Temperature effect on seed germination,seedling root development and growth of several vegetables

Experiments were conducted to study the effect of temperature and nutrition on seed germination and plant growth of different plant species. The nutrition studies of vegetables showed a normal response to fertilization rates on deficient soils at temperatures above their critical minimum. At soil temperatures below this little or no response was obtained to increased P concentration. Plant growth as affected by soil temperature was studied on beans, corn, cucumber, eggplant, pea, pepper, radish, spinach, and watermelon. Growth of peas, radish and spinach was significantly reduced by soil temperatures 10°C or lower. Corn growth was restricted when soil temperatures were maintained in the range of 12.3–14.5°C or lower, while growth of bean, cucumber, eggplant, pepper and watermelon was limited when soil temperatures were maintained in the 16.7–18.9°C temperature range or lower.     

Woodland and floral richness boost bumble bee density in cranberry resource pulse landscapes

Landscape Ecology - Native pollinators provide an important ecosystem service for many pollination-dependent fruit crops, but require nesting and foraging resources in proximity to target crop...     

Duration of the persistent activity of moxidectin against Haemonchus contortus in sheep

SUMMARY Weaned lambs were infected with Haemonchus contortus 35,28,21,14 and 7 days after treatment with moxidectin at 0.2 mg/kg and 35 and 14 days after treatment with ivermectin at the same dose rate. Worm counts 14 days after infection showed that moxidectin prevented the establishment of over 99% of infective larvae for 28 days and reduced the establishment rate at 35 days by 96%, relative to ivermectin. There was no difference in the protective efficacy of ivermectin at 14 or 35 days. The persistence of moxidectin is likely to provide advantages in nematode control, particularly when used as a strategic early summer treatment or as a pre-lambing treatment to ewes. Implications of the persistent activity of moxidectin for the development of resistance during the decay phase are discussed.     

Apparent digestibility of amino acids in raw and heated conventional and low-trypsin-inhibitor soybeans for pigs.

An experiment was conducted with ileally cannulated pigs to determine the apparent digestibility of amino acids and N in raw or heated conventional or low-trypsin-inhibitor soybeans. Six littermate barrows initially averaging 24 kg were fed cornstarch-based diets (10.5% CP, .68% lysine, 3,558 kcal of ME/kg) supplemented with raw (unheated), conventional soybeans; raw, low-trypsin-inhibitor soybeans; heated, conventional soybeans; heated, low-trypsin-inhibitor soybeans; or solvent-extracted soybean meal. Heating was achieved by autoclaving soybeans (after grinding) for 20 min at 110 degrees C. The urease activities of the two raw soybean sources were similar, but the trypsin inhibitor activity of the raw, low-trypsin-inhibitor soybeans was about one-half that of the raw, conventional soybeans. The lower trypsin inhibitor activity of the raw, low-trypsin-inhibitor soybeans was associated with an improvement in the apparent digestibility of amino acids and N compared with the raw, conventional soybeans (P less than .05). Heating reduced the urease and trypsin inhibitor activities and improved (P less than .05) the apparent digestibility of amino acids and N in both types of soybeans. However, the heated, conventional soybeans contained more trypsin inhibitor activity than the heated, low-trypsin-inhibitor soybeans and the digestibilities of the amino acids were lower (P less than .05). Although the urease and trypsin inhibitor activities of the two heated soybean sources were similar to or less than those of soybean meal, the digestibilities of amino acids were not as great (P less than .05) in the heated soybeans as in soybean meal.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Adenovirus precipitating antibodies in the sera of brush-tailed possums in New Zealand

Sera collected from the Australian brush-tailed possum Trichosurus vulpecula in New Zealand in 1975 and 1989 were tested for the presence of antibodies to adenovirus. Of the 231 sera tested in an agar gel diffusion test, eight (3.5%) had precipitating antibodies to the group specific antigen of mammalian adenoviruses. Available data allowed 99/231 sera to be classified as being obtained from either adult (total 62) or sexually immature (total 37) possums. From the adult animals, 4/62 (6.5%) sera were positive, while no reactive sera were detected among the 37 immature animals. The results provide evidence that natural infection by an adenovirus occurs in possums in New Zealand. Further work needs to be carried out to isolate this adenovirus to enable detailed serological and epidemiological studies to be performed. A species-specific possum adenovirus could have potential in the biological control of this species.