Droppings From Captive Coturnix coturnix (Galliformes: Phasianidae) as a Fly Breeding Resource

The aim of this study was to describe the fauna of flies associated with captive Coturnix coturnix (L.) (Galliformes: Phasianidae) droppings. Samples of 150 g of quail droppings were exposed in the quail house for 48 h in plastic containers to promote eventual access of flies, and then placed in emergence traps. The number of adults and species emerging was recorded daily. This procedure was carried out in spring 2008 and spring and autumn 2009. In total, 2,138 adults belonging to Muscidae, Calliphoridae, Piophilidae, Phoridae, Fanniidae, and Milichiidae families were collected. The most numerous family was Muscidae (representing >82% of the total specimens), with Musca domestica L. being the most abundant species followed by Ophyra aenescens (Wiedemann) (both Diptera: Muscidae). Quail breeding should include adequate droppings management policies to avoid potential sanitary issues related to fly productionFil: Battan Horenstein, Moira. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnologico Cordoba. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecologia Animal; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Lynch Ianello, I.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinar de Biología Vegetal (p). Grupo Vinculado Centro de Relevamiento y Evaluacion de Recursos Agricolas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: de Dió, B.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinar de Biología Vegetal (p). Grupo Vinculado Centro de Relevamiento y Evaluacion de Recursos Agricolas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Gleiser, Raquel M.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinar de Biología Vegetal (p). Grupo Vinculado Centro de Relevamiento y Evaluacion de Recursos Agricolas y Naturales; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; Argentin

Sink or source—The potential of coffee agroforestry systems to sequester atmospheric CO2 into soil organic carbon

Current carbon accounting methodologies often assume interactions between above-ground and below-ground carbon, without considering effects of land management. We used data from two long-term coffee agroforestry experiments in Costa Rica and Nicaragua to assess the effect on total soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks of (i) organic versus conventional management, (ii) higher versus moderate agronomic inputs, (iii) tree shade types. During the first nine years of coffee establishment total 0–40 cm depth SOC stocks decreased by 12.4% in Costa Rica and 0.13% in Nicaragua. Change in SOC differed consistently amongst soil layers: at 0–10 cm SOC stocks increased by 2.14 and 1.26 Mg C ha−1 in Costa Rica and Nicaragua respectively; however much greater reduction occurred at 20–40 cm (9.65 and 2.85 Mg C ha−1 respectively). Organic management caused a greater increase in 0–10 cm SOC but did not influence its reduction at depth. Effects of shade type were smaller, though heavily pruned legume shade trees produced a greater increase in 0–10 cm SOC than unpruned timber trees. No significant differences in SOC stocks were found between shaded and unshaded systems at any depth and SOC was poorly correlated with above-ground biomass stocks highlighting poor validity of “expansion factors” currently used to estimate SOC. SOC stock changes were significantly negatively correlated with initial SOC stock per plot, providing evidence that during establishment of these woody-plant-dominated agricultural systems SOC stocks tend to converge towards a new equilibrium as a function of the change in the quantity and distribution of organic inputs. Therefore it cannot be assumed that tree-based agricultural systems necessarily lead to increases in soil C stocks. While high inputs of organic fertiliser/tree pruning mulch increased surface-layer SOC stocks, this did not affect stocks in deeper soil, where decreases generally exceeded any gains in surface soil. Therefore site- and system-specific sampling is essential to draw meaningful conclusions for climate change mitigation strategies

Oil extraction kinetics of hydrothermally pretreated canola seeds

In this work the kinetics of oil extraction from spring canola seeds subjected to a hydrothermal pretreatment with direct steam (393 K, 5 min) was studied. The differences between the seed internal structure generated by the application of this pretreatment and that of the untreated sample (ground sample) were observed by scanning electron microscopy. Oil from both samples was extracted with hexane at different times and temperatures using a stirred batch system. Oil yield increased up to 46 % due to the hydrothermal treatment. A model was proposed to explain the oil extraction process from hydrothermally pretreated and untreated canola seeds, taking into account two main mechanisms: a washing process of the surface oil from the seed, and a diffusion process. Parameters of the model were fitted, and values of the oil fraction extracted during the washing step (0.27 and 0.50 for untreated and hydrothermally treated canola seeds, respectively) and the effective diffusion coefficient (3.1–9.4.10- 12 m2 s 1 ) were obtained. The latter value showed an Arrhenius-type temperature dependence in the untreated sample, but the diffusion coefficient did not vary with temperature when oil diffusion was analyzed using hydrothermally pretreated seeds.Fil: Zárate, Valeria. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ingenieria Olavarria. Grupo Tecnologias de Semillas; ArgentinaFil: Perez, Ethel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química; ArgentinaFil: Crapiste, Guillermo Hector. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química; ArgentinaFil: Nolasco, Susana M.. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ingenieria Olavarria. Grupo Tecnologias de Semillas; ArgentinaFil: Fernández, María Belén. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ingenieria Olavarria. Grupo Tecnologias de Semillas; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin