La creixent importància de l'aqüicultura fa necessària la recerca per a la millora i abaratiment de les dietes per a la piscicultura, amb l'objectiu d'optimitzar el desenvolupament del sector de forma sostenible.Cal buscar alternatives a la farina i l'oli de peix, matèries primeres cada vegada més limitants, que s'han utilitzat tradicionalment en la formulació de pinsos per a peixos carnívors.S'han testat dietes experimentals amb diferents percentatges de reemplaçament de la farina de peix per fonts proteiques vegetals per a orada (Sparus aurata) i truita irisada (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Amb la finalitat d'ajustar la composició aminoacídica del pinso al perfil requerit per les espècies, es van utilitzar en les dietes de substitució, mescles d'ingredients vegetals i suplementació amb aminoàcids lliures. En experiències de creixement de dotze setmanes, el reemplaçament de la farina de peix va disminuir l'activitat total de les proteases digestives, suggerint la presència a la dieta de factors antinutricionals. En ambdues espècies, però, van aparèixer mecanismes de compensació, com l'increment de la longitud intestinal relativa, l'increment d'algunes activitats proteasa específiques, o el desplaçament de la capacitat d'absorció des de l'intestí proximal cap a zones intestinals distals. Aquests mecanismes compensatoris van permetre obtenir bones taxes de creixement amb substitucions de fins a un 75% de la farina de peix. Els animals alimentats amb dietes de substitució total van presentar una funció digestiva deteriorada i un creixement al voltant d'un 20% menor al dels animals alimentats amb la dieta basada en farina de peix.En l'orada es testà la substitució simultània de la farina de peix (75%) i de diferents percentatges d'oli de peix (33, 66 i 100%). L'administració de les dietes experimentals amb un 66% i un 100% d'oli vegetal durant deu setmanes va disminuir l'activitat enzimàtica digestiva, però la capacitat d'absorció d'aminoàcids no es va veure afectada. Només la dieta de doble substitució amb el reemplaçament total de l'oli de peix va afectar negativament el creixement. Es va estudiar l'efecte de la inclusió total d'oli vegetal en dietes amb diferent percentatge (50% i 75%) i origen de fonts proteiques vegetals. Les orades presentaren diferents patrons de regionalització de la capacitat d'absorció de nutrients al llarg del tracte intestinal segons les fonts proteiques utilitzades. El grup de menor substitució de la farina de peix presentà una activitat proteolítica digestiva més elevada i superior taxa de creixement.El síndrome d'hivern, malaltia que afecta a les orades en cultiu de la costa Nord-Mediterrània, té un origen multifactorial, i pot ocasionar importants pèrdues econòmiques en els mesos freds.S'han testat en orades pinsos comercials amb diferent percentatge de lípids (14 i 22%) com a dietes de preparació per a l'hivern. L'engreix durant 75 dies amb les dietes estudiades no afectà l'absorció de nutrients a nivell intestinal o els índexs de creixement. L'exercici moderat tampoc afectà aquests paràmetres. Es descarta que a baixes temperatures els animals rebutgin l'aliment degut a una incapacitat en l'absorció de nutrients, ja que tots els grups d'orades van respondre de manera similar a una situació prolongada de fred. / Fish meal and fish oil have traditionally been used in the diets for carnivorous fish species. This primary sources are now limited so alternatives need to be found. Experimental diets with different percentages of fish meal replacement by plant sources were tested in sea bream and rainbow trout. Feeds contained a mixture of ingredients that matched species amino acid requierements and were supplemented with free amino acids to avoid nutritional imbalances. In a 12-week growth trial, when up to 75% of the fish meal was replaced digestive protease activity fell and histological changes occurred, suggesting that antinutritional factors were present in the diets. However, compensation mechanisms (relative intestinal length increase, increase in some specific protease activities, or increased absorption in distal intestinal regions) appeared in both species, enabling good growth rates.The use of plant ingredients as the sole source of protein affected the efficiency of the digestive processes in both species. Fish showed a final weight decrease of around 20%.Replacement of 75% fish meal and different percentages of fish oil (33, 66 and 100%) was studied in sea bream. After 10 weeks the inclusion of over 66% of plant oil provoked a decrease in enzymatic activities, amino acid absorption capacities were not affected and only total fish oil replacement affected growth performance.Replacement of all the fish oil when 50 and 75% of fish meal was replaced by different plant sources was also tested. Sea bream showed different absorption patterns depending on the protein source used. In the group of low fish meal replacement digestive proteolytic activities were higher and growth rates were better.Sea bream can be affected by winter syndrome in some regions of the north mediterranean coast. Commercial diets with different percentages of lipids as diets to prevent it, did not affect intestinal nutrient absorption or growth performance. Moderate exercise did not affect the parameters. The refusal of feed at low temperatures is not related to nutrient absorption impairments, since all sea bream groups showed similar responses to a long, cold-induced situation.

The potential of hyperspectral proximal sensing to quantify sward characteristics important in making critical decisions on the management of sheep and dairy pastures in New Zealand has been investigated. Hyperspectral data were acquired using an ASD FieldSpec® Pro FR spectroradiometer attached to the Canopy Pasture Probe (CAPP). The CAPP was developed to enable the collection of in situ reflectance data from New Zealand pasture canopies independent of ambient light conditions. A matt white ceramic tile was selected as a reflectance standard to be used with the CAPP, after testing a variety of materials. Pasture reflectance factor spectra between 350-2500 nm (with spectral resolutions of 3 nm between 350-1000 nm and 10 nm between 1000-2500 nm) and pasture samples were collected from six hill country and lowland areas, across all seasons (August 2006 to September 2007) in a number of regions in the North Island of New Zealand. After pre-processing (e.g. spectral averaging, de-stepping, elimination of noisy wavelengths, smoothing) the spectral data collected from sites were correlated against pasture botanical composition (expressed as proportions of grass, legume and weed) and pasture nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium and sulphur) expressed in percentage of dry matter (%) and amount (kg ha-1) using partial least squares regressions (PLSR). The accuracy and precision of the calibrations were tested using either the full cross-validation leave-one-out method or testing datasets. Regressions were carried out using the reflectance factor data per se and after mathematical transformation, including first derivative, absorbance and continuum-removed spectra. Overall best results were obtained using the first derivative data. The quality of predictions varied greatly with the pasture attribute, site and season. Some reasonable results were achieved for the prediction of pasture grass and legume proportions when analysing samples collected during autumn (grass: R2 > 0.81 and SD/RMSEP 2.3 and legume: R2 > 0.80 and SD/RMSEP 2.2), but predicting pasture weed content was poor for all sites and seasons (R2 = 0.44 and SD/RMSEP = 1.2). The inaccurate predictions might be explained by the fact that the diversity found in the field and observed in the pasture spectral data was not taken into account in the pasture botanical separation. The potential for using proximal sensing techniques to predict pasture nutrients in situ was confirmed, with the sensing of pasture N, P and K increased by the procedure of separating the data according to the season of the year. The full potential of the technology will only be realised if a substantial dataset representing all the variability found in the field is gathered. The importance of obtaining representative datasets that embrace all the biophysical factors (e.g. pasture type, canopy structure) likely to affect the relat ionship, when building prediction calibrations, was highlighted in this research by the variance in the predictions for the same nutrient using different datasets, and by the inconsistency in the number of common wavelengths when examining the wavelengths contributing to the relationship. The ability to use a single model to predict multiple nutrients, or indeed individual nutrients, will only come through a good understanding of the factors likely to influence any calibration function. It has been demonstrated in this research that reasonably accurate and precise pasture nutrient predictions (R2 > 0.74 and SD/RMSEP 2.0) can be made from fresh in situ canopy measurements. This still falls short of the quality of the predictions reported for near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) for dried, ground samples analysed under controlled laboratory conditions

[Truncated abstract] A greater adoption of stubble retention, minimum-till and no-till farming practices for the purposes of conserving soil, water and fertility requires a greater understanding of the complexity of physical and chemical interactions between the soil and crop residues. There is currently insufficient knowledge to allow reliable predictions of the effects of different residue types in different environments on soil fertility and crop growth, owing to the many residue characteristics and environmental interactions that have been shown to affect decomposition or nutrient release. The role of fibre and nutrient composition in nutrient release from crop residues, and implications for residue management techniques, were studied. Canola, lupin and field pea residues, obtained from farmland in Meckering and Northam, Western Australia, were separated into upper and basal stems, leaves, and siliques or pods. This was done to provide materials with a wide range of chemical and physical characteristics, and also allowed consideration of differential residue management of plant organs, such as comparing harvested canola siliques and retained canola stubble. Pre-treatment by chopping and/or humidification was applied to residues to provide some information about the processes of nutrient release. Residues were subjected to simulated rainfall to assess nutrient leaching from plant material, and placed on soil in pots in constant-temperature glasshouse conditions to assess decomposition. Amounts and rates of change of residue fibre and nutrients were determined throughout leaching and decomposition. Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) microanalysis was used to assess the location of diffusible ions in air-dried residues and the effects of humidification on nutrient positioning and release. ... However, the release of calcium and magnesium depended on the decomposition of the more recalcitrant components such as cellulose and lignin, as supported by microscopy results showing changes in nutrient distribution following humidification. The proportionality of amounts of calcium and magnesium leached and released during decomposition is likely to suggest a similarity of chemical form more than similarity of function or position of the two elements. Management of crop residues for maximising and optimising the timing of release of different nutrients will need to take into account the placement of different plant types and parts, particle sizes distribution and pre-treatment of material to efficiently manage short- and long-term soil fertility to sustain crops, particularly on degraded soils. Significant nutrient release of potassium, sulphur and magnesium from crop residues can be achieved from surface placement, with the release of potassium and sulphur managed by modifying residue particle size through appropriate harvesting, ploughing or sowing implement selection. High nutrient uptake crops and plant parts –where they can be economically viable to grow or separated by the harvesting technique – are particularly valuable as sources of nutrients and soil organic matter.

[Truncated abstract] Most of Australia, and large areas of many other continents, is drained by intermittent rivers and streams, however comparatively few biogeochemical studies have been completed for these systems. Intermittent, dryland streams are highly dynamic environments subject to unpredictable and sporadic flow. Natural disturbance from lengthy drought periods and sudden floods are typical for these systems. Without adequate baselines for natural disturbances, it is difficult to quantify other effects from anthropogenic disturbance such as dewatering, land clearing, and urbanisation, or climate change. This thesis presents work from a four-year study examining the biogeochemistry of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and carbon (C) in soils and sediments of two intermittent streams (Barnett Creek and Pirraburdoo Creek) in the Pilbara region of north-west Australia. The Pilbara is an area of ancient geology and highly weathered environments that is undergoing rapid development yet is poorly understood from an ecological perspective. The principal objectives of this thesis were to determine: i) how flooding affects the spatiotemporal patterns of nutrients in intermittent stream landscapes; ii) the role of flooding in N and C mineralisation and microbial dynamics; and iii) the connections between benthic algae, microbes and nutrient availability in channel sediments. To address these objectives, three field studies and two incubation experiments were conducted. Field studies at Barnett Creek indicated that flooding reduced the spatial heterogeneity of available soil nutrients and microbes in the stream landscape, and that topography (relative elevation) in the stream landscape was of less importance in influencing nutrient and microbial patterns than flooding or landscape position. ... Field studies at Pirraburdoo Creek indicated that microbial biomass and activity increased in benthic algal mats during mat senescent stages, and decreased after flooding when mat biomass peaked. Benthic algae grew rapidly in gravel run environments after flooding, while declining in pools, and demonstrated moderate N limitation and strong P limitation. Pools had two to eight times greater NO3-N, three to five times more total N, and two to three times more labile P, OC and total C than either pools after flooding, or runs before or after flooding. Hence, the pools at Pirraburdoo Creek represented a local, interflood store of nutrients in otherwise nutrient-poor landscape, when connectivity to upstream reaches or upland environments was weak or non-existent. This thesis provides the first detailed analysis of soil and sediment biogeochemical responses to flooding for intermittent streams in the Pilbara region and for semi-arid Australia. Further pressing questions raised by this work include: What is the key pulse size and frequency for maintaining Pilbara riparian communities as well as soil microbial function? How do the spatio-temporal nutrient and microbial patterns observed persist over (i) multi-decadal scales, (ii) mega-spatial (larger landscape to regional) scales, (iii) different flood frequency-magnitude regimes, and (iv) different stream sizes? Stream biogeochemistry is a burgeoning field, and it is therefore reasonable to expect such existing gaps in knowledge may be addressed in the near future.

A range of Proteaceous shrubs and other nursery plants were grown in containers with soilless media and various N levels. Plants demonstrated a range of responsiveness. Supplying soilless media with Osmocote (26% N) and other short term fertilisers proved to be a satisfactory method of studying the comparative nutrition of a wide range of container grown nursery plants using factorial experiments incorporating N, P, K and lime. Nutrient response surfaces were obtained using a central composite incomplete block design. Most Proteaceous shrubs were intolerant of high P levels due to excessive luxury consumption resulting in toxic foliar nutrient levels, especially in the presence of high N. Phosphorus sensitivity in plants appeared to correspond with the soil nutrient levels in their native habitat. This applied to species studied in the 2 main sub-families in the Proteaceae while similar findings were indicated for other Australian genera. A range of optimum N requirements in the Proteaceae was found – lowest needs for Protea which also had the greatest tolerance of very low fertiliser additions, compared to Grevillea robusta with much higher N requirements and strong foliage growth inhibition if nutrient levels are very low. Proteoid root growth on Grevillea rosmarinifolia only occurred at low nutrient levels and was not required for satisfactory foliage growth of container grown plants. Pot plants and seedlings, especially tomato, responded strongly to N and often there were positive NK interactions influencing foliage growth. Lime requirements were studied and in erica increasing lime rates depressed foliage growth. Comparative nutrition studies indicate that general or broad spectrum container media may be unsuitable for some groups of nursery plants and that they could be replaced by potting mixes designed to meet the widely differing needs of the species often grown. The number of specialist mixes would depend on the range of plants and be governed by management considerations.

[Truncated abstract] Biogeochemical processes in seagrass sediments influence growth and nutrition of seagrasses. This thesis investigates the below-ground interactions between biotic and abiotic factors that influence seagrass nutrition and growth, with focus on a small species of seagrass, Halophila ovalis (R. Br.) Hook ƒ., from the Swan River Estuary, Western Australia. Seagrass showed significantly lower growth and an increase in leaf nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations with increased organic matter loading. With maximal light reduction, lower growth rates and average leaf weights were observed, and leaf nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations were higher. Light reduction was also shown to increase bioavailability of inorganic nutrients within porewater of seagrass sediment . . . Sulphide was hypothesised to have an inhibitory effect on nutrient uptake of Halophila ovalis. Below-ground sulphide inhibits the photosynthetic efficiency of photosystem II at sulphide concentrations greater than 1 mM. Sulphide exposure enhanced phosphate uptake, with no significant effect on ammonium uptake of H. ovalis. This thesis demonstrates that biogeochemical processes both constrain the potential growth of seagrasses and influence the nutrient status of seagrass tissue. Consideration of the influence of sulphide stress on seagrasses is likely to be particularly important for anthropogenically influenced aquatic systems, where inputs of organic matter are enriched relative to pristine ecosystems. A better understanding of biogeochemical processes will allow researchers to predict how future changes in sediment chemistry will influence seagrass meadows.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Uppsala : Sveriges lantbruksuniv. / Härtill 5 uppsatser.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Umeå : Sveriges lantbruksuniv., 2003. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

Diss. (sammanfattning). Umeå : Sveriges lantbruksuniv. / Härtill 5 uppsatser.

Lic.-avh. Umeå : Sveriges lantbruksUniversity. / Härtill 2 uppsatser.