The two sibling species of fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster and D. simulans (Diptera: Drosophilidae), have long been used as the key model organisms in ecological and evolutionary research. While numerous studies have investigated the thermal responses of these two species, no study has yet systematically compared their response to dietary macronutrient balance. To fill this knowledge gap, we compared how various life-history traits expressed during larval development would response to an array of dietary ratio of protein to carbohydrate (P:C ratio) in these two sibling species. Largely consistent with previous studies, D. melanogaster took longer to complete their larval development and were much larger at adult emergence than D. simulans. For both species, an increase in dietary P:C ratio resulted in improved larval survivorship and faster development. However, the two species showed qualitatively different response to dietary P:C ratio when body mass at adult eclosion was concerned. The body mass of D. melanogaster peaked at an optimal P:C ratio of 1:4, but decreased as the P:C ratio either increased or decreased from this optimum. In marked contrast, the body mass of D. simulans was insensitive to dietary P:C ratio.

The yellow mealworm, Tenebrio molitor L. (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), is an important industrial insect commercially produced around the world as food and feed. Temperature and nutrition are the two most influential environmental factors determining the rearing conditions in insects, but little is known about how these two factors interact to affect the performance of T. molitor larvae. In this study, we investigated the combined effects of temperature and dietary protein:carbohydrate (P:C) ratio on key performance traits in T. moltior larvae. Throughout their larval stage, the insects were reared on one of 36 treatment combinations of six temperatures (19, 22, 25, 28, 31, 34 °C) and six protein:carbohydrate ratios (P:C = 1:5, 1:2, 1:1, 2:1, 5:1, 1:0) and their survivorship, development, growth rate, and pupal mass were monitored. Survivorship was high at low temperatures (< 25°C) and high P:C ratios (>1:1), but decreased with increasing temperature and decreasing P:C ratio. Increase in rearing temperature accelerated larval development but resulted in a reduced pupal mass. Thermal optimum for pupal mass (19.3°C) was thus lower than that for development time (28.1°C). The growth rate was maximized at 27.9°C and P:C 1.65:1 and decreased as both the temperature and the P:C ratio deviated from their optimum. All four key performance traits (survivorship, development time, pupal mass, growth rate) were optimized at temperatures between 25.7 and 27.4°C and P:C ratios between 1.17:1 and 2.94:1. Our data provide insights into how the production and nutritional value of T. molitor larvae can be improved through adjusting their rearing conditions.

There are many different types of cultivation in tomatoes for year-round production. One of them, semi-forcing cultivation is characterized by growing seedlings in winter season. If grafted seedlings are used in winter season that energy cost can be reduced, because they have tolerance to cold stress. This study was conducted to analyze the rootstock performance by measuring the growth, yield, and leaf-macronutrient content of cherry tomatoes grown in semi-forcing hydroponics. Three domestic rootstocks ‘HSF4’, ‘21LM’, ‘21A701’, and a control cultivar ‘B-blocking’ were grafted onto jujube-shaped cherry tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.) commercial cultivar ‘Nonari’. The total yield per plant with grafted cherry tomato ‘21A701’ was 3,387g, which was 11%, 22% and 24% higher than the yield with ‘B-blocking’, non-grafted one and ‘HSF4’. The stem diameter of ‘21A701’ was thick with 8.26mm, whereas non-grafted one was thin with 7.23mm at 160 days after transplanting. The flowering position of ‘21LM’ was 34% and 47% higher than the flowering position of ‘B-blocking’ and non-grafted one at 153 days after transplanting. The NO3-N concentration in petiole sap of ‘21LM’ was the highest with 1,746mg·L-1 and non-grafted one and ‘HSF4’ were the lowest with 1,252mg·L-1 and 1,245mg·L-1 at 167 days after transplanting. The results indicated that rootstock/scion combinations in cherry tomatoes can affect the plant growth, yield, and the concentration of different NO3-N in leaves at the late growth stage. Both ‘21A701’ and ‘21LM’ have vigorous root system, which influence the growth and yield increased.

수경재배 시스템에서 이온선택성전극(ISE)를 이용하여 배액 내 칼륨, 칼슘, 질소 이온농도를 측정하고 배양액 조제알고리즘을 통해 부족농도를 보충하는 시스템을 개발하였다. 또한, ISE로 실시간 측정이 어려운 다량원소 중 미측정 이온에 대한 농도는 배액 내 다량원소 간 상관관계를 통해 예측하였다. 회수된 배액을 재사용하기 위해서는 배액의 이온농도 측정도 중요하지만 부족한 양을 어떻게 정확하게 공급해 줄 것인지도 중요하다. 부족 농도를 보충하기 위해 비료농축액을 사용하였으며, 회수된 배액 내 미측정된 다량원소 이온들의 농도를 예측하기 위해 상추 재배실험 을 통해 이온 크로마토그래피로 측정한 다량원소 간 관계를 분석하였다. PO4의 경우 전극을 이용하여 측정 가능한 다량원소 간의 상관관계는 결정계수 K=0.91, NO3=0.96, Ca=0.87로 모두 높은 관계를 나타내었다. 이 중 결정계수가 가장 높은 질산을 조제 알고리즘에 사용하였다. Mg의 경우 K=0.93, NO3=0.93, Ca=0.99로 셋 중 Ca와 가장 밀접한 관계를 보여 Ca를 조제 알고리즘에 사용하였다. SO4의 경우 K=0.86, NO3=0.97, Ca=0.95를 나타냈으며 결정계수가 가장 높은 NO3를 알고리즘에 적용하여 양액을 조제 하려고 했으나 해당 비료의 과잉공급이 발생하게 되어 Ca을 적용하여 양액을 조제 하였다. 알고리즘을 이용하여 조제한 결과 전체적으로 10% 내의 오차로 나타났지만 비료농축액 공급량 결정 시 투입되는 비료를 순차적으로 결정할 뿐만 아니라 특정 이온의 과잉 또는 부족 농도가 최소화될 수 있는 방향으로 알고리즘을 만들었기 때문에 NO3과 SO4에 대한 공급오차는 발생할 수밖에 없었다. 개발된 시스템의 성능을 평가하고자 재배실험에서 나온 배액과 제조된 양액을 비교하였고 K, Ca, NO3의 공급오차는 평균 ±10%내를 보여 예상치보다 다소 많은 오차를 보였지만 회수된 배액을 재조제하여 공급하였을 때 실제 작물재배에서 목표 농도를 유지할 수 있을 것으로 보였다. 하지만 보다 정밀한 제어를 위해 상추 생육단계별 이온흡수량 데이터베이스를 구축하여 조제알고리즘에 적용시켜 배양액을 공급할 수 있는 연구가 필요하다고 판단되었다.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between dietary macronutrient intakes and prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in Korean adults. Data were obtained from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2013-2017), and a total of 11,600 Korean adults (4,918 men, 6,682 women) aged 50 years and older were analyzed. The daily intakes and percentages of energy from carbohydrates or fat in men or women with MetS were significantly lower than in normal subjects, respectively. High carbohydrate or fat percentages were negatively associated with MetS based on adjusted odds ratios (OR) of 0.804 in men (p=0.034) and 0.820 in women (p=0.045), respectively. A high percentage of energy from carbohydrates was positively associated with reduced waist circumference, diastolic blood pressure, triglyceride and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol in men. On the other hand, a high percentage of energy from fat was positively related with elevated HDL cholesterol and reduced triglycerides in women. In conclusion, our study indicates that high carbohydrate or fat intake is associated with risk of MetS in Korean men or women aged 50 years and older, respectively. Further prospective studies are necessary to elucidate the association between macronutrient intakes and MetS among Korean adults according to age.

Most ectotherms mature at a larger body size in colder conditions. This negative relationship between developmental temperature and final body size is termed the temperature-size rule. In this study, we investigated how dietary protein:carbohydrate (P:C) balance modulates the fundamental relationship between temperature and body size in the final-instar caterpillars of Spodoptera litura. The magnitude and sign of the thermal reaction norm for body size were altered by the dietary P:C balance of the food eaten by caterpillars. The slope of the reaction norm was flat for caterpillars raised on a nutritionally balanced food (P:C = 1:1) but was negative for those on imbalanced foods (1:5 or 5:1). When allowed to self-compose their preferred diet, caterpillars preferred carbohydrate-rich food at higher temperatures. The negative impact of high temperature on body size was mitigated by such a temperature-driven shift in nutrient preference. This study highlights the importance of macronutrient balance as a key factor modulating the relationship between temperature and body size in insects.

Macronutrient balance has a strong influence on fitness in insects. Previous studies have revealed that altering the concentrations of yeast and sugar in the semi-synthetic diet has a profound impact on lifespan and fecundity in Drosophila melanogaster, indicating the role of dietary protein:carbohydrate (P:C) balance in determining these two key components of fitness. However, since yeast contains not only proteins but also other macro- and micronutrients, this lifespan-determining role of dietary P:C balance needs to be corroborated using a chemically defined diet. In this study, the effects of dietary P:C balance on lifespan and fecundity were investigated in female D. melanogaster flies on one of eight isocaloric synthetic diets differing in P:C ratio (0:1, 1:16, 1:8, 1:4, 1:2, 1:1, 2:1 or 4:1). Lifespan and dietary P:C ratio were related in a convex manner, with lifespan increasing to a peak at the two intermediate P:C ratios (1:2 and 1:4) and falling at the imbalanced ratios (0:1 and 4:1). Ingesting nutritionally imbalanced diets caused flies to start ageing earlier and senesce faster. Egg production increased progressively as the dietary P:C ratio rose from 0:1 to 4:1. Long-lived flies at the intermediate P:C ratios(1:2 and 1:4) stored a greater amount of lipids than those short-lived ones at the two imbalanced ratios (0:1 and 4:1). These findings provide a strong support to the notion that dietary P:C balance is a critical determinant of lifespan and fecundity in D. melanogaster.

Protein and carbohydrate are the two most important macronutrients that have profound impacts on fitness and demography in most insects. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of dietary protein:carbohydrate (P:C) balance and mating status on feeding behavior, longevity and fecundity in male and female mealworm beetles, Tenebrio molitor (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). In the first experiment, we measured the amount of protein and carbohydrate consumed by mated and unmated beetles of both sexes. Newly emerged beetles were allowed to mate for 24 h before they were simultaneously provided with two nutritional imbalanced but complementary synthetic diets (P:C =1:5 vs. 5:1) for 24 successive days. Mated females not only consumed significantly more nutrients but also exhibited a greater preference for protein than did mated males and unmated controls. In the second experiment, we determined longevity and fecundity from a total of 120 male and female beetles that were confined to feed on one of three no-choice foods differing in P:C balance (P:C=1:5,1:1 or5:1) throughout their entire lives. Fecundity was recorded as the total number of eggs laid by individual females until death. Both male and female beetles lived significantly longer and laid more eggs over the lifetime on a balanced diet (1:1) than on the two imbalance diets (1:5 and 5:1), suggesting that the Darwinian fitness was maximized when the diet was equally balanced in protein and carbohydrate. Mated male and female beetles had a shorter longevity compared to their unmated counterparts, indicating that there was a significant survival cost to mating in this insect.

Protein and carbohydrate are the two most important macronutrients that have profound consequences for the fitness of insects. Many insects are capable of balancing the intake of multiple nutrients to minimize the fitness costs associated with ingesting diets that are imbalanced with respect to protein and carbohydrate. It has been hypothesized that insects will redress the imbalance of their nutrient state through increasing the appetite for specific nutrients that are ingested in deficit. We tested this possibility using a mealworm beetle, Tenebrio molitor (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). Newly emerged beetles were confined to one of two nutritionally imbalanced foods that contained only protein or carbohydrate (P:C ratio = 0:42 and 42:0, expressed as % dry mass) for 16 days, after which they were given an opportunity to choose between two nutritionally imbalanced diets (0:42 versus 42:0). Over the first few days of the food choice, beetles that had previously experienced protein-limitation preferred protein to carbohydrate while the reverse was true for those that had experienced carbohydrate-shortage. Such contrasting patterns of diet preference observed between the two groups of beetles diminished subsequently as the insects recovered from nutrient imbalance. Our results provide strong support for the long-standing idea that attaining the right balance of nutrients is the main motive for foraging in insects.

An organic apple (Malus x domestica Borkh.) orchard was established to study the interaction effects of ground cover management systems (GMS) and nutrient sources (NS) on soil and tree nutrient status and tree growth. Trees received one of four GMS: 1) green compost (GC), 2) wood chips (WC), 3) shredded paper (SP), and 4) mowand- blow (MB). Across all GMS, one of three NS was applied: A) a commercial organic ferlilizer (CF), B) poultry Iitter (PL) ， and C) control (NF). Overall, GMS had greater effects on the variables than did NS. GC mulch supplied greater nutrients, followed by WC, SP, and MB mulches. SP trees had lower foliar [N] in the first two years than the GC and WC trees. GC- and WC-treated trees had larger trunk cross sectional area than the SP and MB trees.