Effect of Different Enriched Vermicomposts, Humic Acid Extract and Indole-3-Acetic Acid Amendments on the Growth of Brassica napus

Humic acid (HA) is a specific and stable component of humus materials that behaves similarly to growth stimulants, esp. auxin hormones, contributing to improving growth indices and performance of plants. As a rich source of HA, vermicompost (VC) is also a plant growth stimulating bio-fertilizer that can enhance growth indices and performance in plants. The purpose of the present study is to compare the influence of VC enriched with bacterial and/or fertilizer, commercial humic acid (CHA) extract, and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) on improving growth characteristics and performance of rapeseed under greenhouse conditions. The results showed the complete superiority of VC over the CHA and IAA (approximately 8% increase in the dry weights of root and aerial organ and nearly three times increase in seed weight). The highest values of these indices were obtained with VC enriched with Nitrogen, Sulfur, and Phosphorus, Azotobacter chroococcum and Pseudomonas fluorescens; the lowest value was obtained with VC enriched with urea. Additionally, the application of 3% VC and the control involved the highest and lowest values in all traits, respectively. The SPAD (chlorophyll index) value and stem diameter were not significantly affected by different application levels of VC. Overall, the applications of IAA and the CHA were not found to be suitable and therefore not recommended.

Dioxin-like Activity in Pregnant Women and Indices of Fetal Growth: The ACCEPT Birth Cohort

Exposure to lipophilic persistent organic pollutants (lipPOPs) elicits a number of species- and tissue-specific toxic responses, many of which involve the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR). This study aims to measure the combined serum dioxin-like activity of lipPOPs in Greenlandic Inuit pregnant women and the associations with fetal growth indices. The combined dioxin-like activity of serum lipPOPs extracts was determined using the AhR reporter gene bioassay and expressed as pico-gram (pg) TCDD equivalent (TEQ) per gram serum lipid [AhR-TEQ (pg/g lipid)]. Significant AhR-TEQ was found in > 87% of serum samples with the median level of 86.2 pg TEQ/g lipid. The AhR-TEQ level positively correlated with the marine food intake biomarker n-3/n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids ratio, while negatively correlated with body mass index and parity. Women giving birth to infants with low birth weight (<2500 g) and length (<50 cm) had higher AhR-TEQ level compared to those with normal weight and length infants. For previous smokers, we found significant inverse associations between maternal AhR-TEQ level and fetal growth indices. In conclusion, exposure of Greenlandic Inuit pregnant women to dioxin-like compounds through traditional marine food can adversely influence the fetal growth via induced AhR activity. Smoking might have modifying effects.

Effect of tillage and fertilizer doses on growth and growth indices of soybean (Glycine max L.) under conservation tillage systems

A field experiment was conducted during kharif season of 2019 at the Research Farm, Department of Agronomy, CSKHPKV, Palampur to study the effect of tillage and fertilizer doses on growth and growth indices of soybean under conservation tillage systems. The experiment consisted of twelve treatment combinations which included three tillage systems minimum tillage, minimum tillage with crop residue and conventional tillage and four fertility levels viz; 25 % recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF) , 50 %(RDF) , 75 % RDF and 100% RDF and which were tested in split plot design with tillage system in main plots and fertility levels in sub plots.The soil texture of experimental site was silty clay loam. Minimum tillage along with crop residues (T2)recorded significantly taller plants and higher dry matter accumulation followed by conventional tillage. Absolute growth rate, crop growth rate, dry matter efficiency, relative growth rate and unit area efficiency were significantly higher with minimum tillage + crop residue treatment. Application of 100 % followed by 75 % recommended dose of fertilizer resulted in significantly higher growth parameters and growth indices.

Equality of Ultradifferentiable Classes by Means of Indices of Mixed O-regular Variation

We characterize the equality between ultradifferentiable function classes defined in terms of abstractly given weight matrices and in terms of the corresponding matrix of associated weight functions by using new growth indices. These indices, defined by means of weight sequences and (associated) weight functions, are extending the notion of O-regular variation to a mixed setting. Hence we are extending the known comparison results concerning classes defined in terms of a single weight sequence and of a single weight function and give also these statements an interpretation expressed in O-regular variation.

Radial growth patterns of Siberian larch in plantations of the Republic Mari El

Based on the measurements of 83 wood cores, the main patterns of changes in the width of the early and late zones in the annual ring of Siberian larch trees (Larix sibirica Ledeb.), as well as their total radial growth indices in the conditions of the Republic of Mari El were identified. It was found that the width of the early wood zone varies in trees from 0.15 to 11.3 mm, late wood – from 0.05 to 4.15 mm, the proportion of latewood – from 1.2 to 82.8 %, and the annual growth indices - from 13 to 423 %. The main factor in the variability of the total width of the annual rings and the layer of early wood is the age of the trees, and the contribution of weather conditions and other unaccounted factors (noise) to the overall variance of the annual growth parameters is no more than 20 %. The variability of the total width of the annual ring also depends on their genotypic features, which determine up to 42.7% of the total variance of the parameter in some cenopopulations. In the dynamics of the growth indices of larch trees, despite the existing specifics of each cenopopulation, the general sharp decline in their values after the droughts of 1972 and 2010, as well as the alternation of the periods of growth and decline, is clearly distinguished.

Effect on Intermediary Metabolism and Digestive Parameters of the High Substitution of Fishmeal with Insect Meal in Sparus aurata Feed

Hermetia illucens and Tenebrio molitor were tested on account of their potential to replace fish protein in feed. Two levels of replacement for H. illucens, 30% and 50% (H30 and H50), and one for T. molitor, 50% (T50), as well as an additional diet with a modified fatty acid fraction (H50M), were investigated in relation to juvenile Sparus aurata growth indices, enzyme activities and gut microbiome. A T50 diet showed similar results to a control (C) diet, with no significant differences regarding morphological indices and minor differences for nutritional indices. Regarding the gut microbiome, H50M was the diet which showed the more similar prokaryotic community to C, which suggests that fatty acid fractions might influence the composition of the gut microbiome. Nevertheless, differences appeared to be related to a redistribution of dominant species, while changes in species affiliation were limited to minoritary species. The positive correlation between some of these minoritary species (Peptostreptococcus russellii, Streptococcus dysgalactiae and Weisella confusa) and several fish growth parameters might explain differences between control and insect diets. Deciphering such uncertainty and revealing the potential role these unusual species may play on fish performance should be addressed in future investigations.