This study was aimed at evaluating effects of cattle breed resources and alternative mixed-feeding practices on meat productivity and emission intensities from household farming systems (HFS) in ...Daklak Province, Vietnam.
Records from Local Yellow×Red Sindhi (
; Lai Sind) and 1/2 Limousin, 1/2 Drought Master, and 1/2 Red Angus cattle during the growth (0 to 21 months) and fattening (22 to 25 months) periods were used to better understand variations on meat productivity and enteric methane emissions. Parameters were determined by the ruminant model. Four scenarios were developed: (HFS1) grazing from birth to slaughter on native grasses for approximately 10 h plus 1.5 kg dry matter/d (0.8% live weight LW) of a mixture of guinea grass (19%), cassava (43%) powder, cotton (23%) seed, and rice (15%) straw; (HFS2) growth period fed with elephant grass (1% of LW) plus supplementation (1.5% of LW) of rice bran (36%), maize (33%), and cassava (31%) meals; and HFS3 and HFS4 computed elephant grass, but concentrate supplementation reaching 2% and 1% of LW, respectively.
Results show that compared to HFS1, emissions (72.3±0.96 kg CH
/animal/life; least squares means± standard error of the mean) were 15%, 6%, and 23% lower (p<0.01) for the HFS2, HFS3, and HFS4, respectively. The predicted methane efficiencies (CO
eq) per kg of LW at slaughter (4.3±0.15), carcass weight (8.8±0.25 kg) and kg of edible protein (44.1±1.29) were also lower (p<0.05) in the HFS4. In particular, irrespective of the HSF, feed supply and ratio changes had a more positive impact on emission intensities when crossbred 1/2 Red Angus cattle were fed than in their crossbred counterparts.
Modest improvements on feeding practices and integrated modelling frameworks may offer potential trade-offs to respond to climate change in Vietnam.
Dehesas are man-made systems composed by evergreen oaks (
Quercus ilex and
Quercus suber) scattered over a grassland understorey. They cover about 3.1 million ha in the southwest of the Iberian ...Peninsula and are to be preserved under the EU Habitats Directive due to the high levels of plant and animal diversity they maintain. The main current threat to long-term dehesa farming is a chronic absence of natural tree regeneration. We test whether dehesa abandonment would promote natural regeneration, how size structure of tree populations change after abandonment, and whether shrub encroachment would enhance seedling recruitment by measuring the size structure of mature tree populations, shrub cover and seedling density in 17 dehesa farms of known date of abandonment. Size structures were approximately bell-shaped in farms abandoned less than 16 years ago, progressively approaching afterwards the inverse J-shaped distribution typical from holm oak forests. Proportions of young mature trees changed with age of abandonment according to a logistic growth function. Proportions typical from forests (70–80%) were reached 30 years after abandonment, whereas balanced numbers of young and old trees were reached 20–25 years after abandonment.
Short-term seedling recruitment was not related to age of abandonment or to covers of most dominant shrubs and was positively related to cover of mature trees and of
Cytisus multiflorus, a nurse shrub for holm oak seedlings.
Synthesis and applications: Conservation of dehesas and their associated biodiversity values should be based on financing temporal abandonment of productive dehesa farming for 20 years, keeping land in good agricultural condition by re-opening the encroached plots after tree recruitment (i.e. rotational set-aside). The proposed measure has the additional advantages of easy monitoring and straightforward evaluation of its effectiveness.
In the present work, samples of sugar cane bagasse were hydrolysed with phosphoric acid under mild conditions (H
3PO
4 2–6%, time 0–300
min and 122
°C) to study the feasibility of using the liquid ...phase as fermentation media. Solid yield, sugar concentrations and decomposition product concentrations were measured. The composition of hydrolysates, their purity and the ratio sugars/inhibitors were analyzed. Kinetic models were developed to describe the course of products of the acid hydrolysis. The course of xylose, glucose, arabinose, acetic acid and furfural were satisfactorily described by the models. The optimal conditions selected were 122
°C, 4% H
3PO
4 and 300
min. Using these conditions, 17.6
g of xylose/l; 2.6
g of arabinose/l; 3.0
g of glucose/l, 1.2
g furfural/l and 4.0
g acetic acid/l were obtained. The efficiency in these conditions was 4.46
g sugars/g inhibitors and the mass fraction of sugars in dissolved solids in liquid phase was superior to 55%.
This article comments on:
Georgia L. Vasey, Alexandra K. Urza, Jeanne C. Chambers, Elizabeth G. Pringle and Peter J. Weisberg. Clinal variations in seedling traits and responses to water availability ...correspond to seed-source environmental gradients in a foundational dryland tree species, Annals of Botany, Volume 132, Issue 2, 25 July 2023, Pages 203–216, https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcad041
Bromeliads are a Neotropical family of monocots, colonized by several families of ciliates, with some species that inhabit only this type of microecosystems. Ecological factors such as the presence ...of water, plant volume, seasonality and predators, have been recognized as important factors, which play a role in the ciliate community structure in tank bromeliads. The objective of this study is to describe different communities of active ciliates from epiphytic and terrestrial bromeliads that inhabit the dry tropical forest, montane cloud forest, oak forest and semideciduous tropical forest in the Mexican Neotropics during the humid season of the year 2016. We found 22 species of active ciliates. A higher richness of ciliate species was found in the bromeliads of the montane cloud forest. Based on statistical tests, we determine that the pH and water temperature, plant diameter, its distance above the ground and altitude above sea level in relation to ciliate abundance explain <50% of the variation; however, the combination of plant diameter and its distance above the ground shows a positive effect in relation to ciliate abundance. We provide new evidence that bromeliads that inhabit mountains and lowland forests in a larger geographic area host ciliate communities with different species composition.
Water scarcity, lack of sanitation, and wastewater treatment deficiency are worldwide concerns. Wastewater treatment management in global south cities faces constraints in institutional capacity ...(IC). This study aims to identify the elements that preclude and promote IC in wastewater treatment plants. A literature review and semi-structured interviews were implemented. The results showed internal and external factors critical to strengthening the IC—decentralization and fragmented planning are barriers. Financial autonomy, stakeholder coordination, and planning are opportunity areas. Continuous learning, monitoring, and long-term vision are essential too. The determinants provide evidence to increase the institutional capacity applicable to global south cities.
•The study case assesses factors linked to institutional capacity in wastewater management.•The case study highlighted the necessity of strategic planning and long-term projects beyond government periods.•Contextual factors of political and economic interests influence the development of local institutional capacities.•Diversification of financial mechanisms is crucial to guarantee the wastewater treatment plant's operation and maintenance.•Experience and professionalization are key factors of institutional capacity to advance in efficient wastewater management.
is a plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium (PGPR) capable of fixing nitrogen, the synthesis of several phytohormones including indole-acetic acid, and induction of plant defenses against ...phytopathogens. To establish a successful and prolonged bacteria-plant interaction,
can form biofilms, bacterial communities embedded in a self-made matrix formed by extracellular polymeric substances which provide favorable conditions for survival. A key modulator of biofilm formation is the second messenger bis-(3'-5')-cyclic-dimeric-GMP (c-di-GMP), which is synthesized by diguanylate cyclases (DGC) and degraded by specific phosphodiesterases. In this study, we analyzed the contribution of a previously uncharacterized diguanylate cyclase designated CdgC, to biofilm formation and bacterial-plant interaction dynamics. We showed that CdgC is capable of altering c-di-GMP levels in a heterologous host, strongly supporting its function as a DGC. The deletion of
resulted in alterations in the three-dimensional structure of biofilms in a nitrogen-source dependent manner. CdgC was required for optimal colonization of wheat roots. Since we also observed that CdgC played an important role in exopolysaccharide production, we propose that this signaling protein activates a physiological response that results in the strong attachment of bacteria to the roots, ultimately contributing to an optimal bacterium-plant interaction. Our results demonstrate that the ubiquitous second messenger c-di-GMP is a key factor in promoting plant colonization by the PGPR
by allowing proficient internalization in wheat roots. Understanding the molecular basis of PGPR-plant interactions will enable the design of better biotechnological strategies of agro-industrial interest.
Aldehyde dehydrogenases (ALDHs) are indispensable enzymes that play a pivotal role in mitigating aldehyde toxicity by converting them into less reactive compounds. Despite the availability of fully ...sequenced Azospirillum genomes in public databases, a comprehensive analysis of the ALDH superfamily within these genomes has yet to be undertaken. This study presents the identification and classification of 17 families and 31 subfamilies of ALDHs in fully assembled Azospirillum genomes. This classification system framework provides a more comprehensive understanding of the diversity and redundancy of ALDHs across bacterial genomes, which can aid in elucidating the distinct characteristics and functions of each family. The study also proposes the adoption of the ALDH19 family as a powerful phylogenetic marker due to its remarkable conservation and non-redundancy across various Azospirillum species. The diversity of ALDHs among different strains of Azospirillum can influence their adaptation and survival under various environmental conditions. The findings of this study could potentially be used to improve agricultural production by enhancing the growth and productivity of crops. Azospirillum bacteria establish a mutualistic relationship with plants and can promote plant growth by producing phytohormones such as indole-3-acetic acid (IAA). The diversity of ALDHs in Azospirillum can affect their ability to produce IAA and other beneficial compounds that promote plant growth and can be used as biofertilizers to enhance agricultural productivity.
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