Bioactivity of Six Plant Extracts on Adults of Demotispa neivai (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

Demotispa neivai Bondar (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) damage oil palm fruits, which makes it necessary to develop products to control this insect. The mortality, repellency, and antifeeding effects on adults of D. neivai of six plant extracts of Azadirachta indica A. Juss. (Sapindales: Meliaceae), Ricinus communis (L.) (Malpighiaes: Euphorbiaceae), Citrus sinensis Oesbek (Sapindales: Rutaceae), Nicotiana tabacum (L.) (Slanales: Solanaceae), Capsicum annuum (L.) (Solanales: Solanaceae), and Artemisia absinthium (L.) (Asterales: Asteraceae) were determined: 1) the lethal concentration LC_50-90, lethal time of D. neivai was evaluated after spraying the fruits of oil palm; 2) repellent effects of each ingredient were evaluated by calculating the index of repellency; 3) antifeeding effects with the rate of inhibition calculated between doses of 20 and 24 g/liter. The mortality of D. neivai was higher with the extracts Ci. sinensis, R. communis, N. tabacum, and Ca. annuum. The mortality of D. neivai increased in the first 72 hr in all treatments. The extracts of N. tabacum, Ca. annuum, and A. indica were more repellent to D. neivai that those of Ci. sinensis, Ar. Absinthium, and R. communis. Antifeeding effect was higher with Ci. sinensis and R. communis. The increased mortality of D. neivai by Ci. sinensis can be explained by the effect of this compound on the respiratory system of insects. Extracts of Ci. sinensis, R. communis, N. tabacum, and Ca. annuum repelled and caused mortality of D. neivai and, thus, can be used in integrate pest management programs of this pest in oil palm plantations.     

Field Performance and Essential Oil Production of Mycorrhizal Rosemary in Restoration Low‐Nutrient Soils

The establishment and growth of Rosmarinus officinalis L. under field conditions in two low‐nutrient‐content soils were evaluated, as well as the effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi on essential oil production. The reclamation was conducted in two experimental sites: a limestone quarry and a wasteland soil, both surrounded by Mediterranean vegetation. Mycorrhizal R. officinalis plants inoculated with different AM fungal isolates were used to revegetate the sites. Pre‐transplant inoculation with mycorrhizal fungi resulted in an increased survival of R. officinalis with similar results in both experimental areas. Mycorrhizal inoculation enhanced plant growth, increased essential oil yield and improved the establishment of plants under field conditions. The results indicate that the presence of the symbiosis can accelerate plant growth and alter the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, thus improving the yield of medicinal plant extracts. It also confirmed the importance of selecting plant/symbiont combinations adapted to the environmental constraints of low‐nutrient‐content soils to design a successful application of mycorrhizal technology in marginal soils. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The effect of crate height on the behavior of female turkeys during commercial pre‐slaughter transportation

Limited information is available on suitable height of transport crates for turkeys. We compared behaviors and physiological indicators of four groups of 10 female turkeys each confined in either conventional (38.5 cm height) or experimental (77 cm height) crates during six commercial pre‐slaughter transportations for 86 km (76 ± 4 min) along two tracts with one‐lane streets, crossroads, bends, roundabouts (S1 and S2) and a highway tract (H) between S1 and S2. Only 36% of birds in the higher crates maintained a standing position. In conventional versus experimental crates, the frequency of rising attempts was five/bird/hour versus less than one/bird/hour, while wing flapping was seven/bird/hour versus 20/bird/hour, and balance loss was one versus four/bird/hour. The behaviors of both groups differed significantly according to the route tract, with a lower frequency of stress‐related behaviors at H. No scratches, fractures or hematomas were detected in any birds after transportation. Crate height had no significant effect on hemato‐biochemical markers. These results suggest that crates enabling a standing position may increase potentially dangerous behaviors. Moreover, busy and curvy routes should be avoided, as they may contribute to increasing the frequency of stress‐related behaviors.     

Detection of the intranuclear microsporidian Enterospora nucleophila in gilthead sea bream by in situ hybridization

Enterospora nucleophila is an intranuclear microsporidian responsible for emaciative microsporidiosis of gilthead sea bream (GSB). Its minute size and cryptic nature make it easily misdiagnosed. An in situ hybridization (ISH) technique based on antisense oligonucleotide probes specific for the parasite was developed and used in clinically infected GSB in combination with calcofluor white stain (CW) and other histopathological techniques. The ISH method was found to label very conspicuously the cells containing parasite stages, with the signal concentrating in merogonial and sporogonial plasmodia within the infected cell nuclei. Comparison with CW demonstrated limited ISH signal in cells containing mature spores, which was attributed mostly to the scarcity of probe targets present in these stages. Although spores were detected in other organs of the digestive system as well as in the peripheral blood, proliferative stages or parasite reservoirs were not found in this work outside the intestines. The study demonstrated a frequent disassociation between the presence of abundant spores and the intensity of the infections as determined by the parasite activity. The ISH allows confirmatory diagnosis of GSB microsporidiosis and estimation of infection intensity and will be a valuable tool for a more precise determination of parasite dissemination pathways and pathogeny mechanisms.