Evaluation of partial replacement of live and fresh feeds with a formulated diet and the influence of weaning Panulirus ornatus phyllosomata onto a formulated diet during early ontogeny

We have evaluated the potential of a formulated diet as a replacement for live and fresh feeds for 7-day post-hatch Panulirus ornatus phyllosomata and also investigated the effect of conditioning phyllosomata for 14-21 days on live feeds prior to weaning onto a 100% formulated diet. In the first trial, the highest survival (>55%) was consistently shown by phyllosomata fed a diet consisting of a 50% combination of Artemia nauplii and 50% Greenshell mussel, followed by phyllosomata fed 50% Artemia nauplii and 50% formulated diet and, thirdly, by those receiving 100% Artemia nauplii. The second trial assessed the replacement of on-grown Artemia with proportions of formulated diet and Greenshell mussel that differed from those used in trial 1. Phyllosomata fed a 75% combination of formulated diet and 25% on-grown Artemia and 50% on-grown Artemia and 50% Greenshell mussel consistently showed the highest survival (>75%). Combinations of Greenshell mussel and formulated diet resulted in significantly (P < 0.05) reduced survival. In trial 3, phyllosomata were conditioned for 14, 18 or 21 days on Artemia nauplii prior to weaning onto a 100% formulated diet, which resulted in survival rates that were negatively related to the duration of feeding Artemia nauplii. In the final trial, phyllosomata were conditioned for 14 days on live on-grown Artemia prior to weaning onto one of three formulated diets (one diet with 44% CP and two diets with 50%). Phyllosomata fed a 44% CP diet consistently showed the highest survival (>35%) among all treatments, while those fed a 50%-squid CP diet showed a significant (P < 0.05) increase in mortality at day 24. The results of these trials demonstrate that hatcheries can potentially replace 75% of live on-grown Artemia with a formulated diet 7 days after hatch. The poor performance associated with feeding combinations of Greenshell mussel and formulated diet, and 100% formulated diet as well as conditioning phyllosomata for 14-21 days on live feeds prior to weaning onto a formulated diet highlights the importance of providing Artemia to stimulate feeding.

High-Throughput Prediction of Acacia and Eucalypt Lignin Syringyl/Guaiacyl Content Using FT-Raman Spectroscopy and Partial Least Squares Modeling

High-throughput techniques are necessary to efficiently screen potential lignocellulosic feedstocks for the production of renewable fuels, chemicals, and bio-based materials, thereby reducing experimental time and expense while supplanting tedious, destructive methods. The ratio of lignin syringyl (S) to guaiacyl (G) monomers has been routinely quantified as a way to probe biomass recalcitrance. Mid-infrared and Raman spectroscopy have been demonstrated to produce robust partial least squares models for the prediction of lignin S/G ratios in a diverse group of Acacia and eucalypt trees. The most accurate Raman model has now been used to predict the S/G ratio from 269 unknown Acacia and eucalypt feedstocks. This study demonstrates the application of a partial least squares model composed of Raman spectral data and lignin S/G ratios measured using pyrolysis/molecular beam mass spectrometry (pyMBMS) for the prediction of S/G ratios in an unknown data set. The predicted S/G ratios calculated by the model were averaged according to plant species, and the means were not found to differ from the pyMBMS ratios when evaluating the mean values of each method within the 95 % confidence interval. Pairwise comparisons within each data set were employed to assess statistical differences between each biomass species. While some pairwise appraisals failed to differentiate between species, Acacias, in both data sets, clearly display significant differences in their S/G composition which distinguish them from eucalypts. This research shows the power of using Raman spectroscopy to supplant tedious, destructive methods for the evaluation of the lignin S/G ratio of diverse plant biomass materials.

High-Throughput Prediction of Acacia and Eucalypt Lignin Syringyl/Guaiacyl Content Using FT-Raman Spectroscopy and Partial Least Squares Modeling

High-throughput techniques are necessary to efficiently screen potential lignocellulosic feedstocks for the production of renewable fuels, chemicals, and bio-based materials, thereby reducing experimental time and expense while supplanting tedious, destructive methods. The ratio of lignin syringyl (S) to guaiacyl (G) monomers has been routinely quantified as a way to probe biomass recalcitrance. Mid-infrared and Raman spectroscopy have been demonstrated to produce robust partial least squares models for the prediction of lignin S/G ratios in a diverse group of Acacia and eucalypt trees. The most accurate Raman model has now been used to predict the S/G ratio from 269 unknown Acacia and eucalypt feedstocks. This study demonstrates the application of a partial least squares model composed of Raman spectral data and lignin S/G ratios measured using pyrolysis/molecular beam mass spectrometry (pyMBMS) for the prediction of S/G ratios in an unknown data set. The predicted S/G ratios calculated by the model were averaged according to plant species, and the means were not found to differ from the pyMBMS ratios when evaluating the mean values of each method within the 95 % confidence interval. Pairwise comparisons within each data set were employed to assess statistical differences between each biomass species. While some pairwise appraisals failed to differentiate between species, Acacias, in both data sets, clearly display significant differences in their S/G composition which distinguish them from eucalypts. This research shows the power of using Raman spectroscopy to supplant tedious, destructive methods for the evaluation of the lignin S/G ratio of diverse plant biomass materials. © 2015, The Author(s).

Evaluation of Inoculated Lablab Silage for Growing Dairy Heifers

A summer grown forage legume crop – Lablab (Lablab purpureus) harvested in autumn, was ensiled as plastic wrapped, large round bales. Of the 30 bales produced, 13 were inoculated with a bacterial inoculant containing Lactobacillus plantarum and Enterococcus faecium. Inoculant was premixed at 30 g/litre water, cultured overnight (18 hours) then sprayed onto cut forage during the baling and wrapping procedure at 1 litre per tonne of silage. A replicated feeding experiment was conducted in July - August 1998 (5 weeks), using 24 eight month old Holstein Friesian heifers group fed non-inoculated or inoculated silage to appetite plus 2 kg rolled sorghum grain/heifer.day. Chemical composition and nutritive value of well preserved bales of control and inoculated silages were similar (P>0.05) with 50% DM and 26 g N and 6.8 MJ ME per kg DM. Lactic acid and acetic acid concentrations were 11.4 v. 11.4 and 4.90 v. 3.75 g/kg DM for control and inoculated silages respectively (P>0.05). Heifers preferentially selected leaf from the silage offered and maintained liveweight gains of 0.70 and 0.61 kg/day respectively (P>0.05) during the silage feeding period. High DM and low WSC content of the parent forage may have reduced the opportunity for the bacterial inoculant to have effect. Animal production for a consuming world : proceedings of 9th Congress of the Asian-Australasian Association of Animal Production Societies [AAAP] and 23rd Biennial Conference of the Australian Society of Animal Production [ASAP] and 17th Annual Symposium of the University of Sydney, Dairy Research Foundation, [DRF]. 2-7 July 2000, Sydney, Australia.

Identification and preliminary evaluation of viriditoxin, a metabolite of Paecilomyces varioti, as an insecticide for sheep blowfly, Lucilia cuprina (Wied.)

Solvent extracts of cultures of the fungus Paecilomyces varioti are toxic to sheep blowfly, Lucilia cuprina (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Calliphoridae). Different components of the culture extracts were isolated and bioassayed with L. cuprina. The component with most toxicity was purified and identified from its proton magnetic resonance spectrum as viriditoxin, a known antibiotic metabolite of the fungus. The insecticidal properties of viriditoxin were then evaluated. Mean LCso values for first instar larvae of organophosphate susceptible and resistant strains of L. cuprina were 7.5 and 8.4 ppm respectively. Pilot implant trials in sheep demonstrated that the compound provided protection for 9-17 weeks against both strains of L. cuprina. No adverse effects on the trial sheep were detected.

Field evaluation of a plant activator, captan, chlorothalonil, copper hydroxide, iprodione, mancozeb and strobilurins for the control of citrus brown spot of mandarin

Brown spot (caused by Alternaria alternata) is a major disease of citrus in subtropical areas of Australia. A number of chemicals, the strobilurins azoxystrobin, trifloxystrobin, pyraclostrobin and methoxycrylate, a plant activator (acibenzolar), copper hydroxide, mancozeb, captan, iprodione and chlorothalonil/pyrimthanil were tested in the field for its control. Over three seasons, trees in a commercial orchard received 16, 14 and 7 fungicide sprays, respectively, commencing at flowering in the first season, and petal fall in the later seasons. In all experiments, the strobilurins used alone, or incorporated with copper and mancozeb, were as effective as, or better than the industry standard of copper and mancozeb alone. The only exception was trifloxystrobin, which when used alone was less effective than the industry standard. Acibenzolar used alone was ineffective. Applying a mixture of azoxystrobin and acibenzolar was found to reduce the incidence of brown spot compared with applying azoxystrobin alone but, in either case, disease levels were not found to be significantly different to the industry standard. Captan, iprodione and chlorothalonil/pyrimthanil were as effective as the industry standard. The incidence and severity of rind damage were significantly lowest in the azoxystrobin, methoxycrylate, iprodione and chlorothalonil/pyrimthanil treatments. Medium and high rates of trifloxystrobin (0.07 g/L, 0 .15 g/L) and pyraclostrobin (0.8 g/L, 1.2 g/L) applied alone were the only treatments found to be IPM-incompatible as shown by the elevated level of scale infection on fruit.

Field evaluation of micropropagated and conventionally propagated ginger in subtropical Queensland

The growth and performance of micropropagated ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) was compared with 'seed'-derived plants in field trials conducted in south-eastern Queensland. In the first generation ex vitro, micropropagated plants had significantly (P<0.01) reduced rhizome yield with smaller knobs and more roots. Micropropagated plants had a greater (P<0.01) shoot: root (rhizome) ratio compared with seed-derived plants. Shoots from micropropagated plants were also significantly (P<0.01) smaller with a greater number of shoots per plant. The unusual shoot morphology of the micropropagated plants did not appear to be related to the presence of benzylaminopurine, a plant growth hormone added to the multiplication medium, as plants subcultured for 3 cycles on a hormone-free medium also exhibited similar characteristics. Seed collected from the micropropagated plants and seed-derived plants was harvested and, despite the micropropagated seed being significantly (P<0.01) smaller, by the second generation ex vitro there were no significant differences between the treatments. Factors that can improve rhizome size, while reducing production costs, need to be identified before micropropagated plants can be recommended for routine use in the ginger industry as a source of disease and pest-free planting material.

Formative evaluation to benchmark and improve climate-based decision support for graziers in Western Queelsland

Researchers developing climate-based forecasts, workshops, software tools and information to aid grazier decisions undertook an evaluation study to enhance planning and benchmark impact. One hundred graziers in Western Queensland were randomly selected from 7 shires and surveyed by mail and telephone (43 respondents) to explore levels of knowledge and use of climate information, practices and information needs. We found 36% of respondents apply the Southern Oscillation Index to property decisions but 92% were unaware El Niño Southern Oscillation’s predictive signal in the region is greater for pasture growth than rainfall, suggesting they may not recognise the potential of pasture growth forecasts. Almost 75% of graziers consider they are conservative or risk averse in their attitude to managing their enterprise. Mail respondents (n= 20) if given a 68%, on average, probability of exceeding median rainfall forecast may change a decision; almost two-thirds vary stocking rate based on forage available, last year’s pasture growth or the Southern Oscillation Index; the balance maintain a constant stocking rate strategy; 90% have access to a computer; 75% to the internet and 95% have a fax. This paper presents findings of the study and draws comparisons with a similar study of 174 irrigators in the Northern Murray-Darling Basin (Aust. J. Exp. Ag. 44, 247-257). New insights and information gained are helping the team better understand client needs and plan, design and extend tools and information tailored to grazier knowledge, practice, information needs and preferences. Results have also provided a benchmark against which to measure project impact and have influenced the team to make important changes to their project planning, activities and methods for transferring technology tailored to grazier preferences.

Phylogeography of the pharaoh cuttle Sepia pharaonis based on partial mitochondrial 16S sequence data

The pharaoh cuttle Sepia pharaonis Ehrenberg, 1831 (Mollusca: Cephalopoda: Sepiida) is a broadly distributed species of substantial fisheries importance found from east Africa to southern Japan. Little is known about S. pharaonis phylogeography, but evidence from morphology and reproductive biology suggests that Sepia pharaonis is actually a complex of at least three species. To evaluate this possibility, we collected tissue samples from Sepia pharaonis from throughout its range. Phylogenetic analyses of partial mitochondrial 16S sequences from these samples reveal five distinct clades: a Gulf of Aden/Red Sea clade, a northern Australia clade, a Persian Gulf/Arabian Sea clade, a western Pacific clade (Gulf of Thailand and Taiwan) and an India/Andaman Sea clade. Phylogenetic analyses including several Sepia species show that S. pharaonis sensu lato may not be monophyletic. We suggest that "S. pharaonis" may consist of up to five species, but additional data will be required to fully clarify relationships within the S. pharaonis complex.

Evaluation of aerial photography for predicting trends in structural attributes of Australian woodland including comparison with ground-based monitoring data

The accurate assessment of trends in the woody structure of savannas has important implications for greenhouse accounting and land-use industries such as pastoralism. Two recent assessments of live woody biomass change from north-east Australian eucalypt woodland between the 1980s and 1990s present divergent results. The first estimate is derived from a network of permanent monitoring plots and the second from woody cover assessments from aerial photography. The differences between the studies are reviewed and include sample density, spatial scale and design. Further analyses targeting potential biases in the indirect aerial photography technique are conducted including a comparison of basal area estimates derived from 28 permanent monitoring sites with basal area estimates derived by the aerial photography technique. It is concluded that the effect of photo-scale; or the failure to include appropriate back-transformation of biomass estimates in the aerial photography study are not likely to have contributed significantly to the discrepancy. However, temporal changes in the structure of woodlands, for example, woodlands maturing from many smaller trees to fewer larger trees or seasonal changes, which affect the relationship between cover and basal area could impact on the detection of trends using the aerial photography technique. It is also possible that issues concerning photo-quality may bias assessments through time, and that the limited sample of the permanent monitoring network may inadequately represent change at regional scales

Evaluation of the immunogenicity of the P97R1 adhesin of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae as a mucosal vaccine in mice.

The immunogenicity of P97 adhesin repeat region R1 (P97R1) of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae, an important pathogenesis-associated region of P97, was evaluated in mice as a mucosal vaccine. Mice were immunized orally with attenuated Salmonella typhimurium aroA strain CS332 harbouring a eukaryotic or prokaryotic expression vector encoding IP97R1. Local and systemic immune responses were analysed by ELISA on mouse sera, lung washes and splenocyte supernatants following splenocyte stimulation with specific antigens in vitro. Although no P97R1-specific antibody responses were detected in serum and lung washes, significant gamma interferon was produced by P97R1-stimulated splenocytes from mice immunized orally with S. typhimurium aroA harbouring either expression system, indicating induction of a cell-mediated immune response. These results suggested that live bacterial vectors carrying DNA vaccines or expressing heterologous antigens preferentially induce a Th1 response. Surprisingly, however, mice immunized with the vaccine carrier S. typhimurium aroA CS332 induced serum IgG, but not mucosal IgA, against P97R1 or S. typhimurium aroA CS332 whole-cell lysate, emphasizing the importance of assessing the suitability of attenuated S. typhimurium antigen-carrier delivery vectors in the mouse model prior to their evaluation as potential vaccines in the target species, which in this instance was pigs.

Simulating crop-parasitic weed interactions using APSIM: Model evaluation and application

The parasitic weed Orobanche crenata inflicts major damage on faba bean, lentil, pea and other crops in Mediterranean environments. The development of methods to control O. crenata is to a large extent hampered by the complexity of host-parasite systems. Using a model of host-parasite interactions can help to explain and understand this intricacy. This paper reports on the evaluation and application of a model simulating host-parasite competition as affected by environment and management that was implemented in the framework of the Agricultural Production Systems Simulator (APSIM). Model-predicted faba bean and O. crenata growth and development were evaluated against independent data. The APSIM-Fababean and -Parasite modules displayed a good capability to reproduce effects of pedoclimatic conditions, faba bean sowing date and O. crenata infestation on host-parasite competition. The r(2) values throughout exceeded 0.84 (RMSD: 5.36 days) for phenological, 0.85 (RMSD: 223.00 g m(-2)) for host growth and 0.78 (RMSD: 99.82 g m(-2)) for parasite growth parameters. Inaccuracies of simulated faba bean root growth that caused some bias of predicted parasite number and host yield loss may be dealt with by more flexibly simulating vertical root distribution. The model was applied in simulation experiments to determine optimum sowing windows for infected and non-infected faba bean in Mediterranean environments. Simulation results proved realistic and testified to the capability of APSIM to contribute to the development of tactical approaches in parasitic weed control.

Evaluation of the Australian branched broomrape (Orobanche ramosa) eradication program

Because weed eradication programs commonly take 10 or more years to complete, there is a need to evaluate progress toward the eradication objective. We present a simple model, based on information that is readily obtainable, that assesses conformity to the delimitation and extirpation criteria for eradication. It is applied to the program currently targeting the annual parasitic weed, branched broomrape, in South Australia. The model consists of delimitation and extirpation (E) measures plotted against each other to form an 'eradograph.' Deviations from the 'ideal' eradograph plot can inform tactical responses, e.g., increases in survey and/or control effort. Infestations progress from the active phase to the monitoring phase when no plants have been detected for at least 12 mo. They revert to the active phase upon further detection of plants. We summarize this process for the invasion as a whole in a state-and-transition model. Using this model we demonstrate that the invasion is unlikely to be delimited unless the amount of newly detected infested area decreases, on average, by at least 50% per annum. As a result of control activities implemented, on average approximately 70% (range, 44 to 86%) of active infestations progressed to the monitoring phase in the year following their detection. Simulations suggest that increasing this rate of transition will not increase E to a significant extent. The rate of reversion of infestations from the monitoring phase to the active phase decreased logarithmically with time since last detection, but it is likely that lower rates of reversion would accelerate the trend toward extirpation. Program performance with respect to the delimitation criterion has been variable; performance with respect to the extirpation criterion would be improved considerably by the development and application of cost-effective methods for eliminating branched broomrape soil seed populations.

CIMMYT-selected derived synthetic bread wheats for rainfed environments: Yield evaluation in Mexico and Australia.

Synthetic backcrossed-derived bread wheats (SBWs) from CIMMYT were grown in the Northwest of Mexico at Centro de Investigaciones Agrícolas del Noroeste (CIANO) and sites across Australia during three seasons. During three consecutive years Australia received “shipments” of different SBWs from CIMMYT for evaluation. A different set of lines was evaluated each season, as new materials became available from the CIMMYT crop enhancement program. These consisted of approximately 100 advanced lines (F7) per year. SBWs had been top and backcrossed to CIMMYT cultivars in the first two shipments and to Australian wheat cultivars in the third one. At CIANO, the SBWs were trialled under receding soil moisture conditions. We evaluated both the performance of each line across all environments and the genotype-by-environment interaction using an analysis that fits a multiplicative mixed model, adjusted for spatial field trends. Data were organised in three groups of multienvironment trials (MET) containing germplasm from shipment 1 (METShip1), 2 (METShip2), and 3 (METShip3), respectively. Large components of variance for the genotype × environment interaction were found for each MET analysis, due to the diversity of environments included and the limited replication over years (only in METShip2, lines were tested over 2 years). The average percentage of genetic variance explained by the factor analytic models with two factors was 50.3% for METShip1, 46.7% for METShip2, and 48.7% for METShip3. Yield comparison focused only on lines that were present in all locations within a METShip, or “core” SBWs. A number of core SBWs, crossed to both Australian and CIMMYT backgrounds, outperformed the local benchmark checks at sites from the northern end of the Australian wheat belt, with reduced success at more southern locations. In general, lines that succeeded in the north were different from those in the south. The moderate positive genetic correlation between CIANO and locations in the northern wheat growing region likely reflects similarities in average temperature during flowering, high evaporative demand, and a short flowering interval. We are currently studying attributes of this germplasm that may contribute to adaptation, with the aim of improving the selection process in both Mexico and Australia.

Evaluation of three storage systems used for chilling and holding swordfish

Swordfish are kept chilled, not frozen, for up to 15 days before being unloaded at Australian ports. Swordfish landed alive, and to a lesser extent prerigor, have better quality when unloaded. Warmer fishing waters did not lead to poorer quality at unloading. There was a serious loss of quality during long fishing trips. Sex had no influence on swordfish quality. Three methods of chilling were evaluated: refrigerated seawater (RSW) chilling for up to 2 days followed by storage under ice, refrigerated brine (seawater with extra salt added) for up to 2 days followed by storage in a freshwater ice slurry, and ice slurry (freshwater ice mixed with seawater) for up to 2 days followed by storage under ice only. Two fishing trips were monitored for each method. The freshness indicator K value was used to determine which method produced the best quality swordfish when unloaded at the factory. Storage method played a larger role in quality loss than capture conditions. Refrigerated brine produced the best quality swordfish when the machinery functioned properly closely followed by RSW. Ice slurry chilling of large fish such as swordfish exhibited initial delays in the reduction of core temperature which led to lower quality. This method could be improved with the addition of mechanical circulation. Mechanical problems, which resulted in minor increases of temperature during brine storage, led to a much larger loss of quality than would be expected.