Growing biserrula to improve grain and livestock production

Biserrula pelecinus is a new genus of pasture legume which was developed for commercial agriculture by a team of Perth-based legume pasture scientists in the early 1990s. Biserrula is an annual pasture legume that is found in natural grasslands of the Mediterranean Basin, frequently on acidic soils derived from granite. It was this feature that first caught the eye of researchers who were attempting to develop species that could tolerate the soil stresses of acidity and low moisture-holding capacity. These stresses are common in WA and when they occur together they are problematical for the survival of annual medics and clovers.Biserrula has subsequently been shown to possess a number of important features that give it advantages over the traditional pasture species in mixed farming systems.https://researchlibrary.agric.wa.gov.au/bulletins/1213/thumbnail.jp

High-quality permanent draft genome sequence of <i>Rhizobium sullae</i> strain WSM1592; a <i>Hedysarum coronarium</i> microsymbiont from Sassari, Italy

Rhizobium sullae strain WSM1592 is an aerobic, Gram-negative, non-spore-forming rod that was isolated from an effective nitrogen (N2) fixing root nodule formed on the short-lived perennial legume Hedysarum coronarium (also known as Sulla coronaria or Sulla). WSM1592 was isolated from a nodule recovered from H. coronarium roots located in Ottava, bordering Sassari, Sardinia in 1995. WSM1592 is highly effective at fixing nitrogen with H. coronarium, and is currently the commercial Sulla inoculant strain in Australia. Here we describe the features of R. sullae strain WSM1592, together with genome sequence information and its annotation. The 7,530,820 bp high-quality permanent draft genome is arranged into 118 scaffolds of 118 contigs containing 7.453 protein-coding genes and 73 RNA-only encoding genes. This rhizobial genome is sequenced as part of the DOE Joint Genome Institute 2010 Genomic Encyclopedia for Bacteria and Archaea-Root Nodule Bacteria (GEBA-RNB) project

Predictors of Bluetongue development in Sardinia (Italy) identification, using multilevel logistic mixed model

Objectives: The Bluetongue Virus is one of the most studied ruminant diseases, affecting particularly sheep and goats. This study aims to identify, for the first time, the specific risk factors influencing the disease development in Sardinia, using multilevel logistic regression model, in order to give a contribution to the sanitary programs and favour the early detection. &nbsp; Methods: The data of the present retrospective study, collected from informatics systems of Istituto Zooprofilattico della Sardegna, are referred to all 15,780 Sardinian sheep farms observed for 3 years (2012-2014). The outcome of interest was dichotomous and defined the development of Bluetongue outbreak, after serological test or clinical signs. The effect of several region-specific prognostic factors on disease spread was investigated. Results: The final model indicated that Bluetongue development was significantly associated with an increase in number of animals (P &lt; 0.0001), number of cattle around farm (P&nbsp; &lt; 0.0001), water surface area (P =0.002), and amount of rainfall in the previous days (P &lt; 0.0001). Furthermore, the altitude over 450 MASL (P &lt; 0.0001), the vaccination prophylaxis (P &lt; 0.0001) and the previous outbreak event (P &lt; 0.0001) had a protective effect against the outcome. Conclusion: The results of this study indicated that number of animals and the amount of rainfall were the most important risk factors that affected the Bluetongue development, while the vaccination prophylaxis was found to be an effective measure in decelerating the disease spread.&nbsp

Colorectal cancer promoter methylation alteration affects the expression of glutamate ionotropic receptor AMPA type subunit 4 alternative isoforms potentially relevant in colon tissue

DNA methylation alterations are early events during tumourigenesis, affecting genes involved in the crosstalk between cells and surroundings in colorectal cancer (CRC). Among these genes, GRIA4, Glutamate Ionotropic Receptor AMPA Type Subunit 4, displays hypermethylation in the promoter region, and is an early diagnostic biomarker. It is well known that methylation can also affect alternative transcription. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the expression, at transcript and protein level, of GRIA4 main isoforms (the canonical one and a short variant) in 23 CRC and matched normal samples, of which we previously verified the methylation status. We further predicted miRNA/transcript target interactions as a possible post-transcriptional regulation using bioinformatics tools. As expected, downregulation of both variants has been observed in tumours. Interestingly, in contrast to what observed at transcriptional level, the GluR4 protein short isoform displayed higher expression than the canonical one either in normal or tumoural tissues. This may be explained by miRNA specifically targeting the canonical isoform. Our study is the first one that shows the expression of both isoforms in colon tissues. To note, the evident expression of the short isoform suggests a functional role in intestinal cell biology

Revolutionary Self-Sustaining Pasture-Crop Rotation Systems Developed by Researcher-Farmer Collaboration for Southern Australian Farming Systems

Mixed farming pasture-crop rotation systems in southern Australia have traditionally relied on subterranean clover and annual medics. Concern over the long-term persistence of these species was raised in the 1980‟s with the cessation of manufacture of suction harvesters required for seed production. Subsequently, their adaptation has been tested due to climate change. More frequent droughts, particularly the millennium drought (2002-2009), increased incidence of false breaks and dry spring conditions causing decline or complete loss of seedbank reserves and failure of new sowings. A concerted effort developing new legume species for Australian farming systems, led by Western Australia, resulted in domestication of biserrula, bladder clover and gland clover and development of new cultivars of French and yellow serradella. These species/varieties possess characteristics including one or more of the following: higher hard seed content, deeper root systems, greater acid soil tolerance in symbiosis, increased herbage and seed production, wider tolerance to pest and diseases. They can also be harvested with conventional cereal harvesters reducing seed cost and enabling farmers to produce their own seed (Loi et al., 2005). A survey of farmers showed adoption of new species was limited by a lack of detailed management information on how to grow and manage them, to maximise their impact on crop and livestock productivity (Hackney et al., 2012). This paper reports on efforts made over a decade by a multidisciplinary WA and NSW team of plant breeders, rhizobiologists, agronomists and animal scientists, formed to develop new self-sustaining pasture-crop rotation systems to fill the void left by the failure of traditional rotation systems. The critical role and early recruitment of „champion‟ farmers in achieving the successful adoption of new technology is discussed, as is the difficulty in organizing and funding systems research

High-quality permanent draft genome sequence of Rhizobium sullae strain WSM1592; a Hedysarum coronarium microsymbiont from Sassari, Italy

Rhizobium sullae strain WSM1592 is an aerobic, Gram-negative, non-spore-forming rod that was isolated from an effective nitrogen (N2) fixing root nodule formed on the short-lived perennial legume Hedysarum coronarium (also known as Sulla coronaria or Sulla). WSM1592 was isolated from a nodule recovered from H. coronarium roots located in Ottava, bordering Sassari, Sardinia in 1995. WSM1592 is highly effective at fixing nitrogen with H. coronarium, and is currently the commercial Sulla inoculant strain in Australia. Here we describe the features of R. sullae strain WSM1592, together with genome sequence information and its annotation. The 7,530,820&nbsp;bp high-quality permanent draft genome is arranged into 118 scaffolds of 118 contigs containing 7.453 protein-coding genes and 73 RNA-only encoding genes. This rhizobial genome is sequenced as part of the DOE Joint Genome Institute 2010 Genomic Encyclopedia for Bacteria and Archaea-Root Nodule Bacteria (GEBA-RNB) project