One of the main challenges faced by the oil palm industry is fruit abnormalities, such as the "mantled" phenotype that can lead to reduced yields. This clonal abnormality is an epigenetic phenomenon and has been linked to the hypomethylation of a transposable element within the EgDEF1 gene. To understand the epigenome changes in clones, methylomes of clonal oil palms were compared to methylomes of seedling-derived oil palms. Whole-genome bisulfite sequencing data from seedlings, normal, and mantled clones were analyzed to determine and compare the context-specific DNA methylomes. In seedlings, coding and regulatory regions are generally hypomethylated while introns and repeats are extensively methylated. Genes with a low number of guanines and cytosines in the third position of codons (GC3-poor genes) were increasingly methylated towards their 3' region, while GC3-rich genes remain demethylated, similar to patterns in other eukaryotic species. Predicted promoter regions were generally hypomethylated in seedlings. In clones, CG, CHG, and CHH methylation levels generally decreased in functionally important regions, such as promoters, 5' UTRs, and coding regions. Although random regions were found to be hypomethylated in clonal genomes, hypomethylation of certain hotspot regions may be associated with the clonal mantling phenotype. Our findings, therefore, suggest other hypomethylated CHG sites within the Karma of EgDEF1 and hypomethylated hotspot regions in chromosomes 1, 2, 3 and 5, are associated with mantling.

Parámetros genéticos de los días abiertos en ganado Charolais de Cuba Parâmetros genéticos dos dias vazios no gado Charolês de Cuba (Received: December 12, 2014; accepted: September 3, 2015) doi: 10.17533/udea.rccp.v29n1a02 Original Articles were considered. The WOMBAT program was used to estimate variance components. Three models were applied; an univariate model (UM) for each separate parity until the sixth calving; a repeatability model (RM) with all parities; and a random regression model (ARM) taking the number of calving as an independent variable. Results: the overall average for DO was 171 ± 93 days. The trend of the average value for DO in each calving was decreasing from the first to the tenth parity, with a seasonal performance around 155 days between the fourth and eighth calving. DO heritability estimated by UM was variable, with values of 0.03 for the first calving and 0.06 for the sixth. These variations cannot be observed with RM that estimated a heritability of 0.06. Values of 0.05 in the first calving until 0.07 in the tenth were estimated with ARM. Genetic correlations among DO for different parities were close to unity. Conclusions: changes of the estimated heritability for DO through the productive life of a female can be observed with ARM. The heritability estimates were low and did not differ from the results reported in other beef cattle breeds.

Como una alternativa para aprovechar las algas marinas del género Ulva spp, que se desarrollan en la bahía de La Paz, se realizó el presento trabajo en el cultivo de pepino, para observar las variables de calidad del fruto: diámetro, longitud, dureza y peso, a la aplicación de concentraciones del extracto del alga Uva spp, como biofertilizante. El experimento se realizó en el campo agrícola de la Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur. Para siembra se utilizaron bolsas de plástico de 20 cm de diámetro y 30 cm de altura, que se llenaron con una mezcla de suelo y arena de arroyo, con una proporción de 3:1, a las que se le adicionó 66.6 gr composta de borrego, equivalente a 10 ton ha-1. Los tratamientos fueron concentraciones del extracto de alga diluida en agua: 0, 15, 20, 25 y 30 ml L-1, distribuidos completamente al azar. El análisis estadístico no reflejo diferencias significativas entre los tratamientos, sin embargo, el tratamiento con mejor comportamiento a las variables largo, dureza y peso, correspondió al tratamiento que utilizó 25 ml L-1. En cuanto a la variable diámetro, el mayor correspondió al tratamiento de 20 ml L-1.