Color of smoked loin from animals fed with bioactive compounds added to forage

The objective of this work was to evaluate the influence of the breed and of the addition of bioactive substances to forage on the color of smoked pork loin. Two pig breeds (Polish Landrace and the crossbreed Polish Landrace x Duroc), three types of bioactive components (organic selenium; 2% of canola oil and 1% of flaxseed oil; and 2% of flaxseed oil and 1% of canola oil), and a control treatment were evaluated. Computer image analysis included the color assessment of muscle, fat, connective tissues, and smoked loin surface. For Polish Landrace, selenium supplementation caused higher values of red, green, and blue color components of the muscle tissue, which were lower for the crossbreed. However, there was no difference in the color components of loin fat tissue of the Polish Landrace breed due to selenium supplementation. In the case of oil supplementation, values of the color components of the muscle tissue for the Polish Landrace x Duroc crossbreed were also lower. The color components of muscle, fat, connective tissues, and smoked loin surface depend on the pig breed and on the bioactive compounds added to the forage.

Intra-specific variation in cell wall constituents of needle age classes of Pinus sylvestris in relation to soil fertility status in Southwest England

Abstract

Ammonium and nitrate in soil and upland rice yield as affected by cover crops and their desiccation time

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of cover crops and their desiccation times on upland rice yield and on the levels of nitrate and ammonium in a no-tillage soil. The experiment was carried out in a randomized blocks, with split plots and three replicates. Cover crops (plots) were sowed in the off-season (March 2009). In November 2009, at 30, 20, 10 and 0 days before rice sowing (split plots), herbicide was applied on the cover crops (fallow, Panicum maximum, Urochloa ruziziensis, U. brizantha and millet). Straw and soil were sampled (0 - 10 cm) at the sowing day, and after 7, 14, 21, 28 and 35 days. Straws from millet and fallow were degraded more rapidly and provided the lowest level of nitrate in the soil. Urochloa ruziziensis, U. brizantha and P. maximum produced higher amounts of dry matter, and provided the highest levels of nitrate in the soil. Millet provides the lowest nitrate/ammonium ratio and the highest upland rice yield. Desiccations carried out at 30 and 20 days before sowing had the largest levels of nitrate in the soil at the sowing date. Nitrogen content and forms in the soil are affected by cover crops and their desiccation times.

Chemical attributes of a Hapludox soil after nine years of pig slurry application

The objective of this study was to evaluate the pig slurry application effects on chemical attributes of a Hapludox soil managed under no-tillage system. Treatments consisted of 50, 100 and 200 m³ ha-1 per year of pig slurry application, and a control with replacement of P and K exported through harvested grains. Attributes related to soil chemical reaction, exchange complex, and nutrient contents were determined in soil samples collected in the ninth year of experimentation from 0 - 0.025, 0.025 - 0.05, 0.05 - 0.10, 0.10 - 0.20, 0.20 - 0.40 and 0.40 - 0.60 m soil depths. The continuous application of high doses of pig slurry on the Oxisol surface under no-tillage acidifies the soil and increases Al, P, Cu, and Zn contents down to 0.2-m depth, and K levels down to 0.6-m depth.

Soil nitrate N as influenced by annually undersown cover crops in spring cereals

Selostus: Aluskasvien toistuvan käytön vaikutus maan nitraattityppeen viljan viljelyssä

Soil diffuse degassing and thermal energy fluxes from the southern Lakki plain, Nisyros (Greece)

Two diffuse soil CO2 flux surveys from the southern Lakki plain show that CO2 is mainly released from the hydrothermal explosion craters. The correspondence between high CO2 fluxes and elevated soil temperatures suggests that a flux of hot hydrothermal fluids ascends towards the surface. Steam mostly condenses near the surface and the heat given off is conductively transferred to the atmosphere through the soil, accompanied by a large CO2 flux. Tt was calculated, that 68 t d(-1) of hydrothermal CO2 are released through the total surveyed area of similar to1.3 km(2) Admitting that a steam flux of 2200 t d(-1) accompanies this CO2 flux, the thermal energy released through steam condensation amounts to 58 MW.

Effect of liming on yield and quality of pepperment and Sachalin mint in fine sand soil of Northern Finland

Selostus: Kalkituksen vaikutus piparmintun ja Sachalinin mintun satoon Pohjois-Suomessa

Comparison of growth, nutrition and soil properties of pure and mixed stands of Populus deltoides and Alnus subcornata

Abstract

Microbiological and chemical attributes of a Hapludalf soil with swine manure fertilization

The objective of this work was to evaluate the microbiological and chemical attributes of a soil with a seven‑year history of urea and swine manure application. In the period from October 2008 to October 2009, soil samples were collected in the 0-10 cm layer and were subjected to the treatments: control, without application of urea or manure; and with the application of urea, pig slurry, and deep pig litter in two doses, in order to supply one or two times the recommended N doses for the maize (Zea mays)/black oat (Avena strigosa) crop succession. The carbon of the microbial biomass (MB‑C) and the basal respiration (C‑CO2) were analyzed, and the metabolic (qCO2) and microbial quotient (qmic) were calculated with the obtained data. Organic matter, pH in water, available P and K, and exchangeable Ca and Mg were also determined. The application of twice the dose of deep pig litter increases the MB‑C and C‑CO2 values. The qmic and qCO2 are little affected by the application of swine manure. The application of twice the dose of deep pig litter increases the values of pH in water and the contents of available P and of exchangeable Ca and Mg in the soil.

Chemical and biological attributes of a lowland soil affected by land leveling

The objective of this work was to evaluate the relationship between soil chemical and biological attributes and the magnitude of cuts and fills after the land leveling process of a lowland soil. Soil samples were collected from the 0 - 0.20 m layer, before and after leveling, on a 100 point grid established in the experimental area, to evaluate chemical attributes and soil microbial biomass carbon (MBC). Leveling operations altered the magnitude of soil chemical and biological attributes. Values of Ca, Mg, S, cation exchange capacity, Mn, P, Zn, and soil organic matter (SOM) decreased in the soil profile, whereas Al, K, and MBC increased after leveling. Land leveling decreased in 20% SOM average content in the 0 - 0.20 m layer. The great majority of the chemical attributes did not show relations between their values and the magnitude of cuts and fills. The relation was quadratic for SOM, P, and total N, and was linear for K, showing a positive slope and indicating increase in the magnitude of these attributes in cut areas and stability in fill areas. The relationships between these chemical attributes and the magnitude of cuts and fills indicate that the land leveling map may be a useful tool for degraded soil recuperation through amendments and organic fertilizers.

Ruzigrass affecting soil-phosphorus availability

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effectiveness of ruzigrass (Urochloaruziziensis) in enhancing soil-P availability in areas fertilized with soluble or reactive rock phosphates. The area had been cropped for five years under no-till, in a system involving soybean, triticale/black-oat, and pearl millet. Previously to the five-year cultivation period, corrective phosphorus fertilization was applied once on soil surface, at 0.0 and 80 kg ha-1 P2O5, as triple superphosphate or Arad rock phosphate. After this five-year period, plots received the same corrective P fertilization as before and ruzigrass was introduced to the cropping system in the stead of the other cover crops. Soil samples were taken (0-10 cm) after ruzigrass cultivation and subjected to soil-P fractionation. Soybean was grown thereafter without P application to seed furrow. Phosphorus availability in plots with ruzigrass was compared to the ones with spontaneous vegetation for two years. Ruzigrass cultivation increased inorganic (resin-extracted) and organic (NaHCO3) soil P, as well as P concentration in soybean leaves, regardless of the P source. However, soybean yield did not increase significantly due to ruzigrass introduction to the cropping system. Soil-P availability did not differ between soluble and reactive P sources. Ruzigrass increases soil-P availability, especially where corrective P fertilization is performed.

Controls on 13C and 14C variability in soil CO2

14C dating of groundwater depends on the isotopic composition of both the solid carbonate and the soil CO2 and requires the use of 14C age correction models. To better assess the variability of the 14C activity of soil CO2 (A14Csoil-CO2) and the δ13C of soil CO2 (δ13Csoil-CO2), which are two parameters used in 14C age correction models, we studied the different processes involving carbon isotopes in the soil. The approach used experimental data from two sites in France (Fontainebleau sands and Astian sands) and a steady-state transport model. In most cases, the 14C activity (A14C) of atmospheric CO2 is directly used in the 14C age correction models as the A14Csoil-CO2. However, we demonstrate that since 1950, the evolution of the A14Csoil-CO2 reflects the competition between the fluxes of root-derived CO2 and organic matter-derived CO2. Therefore, the A14Csoil-CO2 must be used to date groundwater that is younger than 60 years old. Moreover, the δ13C of soil CO2 (δ13Csoil-CO2) showed large seasonal variations that must be taken into account in selecting the δ13Csoil-CO2 for 14C age correction models.

Predicting soil erosion using Rusle and NDVI time series from TM Landsat 5

The objective of this work was to evaluate the seasonal variation of soil cover and rainfall erosivity, and their influences on the revised universal soil loss equation (Rusle), in order to estimate watershed soil losses in a temporal scale. Twenty-two TM Landsat 5 images from 1986 to 2009 were used to estimate soil use and management factor (C factor). A corresponding rainfall erosivity factor (R factor) was considered for each image, and the other factors were obtained using the standard Rusle method. Estimated soil losses were grouped into classes and ranged from 0.13 Mg ha-1 on May 24, 2009 (dry season) to 62.0 Mg ha-1 on March 11, 2007 (rainy season). In these dates, maximum losses in the watershed were 2.2 and 781.5 Mg ha-1 , respectively. Mean annual soil loss in the watershed was 109.5 Mg ha-1 , but the central area, with a loss of nearly 300.0 Mg ha-1 , was characterized as a site of high water-erosion risk. The use of C factor obtained from remote sensing data, associated to corresponding R factor, was fundamental to evaluate the soil erosion estimated by the Rusle in different seasons, unlike of other studies which keep these factors constant throughout time.

Transmission of MRSA and MSSA between humans and farm animals

Human nares are the main niche of Staphylococcus aureus, but farm animals can be also infected (cows) or colonized (pigs) constituting significant reservoir of this pathogen. Previous studies indicated that human and animal strains are quite distinct but the extent of cross-species specialization and transmission remains largely unknown. However, recent reports from several European countries as well as USA and Canada have indicated that employment in farming is an emerging risk factor for MRSA carriage. Pigs were found to be frequently colonized with MRSA, usually with a strain belonging to CC398. It is not known whether animal-human transmission was specific to this particular MRSA strain. S. aureus isolates from cow mastitis and pig colonization isolates were collected in parallel to nasal swab isolates from the animals' caretakers. The isolates were genotyped by AFLP, spatyping, and when appropriate by MLST. The isolates from cow mastitis were genetically uniform in comparison with human isolates. They were quite distinct from farmers\' carriage isolates, indicating pronounced hostspecialization. However, several cases where an infected cow and a colonized farmer had the same strain were detected, including one farm where two farmers were colonized and two cows were infected with MRSA belonging to CC398. Pig isolates were genetically more diverse than cow isolates. They were different from both human and cow isolates with one notable exception. Large fraction of pigs (20%) and pig caretakers (50%) were colonized with isolates belonging to CC398, majority of which were MSSA (2 cases of MRSA). These results indicate that host specialization in S. aureus is quite pronounced. Transmission between humans and farm animals was consequently quite rare. Both MSSA and MRSA strains belonging to otherwise pig-specific CC398 had increased capacity to colonize humans. Study of the genetic factors responsible for host specialization is underway.

Prediction of soil shear strength in agricultural and natural environments of the Brazilian Cerrado

The objective of this work was to develop uni- and multivariate models to predict maximum soil shear strength (τmax) under different normal stresses (σn), water contents (U), and soil managements. The study was carried out in a Rhodic Haplustox under Cerrado (control area) and under no-tillage and conventional tillage systems. Undisturbed soil samples were taken in the 0.00-0.05 m layer and subjected to increasing U and σn, in shear strength tests. The uni- and multivariate models - respectively τmax=10(a+bU) and τmax=10(a+bU+cσn) - were significant in all three soil management systems evaluated and they satisfactorily explain the relationship between U, σn, and τmax. The soil under Cerrado has the highest shear strength (τ) estimated with the univariate model, regardless of the soil water content, whereas the soil under conventional tillage shows the highest values with the multivariate model, which were associated to the lowest water contents at the soil consistency limits in this management system.