A 10-week feeding experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of different protein to energy ratios on growth and body composition of juvenile Litopenaeus vannamei (initial average weight of 0.09 ± 0.002 g, mean ± SE). Twelve practical test diets were formulated to contain four protein levels (300, 340, 380 and 420 g kg )1 ) and three lipid levels (50, 75 and 100 g kg )1 ). Each diet was randomly fed to triplicate groups of 30 shrimps per tank (260 L). The water temperature was 28.5 ± 2°C and the salinity was 28 ± 1 g L )1 during the experimental period. The results showed that the growth was significantly (P < 0.05) affected by dietary treatments. Shrimps fed the diets containing 300 g kg )1 protein showed the poorest growth. However, shrimp fed the 75 g kg )1 lipid diets had only slightly higher growth than that fed 50 g kg )1 lipid diets at the same dietary protein level, and even a little decline in growth with the further increase of dietary lipid to 100 g kg )1 . Shrimp fed the diet with 420 g kg )1 protein and 75 g kg )1 lipid had the highest specific growth rate. However, shrimp fed the diet with 340 g kg )1 protein and 75 g kg )1 lipid showed comparable growth, and had the highest protein efficiency ratio, energy retention and feed efficiency ratio among dietary treatments. Triglycerides and total cholesterol in the serum of shrimp increased with increasing dietary lipid level at the same dietary protein level. Body lipid and energy increased with increasing dietary lipid level irrespective of dietary protein. Results of the present study showed that the diet containing 340 g kg )1 protein and 75 g kg )1 lipid with digestible protein/digestible energy of 21.1 mg kJ )1 is optimum for L. vannamei, and the increase of dietary lipid level has not efficient protein-sparing effect. KEY WORDS

Fabrication of a Z-scheme photocatalytic system for water splitting has huge potential in confronting the increasing worldwide energy crisis.

A better understanding of tree‐based intercropping effects on soil physicochemical properties and bacterial community has a potential contribution to improvement of agroforestry productivity and sustainability. In this study, we investigated the effects of mulberry/alfalfa intercropping on soil physicochemical properties and soil bacterial community by MiSeq sequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA gene. The results showed a significant increase in the contents of available nitrogen, available phosphate, available potassium, and total carbon in the rhizosphere soil of the intercropped alfalfa. Sequencing results showed that intercropping improved bacterial richness and diversity of mulberry and alfalfa based on richness estimates and diversity indices. The relative abundances of Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Firmicutes were significantly higher in intercropping mulberry than in monoculture mulberry; and the abundances of Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Gemmatimonadetes in the intercropping alfalfa were markedly higher than that in monoculture alfalfa. Bacterial taxa with soil nutrients cycling were enriched in the intercropping system. There were higher relative abundances of Bacillus (0.32%), Pseudomonas (0.14%), and Microbacterium (0.07%) in intercropping mulberry soil, and Bradyrhizobium (1.0%), Sphingomonas (0.56%), Pseudomonas (0.18%), Microbacterium (0.15%), Rhizobium (0.09%), Neorhizobium (0.08%), Rhodococcus (0.06%), and Burkholderia (0.04%) in intercropping alfalfa soil. Variance partition analysis showed that planting pattern contributed 26.7% of the total variation of bacterial community, and soil environmental factors explained approximately 56.5% of the total variation. This result indicated that the soil environmental factors were more important than the planting pattern in shaping the bacterial community in the field soil. Overall, mulberry/alfalfa intercropping changed soil bacterial community, which was related to changes in soil total carbon, available phosphate, and available potassium.

Limited information is available on the effects of foliar boron (B) application on soybean seed composition. The objective of this research was to investigate the effects of foliar B on seed composition (protein, oil, fatty acids, and sugars). Our hypothesis was that since B is involved in nitrogen and carbon metabolism, it may impact seed composition. A repeated greenhouse experiment was conducted where half of the soybean plants was exposed to water stress (WS) and the other half was well-watered. Foliar boron (FB) in the form of boric acid was applied twice at a rate of 1.1 kg ha−1. The first application was during flowering stage, and the second application was during seed-fill stage. Treatments were water stressed plants with no FB (WS–B); water stressed plants with FB (WS+B); watered plants without FB (W–B), and watered plants with FB (W+B). The treatment W–B was used as a control. Comparing with WS–B plants, B concentration was the highest in leaves and seed of W+B plants (84% increase in leaves and 73% in seed). Seeds of W+B plants had higher protein (11% increase), oleic acid (27% increase), sucrose (up to 40% increase), glucose, and fructose comparing with W–B. However, seed stachyose concentrations increased by 43% in WS–B plants seed compared with W–B plants. Cell wall (structural) B concentration in leaves was higher in all plants under water stress, especially in WS–B plants where the percentage of cell wall B reached up to 90%. Water stress changed seed δ15N and δ13C values in both B applied and non-B applied plants, indicating possible effects on nitrogen and carbon metabolism. This research demonstrated that FB increased B accumulation in leaves and seed, and altered seed composition of well-watered and water stressed plants, indicating a possible involvement of B in seed protein, and oleic and linolenic fatty acids. Further research is needed to explain mechanisms of B involvement in seed protein and fatty acids.

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A growth experiment was conducted to determine the optimal carbohydrate-to-lipid (CHO: L) ratio for juvenile yellowfin seabream cultured in 340-L indoor recirculating tanks. Seven isonitrogenous (450 g kg )1 dietary protein) and isoenergetic (14.1 MJ kg )1 ) diets with increasing CHO: L ratios (0.03-5.09 g: g) were fed to triplicate groups of 30 fish with an initial weight of 4.91 g for 56 days. Fish were fed to satiation twice a day and the water temperature ranged between 28 and 31.7°C during the experimental period. Survival was high in all the groups and was not affected by dietary treatments. Best weight gain (WG) and specific growth rate (SGR) were observed in fish fed diets with CHO: L ratios of 0.29 and 0.72, which were not significantly different from that of 0.03, 1.26 and 1.92, but apparently higher than that of 3.22 and 5.09. Feed efficiency (FE), protein efficiency ratio (PER) and protein production value (PPV) followed the same general pattern as WG and SGR. Highest level of energy production value (EPV) was found in fish fed diets with CHO: L ratio of 0.72. Proximate compositions of fish whole body and tissues were markedly affected by dietary CHO: L ratios. Whole body, muscle and liver lipid increased as CHO: L ratios decreased, whereas moisture contents were reduced. Dietary CHO: L ratios had no significant effect on protein content in whole body and muscle. Plasma total cholesterol levels of fish fed diets with CHO: L ratios less than 0.72 were significantly higher than those of the other groups. Triacylglyceride levels decreased linearly as dietary CHO: L ratios increased. Viscerosomatic index (VSI) significantly increased as dietary CHO: L ratios decreased. Intraperitoneal fat ratio (IPF) of fish fed diets with CHO: L ratios less than 1.92 were significantly higher than those fed CHO: L ratios of 3.22 and 5.09. Hepatosomatic index (HSI) did not vary between the test diets. Based on second-order polynomial regression analysis of WG against dietary carbohydrate and lipid levels, 84.1 g kg )1 of carbohydrate and 136.3 g kg )1 of lipid, corresponding to a CHO: L ratio of 0.62, in a diet holding 450 g kg )1 of crude protein and 14 KJ g )1 of metabolizable energy, proved to be optimal for juvenile yellowfin seabream.KEY WORDS

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