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Topic Review
Modern Olive Planting Systems
The objective of fully mechanizing olive harvesting has been pursued since the 1970s to cope with labor shortages and increasing production costs. Only in the last twenty years, after adopting super-intensive planting systems and developing appropriate straddle machines, a solution seems to have been found. The spread of super-intensive plantings, however, raises serious environmental and social concerns, mainly because of the small number of cultivars that are currently used (basically 2), compared to over 100 cultivars today cultivated on a large scale across the world. Olive growing, indeed, insists on over 11 million hectares. Despite its being located mostly in the Mediterranean countries, the numerous olive growing districts are characterized by deep differences in climate and soil and in the frequency and nature of environmental stress. To date, the olive has coped with biotic and abiotic stress thanks to the great cultivar diversity. Pending that new technologies supporting plant breeding will provide a wider number of cultivars suitable for super-intensive systems, in the short term, new growing models must be developed. New olive orchards will need to exploit cultivars currently present in various olive-growing areas and favor increasing productions that are environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable. As in fruit growing, we should focus on “pedestrian olive orchards”, based on trees with small canopies and whose top can be easily reached by people from the ground and by machines (from the side of the top) that can carry out, in a targeted way, pesticide treatments, pruning and harvesting.
  • 1.0K
  • 15 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Wandong Bulls (Bos taurus)
The Wandong cattle breed is recently recognized in Fangyang County, Anhui Province, China, by the National Commission for Livestock and Poultry Genetic Resources. The breed was domesticated in the watershed region between the Huai River and Yangtze River approximately 500 years ago, and mainly found in two kinds of coat color, yellow and brown. This is one of the best breed reared in Anhui China, and very popular for high quality meat production. The breed survives with extreme weather and raw feed as well as resistant to tick born diseases. Additionally, the animals raised in ecological environment in the hilly areas. The statistical data showed 1000,000 heads of Wandong cattle in the 1990s. 
  • 1.0K
  • 20 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Fertilization of Microbial Composts
Microbial compost plays a crucial role in improving soil health, soil fertility, and plant biomass. These biofertilizers, based on microorganisms, offer numerous benefits such as enhanced nutrient acquisition (N, P, and K), production of hydrogen cyanide (HCN), and control of pathogens through induced systematic resistance. Additionally, they promote the production of phytohormones, siderophore, vitamins, protective enzymes, and antibiotics, further contributing to soil sustainability and optimal agricultural productivity. 
  • 1.0K
  • 30 Oct 2023
Topic Review
Bioprospecting Desert Plants
In deserts, endophytic microbes help plants thrive in dry, nutrient-poor soils by increasing nitrogen and phosphorus availability and alleviating stress caused by heat, inadequate moisture, and pathogen attack. These desert endophytes can be isolated from their hosts and then placed into non-native hosts, such as crop plants, in order to confer similar benefits to their new hosts. Screening desert plants for beneficial endophytes allows for the discovery of new biofertilizers and biocontrol agents that may be especially helpful in arid regions or farmland areas experiencing increasing  drought frequency due to climate change. 
  • 1.0K
  • 01 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Ractopamine at the Scientific and Legal Disputes Center
Ractopamine (RAC) is a synthetic phenethanolamine, β–adrenergic agonist used as a feed additive to develop leanness and increase feed conversion efficiency in different farm animals. While RAC has been authorized as a feed additive for pigs and cattle in a limited number of countries, a great majority of jurisdictions, including the European Union (EU), China, Russia, and Taiwan, have banned its use on safety grounds. RAC has been under long scientific and political discussion as a controversial antibiotic as a feed additive.
  • 1.0K
  • 11 Oct 2022
Topic Review
White Coat in the Domestic Horse
Traits such as shape, size, and color often influence the economic and sentimental value of a horse. Around the world, horses are bred and prized for the colors and markings that make their unique coat patterns stand out from the crowd. The underlying genetic mechanisms determining the color of a horse’s coat can vary greatly in their complexity.
  • 1.0K
  • 05 Mar 2024
Topic Review
Toxoplasma gondii
Toxoplasma gondii is a parasite that can cause serious disease in humans, especially in pregnant women. 
  • 1.0K
  • 22 Nov 2021
Topic Review
PPR Proteins in Plant Growth and Development
Pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) proteins are characterized by the presence of tandem arrays of a degenerate 35-amino-acid repeat motif, PPR motif. Based on the types of motif and their arrangement, PPR proteins are divided into two classes, P and PLS. P-class proteins only contain canonical P-motifs with 35 amino acids, whereas PLS-class proteins consist of P-, L- (35 or 36 amino acids), and S- (31 or 32 amino acids) motifs forming tandemly repeated PLS triplets. 
  • 1.0K
  • 01 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Acute L-Citrulline Supplementation
The present study aimed to investigate whether acute L-citrulline supplementation would affect inspiratory muscle oxygenation and respiratory performance. Twelve healthy males received 6 g of L-citrulline or placebo in a double-blind crossover design. Pulmonary function (i.e., forced expired volume in 1 s, forced vital capacity and their ratio), maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP), fractional exhaled nitric oxide (NO•), and sternocleidomastoid muscle oxygenation were measured at baseline, one hour post supplementation, and after an incremental resistive breathing protocol to task failure of the respiratory muscles. The resistive breathing task consisted of 30 inspirations at 70% and 80% of MIP followed by continuous inspirations at 90% of MIP until task failure. Sternocleidomastoid muscle oxygenation was assessed using near-infrared spectroscopy. One-hour post-L-citrulline supplementation, exhaled NO• was significantly increased (19.2%; p < 0.05), and this increase was preserved until the end of the resistive breathing (16.4%; p < 0.05). In contrast, no difference was observed in the placebo condition. Pulmonary function and MIP were not affected by the L-citrulline supplementation. During resistive breathing, sternocleidomastoid muscle oxygenation was significantly reduced, with no difference noted between the two supplementation conditions. In conclusion, a single ingestion of 6 g L-citrulline increased NO• bioavailability but not the respiratory performance and inspiratory muscle oxygenation.
  • 1.0K
  • 01 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Five Rosmarinus Essential Oils
The present study reported the investigation of the chemical profile and the extraction yield of the essential oils (EOs) obtained from the dried aerial parts of four cultivars of Salvia rosmarinus (‘Boule’; ‘Vicomte de Noailles’; ‘Gorizia’; ‘Joyce de Baggio’) and the species S. jordanii, together with their antibacterial and antifungal activities. The phytochemical investigation evidenced a predominance of oxygenated monoterpenes in all the samples (57.5–77.1%), except in ‘Boule’, in which the hydrocarbon form prevailed (50.2%).
  • 1.0K
  • 11 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Soil Organic Carbon Storage
Crop residue returning (RR) is a promising option to increase soil organic carbon (SOC) storage, which is linked to crop yield promotion, ecologically sustainable agriculture, and climate change mitigation. Thus, the objectives of this study were to identify the responses of SOC storage and sequestration rates to RR in China’s croplands. Based on a national meta-analysis of 365 comparisons from 99 publications, the results indicated that RR increased SOC storage by 11.3% compared to residue removal (p < 0.05). Theoretically, when combined with low nitrogen fertilizer input rates (0–120 kg N ha-1), single cropping system, paddy-upland rotation, lower mean annual precipitation (0–500 mm), alkaline soils (pH 7.5–8.5), other methods of RR (including residue chopping, evenly incorporating, and burying) or long-term use (>10 yrs), an increase in SOC storage under RR by 11.6–15.5% could be obtained. The SOC sequestration rate of RR varied from 0.48 (Central China) to 1.61 (Southwest China) Mg C ha-1 yr-1, with a national average value of 0.93 Mg C ha-1 yr-1. Higher SOC sequestration rates enhanced crop production. However, decreases in SOC sequestration rate were observed with increases in experimental durations. The phenomenon of “C saturation” occurred after 23 yrs of RR. Overall, RR can be used as an efficient and environmentally friendly and climate-smart management practice for long-term use.
  • 1.0K
  • 28 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Malate Transport and Metabolism
Legumes form a symbiosis with rhizobia, a soil bacterium that allows them to access atmospheric nitrogen and deliver it to the plant for growth. Biological nitrogen fixation occurs in specialized organs, termed nodules, that develop on the legume root system and house nitrogen-fixing rhizobial bacteroids in organelle-like structures termed symbiosomes. The process is highly energetic and there is a large demand for carbon by the bacteroids. Evidence indicates that malate is the preferred form of carbon supplied to the bacteroid and this review describes the processes that facilitate malate metabolism and transport.
  • 1.0K
  • 30 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Protective Effects of Thymol on Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a gastrointestinal disease that involves chronic mucosal or submucosal lesions that affect tissue integrity. Although IBD is not life-threatening, it sometimes causes severe complications, such as colon cancer. The exact etiology of IBD remains unclear, but several risk factors, such as pathogen infection, stress, diet, age, and genetics, have been involved in the occurrence and aggravation of IBD. Immune system malfunction with the over-production of inflammatory cytokines and associated oxidative stress are the hallmarks of IBD. Dietary intervention and medical treatment suppressing abnormal inflammation and oxidative stress are recommended as potential therapies. Thymol, a natural monoterpene phenol that is mostly found in thyme, exhibits multiple biological functions as a potential adjuvant for IBD.
  • 1.0K
  • 26 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Ensiling Complete Rations for Ruminants
Complete or total mixed rations (TMR) are produced by mixing forages, byproducts, concentrates, minerals, vitamins, and additives. From this mix, animals consume the nutrients necessary to meet the requirements of maintenance and production. Alternatively to daily preparation, TMR can be ensiled Several benefits have been associated with TMR silages, such as a reduced requirement for labor and machinery (if TMR silage is purchased), uniform composition during storage under farm conditions, the potential for incorporating unpalatable byproducts (if their flavors and odors are altered by fermentation), and high aerobic stability after feed out. Additionally, TMR silages, similar to other silages, have the potential for commercialization, especially if stored in smaller structures (e.g., bales, bags, and pouches). In the industry, TMR ingredients are usually mixed in stationary mixer wagons and stored in big bags (e.g., 300 to 400 kg) or baled by agricultural compactors (e.g., 800 to 1,000 kg). When TMR silage is produced on-farm, it may be stored in different silo types. In small herds, however, structures such as ag-bags, pouches, drums, and bales are preferred over bunkers or piles, to reduce the risk of aerobic deterioration during feed out. 
  • 1.0K
  • 09 Aug 2020
Topic Review
Molecular Mechanisms in Peach Post-Harvest Ripening
Peach post-harvest ripening is a complex developmental process controlled by a plethora of genetic and epigenetic factors. It leads to protein, lipid and nucleic acid degradation, all resulting in cell death.
  • 1.0K
  • 26 May 2022
Topic Review
Coffee Consumption and Insulin Resistance and Sensitivity
Long-term coffee consumption has a nonsignificant effect on insulin resistance and sensitivity. 
  • 1.0K
  • 01 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Rumen Microbiota in Early Weaned Lambs
Weaning affects the development of ruminal bacteria in lambs during early life. However, the temporal dynamics of rumen microbiota in early weaned lambs is unknown compared to conventionally weaned lambs. Early weaning led to a significant decrease in rumen microbiota richness and diversity in the short term. The changes in rumen microbiota are associated with the persistence of weaning stress. 
  • 1.0K
  • 13 Jan 2022
Topic Review
The Gut Microbiota of Ruminant Animal
The microorganisms inhabiting the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of ruminants have a mutualistic relationship with the host that influences the efficiency and health of the ruminants. 
  • 1.0K
  • 25 Jul 2022
Topic Review
NADPH Oxidase 5
NADPH oxidase (Nox) is an enzyme that primarily catalyzes the production of superoxide from oxygen and NADPH. A family of NADPH oxidases termed Nox/Duox family has been identified in a wide range of organisms including invertebrates, vertebrates and plants. So far there were very few in vivo data on Nox functions in insects. In Nilaparvata lugens, a model insect of Hemiptera, Nox5 gene is an ortholog of human Nox5, which specifically expressed in ovaries of female adults and freshly laid eggs in rice leaf sheaths. It is a key enzyme in the ovulation process of the mature oocytes from N. lugens ovipositor to rice leaf sheaths. Knockdown of Nox5 gene expression resulted in the development deficit and failure of ovulation. RNAi of Nox5 significantly reduced the production of H2O2 in the ovaries of N. lugens females.
  • 1.0K
  • 20 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Farm Animal Biotechnology
This paper reviews the literature on the latest insights in interdisciplinary anthropological research on the evolution of animal domestication and breeding and puts them in the context of the contemporary ethical debate on animal welfare and the application of modern biotechnology to animal breeding. 
  • 1.0K
  • 01 Feb 2022
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