The action of pyrethroids in the insect central nervous system. I. Features of molecular structure associated with toxicity to cockroaches and to their giant fibre axons

To investigate relationships between the molecular structure of pyrethroids and their mode of action, toxicities to adult male Periplaneta americana by topical application and injection were compared with toxicities to their giant fibre nerve axons. From the tests against intact insects it was concluded that: (i) although ED₅₀S ranged from 0.04 to 65 μg/insect, each compound was equally toxic, with one exception, when administered by either route; (ii) esters of (1 R)-cis- were more toxic than esters of the corresponding (1 R)-trans-3-substituted-2, 2-dimethylcyclopropanecarboxylic acids; (iii) α-cyano-3-phenoxybenzyl esters were more toxic than the corresponding 3-phenoxybenzyl esters; (iv) changes in the alcoholic component of some compounds (particularly trans-isomers of esters of 5-benzyl-3-furylmethanol and esters of α-cyano-3-phenoxybenzyl alcohol) affected a recovery phase in their ED₅₀/time curves more than changes in the acid component; (v) the amount of recovery was positively correlated with molecular polarity. The concentration required to decrease the amplitude of the action potential of giant fibres by 30% in 1 h ranged from 0.26 μM for the most active compound to 100 μM for the least active. There was no clear relationship between neurotoxicity and toxicity to whole insects and little association between neurotoxicity and features of molecular structure. Neurotoxicity was, however, positively correlated with polarity. Giant fibre axons seem unlikely to be critical sites of action of pyrethroids.     

Photodegradation of fenarimol

The photodegradation of aqueous alcoholic solutions of fenarimol at λ ≥ 250 nm has been examined. UV irradiation of an aqueous methanolic solution for 24 h yielded two photoproducts, identified as 2,4′‐dichlorobenzil and p‐chlorobenzoic acid, while irradiation of a solution in aqueous isopropanol yielded p‐chlorobenzoic acid and two additional products identified as 2,4′‐dichlorobenzophenone and o‐chlorobenzoic acid. A mechanism for the formation of the photoproducts is suggested. © 2000 Society of Chemical Industry     

6种染色方法对黄瓜霜霉病菌不同发育阶段的染色效果比较

 比较了Calcofluor、苯胺蓝、荧光素钠3种荧光染色方法和曲利苯兰酒精-乳酚酸、考马斯亮兰和苯胺蓝组织透明染色法对黄瓜霜霉病菌不同生长发育阶段的染色效果。结果表明,在一定的染液浓度和pH值条件下,3种荧光染色方法均可进行孢子囊、休止孢、芽管、附着胞、孢囊梗等寄主组织外部菌体的原位染色,其中Calcofluor染色方法更稳定、简捷和易于观察。曲利苯兰组织透明染色法能观察黄瓜霜霉病菌的整个生长发育阶段,但该法更适宜胞间菌丝及吸器的染色。     

Induced expression of sucrose synthase and alcohol dehydrogenase I genes in phytoplasma-infected grapevine plants grown in the field

Interaction between phytoplasma and grapevine at the physiological level is still poorly understood, as are plant defence mechanisms against the pathogen. This study investigates the level of gene expression of three selected genes in a large number of grapevine plants belonging to six disease/cultivar groups (healthy Chardonnay, Bois noir-infected Chardonnay, Flavescence dorée-infected Barbera and Prosecco, and recovered Barbera and Prosecco). All plants were grown in vineyards in uncontrolled conditions in order to represent the physiology of disease as accurately as possible. Sucrose synthase was significantly upregulated in infected plants of all cultivars with the lowest P -values in cvs Chardonnay and Prosecco ( P  < 0·001) and median fold-change around 2. This clearly indicates that carbohydrate metabolism changed in infected compared to healthy or recovered plants. Alcohol dehydrogenase I was significantly upregulated in infected relative to healthy Chardonnay plants ( P  < 0·05) indicating that alcoholic fermentation, a sign of hypoxic conditions, was induced in infected plants. Heat shock protein 70 was upregulated in infected compared to recovered plants only in cv. Prosecco. Linear discriminant analysis showed that classification of samples into disease status groups based on gene expression was highly accurate (82%), indicating that the response of field-grown plants to phytoplasma infection at the level of expression of selected genes was so intensive and uniform that it was possible to detect it in grapevine plants regardless of natural variables.     

草莓品种对白粉病菌抗性的组织病理学研究

以4个生产上主栽草莓品种为试材,采用曲利苯兰透明染色法,系统研究了草莓白粉病菌在不同抗性草莓品种上侵染过程的组织学特征。结果表明,草莓白粉病菌的侵染过程可分为：分生孢子萌发、附着胞形成、侵入寄主产生吸器、菌丝扩展和分生孢子链产生。而草莓不同品种对白粉菌的抗性表现在附着胞产生后的各侵染阶段,随品种抗病性增强,病菌侵入率降低,吸器数目减少,菌丝扩展缓慢,分生孢子数目减少。     

Comparison of Puccinia graminis f.sp. tritici from South America and Europe

Twenty isolates of Puccinia graminis f.sp. tritici from South America were compared with 19 from Europe using virulence, isozymes and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. The isozyme and virulence patterns for these isolates were also compared with those of 11 isolates representative of the common race clusters in North America. All three types of marker showed a level of similarity between the South American and European isolates comparable with that between isolates from the same continent. The average similarity coefficients between the South American and European isolates were 0.65 for virulence, 0.67 for isozymes, and 0.70 for RAPD markers. Among South American isolates the values were 0.63 for virulence, 0.64 for isozymes and 0.72 for RAPDs. For the South American and European isolates, correlation between the similarity matrices based on RAPDs and on isozyme markers, respectively ( r  = 0.52), was higher than that between the RAPD and virulence matrices ( r  = 0.32) or between isozyme and virulence matrices ( r  = 0.16). The North American isolates had a comparable level of similarity for virulence and isozymes to both the South American and European populations. There was no clear distinction between the South American, North American and European isolates, which is consistent with the hypothesis that these populations may have had a common origin.     

Metabolism of permethrin isomers in American cockroach adults,house fly adults,and cabbage looper larvae

Forty-two insect metabolites of [1RS,trans]-and [1RS,cis]-permethrin are tentatively identified in studies with Periplaneta americana adults, Musca domestica adults, and Trichoplusia ni larvae involving administration of ¹⁴C preparations labeled in either the alcohol or acid moieties. The less-insecticidal trans isomer is generally metabolized more rapidly than the more-insecticidal cis isomer, particularly in cabbage looper larvae, and metabolites retaining the ester linkage appear in larger amount with cis-permethrin. Although the dichlorovinyl group effectively blocks oxidation in the acid side chain, the permethrin isomers are metabolized by hydrolysis and hydroxylation at the geminal-dimethyl group (either trans- or cis-methyl substituent) and the phenoxybenzyl group (predominantly at the 4′-position in all species but also at the 6-position in house flies). The alcoholic and phenolic metabolites are excreted as glucosides, and the carboxylic acids are excreted as glucosides and amino conjugates (glycine, glutamic acid, glutamine, and serine) with considerable species variation in the preferred conjugating moiety.     

Elicitation of resistance responses in grapefruit and lemon fruits treated with a pomegranate peel extract

The defence responses of grapefruit and lemon to treatment with pomegranate extract (PGE) were investigated. PGE, an alcoholic extract from pomegranate peel, was recently proposed as a means of effective alternative control against postharvest rots. In in vivo experiments, a significant reduction of rots caused by Penicillium digitatum and P. italicum was achieved on artificially inoculated fruits without direct contact between PGE and pathogens. On lemons both pathogens were completely inhibited by PGE at 12 g dry matter L^?1 applied 12 and 24 h before the pathogen but a significant reduction of rots was also achieved by inoculating the pathogen immediately after PGE (0 h), indicating a very quick activation of defence responses. Lower, but significant, reductions were also obtained on grapefruits. An increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) activity, reaching its peak after 24 h, was observed, in agreement with in vivo efficacy trials. Similarly, the expression of five genes involved in activation of defence responses in plants (CHI, CHS, MAPK, MAPKK and PAL) increased following PGE application. Based on the results of the present study, the high efficacy demonstrated for PGE in previous studies can be partially attributed to the induction of resistance in host tissues.     

Genetic evidence for natural hybridization between the Dutch elm disease pathogens Ophiostoma novo-ulmi ssp. novo-ulmi and O. novo-ulmi ssp. americana

The Dutch elm disease pathogen Ophiostoma novo-ulmi is separated into subspecies novo-ulmi , formerly known as the Eurasian (EAN) race, and subspecies americana , formerly known as the North American (NAN) race. Both subspecies occur in Europe, and hybrids between them are suspected to have emerged in parts of Europe where their ranges overlap. Authenticated isolates of both subspecies were examined in order to determine whether fixed mutations occur in the cerato-ulmin ( cu ) and in the colony type gene ( col1 ). One and six mutations were detected between subspp. novo-ulmi and americana in cu and col1 , respectively. The mutation in cu and one mutation in col1 proved to be located within restriction sites, and were used for PCR-RFLP. This method provides a quick and reliable diagnostic method to differentiate the two subspecies. Seven isolates of O. novo-ulmi from Austria were suspected to be hybrids between subspp. novo-ulmi and americana , and were tested by PCR-RFLP of their cu and col1 genes. Two of the suspected hybrids from Austria (isolates AT73 and AT146) had the cu PCR-RFLP profile of ssp. americana and the col1 PCR-RFLP profile of ssp. novo-ulmi . Furthermore, a ssp. novo-ulmi tester isolate from Poland (P150) showed a similar hybrid pattern. This is the first evidence revealing recombination between two genes and thus hybridization between the two subspecies of O. novo-ulmi in nature.     

Some studies on the competition between Avenu fatua L. and spring barley.II. Variation of A. fatua emergence and development and its influence on crop yield.

The emergence and development of A fatua were studied in 23 spring barly fields in 1972 and nine in 1973 nautarally infested with yhe weed. Emergence occurred up to the four-leaf stages of the crop. The mean number of days from drilling to 50% emergence of A fatua plants was 22 in 1972 and 36 in 1973.The majority of seeds were shed by early emerging plants in 1972, 79% and in 1973. 59% of A fatua plants had emerged by the two-leaf stage of the crop and these plants produced 97 and 89% respectively of all the seed shed. In both years, A fatua plants emerging before the crop produced five times as many seeds per plant as those emerging between the crop two and three-leaf stages. The earliest emerging plants were also the heaviest and had most stems per plant.In both years there was a significant relationship between the density of A fatua plants in the crop in spring and their mortality.A large variation occured between the sites in the number of A fatua plants that emerged by a given crop leaf stage. In 1973.insufficient numbers of sites were investigatesd to derive a relationship between time to A fatua emergence and crop yield loss, but in 1972, a given density of A fatua plants emerging at an early stage caused agreater crop yields loss than the same density emerging later. This was also evident to aleser extent in data derived from a similar series of 15 experiments in 1971.     

Identification and Characterisation of Bacteria Causing Soft-rot in Agave tequilana

Agave tequilana is the raw material for the production of the alcoholic beverage tequila. A bacterial disease has affected the A. tequilana crop in recent years. Previous reports based on colony and cell morphology, Gram stain and potato rot indicated that Erwinia sp. is the main pathogen. We isolated a several bacterial isolates capable of producing soft-rot symptoms in greenhouse pathogenicity assays. An extensive characterisation involving pathogenicity tests, fatty acid profile, metabolic and physiological properties, ribosomal DNA sequence and intergenic transcribed spacer amplification (ITS-PCR) and restriction banding pattern (ITS-RFLP) was made of each isolate. Three different species: Erwinia cacticida, Pantoea agglomerans and Pseudomonas sp. were identified. Fatty acid and metabolic profiles gave low similarity values of identification but 16S rDNA sequence, ITS-PCR and ITS-RFLP confirmed the identification of E. cacticida. In the phylogenetic tree, E. cacticida from blue agave was grouped neither with E. cacticida type strains nor with Erwinia carotovora. This is the first report that associates E. cacticida with A. tequilana soft-rot symptoms.     

Characterization of the structure-activity relationship of kdr and two variants of super-kdr to pyrethroids in the housefly (Musca domestica L.)

Structure-activity relationships (SARs) for 10 pyrethroids against susceptible, kdr and super-kdr strains of houseflies (Musca domestica L.) were investigated by Principal Components Analysis. In the three strains with kdr_Latina' all only slightly to moderately (2.6 to 26-fold) resistant to pyrethroids, no correlation between the structure and Levels of resistance could be discerned. In flies with super-kdr, SARs were influenced by the nature of the alcoholic portion of the ester. Resistance was strongest to esters of a-cyano-3-phenoxybenzyl alcohol (74 to 430-fold) and to permethrin (48 to 55-fold). It was weak (6.2 to 11-fold) to cyclopentenone derivatives, being barely stronger than for flies with kdr (2-6 to 6.3-fold). Two variants of super-kdr (3D and A2) were distinguished on the basis of their differential response to esters of 5-benzyl-3-furylmethanol. It is presumed that kdr_Latina, super-kdr_A2 and super-kdr_3D form an allelic series in which kdr_Latina represents ground level insensitivity, and the two super-kdrs the progressive extension of strong resistance to more types of ester. The strong differences in resistance to different pyrethroid esters by super-kdr flies provides scope for improving management of resistance to pyrethroid insecticides and for modifying the SAR of pyrethroids to favour weak resistance.     

Attempted somatic hybridization of Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici and P. striiformis f. sp. hordei

Attempts were made to produce somatic hybrids between isolates of Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici and f. sp. hordei. A mixed infection was produced on a common susceptible barley host, Fong Tien, using white-spored isolates of P. striiformis f. sp. tritici and yellow-spored isolates off. sp. hordei. Selection was made for non-parental spore colour on selective wheat and barley hosts, and variants thus isolated were analysed for virulence markers, and for isozyme and double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) markers, all of which clearly differentiated the parental isolates. Two white-spored (non-parental) isolates were found on the selective barley host which otherwise resembled the parental f. sp. hordei isolate in virulence, isozyme and dsRNA markers. The most likely explanation of the origin of these isolates is mutation to white spore colour in the f. sp. hordei isolate.     

Short soaking in water inhibits germination of Datura ferox L. and D. stramonium L. seeds

Summary. Seed coat structures may play a major role in determining the germination of seeds. The involvement of seed coat characteristics in the inhibition of germination observed when dry seeds of Datura ferox L. and D. stramonium L., were rinsed or soaked in water for 1–5 min ('soaking effect') was investigated. Germination was inhibited by soaking D. ferox seeds even at late stages of the germination process up to one day before root protrusion. Simulation of the 'soaking effect' was achieved by blocking the hilum with lanolin, enamel lacquer or agar during imbibition. Blocking the hilum did not prevent water uptake by the seeds. Seed coat integrity was necessary for the 'soaking effect' since germination inhibition was eliminated by removing or cracking the seed coat. Drying the seeds up to 12 h after soaking reversed the inhibitory effect. SEM observations of both species revealed a loose outer parenchymatous tissue covering the hilum, an inner spongy tissue between the nucellus and the hilum and a space between the seed coat and the nucellus. We concluded that during soaking, water is trapped in the space between the seed coat and the nucellus, and in the intracellular spaces of the spongy tissue within the hilum. This water 'plug' may limit the diffusion of gas(es) to and from the embryo through the hilum, thus inhibiting germination.     

Vegetative compatibility and heterokaryon stability in Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. radicis-lycopersici from Italy

Fusarium crown and root rot, caused by Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. radicis-lycopersici ( Forl ), is one of the most destructive soilborne diseases of tomato in Italy. Chlorate-resistant, nitrate-nonutilizing ( nit ) mutants were used to determine vegetative compatibility among 191 isolates of Forl collected in five geographic regions (Calabria, Emilia-Romagna, Liguria, Sardinia, Sicily) in Italy. The isolates were assigned to five vegetative compatibility groups (VCGs): 65 isolates to VCG 0090; 99 to VCG 0091; 23 to VCG 0092; two to VCG 0093; and two to VCG 0096. The population structure of Forl in Italy is similar to that reported for Israel, and differs from that found in North Atlantic European countries, where VCG 0094 is predominant. The stability of prototrophic heterokaryons originating from hyphal anastomosis between compatible complementary nit mutants was assessed through conidial analysis and mycelial mass transfer. Most monoconidial cultures (84%) recovered from 117 prototrophic heterokaryons were nit mutants, indicating that heterokaryons generally do not proliferate well through conidiation; most of the 177 prototrophic heterokaryons examined were unstable, and only 9% sustained prototrophic growth through the tenth mycelial transfer upon subculturing. The prototrophic growth is proposed to be maintained through restoration of the heterokaryotic state by continual anastomosis between adjacent homokaryotic hyphae. Since heterokaryosis is a prerequisite for parasexual recombination, we speculate that this mechanism is unlikely to play a major role in generating the VCG diversity found among Forl or other strains of F. oxysporum.     

Variation in the resistance of barley cultivars and in the pathogenicity of Drechslera teres f. sp. maculata and D. teres f. sp. teres isolates from France

Isolates of Drechslera teres that cause net or spot-type symptoms on barley ( Hordeum vulgare ) were collected in 1986 and 1987 from fields in different regions of France. Variations in pathogenicity were evaluated using 12 barley cultivars. The Middle-Eastern cultivars Arrivate and 79-S10-10 were resistant to all isolates except R5 and S5. The Ethiopian cultivar C1 5791, previously reported to be resistant, was susceptible to the R5 and S5 biotypes. There was a high correlation coefficient between the classification of cultivars for resistance to D. teres f. sp. teres and D. teres f. sp. maculata. A method for conserving the virulence of the isolates on straw is evaluated. The virulence level of the isolates was the same after 4 years of storage using this method.     

Competitive growth of Echium plantagineum L. and Trifolium subterraneum L.

Echium plantagmeum is a widespread, persistent, and often dominant votunteer species in southern Australia. In pastures. it commonly grows with Trifolium subterraneion. This paper describes glasshouse studies investigating the effects of soil fertility. plant density. sward composition, defoliation frequency. and delayed estabilishment of t. subserraneum on the growth of E. pluntagineum and T. subterraneum when grown in pure swards and in mixtures. Generally. herbage production of swards was increased by the presence of E. plantagineum. the addition of nutrogen and phosphorus fertilizers, and increasing density, It was decreased by defoliation. E. pluntagineum plants generally produced more shoots and roots than did T. subterraneum. Both species responded. E. plantiagineum generally more than T. subterraneum. to added phosphorus and nitrogen fertilizers. Both species showed a non-linear reduction in plant size as plant density of the sward was increased. especially during early growth. E. plantagineum was, however. more plastic in its response to density than T. subterraneum. Defoliation reduced the plant weight of both species. more for E. plantagineum than for T. subterraneum. In mixtures. there was little competition between the two species during early growth. when swards were defoliated and when both species established at the same time. T. subserraneum was, howerver. sometimes suppressed during later growth if swards were undefoliated. if soil fertility was high. and if E. plantaginteum established before t. subserraneum. Such competition appeared to be between shoots rather than between roots. In the field. E. plantagineum is likely to be fovoured in undergrazed situations, where soil fertility is high and when false or early seasonal breaks allow it to establish earlier than t. subterruneum. Its high productivity under a wide range of pasture situations - especially in autumn and winter when pasture availability is ofter critically low and the fact that it is relatively nutritious and readily eated by stock suggest that it is a useful pasture species.     

Independent and joint biological activity of isomeric forms of synthetic pyrethroids

Various isomeric mixtures of pyrethroids were examined in topical application tests against houseflies, Musca domestica. On the basis of the activities of the separate isomers of 5-benzyl-3-furylmethyl (±)-cis,trans-chrysanthemate, it was shown that when combined in pairs to give the (±)-trans or (±)-cis or (+)-cis,trans mixtures the observed mortalities did not differ from those expected by simple additive action calculated by the harmonic mean. In contrast the (±)-cis,trans mixture showed considerable antagonism with a mortality only 60% of that expected. Similar evaluations using the separate and combined isomers of bioallethrin [(R,S)-3-allyl-2-methyl-4-oxocyclopent-2-enyl (allethronyl) ( + )-trans-[(1R,3R)-chrysanthemate] and the corresponding (+)-cis-(1R,3S)-chrysanthemate indicate antagonism calculated to be correlated with the content of the (R)-isomer of the alcoholic moiety. Hence the activity of the most active isomer of the “allethrin” series, (S)-3-allyl-2-methyl-4-oxocyclopent-2-enyl ( + )-trans-(1R,3R)-chrysanthemate, (S)-bioallethrin, is not fully realised unless it is present in pure form and a substantial part of the value of bioresmethrin (5-benzyl-3-furylmethyl ( + )-trans-chrysanthemate] as a killing agent is lost when the racemic form is used. In racemic mixtures there is mutual antagonism between pairs of isomers so that considerable masking of activity occurs.     

Clonality and long-distance migration of Puccinia striiformis f.sp. tritici in north-west Europe

The biotrophic fungus Puccinia striiformis f.sp. tritici , a basidiomycete that causes yellow rust on wheat, is spread by wind-dispersed spores. Analysis of amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) variation showed that the fungus frequently migrates between the UK, Germany, France and Denmark. There is no biological evidence for sexual or parasexual reproduction under natural conditions, and this was supported by the lack of recombination, as revealed by AFLP, over the time and area represented by the samples in this study. A phylogeographic analysis revealed that there was effectively a single, clonal population in the four countries, up to 1700 km apart, consistent with a 'continent-island' model in which Denmark is the recipient of migrants from other countries. In five cases, specific pathogen clones were dispersed between the UK and Denmark, and on at least two recent occasions clones were also spread from the UK to Germany and France, causing outbreaks of yellow rust on wheat cultivars that were previously resistant to the disease in these countries. The agronomic consequences of migration were enhanced because of the limited genetic diversity for yellow rust resistance in wheat cultivars in the area. These results demonstrate that long-distance migration of pathogen clones, coupled with low diversity in the host species, may cause previously useful resistance genes to become ineffective for disease control on a continental scale.     

美国出境旅游市场特征及旅华美国市场拓展对策研究

美国是世界出游大国,同时也是我国第一大远程客源国和第四大入境旅游客源国,在我国入境旅游市场中占据着举足轻重的地位。文中运用2001-2010年美国出境旅游市场统计数据,采用季节变动指数、地理集中指数和首位度、位序-规模分布等理论,通过对美国出境旅游市场规模变化、季节分布、全球流向分布及在中国和亚洲其他国家之间分配特征的研究,提出拓展旅华美国市场的对策。研究发现美国出境旅游市场具有以下特征:1)出境旅游市场规模大且持续增长,但是受国内和国际危机事件影响显著;出境旅游旺季在3月、6月、7月和12月,最主要的出境旅游目的地是墨西哥、加拿大和欧洲,亚洲虽非美国人的主要旅游目的地,但其占美国出境市场的份额逐年上升;2)美国人在亚洲旅游的主要目的地包括日本、中国大陆、印度、中国香港、韩国、中国台湾等6个国家和地区;3)中国大陆对美国出境市场的旅游吸引力持续上升,日本对美国市场的垄断地位开始动摇,但仍是中国大陆最大的竞争对手。最后,根据研究结论提出旅华美国市场的拓展对策。