In vitro propagation of Alstroemeria using rhizome explants derived in vitro and in pot plants

Alstroemeria with beautiful and long shelf life of cut flower is one of the most important ornamental plants. This plant could propagate by splitting of the in vivo produced rhizomes but the propagation rate is rather low. In the present study, regeneration ability of plantlets was compared using in vitro and in vivo grown rhizome buds as explants. In vitro and in vivo grown rhizome buds were cultured on MS basal medium with 3 different compositions of growth regulators (1, 0.2 mg l-1 NAA with 1 mg l-1 BAand 0.2 mg l-1 IAA with 1 mg l-1 BA). Cultures were incubated in 18 ± 1°C at 16 h photoperiod. Four subculture of explants were done on the same fresh media with 3 weeks intervals. The results showed that in vivo rhizome bud produced the largest number of small rhizome and roots on medium containing 0.2 mg l-1 NAA with 1 mg l-1 BA

TRISODIUM CITRATE USE IN DAIRY COWS AND EFFECTS ON DAILY MILK YIELD AND QUALITY

The aim of this study was to determine whether the use of trisodium citrate can reduce milk somatic cell counts and consequently increase the milk yield and quality in dairy cows on third and fourth lactation. Twelve holstein cows were divided into 2 groups, 5 of them were chosen as trial which have received orally 30 mg trisodium citrate per kg of body weight in diluted form daily during 7 days. Apart from daily milk yield , milk sampling was performed before, after and during trisodium citrate treatment in both trial and control groups. Individual milk protein, fat, total dry matter, milk pH, somatic cell counts and oxidation reduction potential (ORP) were measured in each of milk samples. There was no significant difference regarding daily milk yield, fat, protein, dry matter of milk and milk ORP values between 2 groups. But somatic cell counts were significantly lower in trisodium citrate-given group during experimental period. In conclusion, trisodium citrate may be useful for improving milk quality regarding somatic cell counts

Subsurface fracture analysis and determination of in-situ stress direction using FMI logs: An example from the Santonian carbonates (Ilam Formation) in the Abadan Plain, Iran

The relationship between the present-day stress field and natural fractures can have significant implications for subsurface fluid flow. In particular, fractures that are aligned in orientations favourable for reactivation by either shear or tensile failure in the in-situ stress field often exhibit higher hydraulic conductivities. The Ilam Formation of southwestern Iran is an important hydrocarbon reservoir containing numerous natural fractures. However, little is known about the state of stress in this region, or any of Iran's petroleum provinces. We conducted analysis of the present-day maximum horizontal stress orientation and the density, orientation and hydraulic conductivity of natural fractures in the Ilam carbonates using high resolution Formation Micro Imager resistivity logs in two wells. A total of 51 breakouts with an overall length of 215 m were observed in the two wells, indicating a maximum horizontal stress orientation of 68°N (± 7.6°) in well A and 58°N (± 6.3°) in well B. Furthermore, the wellbore-derived stress orientations determined herein are consistent with those inferred from nearby earthquake focal mechanism solutions, indicating that stresses in the sedimentary cover are linked to the resistance forces generated by Arabia–Eurasia collision. Furthermore, the correlation between stress orientations estimated from earthquake focal mechanism solutions and breakouts indicates that focal mechanism solution data, which is often considered to be unreliable for stress field analysis near transform margins, may provide reliable information on the stress orientation near continental collision zones. The image log data also reveals three sets of open, and presumably hydraulically conductive, fractures with strikes of (i) 160–170°N, (ii) 110–140°N and (iii) 070–080°N. Fracture set (iii) is consistent with being formed and open in the present-day stress field. However, fracture sets (i) and (ii) strike at a high angle to the present-day maximum horizontal stress, and are interpreted herein to be the result of either pre- or syn-folding related forces. The observation that different sets of open fractures in the field can be either sensitive or insensitive to the present-day stress is critical for improving hydrocarbon recovery.Mojtaba Rajabi, Shahram Sherkati, Bahman Bohloli and Mark Tinga