Control of lice on cattle with dursban

Extract

A number of spray formulations of organophosphorus insecticides that kill both nymphal and adult stages of lice on cattle are available to the farmer. To achieve high levels of control, two applications of these materials 14 to 17 days apart are recommended. The second application controls nymphs emerging from eggs already present at the first application and unaffected by it.     

terraGIS – a web GIS for delivery of digital soil maps in cotton‐growing areas of Australia

Effective management of soil requires the spatial distribution of its various physical, chemical and hydrological properties. This is because properties, for example clay content, determine the ability of soil to hold cations and retain water. However, data acquisition is labour intensive and time‐consuming. To add value to the limited soil data, remote sensing (e.g. airborne gamma‐ray spectrometry) and proximal sensing, such as electromagnetic (EM) induction, are being used as ancillary data. Here, we provide examples of developing Digital Soil Maps (DSM) of soil physical, chemical and hydrological properties, for seven cotton‐growing areas of southeastern Australia, by coupling soil data with remote and proximal sensed ancillary data. A greater challenge is how to get these DSM to a stakeholder in a way that is useful for practical soil use and management. This study describes how we facilitate access to the DSMs, using a simple‐to‐use web GIS platform, called terraGIS. The platform is underpinned by Google Maps API, which is an open‐source development environment for building spatially enabled Internet applications. In conclusion, we consider that terraGIS and the supporting information, available on the sister web page ( http://www.terragis.bees.unsw.edu.au/ ), allow easy access to explanation of DSM of soil properties, which are relevant to cotton growers, farm managers, consultants, extension staff, researchers, state and federal government agency personnel and policy analysts. Future work should be aimed at developing error budget maps to identify where additional soil and/or ancillary data is required to improve the accuracy of the DSMs.     

ASAS Centennial Paper: animal science teaching: a century of excellence

Teaching has a long and varied history in the life of departments of animal science and the American Society of Animal Science. Some of the earliest reports from meetings of the society have strong indication that planning the curriculum was a prominent feature of the meetings. Teaching symposia were also included almost from the beginning. The society went through a lengthy period from the 1940s through most of the 1960s when teaching was not a prominent focus, but a symposium in 1968 appeared to be a catalyst for change, and, since that date, teaching has again been an important part of the meetings. In recent years, outstanding symposia and contributed papers have made the teaching section a vibrant entry. Departments of animal science have changed considerably since the early days in which "men taught boys" and the primary goal was to produce farmers. More female students, more urban students, interest in a wide variety of animals, and greatly diversified career goals have been emerging during the last few decades. Departments of animal science and the American Society of Animal Science are positioning to be able to respond to change and face the challenge of providing excellence in teaching during the next century.     

Tracking the long-term decline and recovery of an isolated population

Effects of small population size and reduced genetic variation on the viability of wild animal populations remain controversial. During a 35-year study of a remnant population of greater prairie chickens, population size decreased from 2000 individuals in 1962 to fewer than 50 by 1994. Concurrently, both fitness, as measured by fertility and hatching rates of eggs, and genetic diversity declined significantly. Conservation measures initiated in 1992 with translocations of birds from large, genetically diverse populations restored egg viability. Thus, sufficient genetic resources appear to be critical for maintaining populations of greater prairie chickens.     

Synthesis of large arrays of well-aligned carbon nanotubes on glass

Free-standing aligned carbon nanotubes have previously been grown above 700 degreesC on mesoporous silica embedded with iron nanoparticles. Here, carbon nanotubes aligned over areas up to several square centimeters were grown on nickel-coated glass below 666 degreesC by plasma-enhanced hot filament chemical vapor deposition. Acetylene gas was used as the carbon source and ammonia gas was used as a catalyst and dilution gas. Nanotubes with controllable diameters from 20 to 400 nanometers and lengths from 0. 1 to 50 micrometers were obtained. Using this method, large panels of aligned carbon nanotubes can be made under conditions that are suitable for device fabrication.     

Endophytic bacterial communities in the periderm of potato tubers and their potential to improve resistance to soil-borne plant pathogens

To evaluate whether the location of bacterial endophyte communities contributes to disease resistance in potato tubers ( Solanum tuberosum ), the population density, biodiversity and antibiotic activity of endophytic bacteria was examined from the tuber peel (periderm plus top 3 mm of tissue) of four cultivars (Russet Burbank, Kennebec, Butte and Shepody). There were no significant differences for population density of bacteria among the layers of peel examined and no cultivar × peel layer interaction. Endophytic bacteria from several layers of peel were challenged in in vitro bioassays to the soil-borne plant pathogens Fusarium sambucinum , Fusarium avenaceum , Fusarium oxysporum and Phytophthora infestans (mating types A1 and A2). In general, antibiosis of bacterial endophytes against these pathogens was significantly higher ( P  = 0.01) in isolates recovered from the outermost layer of tuber peel and decreased progressively toward the centre of the tuber. Antibiosis against P. infestans was variable, with a progressive decrease in antibiotic activity from outer to inner layers of peel occurring in cvs Russet Burbank and Kennebec only. For antibiosis there were significant cultivar × peel, and cultivar × pathogen interactions ( P  = 0.01). In all cases the inhibitory activity of endophytic bacteria was significantly greater ( P  = 0.01) against the A1 than the A2 mating type of P. infestans . In four of seven cases, where the same species of bacteria were recovered from all three peel layers, antibiosis to pathogens decreased significantly ( P  = 0.01) with depth of recovery (from the periderm to inside the tuber), indicating that in certain communities of endophytic bacteria, defence against pathogens may be related to bacterial adaptation to location within a host and may be tissue-type and tissue-site specific.