Modelling irrigation and fertiliser use for chlorophyll production

Chlorophyll is a natural coloring extract used extensively in the food and pharmaceutical industries. In Europe, most chlorophyll is produced commercially from rainfed grassland production in eastern England. This paper describes a biogeochemical modeling study to assess the potential yield benefits associated with switching from rainfed to irrigated production. The research is in response the impacts of recent summer droughts on yield coupled with risks regarding climate change, rainfall reliability and long-term viability of rainfed production. The Denitrification-Decomposition model was calibrated and validated using multiple field data (n = 47) from 2000 to 2009 for a tall fescue grass (Festuca arundinacea) to simulate a range of irrigation and fertilizer management regimes on yield (annual and individual yield per cut). For chlorophyll production, a schedule combining 300 mm year−1 irrigation with 300 kg N ha−1 was shown to provide the highest average yield (an uplift of +62% above current levels). Switching from rainfed to irrigated production could also potentially halve (54%) current levels of fertilizer application. The implications for reducing environmental impacts from nitrate leaching are discussed

Simulating impacts of irrigation heterogeneity on onion (Allium cepa L.) yield in a humid climate

This paper reports on a study combining experimental field data with biophysical crop modelling to assess the impacts of irrigation heterogeneity on onion yield. The AquaCrop model was calibrated and validated for brown onion (cv Arthur) and used to simulate yield variability under a set of contrasting soil and agroclimatic conditions assuming perfect (100% uniform) irrigation. The impacts of non-uniform irrigation as measured on-farm under two overhead systems (mobile hose reel fitted with boom and a linear move) were then evaluated using scenario analysis and multi-model runs. Stochastic modelling confirmed that the lowest yield (8.6 t DM/ha) occurs on the lowest moisture retentive soils under the driest agroclimatic conditions with non-uniform irrigation. There is much greater yield variability in dry years compared to wet years. In wet years, rainfall reduces the scheduled number of irrigation events and buffers the effects of irrigation non-uniformity on yield. Yields were more variable under the mobile hose reel system fitted with the boom compared to the fixed linear move system. The modelled yield variability under non-uniform was similar to the observed yields reported by growers based on an industry survey. The study highlights the importance of achieving high irrigation uniformity in dry years on light soils to maximise yield and provides useful data for evaluating the potential yield benefits that might accrue from precision irrigation

RNAi-mediated silencing of Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata) endogenous genes using orally-supplied double-stranded RNAs produced in Escherichia coli

BACKGROUND: The Mediterranean fruit fly (medfly), Ceratitis capitata Wiedemann, is a major pest affecting fruit and vegetable production worldwide, whose control is mainly based on insecticides. Double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) able to down-regulate endogenous genes, thus affecting essential vital functions via RNA interference (RNAi) in pests and pathogens, is envisioned as a more specific and environmentally-friendly alternative to traditional insecticides. However, this strategy has not been explored in medfly yet. RESULTS: Here, we screened seven candidate target genes by injecting in adult medflies gene-specific dsRNA hairpins transcribed in vitro. Several genes were significantly down-regulated, resulting in increased insect mortality compared to flies treated with a control dsRNA targeting the green fluorescent protein (GFP) complementary DNA (cDNA). Three of the dsRNAs, homologous to the beta subunit of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthase (ATPsynbeta), a vacuolar ATPase (V-ATPase), and the ribosomal protein S13 (RPS13), were able to halve the probability of survival in only 48 h after injection. We then produced new versions of these three dsRNAs and that of the GFP control as circular molecules in Escherichia coli using a two-self-splicing-intron-based expression system and tested them as orally-delivered insecticidal compounds against medfly adults. We observed a significant down-regulation of V-ATPase and RPS13 messenger RNAs (mRNAs) (approximately 30% and 90%, respectively) compared with the control medflies after 3 days of treatment. No significant mortality was recorded in medflies, but egg laying and hatching reduction was achieved by silencing V-ATPase and RPS13. CONCLUSION: In sum, we report the potential of dsRNA molecules as oral insecticide in medfly

Water relations and irrigation requirements of onion (Allium Cepa L.): a review of yield and quality impacts

The results of international research on the water relations and irrigation needs of onions have been synthesized in an attempt to link fundamental studies on crop physiology to irrigation practices, and consequent impacts on crop yield, quality and storage. Following a brief introduction on its origins and centres of production, a synthesis of research on crop development including plant water relations, crop water requirements, yield response to water, irrigation systems and scheduling are presented. Most of the evidence stems from research conducted in arid and semi-arid regions notably the USA, India, Spain and Turkey. The findings confirm that onion seasonal water requirements are highly variable depending on agroclimate, location and season, as are the crop coefficients (Kc) which range from 0.4 to 0.7 (initial stage), 0.85 to 1.05 (middle development) and 0.6 to 0.75 (final stage). Seasonal irrigation needs are reported to vary from 225 to 1040 mm to produce between 10 and 77 t ha-1. The most sensitive stages for water stress are at emergence, transplanting and bulb formation. Final crop quality can also be affected by water excess. Water stress at specific stages can negatively impact on quality leading to reduced size and multi-centred bulbs. In recent years, pressure on water resources, retailer demands for quality assurance and rising production costs have meant that onion irrigation has switched from traditional low efficiency (furrow) methods to more efficient advanced (sprinkler and drip) technologies. For scheduling, optimal soil water potential thresholds for triggering irrigation were found to be between -17 kPa and -27 kPa for drip and furrow irrigation. Research is underway to maximize water use efficiency in onions, but the deficit irrigation regimes being tested under experimental conditions have yet to be adopted commercially

Proximidad residencial a industrias y mortalidad por enfermedades cardiovasculares y cáncer en personas mayores: Estudio Seniors-ENRICA

XLI Reunión anual de la Sociedad Española de Epidemiología (SEE) y XVIII Congresso da Associação Portuguesa de Epidemiología (APE). Porto (Portugal), del 5 al 8 de septiembre de 2023.Antecedentes/Objetivos: Las enfermedades cardiovasculares (ECV) y el cáncer son las dos principales causas de muerte en el mundo. Su etiología no es única y, en el caso del cáncer, tiene una parte desconocida, por lo que se necesita seguir evaluando el papel de potenciales factores de riesgo asociados con estas enfermedades. El objetivo fue analizar la asociación entre proximidad residencial a industrias contaminantes y mortalidad por ECV y cáncer, teniendo en cuenta categorías de sectores industriales y contaminantes emitidos en el estudio Seniors-ENRICA. Métodos: Seniors-ENRICA es una cohorte representativa a nivel nacional de población mayor de 60 años no institucionalizada con un seguimiento de 10 años, cuyo objetivo es evaluar factores de riesgo ambientales que afectan a la salud de las personas mayores, incluyendo mortalidad por ECV y cáncer. La cohorte se estableció en 2008-2010 con 3289 individuos que contribuyeron con 8562 visitas bianuales. Se geocodificaron los domicilios de los individuos y las industrias y se calculó la distancia entre ellos. Como medida de efecto se estimó el hazard ratio (HR) y su intervalo de confianza al 95% (IC95%) asociado a la proximidad (distancias desde ≤ 2 km hasta ≤ 5 km) a industrias mediante modelos de regresión de Cox para riesgos competitivos, ajustando por variables sociodemográficas y de estilos de vida a nivel individual, y por índice de privación a nivel de sección censal. Resultados: Durante el seguimiento, se produjeron 136 muertes por ECV y 146 por cáncer. No se encontró asociación entre proximidad a industrias y mortalidad por ECV para ninguna de las distancias analizadas, con HRs oscilando entre 0,89 (≤ 4 km) y 0,99 (≤ 2 km). Para mortalidad por cáncer, se encontraron asociaciones (HR; IC95%) positivas para el conjunto de industrias en todas las distancias analizadas, desde ≤ 2 km (3,16; 1,60-6,26) hasta ≤ 5 km (2,57, 1,37-4,81). Por sectores industriales, destacan los excesos de riesgo (HR; IC95%) de morir por cáncer en el entorno (≤ 5 km) de astilleros (4,38; 1,67-11,48), cementeras (5,31; 1,31-21,49) e instalaciones de galvanizado (4,05; 1,59-10,33). Por contaminantes, los principales excesos de riesgo (HR; IC95%) se encontraron en el entorno (≤ 5 km) de industrias emisoras de antraceno (4,70; 1,71-12,93) antimonio (4,63; 2,01-10,64) y ftalatos (4,20; 1,58-11,14). Conclusiones/Recomendaciones: Los resultados sugieren que vivir cerca de industrias podría ser un factor de riesgo para la mortalidad por cáncer en población > 60 años, pero no para ECV.Financiación: CIBERESP-ESP21PI04.N

Association between Use of Enhanced Recovery after Surgery Protocol and Postoperative Complications in Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty in the Postoperative Outcomes Within Enhanced Recovery after Surgery Protocol in Elective Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty Study (POWER2)

Importance: The Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) care protocol has been shown to improve outcomes compared with traditional care in certain types of surgery. Objective: To assess the association of use of the ERAS protocols with complications in patients undergoing elective total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Design, Setting, and Participants: This multicenter, prospective cohort study included patients recruited from 131 centers in Spain from October 22 through December 22, 2018. All consecutive adults scheduled for elective THA or TKA were eligible for inclusion. Patients were stratified between those treated in a self-designated ERAS center (ERAS group) and those treated in a non-ERAS center (non-ERAS group). Data were analyzed from June 15 through September 15, 2019. Exposures: Total hip or knee arthroplasty and perioperative management. Sixteen individual ERAS items were assessed in all included patients, whether they were treated at a center that was part of an established ERAS protocol or not. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was postoperative complications within 30 days after surgery. Secondary outcomes included length of stay and mortality. Results: During the 2-month recruitment period, 6146 patients were included (3580 women [58.2%]; median age, 71 [interquartile range (IQR), 63-76] years). Of these, 680 patients (11.1%) presented with postoperative complications. No differences were found in the number of patients with overall postoperative complications between ERAS and non-ERAS groups (163 [10.2%] vs 517 [11.4%]; odds ratio [OR], 0.89; 95% CI, 0.74-1.07; P =.22). Fewer patients in the ERAS group had moderate to severe complications (73 [4.6%] vs 279 [6.1%]; OR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.56-0.96; P =.02). The median overall adherence rate with the ERAS protocol was 50.0% (IQR, 43.8%-62.5%), with the rate for ERAS facilities being 68.8% (IQR, 56.2%-81.2%) vs 50.0% (IQR, 37.5%-56.2%) at non-ERAS centers (P <.001). Among the patients with the highest and lowest quartiles of adherence to ERAS components, the patients with the highest adherence had fewer overall postoperative complications (144 [10.6%] vs 270 [13.0%]; OR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.64-0.99; P <.001) and moderate to severe postoperative complications (59 [4.4%] vs 143 [6.9%]; OR, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.45-0.84; P <.001) and shorter median length of hospital stay (4 [IQR, 3-5] vs 5 [IQR, 4-6] days; OR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.96-0.99; P <.001). Conclusions and Relevance: An increase in adherence to the ERAS program was associated with a decrease in postoperative complications, although only a few ERAS items were individually associated with improved outcomes

Higher COVID-19 pneumonia risk associated with anti-IFN-α than with anti-IFN-ω auto-Abs in children

We found that 19 (10.4%) of 183 unvaccinated children hospitalized for COVID-19 pneumonia had autoantibodies (auto-Abs) neutralizing type I IFNs (IFN-alpha 2 in 10 patients: IFN-alpha 2 only in three, IFN-alpha 2 plus IFN-omega in five, and IFN-alpha 2, IFN-omega plus IFN-beta in two; IFN-omega only in nine patients). Seven children (3.8%) had Abs neutralizing at least 10 ng/ml of one IFN, whereas the other 12 (6.6%) had Abs neutralizing only 100 pg/ml. The auto-Abs neutralized both unglycosylated and glycosylated IFNs. We also detected auto-Abs neutralizing 100 pg/ml IFN-alpha 2 in 4 of 2,267 uninfected children (0.2%) and auto-Abs neutralizing IFN-omega in 45 children (2%). The odds ratios (ORs) for life-threatening COVID-19 pneumonia were, therefore, higher for auto-Abs neutralizing IFN-alpha 2 only (OR [95% CI] = 67.6 [5.7-9,196.6]) than for auto-Abs neutralizing IFN-. only (OR [95% CI] = 2.6 [1.2-5.3]). ORs were also higher for auto-Abs neutralizing high concentrations (OR [95% CI] = 12.9 [4.6-35.9]) than for those neutralizing low concentrations (OR [95% CI] = 5.5 [3.1-9.6]) of IFN-omega and/or IFN-alpha 2

Adelante / Endavant

Séptimo desafío por la erradicación de la violencia contra las mujeres del Institut Universitari d’Estudis Feministes i de Gènere "Purificación Escribano" de la Universitat Jaume