize responses to the plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium Azospirillum lipoferum CRT1

Members of the bacterial genus Azospirillum are root-associated bacteria that increase yield in cereals by promoting growth and alleviating drought stress. How plants integrate the many bacterium-derived growth-promoting stimuli with other environmental factors to generate a coordinated response remains unresolved. Using a commercial Azospirillum strain, A. lipoferum CRT1 and two host maize cultivars, it was observed that bacterization reduced the drought-induced increase in lateral root growth and enhanced the flood-induced increase in lateral root growth in the more drought- and flood-sensitive cultivar. In the other one, A. lipoferum CRT1 only elicited a moderate root growth response under low soil water potential. The photosynthetic potential and activity were increased in the earlier cultivar and decreased in the later one, irrespective of the soil water content. No impact of the bacterium was seen on the growth of the leaves of both cultivars under both stresses until the third leaf stage, therefore suggesting that it is a consequence of multiple primary adaptations to biotic and abiotic stresses. It is suggested that host–bacteria recognition leads to a stress-specific modulation of the root response and a differential stress-independent effect on photosynthesis. This is the first report of the impact of Azospirillum under flood conditions.     

Assessment of short-term mortality of granary weevil,Sitophilus granarius (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) triggered by different microwave irradiation powers

Abstract

The insecticidal efficacy of microwave irradiation against the at 12, 24, 48 and 72?h following exposure to microwave irradiations (100, 300?W) and the progeny production was assessed 45?days later. Linearly increasing irradiation power range (100, 200 and 300?W) was set up for determining mortality tendency. An increase of insect mortality caused by higher irradiation period and times elapsed after treatment has become evident commencing from 12?h after the treatment, which has significantly decreased at later elapsed time after treatment. The irradiation periods inducing the highest mortality at the examined powers were at 10?min and at 100?W power (72?h: 64.93%) and at 4.5?min. and at 300?W power (12?h: 87.01). In addition, a complete suppression of progeny production was achieved by 4.5?min treatment at 300?W power. Lognormal-type mortality process was caused by the linearly increased irradiation range. The properly chosen microwave irradiation can be used for management of Sitophilus granarius larval and adult developmental stages. This treatment could provide an effective and friendly environmental treatment technique in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program.     

Distribution and diversity of leaf-cutting ants in Northeastern Argentina: species most associated with forest plantations

Abstract

Leaf-cutting ants (LCA) are considered one of the main herbivores and one of the most destructive pest insects of the Neotropics. Northeastern Argentina harbors the greatest species richness of these ants and in turn comprises the highest surface with forest plantations. Our aim was to establish which species of leaf-cutting ants are most commonly associated with forest plantations by analyzing their geographic distribution using published and unpublished species occurrence data. Also, estimate their potential areas of distribution along a latitudinal gradient that entirely encompasses northeastern Argentina using Ecological Niche Modeling. Only seven of the 20 species recorded were strongly associated with productive systems along the gradient, but only 2–3 species in each region could be considered high-risk species for forest plantations. High-risk species composition shows a turnover between regions. Our models show the potential distribution areas where LCA could become more abundant and dominant, and possibly causing a detrimental effect on the forest plantations in the studied region. We find that ecological niche models are useful tools to assess the environmental suitability of important LCA.     

Unravelling the relationship between a seasonal environment and the dynamics of forage growth in grazed swards

It is well reported in the scientific literature that pastures can have similar net forage accumulation when managed with contrasting structures. However, we hypothesized that the dynamics of forage accumulation in grazed swards is linked to seasonal-environmental conditions. Marandu palisadegrass (Brachiaria brizantha [Hochst. ex A. Rich.] was used as the forage species model. The experimental treatments were four grazing heights (10, 20, 30 and 40 cm) allocated to experimental units according to a randomized complete block design with four replicates and evaluated throughout four contrasting environmental seasons (summer, autumn, winter–early spring and late spring). Under rainy and warm periods, greater net forage accumulation was observed in pastures maintained taller; on the contrary, during the mild and dry periods, net forage accumulation rate reduced as grazing height increased. Such patterns of responses were related to compensations between tiller population density and tissues flows during summer and late spring and the reduced capacity of taller canopies to compensate lower population with greater growth rates during autumn and winter–early spring. Grazed swards changed their patterns of forage growth as they transitioned from favourable to more abiotic stressful conditions, suggesting that seasonal adjustments in grazing intensities are necessary in order to maximize forage production.     

Dietary roughage sources affect lactating Holstein x Zebu cows under experimental conditions in Brazil: a meta-analysis

Tropical Animal Health and Production - To reduce costs, lactating cows are often fed a higher proportion of roughage and alternative feeds; however, such protocols may not lead to optimal milk...     

Tick-borne encephalitis epidemic in Hungary 1951–2021: The story and lessons learned

The authors analysed epidemiological data of the Hungarian tick-borne encephalitis epidemic from the past seven decades. A total of 911 meningitis serosa cases were described from 1930-1950 s by local hospital physicians, indicating that the virus had been present in the country decades before its official identification in 1952. The virus spread freely in the 1950s–1960s, occupying almost all habitats where ticks occurred in large numbers. The increasing number of cases drove authorities to classify this illness as a notifiable disease in 1977 and to organize the first measures to stop the epidemic. Statistical analysis revealed that the large-scale vaccination launched from the 1990s was responsible for the sharp decrease in the number of human cases from 1997. A significant negative correlation was found between the number of vaccine doses sold and human cases 6 years later. The TBEV endemic area covers 16.57% of the territory and 16.65% of the population of the country. In the last 10 years, 186,000 vaccine doses/year in average were enough to keep the incidence of human TBEV infections between 0.45 and 0.06/100,000 persons. A 20-year-long study found evidence for easing clinical signs in TBEV-infected hospitalized patients. Statistics found a sharp decrease in the number of samples sent for TBEV diagnosis after 1989. Male dominance of patients was characteristic of the epidemics since the 1940s, but now analysis of detailed data from the 1981–2021 period (60.5%–87.5%) proved the statistical significance of this dominance. Obviously, the voluntary vaccination programme was the tool which broke the spread of the epidemic. Widespread public awareness of the disease and the tick vector, probable evolutionary spread of less pathogenic virus strains supplemented with the vaccination campaign led to a negligible level of human TBE cases in Hungary in the last years.     

Vegetative propagation of Colutea istria Mill. from leafy stem cuttings

This study investigates the optimal conditions for the vegetative propagation of the multipurpose leguminous shrub Colutea istria from leafy stem cuttings. The conditions examined included 1) the origin of the cutting (apical, medial or basal), 2) indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) treatment (0, 50, 200 or 400 mg/l), 3) the relative humidity of the propagation environment (high or low), 4) wounding base of cutting, and 5) the season in which the cutting was taken. The rooting ability of the cuttings was significantly influenced by all these factors. Winter cuttings obtained from the middle and base of the branch showed a greater rooting capacity than those harvested from the apical area, while autumn cuttings harvested from the middle and apical areas of the branch showed a greater rooting capacity than those harvested from the base. Winter cuttings showed the best rooting capacity than autumn cuttings. IBA treatment (200 mg/l), high humidity (98-100%), and wounding increased the rooting capacity of the cuttings. The sprout of new leaves was higher in basal cuttings, while IBA and wounding also significantly enhanced the root number of rooted cuttings. A method for vegetatively propagating C. istria plants is given.     

Effect of tapping activity on the dynamics of radial growth of Hevea brasiliensis trees

Rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis Müll. Arg.) radial growth dynamics were monitored with displacement sensors, together with latex production, to investigate three aspects of the dual production of latex and wood: (1) the usefulness of fine-scale dendrometric measurements as a physiological tool to detect water shortage through radial growth; (2) the dynamic aspects, both at the seasonal and at the multi-year scale, of the competition between latex and wood production; and (3) the spatial distribution of radial growth rates around the tapping cut. Radial growth of untapped control trees started with the onset of the rainy season and lasted until the onset of the dry season, ceasing completely during the driest period. Displacement sensors provided a sensitive means of detecting water shortage, with a clear correlation between diameter variations and changes in water availability (both daily evapotranspiration and monthly rainfall) over the whole annual cycle. However, the correlation was significantly disturbed in tapped trees. After resumption of tapping, the radial growth rate dropped sharply within two weeks and the effect persisted throughout the whole season, so that the cumulative growth of tapped trees was about half that of untapped trees, with the cumulative growth deficit reaching 80% for the period from mid-June to November. This long-known negative impact of tapping on growth was much stronger in the second year of tapping than in the first, whereas latex production increased significantly between the first and second year of tapping. The increased latex production, which could not be ascribed to climatic conditions, shows that the establishment of an artificial latex sink is a progressive, long-term process likely involving many aspects of metabolism. As expected, ethylene significantly increased latex production in both years; however, ethylene had no effect on the growth rates of tapped trees. Radial growth was differentially affected at different locations around the tapping cut, with growth rates significantly lower in the tapped panel than in the untapped panel, and higher above the cut than below the cut. Thus, caution is needed when deriving whole stem wood production from girth measurements at one location on the stem, especially from girth measurements made close to the tapping cut. This also provides new evidence for the location of the latex regeneration area in the tapped panel, below the cut.     

Soil carbon dioxide efflux in pure and mixed stands of oak and beech

Total Soil Respiration (TSR) was measured in pure and mixed stands of oak and beech and was partitioned into two contributions using the forest floor removal technique: Mineral Soil Respiration (MSR) and Forest Floor Respiration (FFR). In addition, laboratory incubations of the forest floor and the Ah horizon were performed to evaluate the heterotrophic respiration and the DOC production of these horizons. The relationships between soil temperature and the various soil respiration contributions in the three stands were compared using Q ₁₀ functions. In situ, significant differences (α = 0,05) between stands were observed for the R ₁₀ parameter (respiration rate at 10 °C) of the TSR, MSR and FFR contributions, while only the temperature sensitivity (Q ₁₀) of TSR was significantly affected by stand composition. The effect of soil water content was only significant on MSR and followed different patterns according to stand composition. Under controlled conditions, the R ₁₀ of the forest floor and of the Ah horizon varied with stand composition and the Q ₁₀ of the forest floor decreased in the order: oak (2.27) > mixture (2.01) > beech (1.71).