Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Sci Rep 2021 Apr 8;11(1):7801. Epub 2021 Apr 8.

Cropping Systems Research Laboratory, USDA-ARS, 3810 4th Street, Lubbock, TX, USA.

Early planted sorghum usually experiences cooler day/night temperatures, which may result in delayed growth, floral initiation, and infertile pollen, limiting productivity in high altitudes and temperate regions. Genetic variability for cold tolerance in sorghum has been evaluated by characterizing germination, emergence, vigor, and seedling growth under sub-optimal temperatures. However, the compounded effect of early season cold on plant growth and development and subsequent variability in potential grain yield losses has not been evaluated. Read More

PLoS One 2021 8;16(4):e0246215. Epub 2021 Apr 8.

Departamento de Bioestatística, Biologia Vegetal, Parasitologia e Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências de Botucatu, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil.

Vale do Rio Juruá in western Acre, Brazil, is a persistent malaria transmission hotspot partly due to fish farming development that was encouraged to improve local standards of living. Fish ponds can be productive breeding sites for Amazonian malaria vector species, including Nyssorhynchus darlingi, which, combined with high human density and mobility, add to the local malaria burden.This study reports entomological profile of immature and adult Ny. Read More

PeerJ 2021 23;9:e10858. Epub 2021 Mar 23.

Institute of Marine and Environmental Sciences, University of Szczecin, Szczecin, Poland.

Background: Many studies of birds have indicated that offspring sex ratios can vary with environmental and parental traits. On the basis of long-term research, we first evaluated the possible influence of parental age difference and brood characteristics on offspring sex and fitness in multi-brooded Blackbirds .

Methodology: The study was conducted in the city-centre Stefan Żeromski Park in Szczecin, NW Poland, where the local population of Blackbirds has been studied since 1996. Read More

Parasit Vectors 2021 Apr 7;14(1):193. Epub 2021 Apr 7.

Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Ghana Medical School, University of Ghana, Korle-Bu, Accra, Ghana.

Background: Understanding the ecology of larval malaria and lymphatic filariasis mosquitoes in a changing environment is important in developing effective control tools or programmes. This study characterized the breeding habitats of Anopheles mosquitoes in rural communities in different ecological zones in Ghana during the dry and rainy seasons.

Methods: The spatio-temporal distribution, species composition, and abundance of larval Anopheles mosquitoes in breeding habitats were studied in five locations in three ecological zones of Ghana. Read More

BMC Genomics 2021 Apr 7;22(1):249. Epub 2021 Apr 7.

Institute of Cucumber Research, Tianjin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Tianjin, 300192, China.

Background: Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) is cultivated worldwide, and it is essential to produce enough high-quality seeds to meet demand. Pre-harvest sprouting (PHS) in cucumber is a critical problem and causes serious damage to seed production and quality. Read More

J Zoo Wildl Med 2021 Apr;52(1):185-191

Wildlife Preservation Canada, Guelph, ON, Canada N1H 6J2.

The loggerhead shrike () is a migratory songbird that has undergone massive population declines in Ontario since the 1950s. As part of a broad strategy of recovery, a captive breeding population was established in the late 1990s. This species appears to be extremely sensitive to West Nile virus (WNV) infection, with prior outbreaks at Ontario breeding facilities reaching a 100% mortality rate. Read More

G3 (Bethesda) 2021 Apr 5. Epub 2021 Apr 5.

National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China.

Plant height (PHT) in maize (Zea mays L.) has been scrutinized genetically and phenotypically due to relationship with other agronomically valuable traits (e.g. Read More

Trop Anim Health Prod 2021 Apr 5;53(2):246. Epub 2021 Apr 5.

Embrapa Caprinos e Ovinos, Estrada Sobral/Groaíras, km 04, CP 145, CEP, Sobral, CE, 62010-970, Brazil.

The aim of this study was to assess the need of using eCG on short-term estrus synchronization protocol in nulliparous (NUL) and multiparous (MULT) dairy goats during the breeding season. Alpine (n = 20), Nubian (n = 20), and Saanen (n = 16) goats received 60 mg medroxyprogesterone acetate intravaginal sponges for 6 days plus 30 μg d-cloprostenol and 200 IU eCG (G-eCG, n = 28) or saline (G-Control, n = 28) 24 h before sponge removal. The NUL and MULT goats of each breed were equally assigned into the two treatments. Read More

Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract 2021 Apr;37(1):177-205

Université Paris-Saclay, UVSQ, INRAE, BREED, Jouy-en-Josas 78350, France; Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, BREED, Maisons-Alfort 94700, France.

Forage availability should cover most needs for mares bred during spring and summer. Out-of-season breeding, lack of access to pasture, or good quality forage calls for nutritional supplementation. Current evaluations of broodmare needs are based on fetoplacental tissue requirements, but do not consider endocrine changes or that the maternal diet quality affects long-term foal health. Read More

J Vector Borne Dis 2020 Jan-Mar;57(1):63-70

Department of Life Sciences, Central University of Tamil Nadu, Thiruvarur, Tamil Nadu, India.

Background & Objectives: Mosquitoes are vectors of several important vector-borne diseases (VBDs) like malaria, dengue, chikungunya, Japanese encephalitis (JE) and lymphatic filariasis (LF). Globally, these VBDs are of major public health concern including India. The information on vector mosquitoes from Thiruvarur district in Tamil Nadu state remains largely either unknown or undocumented. Read More

Ecol Appl 2021 Apr 4:e2343. Epub 2021 Apr 4.

Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 129, Hobart, Tasmania, 7001, Australia.

Quantifying the links between the marine environment, prey-occurrence, and predator distribution is the first step towards identifying areas of biological importance for marine spatial planning. Events such as marine heatwaves result in an anomalous change in the physical environment, which can lead to shifts in the structure, biomass and distribution of lower trophic levels. As central-place foragers, seabirds are vulnerable to changes in their foraging grounds during the breeding season. Read More

Open Life Sci 2021 20;16(1):172-183. Epub 2021 Feb 20.

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Poznań University of Life Sciences, 11 Dojazd St., Poznań, Poland.

Leaf rust caused by the fungus f. sp. is one of the most dangerous diseases of common wheat. Read More

Trop Anim Health Prod 2021 Apr 4;53(2):243. Epub 2021 Apr 4.

Animal Reproduction, ICAR-Central Coastal Agricultural Research Institute, Goa Velha, Goa, India.

Pig farming is one of the most economically viable options for the rural backward and resource-poor farmers in Asian countries. Growth rate and litter size are the most important traits based on which the crossbreeding programs are typically planned in commercial pig farming. The modern system of farming with high yielding improved pig germplasm helps in economic growth in piggery enterprises. Read More

Appl Environ Microbiol 2021 Apr 2. Epub 2021 Apr 2.

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA.

Root associated microbes are key players in plant health, disease resistance, and nitrogen (N) use efficiency. It remains largely unclear how the interplay of biological and environmental factors affects rhizobiome dynamics in agricultural systems. Here, we quantified the composition of rhizosphere and bulk soil microbial communities associated with maize ( L. Read More

Int J Mol Sci 2021 Mar 22;22(6). Epub 2021 Mar 22.

Platform Degenerative Diseases, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Kellnerweg 4, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany.

The epigenetic mechanisms controlling germ cell development and differentiation are still not well understood. Sirtuin-1 (SIRT1) is a nicotinamide adenosine dinucleotide (NAD)-dependent histone deacetylase and belongs to the sirtuin family of deacetylases. It catalyzes the removal of acetyl groups from a number of protein substrates. Read More

Animals (Basel) 2021 Mar 16;11(3). Epub 2021 Mar 16.

Laboratory of Parasitology, Institution of Agricultural Research and Higher Education, National School of Veterinary Medicine of Sidi Thabet, Univ. Manouba, Sidi Thabet 2020, Tunisia.

As ticks and tick-borne pathogens affect the productivity of livestock, searching for genetically resistant breeds to infestation by ticks may represent an alternative to the overuse of chemical drugs. The aim of this study was to assess if there is a difference in tick infestation among the main sheep breeds in Tunisia. The study was carried out between April 2018 and January 2020 in 17 small to middle-sized sheep flocks from 3 regions across Tunisia. Read More

Plants (Basel) 2021 Mar 12;10(3). Epub 2021 Mar 12.

Centro de Mejoramiento Genético y Fenómica Vegetal, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad de Talca, Talca 3460000, Chile.

Water deficit represents an important challenge for wheat production in many regions of the world. Accumulation and remobilization of water-soluble carbohydrates (WSCs) in stems are part of the physiological responses regulated by plants to cope with water stress and, in turn, determine grain yield (GY). The genetic mechanisms underlying the variation in WSC are only partially understood. Read More

Plants (Basel) 2021 Mar 19;10(3). Epub 2021 Mar 19.

Department of Agriculture and Forestry Science, University of Tuscia, 01100 Viterbo, Italy.

Today wheat cultivation is facing rapidly changing climate scenarios and yield instability, aggravated by the spreading of severe diseases such as Fusarium head blight (FHB) and Fusarium crown rot (FCR). To obtain productive genotypes resilient to stress pressure, smart breeding approaches must be envisaged, including the exploitation of wild relatives. Here we report on the assessment of the breeding potential of six durum wheat- spp. Read More

Plants (Basel) 2021 Mar 5;10(3). Epub 2021 Mar 5.

Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, 25123 Brescia, Italy.

() is an important dry season medicinal plant. Drought, an important abiotic stress, adversely affects the plant's metabolism, which can be alleviated by plant growth regulators like brassinolides. A two-year field experiment was conducted in 2017-2018 to determine the effects of three different irrigation regimes and four brassinolide concentrations on the biochemical properties. Read More

Plants (Basel) 2021 Mar 25;10(4). Epub 2021 Mar 25.

Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC 27412, USA.

Tef ( (Zucc.) Trotter) is a staple food crop for 70% of the Ethiopian population and is currently cultivated in several countries for grain and forage production. It is one of the most nutritious grains, and is also more resilient to marginal soil and climate conditions than major cereals such as maize, wheat and rice. Read More

Animals (Basel) 2021 Mar 18;11(3). Epub 2021 Mar 18.

Institut National de Recherche Pour L'agriculture, L'alimentation et L'environnement (INRAE), Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, 37380 Nouzilly, France.

Reproductive seasonality may have a considerable influence on the efficiency of assisted reproductive technologies in seasonal species. This study evaluated the effect of season on cleavage, blastocyst rates and quality of in vitro produced (IVP) goat embryos. In total, 2348 cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) were recovered from slaughterhouse ovaries and subjected to the same IVP system throughout 1. Read More

Rice (N Y) 2021 Apr 1;14(1):33. Epub 2021 Apr 1.

Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Breeding, State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China.

Background: Grain chalkiness is one of important factors affected rice grain quality. It is known that chalkiness is affected by the high temperature during the seed filling period. Although a larger of QTLs for chalkiness were reported across all 12 chromosomes, only a few of the QTLs were fine mapped or cloned up to now. Read More

Integr Org Biol 2020 7;2(1):obaa033. Epub 2020 Oct 7.

Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.

An organism's ability to integrate transient environmental cues experienced during development into molecular and physiological responses forms the basis for adaptive shifts in phenotypic trajectories. During temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD), thermal cues during discrete periods in development coordinate molecular changes that ultimately dictate sexual fate and contribute to patterns of inter- and intra-sexual variation. How these mechanisms interface with dynamic thermal environments in nature remain largely unknown. Read More

Integr Org Biol 2019 9;1(1):oby009. Epub 2019 Jan 9.

Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA.

The symbiotic microbial communities, or "microbiomes," that reside on animals are dynamic, and can be affected by the behavior and physiology of the host. These communities provide many critical beneficial functions for their hosts, but they can also include potential pathogens. In birds, bacteria residing in the cloaca form a complex community, including both gut and sexually-transmitted bacteria. Read More

Front Plant Sci 2021 9;12:635914. Epub 2021 Mar 9.

Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, United States.

Brown rot, caused by spp., is one of the most important diseases on stone fruit worldwide. Severe yield loss can be caused by pre- and post-harvest fruit decay. Read More

Front Plant Sci 2021 10;12:608967. Epub 2021 Mar 10.

Fruit Production Program, Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology, Fruitcentre, Parc Científic i Tecnològic Agroalimentari de Lleida, Lleida, Spain.

One of the objectives of many studies conducted by breeding programs is to characterize and select rootstocks well-adapted to drought conditions. In recent years, field high-throughput phenotyping methods have been developed to characterize plant traits and to identify the most water use efficient varieties and rootstocks. However, none of these studies have been able to quantify the behavior of crop evapotranspiration in almond rootstocks under different water regimes. Read More

Sci Rep 2021 Mar 31;11(1):7279. Epub 2021 Mar 31.

Department of Zoology, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Wojska Polskiego 71C, 60-625, Poznań, Poland.

Food wastes are among the factors with the greatest effects on animal populations. The white stork is among bird species that clearly profit from feeding at landfills, at least in Western Europe and North Africa. However, the rate and the consequences of this feeding are still unknown in the Central-Eastern European population, which differs from the western population not only in terms of migration routes but also in the greater availability of suitable natural breeding habitats due to less intensified agriculture. Read More

J Wildl Dis 2021 Mar 31. Epub 2021 Mar 31.

Galapagos Science Center, Universidad San Francisco de Quito. Isla San Cristóbal EC200150, Islas Galápagos, Ecuador.

During the 2018 breeding season, an outbreak of respiratory disease occurred among Galapagos sea lions (Zalophus wollebaeki) that inhabit rookeries near urban areas with introduced fauna such as dogs and cats. Several sea lions had nasal discharge and respiratory distress and were in poor body condition. Eighteen sea lions were captured for a general health assessment including collection of blood for serology and nasal discharge for culture and PCR. Read More

Theor Appl Genet 2021 Mar 30. Epub 2021 Mar 30.

Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, 14625 CR 672, Wimauma, FL, 33598-6101, USA.

Key Message: Reducing the size of the I-3 introgression resulted in eliminating linkage-drag contributing to increased sensitivity to bacterial spot and reduced fruit size. The I-7 gene was determined to have no effect on bacterial spot or fruit size, and germplasm is now available with both the reduced I-3 introgression and I-7. Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) production is increasingly threatened by Fusarium wilt race 3 (Fol3) caused by the soilborne fungus, Fusarium oxysporum f. Read More

Sci Rep 2021 Mar 30;11(1):7208. Epub 2021 Mar 30.

Department of Vegetable and Field Crops, Institute of Plant Sciences, Agricultural Research Organization (ARO)-Volcani Center, 7528809, Rishon LeZion, Israel.

The rising demand for spelt wheat (Triticum aestivum ssp. spelta) as a high-value grain crop has raised interest in its introduction into non-traditional spelt growing areas. This study aimed to assess adaptive constrains of spelt under short Mediterranean season. Read More