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Tomatoes and potatoes are two homologous genes that regulate branch, called Branched1. One of these homologues control the growth of the branches while the other could be generating a protein with a new function. This finding of the National Center for Biotechnology, CSIC will improve the production of these vegetables.
When 8700 years ago, American farmers domesticated maize from its wild ancestor, teosinte, selected varieties that have few branches. This made all the nutrients to concentrate on the main stem of the cob carrier, and increase vigor. Without knowing it, were selecting varieties for which the gene that regulates branching Teosinte Branched1 had more activity.
In his laboratory National Center for Biotechnology CSIC, Pilar Cubas decided to study whether plants of agricultural interest such as tomato and potato genes were also similar. In his group have found that some plants of the nightshade family, not one but two genes similar to the originally discovered in maize which, although related, have evolved at different rates.
In tomato, the gene Branched1b, which has changed little throughout evolution and its function is still very similar to the maize gene, controls the growth of the branches, so that the mutant tomato plants for this gene have many branches. Meanwhile, the other gene, Branched1a has evolved much faster and could be generating a protein with a new function.
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The bean is a crop of great economic importance in Morocco, but the soil salinity limits their production. However, there is a genus of bacteria called Rhizobium usually associated with leguminous plants and promotes their growth because it helps set a very important nutrient, nitrogen. With these premises, a research project is to study the indigenous strains of these bacteria to select and characterize them more tolerant to salt stress, so they can fulfill their role and help the development of the plant even in adverse terrain.
(Jewish ‘nodules’ with bacteria of the genus ‘Rhizobium’. Photo: Alvaro Peix / DICYT)
This work is led by Alvaro Peix Geldart scientist, researcher at the Institute of Natural Resources and Agricultural Biology of Salamanca (IRNASE center belonging to the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, CSIC), in collaboration with other researchers from the University of Salamanca and University of Marrakech. The Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECI), Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, has taken over the funding.
“This area has highly saline soils and this harms water uptake by plants,” says expert DiCYT. However, this type of land cultivation and semi-dry bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris ) is an important resource and can be sustained through good use of scarce nutrients.
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The Basque Institute for Agricultural Research and Development, Neiker-Tecnalia, and Basque Water Agency, URA, have signed a cooperation agreement to undertake joint actions in conservation and recovery of water resources in the Basque Country. The agreement is valid until December 2012 and be extended by agreement between the two parties.
The specific objectives of the agreement are investigating the contamination of surface and groundwater, conduct monitoring of the effects of restoration of coastal and inland wetlands and the restoration and bank protection. The collaboration also includes actions aimed at primary sector, such as studies of the irrigation needs of crops, the identification of good irrigation practices and the study of soil erosion resulting from forestry and water condition at . Finally, the two organizations will share technical resources and personnel to perform water analysis and other elements.
The parties will work together to protect ecosystems, landscape and plant and animal species, and improve the quality of environmental resources. The collaboration between URA Neiker-Tecnalia and set out in the framework of the policy of the Department of Environment, Planning, Agriculture and Fisheries of the Basque Government, which aims to promote sustainable development in the BAC.
Water resources are closely related to the activity of the primary sector, which Neiker-Tecnalia is fully committed to improve productivity and competitiveness. Similarly, the objective of this technology center to meet the quality requirements of the food processing industry, with distinctive products and general consumer. Neiker-Tecnalia has the most advanced technological infrastructure and more specialized staff to develop its activities in its two business units: Agricultural Innovation and the Environment and Natural Resources.
Basque Water Agency, meanwhile, aims to carry out the policy of water in Euskadi. The main lines of action of the Basque Water Agency are addressed in the following ways: improving the ecological status of water bodies of the Basque Country, universal supply in sufficient quantity and quality, the result of the consolidation plans and effective administration of the resources. Another objective of URA is cooperation in international efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals on water.
Source: SINC
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Carmen Amela, Director General of Public Health and Foreign Health has ensured that Spain has never been a variant strain of infectious O104 Escherichia coli ( E. coli ). Amela today met with scientific experts to analyze the evolution of the outbreak in Germany.
“The strain of E. Coli is rare in Spain. “ Carmen Amela, Director General of Public Health and Foreign Health, today confirmed that infectious variant O104 “not found in Spanish territory, as demonstrated by the analysis performed on samples from the past 25 years.
Amela, who met today with scientific experts to analyze the evolution of the outbreak in Germany, said that the risk of an outbreak in the country “can only come from someone associated with Germany.” It has therefore recommended to people from the country to Germany, if you have any suspicious symptoms, come “urgently” to the health system.
“The system is alerted and knows what signs and what care should have with these patients,” he said. “There are surveillance protocols agreed with all regions and is ready to provide a unified response to Europe in the health system, “he added.
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Grenada welcomes the Third National Congress on Biodiversity which will meet about 40 experts. The meeting, held at the Experimental Station of Zaidín (EEZ-CSIC) from Wednesday until Friday June 10, aims to respond to new challenges in this field.
(For three days, experts respond to how it evolved biodiversity in space and time.)
Researchers at the Department of Soil Microbiology and Symbiotic Systems of the EEZ with scientists of Microbiology and Environmental Technologies Water Institute (part of the University of Granada) organized the III National Congress on Biodiversity. With this meeting, which begins on Wednesday and ending 10 June, is intended to review the new information to which the investigation has resulted in this field and try to respond to new challenges.
The conference focuses on answering a series of questions that restrict the current state of the science of biodiversity. For three days, experts in this field give answers to how biodiversity evolved in space and time to reach its current state, how much biodiversity exists and how alteration or loss affect the system as a whole.
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Bees adjust their speed and avoid obstacles thanks to optical flow they receive, even above their heads.
(© DGA / F. Vrignaud
A bee through the tunnel where the optical flow varies in different directions in separate portions.)
In a train going at high speed, landscape elements close to march full speed while distant elements seem almost motionless. This difference is the optical flow, that is to say, the angular speed at which the constituents of the parade scene. We knew that bees adjust their speed to perceive the optical flow at least in the lateral and ventral regions of their visual field. Nicolas Franceschini and colleagues at the Institute of Movement Sciences (CNRS / Université Aix-Marseille II), Marseille, showed that it is also the case of dorsal regions. Thus, the bee detects the optical flow in all directions, including above his head.
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A group of researchers from the Center for Research on Animal Health (CReSA) studied the susceptibility of the red partridge, two strains of avian influenza virus and showed that this species may contribute to the spread of a potential local outbreak of the virus.
With the aim of studying the clinical, macroscopic and microscopic lesions, viral distribution in tissues and viral excretion, CReSA researchers conducted an experimental infection in partridges of the species Alectoris rufa with the virus highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) subtype H7N1 virus with low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) subtype H7N9.
In birds infected with HPAI virus, the first clinical signs were observed at 3 days post infection (dpi) and mortality began to occur at 4 dpi, reaching 100% mortality at 8 dpi. We confirmed the presence of viral antigen in tissues and excretion of virus in all birds infected with HPAI virus.
In addition to the oropharyngeal and cloacal routes, showed the importance of the pen as a possible transmission route. However, we could not detect any clinical signs or histopathologic partridges infected with LPAI virus. Only in some of the animals inoculated with LPAI virus viral shedding was detected with short-term seroconversion.
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The Basque Institute for Agricultural Research and Development Neiker-Tecnalia has developed a project to obtain high-quality starch in potato tubers ( Solanum tuberosum ) using new molecular and genetic tools. Potato starch is a product widely used in industrial processes such as production of paper, adhesives, building materials, plastics and drugs.
The research objective is to achieve a starch having the best physicochemical conditions for industrial use and that can help produce healthy and functional foods. For new varieties of potato starch of different qualities, it is necessary to use new tools, as the traditional phenotypic selection breeding difficult to achieve.
In this project we are using different techniques, such as “allele mining” reverse genetics, mapping by association and a test in vitro to obtain the desired starch.
The overall objective is to modulate the properties of potato starch (by modifying the degree of branching amylose and amylopectin components, the length of the polymers and the degree of phosphorylation), as well as in the analysis of the effects of these changes .
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Neiker-Tecnalia (Basque Institute of Agricultural Research and Development) has collaborated with the engineering firm Arson in the creation of a SCADA system for irrigation would save up to 20% water in each crop, compared with traditional irrigation methods.
With this technology, called Aquarson, are controlled centrally scheduling irrigation shifts and consumption of each irrigator, allowing management based on criteria that increase water and energy use efficiency of irrigation system.
The project is an initiative to improve management of water resources. To this end, we have integrated the knowledge engineering company that owns the remote Basque Arson and knowledge of agronomy and crop water needs Neiker-Tecnalia.
To carry this experience into practice, has enjoyed the cooperation of the Community Irrigation Zambrana (Alava, Spain), which facilitated the installation on their land in a pilot plant for automatic irrigation control comprising part of the hydraulic in an area over 500 hectares. This area is divided into about 500 plots allocated to irrigation for food crops such as potatoes and beets, the most representative products of the region.
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The history of the town of Bejar Salamanca is closely linked to the textile industry, but new times call for improvements and innovation for these businesses to remain competitive. In this respect the academic world can be critical to help out through the investigation. Therefore, a group of School of Industrial Engineering, belonging to the University of Salamanca, has begun work on wool. The process of preparation and money on this product since it was shearing a sheep until it is ready to produce clothing is long, costly and imperfect, so the long-term goal is to find better than the current systems in the service of a local company But scientific rigor requires a first step: getting a reliable system for measuring the degree of whiteness.
Although at first glance may seem that all wool is white, in fact, have very different yellow shades that blend. In genetic factors influence the color of the sheep, but also food, environmental conditions and storage animal once sheared, says Javier Ramon Sanchez, a scientist at Department of Chemical Engineering and Textile leading this investigation.
The wool is sheared and is classified by its length, diameter and color, as distinguished from various types. In this sense, Spanish wools tend to have many impurities, while in the world, the most popular are the Australian and South African to have longer fibers and higher.
Once sheared, you get a greasy wool blending colors and you have fat or greasy. Industrial laundering to which it is subjected not prevent her from taking vegetable and mineral debris. Then you pass through the carding machine, which leaves a sort of veil after stretching and mix the fibers. Other machines called combing refine this work by more homogeneous tissue and removing short fibers Finally, spinning machines get a thread that is still yellow and you have to be subjected to bleaching and removing impurities through plant chemicals .
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(© DGA / F. Vrignaud