Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi species associated with rhizosphere of Phoenix dactylifera L. in Morocco

A survey of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) diversity and date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) tree root colonization in arid areas was undertaken in ten palm groves located along the Ziz valley (Tafilalet, south-west Morocco). The frequency and the mean intensity of root colonization reached 72 and 43% respectively and the spore population varied from 238 to 1840 spores/10g of soil. The AMF colonization levels of field date palm roots were found to be negatively correlated with soil phosphorus content (r2 =-0,64). A total of ten AMF species were trapped from the 10 studied sites with a population of 4 to 7 species per sites. The isolated species included: Glomus mosseae, G. fasciculatum, G. constrictum, G. aggregatum, G. macrocarpum, 3 undescribed species of Acaulospora and two of Scutellospora genera. The latter two species were trapped only at the second trapping cycle.Keywords: AMF, diversity, Morocco, palm grove, Phoenix dactylifer,

Testing of commercial inoculants to enhance P uptake and grain yield of promiscuous soybean in Kenya

The aim of this study was to assess the potential of commercial mycorrhizal inoculants and a rhizobial inoculant to improve soybean yield in Kenya. A promiscuous soybean variety was grown in a greenhouse pot study with two representative soils amended with either water-soluble mineral P or rock P to assess product performance. The performance of selected mycorrhizal inoculants combined with a rhizobial inoculant (Legumefix) was then assessed with farmer groups in three agroecological zones using a small-plot, randomized complete block design to assess soybean root colonization by mycorrhiza, nodulation, and plant biomass production in comparison to rhizobial inoculant alone or with water-soluble mineral P. Greenhouse results showed highly significant root colonization by commercial mycorrhizal inoculant alone (p < 0.001) and in interaction with soil type (p < 0.0001) and P source (p < 0.0001). However, no significant effect was shown in plant P uptake, biomass production, or leaf chlorophyll index. In field conditions, the e ects of mycorrhizal and rhizobial inoculants in combination or alone were highly context-specific and may induce either a significant increase or decrease in root mycorrhizal colonization and nodule formation. Mycorrhizal and rhizobial inoculants in combination or alone had limited effect on plant P uptake, biomass production, leaf chlorophyll index, and grain yield. Though some mycorrhizal inoculants induced significant root colonization by mycorrhizal inoculants, this did not lead to higher soybean yield, even in soils with limited P content. Our results are further evidence that inoculant type, soil type, and P source are critical factors to evaluate commercial inoculants on a context-specific basis. However, our results highlight the need for the identification of additional targeting criteria, as inoculant type, soil type, and P source alone were not enough to be predictive of the response. Without the identification of predictive criteria for improved targeting, the economic use of such inoculants will remain elusive

Risk-stratified approach to breast cancer screening in canada: Women’s knowledge of the legislative context and concerns about discrimination from genetic and other predictive health data

The success of risk-stratified approaches in improving population-based breast cancer screening programs depends in no small part on women’s buy-in. Fear of genetic discrimination (GD) could be a potential barrier to genetic testing uptake as part of risk assessment. Thus, the objective of this study was twofold. First, to evaluate Canadian women’s knowledge of the legislative context governing GD. Second, to assess their concerns about the possible use of breast cancer risk levels by insurance companies or employers. We use a cross-sectional survey of 4293 (age: 30–69) women, conducted in four Canadian provinces (Alberta, British Colombia, Ontario and Québec). Canadian women’s knowledge of the regulatory framework for GD is relatively limited, with some gaps and misconceptions noted. About a third (34.7%) of the participants had a lot of concerns about the use of their health information by employers or insurers; another third had some concerns (31.9%), while 20% had no concerns. There is a need to further educate and inform the Canadian public about GD and the legal protections that exist to prevent it. Enhanced knowledge could facilitate the implementation and uptake of risk prediction informed by genetic factors, such as the risk-stratified approach to breast cancer screening that includes risk levels

Comparison of Muscle Transcriptome between Pigs with Divergent Meat Quality Phenotypes Identifies Genes Related to Muscle Metabolism and Structure

Background: Meat quality depends on physiological processes taking place in muscle tissue, which could involve a large pattern of genes associated with both muscle structural and metabolic features. Understanding the biological phenomena underlying muscle phenotype at slaughter is necessary to uncover meat quality development. Therefore, a muscle transcriptome analysis was undertaken to compare gene expression profiles between two highly contrasted pig breeds, Large White (LW) and Basque (B), reared in two different housing systems themselves influencing meat quality. LW is the most predominant breed used in pig industry, which exhibits standard meat quality attributes. B is an indigenous breed with low lean meat and high fat contents, high meat quality characteristics, and is genetically distant from other European pig breeds. Methodology/Principal Findings: Transcriptome analysis undertaken using a custom 15 K microarray, highlighted 1233 genes differentially expressed between breeds (multiple-test adjusted P-value,0.05), out of which 635 were highly expressed in the B and 598 highly expressed in the LW pigs. No difference in gene expression was found between housing systems. Besides, expression level of 12 differentially expressed genes quantified by real-time RT-PCR validated microarray data. Functional annotation clustering emphasized four main clusters associated to transcriptome breed differences: metabolic processes, skeletal muscle structure and organization, extracellular matrix, lysosome, and proteolysis, thereb

Full Length Research Paper - Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi species associated with rhizosphere of Phoenix dactylifera L. in Morocco

A survey of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) diversity and date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) tree root colonization in arid areas was undertaken in ten palm groves located along the Ziz valley (Tafilalet, south-west Morocco). The frequency and the mean intensity of root colonization reached 72 and 43% respectively and the spore population varied from 238 to 1840 spores/10g of soil. The AMF colonization levels of field date palm roots were found to be negatively correlated with soil phosphorus content (r2 = -0,64). A total of ten AMF species were trapped from the 10 studied sites with a population of 4 to 7 species per sites. The isolated species included: Glomus mosseae, G. fasciculatum, G. constrictum, G. aggregatum, G. macrocarpum, 3 undescribed species of Acaulospora and two of Scutellospora genera . The latter two species were trapped only at the second trapping cycle