Rapid vegetative propagation of conifers

Factors influencing the rooting-potential of stem cuttings of conifers were studied for the purpose of improving methods of rapid vegetative propagation. Within the bounds of hereditary limits, root regeneration depends, to a considerable extent, on the qualities of rooting-media, date of cutting excision, age and physiological conditions of the stock plant, age of the cutting-wood, its position on the plant, and chemical treatment. Hardwood cuttings, which have a relatively high content of endogenous auxin and carbohydrates, and morphological root initials, gave the best results. This method made it possible to increase the growth rate of cuttings 2.5–5 times that of cuttings taken from shoots of current growth.     

Development of a standard method for detection of potato spindle tuber viroid in potato plants

A standard test method for detecting viroids was designed, to be applied on imported plant material, for which a zero-tolerance exists in the Netherlands towards potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTV).Partial purification of nucleic acids after homogenizing leaf material with a Polytron homogenizer, followed by increasing the viroid concentration by inoculation of an intermediate tomato host, and complete purification of the small nucleic acids from the tops of these plants, followed by polyacrylamide gelectrophoretic analysis, proved successful. With this procedure, now used as a standard method, more samples could be handled than with other methods tested.Desalting by Sephadex filtration proved to be superior to dialysis. An attempt to develop a serological test for PSTV failed. Albinism, induced in PSTV-infected tomato plants by certain environmental conditions, was not of diagnostic value.

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Samenvatting Voor het viroïde, dat de aardappelspindelknolziekte veroorzaakt (ASKV) geldt in Nederland een nultolerantie. Al het geïmporteerde aardappelmateriaal wordt daarom getoetst op het voorkomen van het viroïde. Voor dat doel is een betrouwbare en, zo mogelijk, ook snelle toets noodzakelijk, die niet alleen secundaire infecties maar ook jonge, primaire infecties kan aantonen.Een standaardmethode, die werd ontwikkeld, bleek zeer betrouwbaar, hoewel niet snel. Zij toont meer infecties aan dan snellere methoden die in het buitenland beschreven zijn. De toets omvat de volgende stappen: 2–5 g bladmateriaal wordt vermalen en op het homogenaat wordt een eenvoudige nucleïnezuurextractie en-concentratie toegepast. Dit preparaat wordt gebruikt om vier jonge tomatezaailingen te inoculeren. Door deze zaailingen 4 weken onder optimale omstandigheden te houden wordt het eventueel aanwezige viroïde vermeerderd. Geeft tenminste één van de tomateplanten symptomen, dan wordt het oorspronkelijke monster ziek verklaard. Vertoont geen van de vier tomateplanten symptomen dan wordt een nucleïnezuurextractie uitgevoerd van de topjes van deze planten. Kleine nucleïnezuurmoleculen worden geïsoleerd, geconcentreerd en tenslotte geanaliseerd met behulp van polyacrylamide gelelektroforese.Om overdracht van het ene naar het andere monster te voorkomen werd voor het vermalen gebruik gemaakt van verwisselbare schachten bij de Polytron homogenisator.Ontzouten van de nucleïnezuurextracten met Sephadexfiltratie gaf betere resultaten en was sneller uitvoerbaar dan dialyse.Pogingen om een specifiek antiserum tegen ASKV te maken zijn niet gelukt. Onder onze omstandigheden was het ook niet mogelijk om op een betrouwbare manier albinisme in geïnfecteerde planten te induceren als middel om infecties met ASKV op te sporen.

     

Evaluation and comparison of acid-base findings obtained using the partial and Astrup's technic in cattle]

The aim of the study was to compare the acid-base (AB-) findings in cattle obtained parallelly by the equilibration method after Astrup and the partial method (titration determination of total carbon dioxide in blood plasma) and at the same time to determine pH, net acid-base exudate in urine and the specific weight of urine. Altogether we made 65 parallel examinations in three groups of cows according to phases of reproduction. In 70.8% of cases correlation between the two results was very good or good, however under the condition that in many cases it was necessary to know also blood pH for the employment of the partial method. Without the knowledge of the blood pH good correlation would be obtained only in 33.8% of all cases. The partial method does not provide satisfactory results mainly in diagnosing respiratory disturbances and in determining compensatory degree of acid-base disturbances. We analysed two alternative values for the top, reference limit of vol. % CO2 in plasma: 60.0 or 55.0. The results imply that from the aspect of correct partial method interpretation it is more accurate to use the value 60.0. A high interpretation correlation between pH and net acid-base urine exudate was also confirmed and that independent urine pH values may be used in a complex acid-base examination to obtain acid-base findings. The representation of the basic types of acid-base disturbances indicates that metabolical acidoses are most frequent in highly pregnant cows (36.9%) mostly without proved compensation. The largest proportion of normal acid-base findings (43.4%) was determined in cows after calving in which also the compensatory mechanisms were most often activated. In connection with these findings the possibilities of impaired health of calves are discussed.     

Determination of the dry matter disappearance and the crude protein degradability of the formaldehyde treated feeds in the rumen by in situ method

Sunflower cake (SC), horse bean (HB), and alfalfa meal (AM) were treated with rising doses of formaldehyde (F) from 0.0, 0.2 ... 2.0 g F per 100 g crude protein. We have followed the differences of crude protein solubility, its degradability and disappearance of dry matter in the rumen as well as the amount of reversible bonded F from the F dose. With AM it was found a significant influence of ADF on the degradability and on the amount of acid-labile bonded F and/or on the decrease of N solubility. From the total N content the share of soluble nitrogen decreased in SC by 31%, HB by 24%, and in AM only by 12.5%. With the increase of the F dose its protective effect on proteins against the degradability mainly in SC and HB also rose significantly. The degradability of AM protein was influenced more by the incubation time than by the effect of treatment. The degradability of the SC proteins fell from 95% with untreated to 27% treated with the maximum dose. With AM it fell slowly from 84% to 74% by the determination coefficient R2 = 0.77. It was observed a marked decrease in HB only from the dose of 1.28% F. The changes in dry matter disappearance were similar to the changes in crude protein degradability and to the changes of solubility in SC and AM. The in situ method proved very suitable for the determination of the extent of degradability of the feed proteins in the rumen.