Traditional Agricultural Management of Kam Sweet Rice (Oryza Sativa L.)in Southeast Guizhou Province, China

Background: The Dong people mainly live in Hunan, Guangxi and Guizhou provinces, China, with a long history of glutinous rice cultivation, among which Kam Sweet Rice (KSR) is a group of rice landraces that has been domesticated for thousands of years by the Dong people. The core distribution area of KSR is Liping, Congjiang and Rongjiang County of southeast, Guizhou Province. Paddy fields, forests, livestock and cottages have formed a special artificial wetland ecosystem in local area, and the Dong people have also formed a set of traditional farming systems of KSR for variety breeding, field management, and soil and water conservation. However, this traditional agricultural management has not been reported at multiple levels based on landraces, species and ecosystems.Methods: Fieldwork was conducted in ten villages in southeast Guizhou from 2019-2021. A total of 229 informants were interviewed from the villages. Semi-structured and key informant interviews were administered to collect ethnoecological data on the characteristics and traditional utilization of KSR, traditional farming systems and agricultural management of the Dong people. Results: (1): A total of 57 KSR varieties were recorded as used by the Dong people in southeast Guizhou. We analyzed the cultural importance index (CII) of all KSRs. Varieties with high CII often have a pleasant taste, special biological characteristics of cold resistance, disease and insect resistance and high utilization in the traditional culture of Dong people. (2) There is a clear division of labor between men and women in the breeding, seed retention, field management and grain storage management of different varieties of KSR in Dong communities. In order to resist natural disasters and insect pests, the cultivation of KSR is usually managed by multi-variety mixed planting. These agricultural management modes are the result of Dong people's understanding and adaptation to the local natural geographical environment, as well as the experience and wisdom crystallization of Dong people's long-term practice. (3) The traditional farmland of Dong People is a typical artificial wetland ecosystem that is planted with mixed KSR varieties with rich traditional wisdom. In addition, the economic benefit of the rice-fish-duck symbiotic system was 3.07 times that of hybrid rice alone; therefore, the rice-fish-duck system not only has the function of maintaining soil, water and ecological balance but also improves the income of Dong people.Conclusion: KSR is a special kind of rice that has been domesticated and cultivated by Dong people for thousands of years. Dong people have also formed traditional agriculture dominated by KSR cultivation. The traditional agricultural management of Dong people provides suitable habitats for flora and fauna with biodiversity protection, and convenient conditions for rational utilization and distribution of water resources were also provided. This traditional management mode is of great significance for environmental protection, climate change response, community resource management, sustainable utilization, and agricultural transformation in modern society. Therefore, we call for interdisciplinary research in natural and social sciences, in-depth study of the ecological culture of ethnic areas, and sort out treasures conducive to the development of all mankind.

Sexual Development Dysgenesis in Interspecific Hybrids of Rice Fish

Fish are amongst vertebrates the group with the highest diversity of known sex-determining genes. Particularly, the genus Oryzias is a suitable taxon to understand how different sex determination genetic networks evolved in closely related species. Two closely related species, O. latipes and O. curvinotus, do not only share the same XX/XY sex chromosome system, but also the same male sex-determining gene, dmrt1bY. We performed whole mRNA transcriptomes and morphology analyses of the gonads of hybrids resulting from reciprocal crosses between O. latipes and O. curvinotus. XY male hybrids, presenting meiotic arrest and no production of sperm were sterile, and about 30% of the XY hybrids underwent male-to-female sex reversal. Both XX and XY hybrid females exhibited reduced fertility and developed ovotestis while aging. Transcriptome data showed that male-related genes are upregulated in the XX and XY female hybrids. The transcriptomes of both types of female and of the male gonads are characterized by upregulation of meiosis and germ cell differentiation genes. Differences in the parental species in the downstream pathways of sexual development could explain sex reversal, sterility, and the development of intersex gonads in the hybrids. Our results provide molecular clues for the proximate mechanisms of hybrid incompatibility and Haldane’s rule.

Assessment of the success factors influencing of rice-fish farming innovation village to support food security

In the current condition in the village, the community is faced with limited agricultural land and the unpromising sustainability of conventional rice businesses, so that agricultural business is less attractive to the community. The solution that can be done by the community is to build a rice-fish farming innovation village. This study aims to analyze rice-fish farming in terms of social and economic aspects and to analyze the factors that influence the success of the rice-fish farming innovation village for food security and community welfare. This research was conducted from October to December 2020 in Samberembe, Candibinangun Village, Sleman District, Special Region of Yogyakarta. The research approach used a mixed-method, with data analysis using business analysis, descriptive analysis, and prospective analysis. The results showed that an integrated rice-farming program can increase farmers’ income up to IDR 35 million per 1,000 m per year and changing the socio-technical at every phase of cultivation. The success of the rice-fish farming innovation village can be realized with the following key factors (1) a good technical irrigation system, (2) a continuous supply of superior fish seeds, (3) strengthening of rice-fish farming innovation technology, and (4) strengthening of pest eradication technology (beaver). This key factor can be considered as a national scale reference for the development of the rice-fish farming innovation village. The implication of the study is to create a superior and sustainable village that can improve community food security and local economy growth.

Strain-Specific Liver Metabolite Profiles in Medaka

The relationship between genetic variation and phenotypic traits is often poorly understood since specific genotypes do not always easily translate into associated phenotypes, especially for complex disorders. The genetic background has been shown to affect metabolic pathways and thus contribute to variations in the metabolome. Here, we tested the suitability of NMR metabolomics for comparative analysis of fish lines as a first step towards phenotype-genotype association studies. The Japanese rice fish, medaka (Oryzias latipes), is a widely used genetic vertebrate model with several isogenic inbred laboratory strains. We used liver extracts of medaka iCab and HO5 strains as a paradigm to test the feasibility of distinguishing the metabolome of two different inbred strains. Fifteen metabolites could be detected in uni- and multivariate analyses that showed strain-specific levels. Differences could be assigned to specific metabolic pathways. Our results show that NMR spectroscopy is a suitable method to detect variance of the metabolome caused by subtle genetic differences. Thus, it has the potential to address genotype–phenotype associations in medaka, providing an additional level of phenotypic analysis.

Effects of Chlorpyrifos Ethyl on Cholinesterase and Growth of Silver Barb (Barbonymus gonionotus)

Chlorpyrifos ethyl is a popular insecticide widely used in agriculture within the Vietnamese Mekong delta, including for rice farming. Here, local farmers often apply pesticides at very high rates which leads to contamination of the surrounding environment. Silver barb (Barbonymus gonionotus) is a fish species indigenous to the delta, which resides in a variety of water bodies and is also commonly cultivated in rice–fish systems. As a result, this species is at high risk of exposure to chlorpyrifos ethyl. This study aims to determine the lethal concentration (LC50) of chlorpyrifos ethyl, as well as the effects of sub-lethal concentrations on the activity of cholinesterase and growth of Silver barb. Lethal concentration testing was conducted in a static non-renewed system. Three concentrations of chlorpyrifos ethyl (1%, 10% and 20% LC50-96 h) were conducted in triplicate to assess the effects of chlorpyrifos ethyl on the brain cholinesterase (ChE) of fingerling fish for 15 days, and on their growth for 60 days. Results showed that chlorpyrifos ethyl was highly toxic to fingerling Silver barb with a LC50-96 h of 0.119 ppm. The lowest observed effect concentration (LOEC) was 1%LC50-96 h for ChE and 10%LC50-96 h for growth. No observed effect concentration (NOEC) of chlorpyrifos ethyl for growth was 1%LC50-96 h. The result from this study suggests that ChE activity is significantly inhibited at environmentally realistic concentrations in the Vietnamese Mekong delta and can be used as a biomarker of pesticide exposure. Further study in the rice fields as well as in the canals or rivers is required.

A rapid and simple procedure for the isolation and cultivation of fibroblast-like cells from medaka and zebrafish embryos and fin clip biopsies

In many human diseases, the molecular pathophysiological mechanisms are not understood, which makes the development and testing of new therapeutic approaches difficult. The generation and characterization of animal models such as mice, rats, fruit flies, worms or fish offers the possibility for in detail studies of a disease’s development, its course and potential therapies in an organismal context, which considerably minimizes the risk of therapeutic side effects for patients. Nevertheless, due to the high numbers of experimental animals used in research worldwide, attempts to develop alternative test systems will help in reducing their count. In this regard, the cell culture system displays a suitable option due to its potential of delivering nearly unlimited material and the good opportunities for high-throughput studies such as drug testing. Here, we describe a quick and simple method to isolate and cultivate vital fibroblast-like cells from embryos and adults of two popular teleost model organisms, the Japanese rice fish medaka ( Oryzias latipes) and the zebrafish ( Danio rerio).

64Traditional Japanese Diet Score and cancer incidence and mortality - a 23-year longitudinal global study

Background Traditional Japanese diets are considered to be one cause of Japanese health and longevity. We created a Traditional Japanese Diet Score (TJDS) and investigated the relationship between the TJDS and cancer during more than 20 years using global database. Methods Total cancer incidence and mortality by country were identified from the Global Burden of Disease 2017 database. Average food supply (g/day/capita) and energy supply (kcal/day/capita) by country were obtained from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations database. The TJDS by country was calculated from nine food groups, the higher scores mean the more adherence to traditional Japanese diet. That is beneficial food groups (rice, fish, soybeans, vegetables, eggs, seaweed) gave positive points to high supply amount, and food groups not commonly used in the Japanese diet (wheat, milk, and red meat) gave minus points to high supply amount. The longitudinal associations between the TJDS and cancer incidence and mortality controlled for covariates were examined during 23 years from 1990 to 2013. The country covered by this study was 139 countries with populations of 1 million or greater. Results The TJDS was negatively associated with cancer incidence and mortality longitudinally in a linear mixed-effect model controlled for covariates. Conclusions These results suggest that greater adherence with the TJDS supressed cancer incidence and mortality worldwide. Key messages Well-balanced eating habits like traditional Japanese diets is important for suppressing cancer.