The systematic collection and characterisation of herbaceous forage species for recharge and discharge environments in southern Australia

2008 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 397 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. J. Hughes ◽  
R. Snowball ◽  
K. F. M. Reed ◽  
B. Cohen ◽  
K. Gajda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Resource ◽  
Dryland Salinity ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Comprehensive Collection ◽  
Forage Species ◽  
Improvement Programs ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
New Germplasm ◽  
Herb Species ◽  
Systematic Collection

Australian temperate pasture Genetic Resource Centres (GRCs) co-ordinated a major program to introduce and screen herbaceous forage species. This program aims to expand the environments where such species could reduce recharge and manage discharge for the control of dryland salinity in southern Australia. The sustainability of agriculture, in Australia especially, depends on continued access to new germplasm to enable plant breeders to continue crop and forage improvement. The GRCs supported the selection and identification of promising new legume, grass and herb species as part of a national pasture evaluation program. In total, 671 species and 21 non-species-specific genera were identified as having potential to increase water use profitability of recharge lands and to improve the productivity of saline lands across a diverse range of agricultural environments in southern Australia. Through a series of activities, 201 of these species, representing legumes, herbs and grasses were identified as promising. These were then disseminated for evaluation in a range of environments across southern Australia. The progress of selected species was monitored and germplasm of the most promising 11 species and three leguminous genera was targeted for intensive acquisition and characterisation as the basis for selection and breeding. In addition to the identification and dissemination of promising species of immediate potential, a comprehensive collection of 544 native and exotic, wild and cultivated pasture species was conserved and is now available to service future plant improvement programs.

scholarly journals Progress and Challenges in Ex Situ Conservation of Forage Germplasm: Grasses, Herbaceous Legumes and Fodder Trees

Plants ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 446 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean Hanson ◽  
Richard Ellis
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Genetic Erosion ◽  
Security Requirements ◽  
Ex Situ ◽  
Fodder Trees ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Livestock Feed ◽  
Forage Species ◽  
Increasing Demand

Forages provide an important livestock feed resource globally, particularly for millions of smallholder farmers, and have important roles in natural resource management and carbon sequestration, reducing soil erosion and mitigating the effects of climate change. Forage germplasm remains the basis for the selection and development of new, higher-yielding and better adaptedgenotypes to meet the increasing demand for livestock feed. Rapid rates of genetic erosion of forage diversity due to land-use change from natural pastures and rangelands to crop production to meet the food security requirements of a growing global population, together with pressures from a changing climate, highlight the necessity for ex situ seed conservation of forage genetic resources to provide germplasm for use by future generations. Whilst many forage species have orthodox seeds, the diverse range of genera and species which provide forage is a challenge in terms of the wide scope of information and understanding on conservation methods that genebank managers require—particularly for tropical forages, many of which are comparatively under-researched. We review the challenges to the conservation of tropical forage species by seed in ex situ genebanks and provide information on optimum methods for their management.

An accurate technique for estimating forage intake of tractable animals

1993 ◽  
Vol 71 (7) ◽  
pp. 1462-1465 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine L. Parker ◽  
Michael P. Gillingham ◽  
Thomas A. Hanley
Keyword(s):  
Natural Environment ◽  
Reliable Method ◽  
Species Level ◽  
Habitat Patch ◽  
Visual Estimation ◽  
Average Mass ◽  
Small Compound ◽  
Forage Species ◽  
Forage Intake ◽  
Species Specific

We selected an average-sized plant unit for each forage species commonly eaten by black-tailed deer in southeastern Alaska. Those units, which were used to establish species-specific templates, typically represented single or small compound leaves that were usually eaten in one bite. We also determined an average mass for each plant unit. Using visual estimation of plant units in the natural environment, we were able to accurately predict actual plant mass (all r2 ≥ 0.94). The technique is an accurate and reliable method for estimating both bite sizes and cumulative forage intake of tractable animals in forb- and shrub-dominated communities. It provides an estimate of dry or wet matter intake within a foraging period or specific habitat patch, relative to diet selection at the plant species level.

scholarly journals Phytoalexins stimulation in the infected Sesamum indicum L. with fungus Macrophomina phaseolina (Tassi) Goid (Rot Disease)

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Sandhya Sharma ◽  
Vinay Sharma ◽  
Afroz Alam
Keyword(s):  
Defense Mechanism ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Macrophomina Phaseolina ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Plant Parts ◽  
Phytochemical Compounds ◽  
Improvement Programs ◽  
Rot Disease ◽  
Plant Pathogen Interactions

Plants respond to a wide variety of pathogen attack. They show the local response in originally attacked plant organ and systemic response in unaffected plant parts with the de novo production of phytochemical compounds. Phenolics (polyphenols) play an important role in the defense mechanism of the plants. So, this study was carried out to analyze the metabolic modifications in Sesame plant after the infection with the pathogen (Macrophomina phaseolina) by estimating the levels of polyphenol in 7 days and 14 days old Sesame plants. The polyphenol contents in infected plants are considerably exceeded in contrast to control plants. This in vivo study of M. phaseolina infection reveals the differences of resistance levels in Sesame against the pathogen. The obtained results give important information concerning the plant-pathogen interactions, in the defense response for Sesame improvement programs seeking the adaptation to the diverse range of fungal attack along with adverse environmental factors.International Journal of Environment Vol.4(4) 2015: 1-18

Host and ecology both play a role in shaping distribution of digenean parasites of New Zealand whelks (Gastropoda: Buccinidae: Cominella)

Parasitology ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 143 (9) ◽  
pp. 1143-1156 ◽  
Author(s):  
KIRSTEN M. DONALD ◽  
HAMISH G. SPENCER
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Host Specificity ◽  
Geographic Range ◽  
Molecular Techniques ◽  
Infection Rates ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Small Areas ◽  
The North ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Host Parasite

SUMMARYDigenean parasites infecting four Cominella whelk species (C. glandiformis, C. adspersa, C. maculosa and C. virgata), which inhabit New Zealand's intertidal zone, were analysed using molecular techniques. Mitochondrial 16S and cytochrome oxidase 1 (COI) and nuclear rDNA ITS1 sequences were used to infer phylogenetic relationships amongst digenea. Host species were parasitized by a diverse range of digenea (Platyhelminthes, Trematoda), representing seven families: Echinostomatidae, Opecoelidae, Microphallidae, Strigeidae and three, as yet, undetermined families A, B and C. Each parasite family infected between one and three host whelk species, and infection levels were typically low (average infection rates ranged from 1·4 to 3·6%). Host specificity ranged from highly species-specific amongst the echinostomes, which were only ever observed infecting C. glandiformis, to the more generalist opecoelids and strigeids, which were capable of infecting three out of four of the Cominella species analysed. Digeneans displayed a highly variable geographic range; for example, echinostomes had a large geographic range stretching the length of New Zealand, from Northland to Otago, whereas Family B parasites were restricted to fairly small areas of the North Island. Our results add to a growing body of research identifying wide ranges in both host specificity and geographic range amongst intertidal, multi-host parasite systems.

Genetic resource and the role of international collaboration in rice breeding

Genome ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 635-641 ◽  
Author(s):  
R K Singh
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Resource ◽  
Insect Pests ◽  
Plant Genetic Resources ◽  
Genetic Erosion ◽  
Rice Breeding ◽  
Plant Type ◽  
Global Partnership ◽  
Self Sufficiency ◽  
Improvement Programs ◽  
High Yielding Varieties

The international efforts in rice research have led to self-sufficiency and surpluses in many of the south and southeast Asian countries. The trend must continue to meet the growing demand for rice. The global partnership in plant genetic resources has played a significant role in ensuring long-term preservation of and access by researchers to the gene pool worldwide. Large numbers of high-yielding varieties with resistance to diseases and insect pests have been released by the collaborating countries and have both increased national average yields and stabilized rice production. Now, the yields must increase further, as more rice needs to be produced from less land with less labour and pesticides. The new plant type being developed at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) seems to have the potential to produce 20-25% more grain than the best of our modern varieties. With the growing complexity of problems, the demand for diverse genetic materials is also increasing. It is no wonder that some of the recently released varieties have genes from as many as 60 or more diverse donors. These developments owe a lot to the free exchange of germplasm among breeders. However, the ever-increasing restrictions on the flow of genetic materials due to political and plant-health requirements pose serious threats to future varietal-improvement programs. Similarly, the problem of genetic erosion continues, and shrinking research support reduces the flexibility of programs. This paper reviews and discusses some of these and other related issues and their implications for rice breeding in the future.Key words: genetic resource, new plant type, marker-aided selection, pedigree complexity, International Network for Genetic Evaluation of Rice (INGER).

Changes in the germinability of seeds of dicotyledonous herbs from anthropogenic and wild habitats during two initial years in a seed bank

Weed Science ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-40
Author(s):  
Zdenka Martinková ◽  
Alois Honěk ◽  
Marek Brabec
Keyword(s):  
Arable Land ◽  
Seed Mass ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Flowering Phenology ◽  
Seed Germinability ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Herb Species ◽  
Dormancy Cycles ◽  
Forest Habitats

Abstract The germinability of buried seeds changes with time, and the direction and periodicity of these changes differ among plant species. In 116 abundant dicotyledoneous herb species, we investigated the changes in seed germinability that occurred during the 2-year period following burial in the soil. We aimed to establish differences between seeds collected in “anthropogenic” (ruderal, arable land) and “wild” (grassland, forest) habitats. The seeds were buried in a field one month after collection, exhumed at regular intervals and germinated at 25 °C. During the two-year study period, four categories of species-specific patterns of germinability changes were found: seeds demonstrating seasonal dormancy/non-dormancy cycles (31 species), seeds germinating only in the first season after burial (16 species), seeds germinating steadily (38 species) and seeds whose germinability changed gradually, with increasing (7 species) or decreasing (18 species) germinability. The seeds of 6 species did not germinate at all. We found no significant difference in the frequency of these categories between species typical for anthropogenic and wild habitats. The cause for this result may be dramatic human influences (changes of agricultural practices), the pressure of which impedes the development of floras specific for certain habitats, as distinguished by the frequency of species with particular patterns of seed germinability. These frequencies varied among taxa with the growth form, seed mass and flowering phenology of species.

Discrimination of intra- and inter-specific forage quality by collared pikas (Ochotona collaris)

2008 ◽  
Vol 86 (6) ◽  
pp. 456-461 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. F. Morrison ◽  
D. S. Hik
Keyword(s):  
Water Content ◽  
Block Design ◽  
Ochotona Collaris ◽  
Randomized Block Design ◽  
Selection Decisions ◽  
Nutritional Characteristics ◽  
Forage Species ◽  
Specific Variation ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Selection Of

The specific nutritional characteristics by which herbivores evaluate their foraging options are complex. We experimentally manipulated the crude protein and water content of two forage species ( Carex consimilis Holm. (= Carex bigelowii Torr. ex Schwein.) and Polygonum bistorta L.) commonly cached by collared pikas ( Ochotona collaris (Nelson, 1893)) to determine their influence on inter- and intra-specific forage selection. Preference data were collected for 27 pikas using cafeteria-style feeding trials in a randomized block design. A three-way interaction (species × protein × water) suggested that pikas made conditional forage selection decisions while caching these plants. The interaction was driven by greater selection for fresh rather than dried C. consimilis when both were not fertilized. Water content had no effect on the selection of either fertilized C. consimilis or fertilized P. bistorta. Overall, our results indicate that pikas made subtle decisions about their selection of vegetation during caching, based on variation in nitrogen and water content in addition to species-specific selection criteria. Further, our results imply that tests of foraging theory may need to consider intra-specific variation in forage characteristics, as well as inter-specific ranking of forage species.

scholarly journals Cross-species transfer of SSR markers in Setaria sphacelata and Trichloris crinita sp.

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 112-119
Author(s):  
Cecilia Paola Randazzo ◽  
Andrea Matilde Ferri ◽  
Leonela Carabajal Paladino ◽  
Adriana Noemi Andres ◽  
Lorena Romina Ingala
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Molecular Markers ◽  
Ssr Markers ◽  
Transfer Rate ◽  
Genetic Improvement ◽  
Genomic Information ◽  
Livestock Breeding ◽  
Setaria Sphacelata ◽  
Forage Species ◽  
Improvement Programs

Setaria sphacelata and Trichloris crinita are subtropical forage species that are important for livestock breeding in Argentina. Genomic information is scarce for these species, and there are no molecular markers designed for them; this limits the development of genetic improvement programs. We performed a cross-species transfer of SSR markers from several Poaceae species. In S. sphacelata, 8 SSR markers were transferred from Setaria italica (40% transfer rate), exhibiting 83% polymorphism. Kazungula, Splenda and Narok cultivars were genetically differentiated and the experimental material “Selección INTA” was separated from Narok, from which it was derived. For T. crinita, 19 microsatellites were transferred from 5 Poaceae species (7.3% transfer rate), with 69% polymorphism. The results obtained in this study show the potential of the transferred SSR markers for assessing genetic variation and for expanding the genetic resources available for these species.

Prevalence of Arcobacter spp. in Raw Milk and Retail Raw Meats in Northern Ireland

2006 ◽  
Vol 69 (8) ◽  
pp. 1986-1990 ◽  
Author(s):  
ROISIN SCULLION ◽  
CLARE S. HARRINGTON ◽  
ROBERT H. MADDEN
Keyword(s):  
Northern Ireland ◽  
Raw Milk ◽  
Poultry Meat ◽  
Animal Origin ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Milk Samples ◽  
Specific Pcr ◽  
Arcobacter Butzleri ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Raw Meats

A 1-year study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of Arcobacter spp. in raw milk and retail raw meats on sale in Northern Ireland. Retail raw poultry samples (n = 94), pork samples (n = 101), and beef samples (n = 108) were obtained from supermarkets in Northern Ireland, and raw milk samples (n = 101) were kindly provided by the Milk Research Laboratory, Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Belfast, Northern Ireland. Presumptive arcobacters were identified by previously described genus-specific and species-specific PCR assays. Arcobacter spp. were found to be common contaminants of retail raw meats and raw milk in Northern Ireland. Poultry meat (62%) had the highest prevalence, but frequent isolations were made from pork (35%), beef (34%), and raw milk (46%). Arcobacter butzleri was the predominant species isolated from retail raw meats and was the only species isolated from raw milk samples. Arcobacter cryaerophilus was detected less frequently, and Arcobacter skirrowii was detected only as a cocontaminant. To our knowledge, this is the first report of Arcobacter spp. prevalence in a diverse range of products of animal origin in Northern Ireland.

scholarly journals <i>δ</i><sup>11</sup>B as monitor of calcification site pH in divergent marine calcifying organisms

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (5) ◽  
pp. 1447-1467 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jill N. Sutton ◽  
Yi-Wei Liu ◽  
Justin B. Ries ◽  
Maxence Guillermic ◽  
Emmanuel Ponzevera ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Isotope Composition ◽  
Exchange Reactions ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Biogenic Carbonate ◽  
Inductively Coupled ◽  
Seawater Ph ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Oculina Arbuscula ◽  
Biogenic Carbonates ◽  
Species Specific

Abstract. The boron isotope composition (δ11B) of marine biogenic carbonates has been predominantly studied as a proxy for monitoring past changes in seawater pH and carbonate chemistry. However, a number of assumptions regarding chemical kinetics and thermodynamic isotope exchange reactions are required to derive seawater pH from δ11B biogenic carbonates. It is also probable that δ11B of biogenic carbonate reflects seawater pH at the organism's site of calcification, which may or may not reflect seawater pH. Here, we report the development of methodology for measuring the δ11B of biogenic carbonate samples at the multi-collector inductively coupled mass spectrometry facility at Ifremer (Plouzané, France) and the evaluation of δ11BCaCO3 in a diverse range of marine calcifying organisms reared for 60 days in isothermal seawater (25 °C) equilibrated with an atmospheric pCO2 of ca. 409 µatm. Average δ11BCaCO3 composition for all species evaluated in this study range from 16.27 to 35.09 ‰, including, in decreasing order, coralline red alga Neogoniolithion sp. (35.89 ± 3.71 ‰), temperate coral Oculina arbuscula (24.12 ± 0.19 ‰), serpulid worm Hydroides crucigera (19.26 ± 0.16 ‰), tropical urchin Eucidaris tribuloides (18.71 ± 0.26 ‰), temperate urchin Arbacia punctulata (16.28 ± 0.86 ‰), and temperate oyster Crassostrea virginica (16.03 ‰). These results are discussed in the context of each species' proposed mechanism of biocalcification and other factors that could influence skeletal and shell δ11B, including calcifying site pH, the proposed direct incorporation of isotopically enriched boric acid (instead of borate) into biogenic calcium carbonate, and differences in shell/skeleton polymorph mineralogy. We conclude that the large inter-species variability in δ11BCaCO3 (ca. 20 ‰) and significant discrepancies between measured δ11BCaCO3 and δ11BCaCO3 expected from established relationships between abiogenic δ11BCaCO3 and seawater pH arise primarily from fundamental differences in calcifying site pH amongst the different species. These results highlight the potential utility of δ11B as a proxy of calcifying site pH for a wide range of calcifying taxa and underscore the importance of using species-specific seawater-pH–δ11BCaCO3 calibrations when reconstructing seawater pH from δ11B of biogenic carbonates.

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