Thinning intensity and water regime affect the impact cluster thinning has on grape quality

Late cluster thinning is a practice frequently used in the vineyards of semiarid regions, as it is claimed to increase total soluble solids and anthocyanin concentration. However, when performed in field conditions, it often leads to relatively inconclusive results: under some circumstances, it results in a noteworthy quality gain, whereas under other circumstances, it does not convey the improvement in quality desired.The aim of this work was to evaluate the influence of thinning intensity and vine water status on the impact cluster thinning has on grape quality. Late cluster thinning (CT) was performed at four ‘Tempranillo’ vineyards during four consecutive years. The major effects of CT were an increase in berry soluble solid, anthocyanin and phenolics concentration. The impact CT had on these parameters was related to thinning intensity, although it was more closely related to vine water status of from veraison to harvest, particularly when compared to water status during the two weeks with the lowest water availability.An estimation of the degree of water deficit that is likely to occur between veraison and harvest (considering water management guidelines of each winegrower and water reserves available in the soil or for later irrigation) has therefore to be considered in order to make proper decisions on cluster thinning, at least in the range of yield and water conditions included in this study. In rain fed or deficit irrigated vineyards water deficit alleviation might be one of the main mechanisms that make cluster thinning an effective technique to improve grape quality.

Evaluation of the agronomic performance of 'Syrah' and 'Tempranillo' when grafted on 12 rootstocks

Beyond pest resistance, rootstocks significantly influence the performance of grapevine varieties. However, the effect of the rootstock is strongly affected by its interaction with the environment, and it is therefore necessary to evaluate their influence in a particular terroir. With the aim of evaluating the influence of 12 rootstocks on the agronomic performance of 'Syrah' and 'Tempranillo', a trial was established in 2011 and 2012 in Miranda de Arga (Navarra, Spain), under the typical environmental conditions of the Ebro Valley. Growth and yield, as well as industrial and phenolic maturity parameters were analysed during four consecutive seasons (2015-2018). Most rootstocks showed a similar performance with both varieties, not always following the trends reported in bibliography, which highlights the relevance of studying rootstocks in different conditions. 3309 C was the rootstock conferring the highest vigour, whereas the lowest were provided by 420 A MGt and 'Fercal'. The implications on grape composition were much more diverse, and were partially conditioned by yield. Results were obtained during the four first harvests of the vineyard, and could therefore change to some extent as the vineyard reaches stability

Intensidades da poda seca e do desbaste de cacho na composição da uva Cabernet Sauvignon.

A pesquisa foi realizada durante quatro anos, num vinhedo de Cabernet Sauvignon (Vitis vinifera L.), em Bento Gonçalves-RS. O objetivo foi determinar o efeito das intensidades da poda seca e do desbaste de cacho em variáveis relacionadas aos componentes de produção da videira e à composição do mosto de uva. Os tratamentos consistiram em dois níveis de poda seca - curta e longa - e quatro de desbaste de cacho (%) - 0; 25; 50 e 75 -; com cinco repetições. O delineamento experimental foi o em blocos casualizados, com os tratamentos em parcelas subdivididas. Os resultados mostram que a poda seca e o desbaste de cacho tiveram efeito altamente significativo na produtividade do vinhedo que, na média dos quatro anos, variou de 10.971 kg/ha ? poda curta, 75% de desbaste ? a 32.819 kg/ha ? poda longa, 0% de desbaste. Houve, também, efeito significativo na produtividade por gema, peso de ramos podados por gema e por hectare, área foliar/peso fresco do fruto e produtividade/peso de ramos podados. Entretanto, o efeito nas variáveis relacionadas a açúcar e acidez do mosto da uva foi pouco expressivo. O componente 1 da análise de componentes principais discriminou o tratamento poda curta a 75% de desbaste de cacho dos tratamentos poda longa-0% de desbaste e poda longa-25% de desbaste

HORYZONS trial: protocol for a randomised controlled trial of a moderated online social therapy to maintain treatment effects from first-episode psychosis services.

INTRODUCTION: Specialised early intervention services have demonstrated improved outcomes in first-episode psychosis (FEP); however, clinical gains may not be sustained after patients are transferred to regular care. Moreover, many patients with FEP remain socially isolated with poor functional outcomes. To address this, our multidisciplinary team has developed a moderated online social media therapy (HORYZONS) designed to enhance social functioning and maintain clinical gains from specialist FEP services. HORYZONS merges: (1) peer-to-peer social networking; (2) tailored therapeutic interventions; (3) expert and peer-moderation; and (4) new models of psychological therapy (strengths and mindfulness-based interventions) targeting social functioning. The aim of this trial is to determine whether following 2 years of specialised support and 18-month online social media-based intervention (HORYZONS) is superior to 18 months of regular care. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This study is a single-blind randomised controlled trial. The treatment conditions include HORYZONS plus treatment as usual (TAU) or TAU alone. We recruited 170 young people with FEP, aged 16-27 years, in clinical remission and nearing discharge from Early Psychosis Prevention and Intervention Centre, Melbourne. The study includes four assessment time points, namely, baseline, 6-month, 12-month and 18-month follow-up. The study is due for completion in July 2018 and included a 40-month recruitment period and an 18-month treatment phase. The primary outcome is social functioning at 18 months. Secondary outcome measures include rate of hospital admissions, cost-effectiveness, vocational status, depression, social support, loneliness, self-esteem, self-efficacy, anxiety, psychological well-being, satisfaction with life, quality of life, positive and negative psychotic symptoms and substance use. Social functioning will be also assessed in real time through our Smartphone Ecological Momentary Assessment tool. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Melbourne Health Human Research Ethics Committee (2013.146) provided ethics approval for this study. Findings will be made available through scientific journals and forums and to the public via social media and the Orygen website. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ACTRN12614000009617; Pre-results

20-Year Risks of Breast-Cancer Recurrence after Stopping Endocrine Therapy at 5 Years

The administration of endocrine therapy for 5 years substantially reduces recurrence rates during and after treatment in women with early-stage, estrogen-receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer. Extending such therapy beyond 5 years offers further protection but has additional side effects. Obtaining data on the absolute risk of subsequent distant recurrence if therapy stops at 5 years could help determine whether to extend treatment

Evaluación de la diversidad genética y fenotípica retenida en colecciones nucleares de manzano formadas a partir de caracterizaciones agro-morfológicas o moleculares

Various types of data have been used for sampling plant core collections, including morphological, agronomic and ecogeographical traits, and molecular and biochemical markers. However, little is known about the ability of woody perennial core collections to retain the diversity and structure of the whole collection for characters that were not considered in the selection, especially when molecular markers are used. In this study, three core subsets were established for the apple germplasm bank curated at the Public University of Navarre (UPNa, Spain): based upon the diversity found with 10 SSR markers, another based upon the diversity assessed with 12 isozyme loci; and a third based upon morpho-agronomic diversity evaluated by 23 morpho-agronomic traits. Comparisons between these three subsets and to the whole collection were assessed to determine the impact of the data used in the selection on phenotypic and genetic diversity and on their population structure. The three subsets had a similar diversity and they did not differ from the original collection, according to Nei and Shannon-Weaver indices. The allelic/class frequencies were also always maintained in the three subsets. Overall, the kind of data used to constitute a core collection had little influence on the phenotypic and genetic diversity retained, so in the case of apple collections the use of molecular markers is preferable for this task because they allow a rapid and reliable characterization.Las colecciones nucleares de plantas pueden formarse a partir de la información obtenida en caracterizaciones morfológicas, agronómicas o eco-geográficas, así como a partir de caracterizaciones bioquímicas o moleculares. Un aspecto poco estudiado de la formación y validación de colecciones nucleares es la capacidad de éstas para conservar la estructura y diversidad de la colección global en aquellos caracteres que no han sido empleados para formar la colección nuclear. En el presente estudio se determinaron tres colecciones nucleares para el Banco de Germoplasma de Manzano de la Universidad Pública de Navarra: para el primero se emplearon los datos de caracterización de 10 marcadores SSR, la segunda fue formada a partir de la caracterización hecha con 12 loci de isoenzimas, y la tercera se construyó a partir de la información proporcionada por 23 caracteres morfo-agronómicos. Se comparó la estructura y diversidad genotípica y fenotípica de las tres colecciones, entre sí y respecto de la colección original, para determinar el impacto que sobre dicha estructura y diversidad tenía el tipo de dato con que se formó la colección nuclear. Las tres colecciones conservaron una diversidad similar y no difirieron de la original en sus índices de Nei y Shannon-Weaver, y siempre se mantuvieron las frecuencias de las clases alélicas o fenotípicas. En conjunto, el tipo de caracterización empleada en la formación de la colección nuclear tuvo escasa influencia sobre la diversidad retenida, de lo que se concluye que en el manzano los microsatélites son especialmente adecuados para formar dichas colecciones