Response to molybdenum and limestone on wheat and barley grown on podzol soils

Abstract

Molybdenum applications had no effect on the grain yield of wheat or barley. Application of limestone increased barley yield at one of the three locations and had no effect on wheat yield at any location. The Mo concentration of boot stage tissue increased with added Mo. In most cases, 0.56 kg Mo/ha applications increased the Mo concentration of boot stage tissue above 10 ppm. Increases in Mo concentration due to added Mo were generally greater at higher rates of limestone application but the Mo x limestone interaction was statistically significant only for barley at the location having the lowest pH and for wheat at the two locations with the lowest pH. Molybdenum applied as a foliar spray was found to be an effective means of increasing the Mo concentration of cereal tissues. In the case of suspected Mo deficiency in cereals, a foliar application of 0.28 kg Mo/ha should correct the problem without any ill effect from an animal nutrition standpoint.     

Oesophageal impaction in a Canada goose (Branta canadensis)

An oesophageal impaction, consisting of plant material and nylon fishing line, and alimentary parasitism were diagnosed and treated in a Canada goose. At presentation the bird was non-ambulatory with flaccid neck muscles, lethargic, emaciated, dehydrated and had watery brown to green faeces. Palpation of the neck revealed a solid tubular mass ventrally in the mid-cervical region with gritty material cranial to it. Radiographs disclosed an oesophageal mass containing seed or grit-like radio-opaque material, and dilated cranial oesophagus containing radio-opaque material. Laboratory investigations revealed non-regenerative anaemia, heterophilia, lymphopenia, hypoproteinaemia, and many strongyle eggs in faeces. Treatment included supportive therapy, oesophageal gavage, oesophagotomy and drug therapy. The bird recovered and was released 27 days after initial presentation.     

A repeated cross‐sectional study of the epidemiology of Campylobacter and antimicrobial resistant Enterobacteriaceae in free‐living Canada geese in Guelph,Ontario, Canada

From May through October 2016, we conducted a repeated cross‐sectional study examining the effects of temporal, spatial, flock and demographic factors (i.e. juvenile vs. adult) on the prevalence of Campylobacter and antimicrobial resistant Enterobacteriaceae among 344 fresh faecal samples collected from Canada geese (Branta canadensis) from four locations where birds nested in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. The overall prevalence of Campylobacter among all fresh faecal samples was 9.3% and was greatest in the fall when these birds became more mobile following the nesting season. Based on 40 gene comparative genomic fingerprinting (CGF40), the increase in prevalence noted in the fall was matched by an increase in the number of unique CGF40 subtypes identified. Resistance to colistin was detected most commonly, in 6% of Escherichia coli isolates, and was highest in the late summer months. All colistin‐resistant isolates were negative for the mcr‐1 to mcr‐5 genes; a chromosomal resistance mechanism (PmrB) was identified in all of these isolates. The prevalence of samples with E. coli exhibiting multi‐class resistance or extended spectrum beta‐lactamase was low (i.e. <2% of samples). The intra‐class correlation coefficients, estimated from the variance components of multilevel logistic regression models, indicated that the shedding of Campylobacter and antimicrobial resistant E. coli among geese within a flock (i.e. birds collected from the same site on the same day) was moderately correlated. Spatial, temporal, and spatiotemporal clusters identified using the spatial scan statistic, largely supported the findings from our multi‐level models. Salmonella was not isolated from any of the fresh faecal samples collected suggesting that its prevalence in this population of birds was very low.     

Predictors of Extreme Negative Feelings Toward Coyote in Newfoundland

Human–coyote interactions have occurred since the arrival of the species to the island of Newfoundland in 1985. A mail survey (N = 786) of Newfoundland residents was conducted in 2008. The survey explored negative feelings toward coyotes. A four stage hierarchical multiple regression model examined how the dependent variable, “feelings,” was influenced by four independent blocks of variables: “existence beliefs,” “impact beliefs,” “fear,” and “experience and demographic characteristics.” Together the predictors explained 50% of the variability, with existence beliefs accounting for most of the variation (ΔR² = . 45), followed by impact beliefs (ΔR² = .024) and fear (ΔR² = .018). The experience-demographic block of variables accounted for minimal influence (ΔR² = .003) and was not statistically significant. The remaining variability might be explained by emotions. When exploring human–wildlife interactions it is important to understand the role of affect in the formation of attitudes as feelings influence the tolerance and ultimately the willingness to coexist with wildlife.     

Evaluation of the Effect of SoyaSignal Technology on Soybean Yield [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] under Field Conditions Over 6 Years in Eastern Canada and the Northern United States

Previous studies showed that inoculation of soybean [ Glycine max (L.) Merr] with Bradyrhizobium japonicum preactivated with plant-to-bacteria signal molecules increased nodule number, particularly at low root zone temperatures, thereby improving plant seasonal nitrogen fixation and final grain and protein yield under cool spring conditions. Two products carrying this technology, SoyaSignal^TM and Affix+^TM, were designed and tested at 127 locations in Canada and the United States from 1994 to 1999. A summary of the field test results shows that preincubation of B. japonicum with genistein and daidzein, as well as directly increasing the genistein and daidzein concentration in the soybean root rhizosphere, gave an average final grain yield increase of 7 %. The success of SoyaSignal technology was temperature dependent. The plants responded better to the SoyaSignal products when grown under cool soil conditions. Application of SoyaSignal to early planted soybean (before the soil temperature rose above 17.5 °C) increased yields by an average of 10 %. The responses declined with delayed planting dates. Soybean genotypes with high yield potential had greater yield increases than those with low yield potential. As the ratio of return to cost for SoyaSignal technology was 5.3 : 1 over the 127 site-years, SoyaSignal technology can be used as a tool to improve soybean yield in production areas with cool springs.     

Assessing carbon storage and sequestration by Canada's urban forests using high resolution earth observation data

Urban trees are important components of the landscape and offer numerous benefits; both socio-economical and biophysical. Urban trees act as a sink for CO₂, helping to offset carbon emissions from urban areas by removing the greenhouse gas from the atmosphere through photosynthesis. Environment Canada develops estimates of Canada's greenhouse gas emissions and removals which are submitted annually to the United Nations as part of ongoing commitments under the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change. As part of these reporting commitments countries are required to develop estimates of emissions and removals of Greenhouse Gas that are the result of direct impact of human activities in the Land-Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry Sector. Here, we present an approach which involves sampling high resolution aerial photographs to determine urban tree coverage across Canada's major urban areas. Our results suggest Canadian urban areas have an estimated tree canopy cover of 27%. This tree cover is estimated to store approximately 34,000 kt C and annually sequester approximately 2500 kt of CO₂. These estimates show significant improvement over previous methods used to provide Canadian estimates. The methods developed here are easily repeatable which allow for temporal changes to be analyzed and assessed over time.     

A Survey of Canadian Public Health Personnel Regarding Knowledge,Practice and Education of Zoonotic Diseases

Zoonoses, diseases that can spread under natural conditions between humans and other animals, are become a major public health concern in many countries including Canada. In Canada, investigations of zoonotic disease incidents are often conducted by public health inspectors (PHIs). However, little is known about PHIs' knowledge of transmission of zoonotic pathogens, their perceptions of zoonotic disease importance or their education regarding zoonotic diseases. The objective of this study was therefore to assess the knowledge, perceptions and education of Canadian PHIs regarding zoonotic diseases. Data were collected from December 2008–January 2009 using an internet‐based survey distributed to members of the Canadian Institute of Public Health Inspectors national listserv. Responses were received from 229 PHIs in four provinces, with a response rate of approximately 20%. The majority of respondents reported at least 10 years of experience in the public health sector, 80% (181/225) were in frontline positions, and 62% (137/222) were routinely involved in investigations of infectious diseases. Two‐thirds believed that the importance of zoonotic diseases with regards to public health would increase in the next 5 years. Whilst most respondents were able to correctly identify animals capable of directly transmitting common zoonotic pathogens, there were gaps in knowledge, particularly with regard to rabies and transmission of gastrointestinal pathogens by companion animals. PHIs tended to feel that their training on zoonotic diseases prior to working as PHIs was deficient in some areas, or left some room for improvement. Their responses also suggested that there is a need for improvement in both the quantity and the quality of continuing education on zoonotic diseases. In particular, less than one‐third of PHIs received ongoing continuing education regarding zoonotic diseases, and of those that did, nearly two‐thirds rated the quantity and quality as only fair.     

美国与加拿大油气管道的安全保护

基于我国油气管道安全保护的多维防护体系存在的诸多不足和薄弱环节,分析了美国和加拿大在油气管道安全保护方面的法规制度、标准规范及两国石油企业在管道安全保护的相关规定.指出我国标准在规范人防、物防、技防等方面存在较大差距,介绍了美国和加拿大管道安全保护的实例和先进理念,结合国内当前在油气管道安全保卫的通常做法,对改进和加强我国油气管道安全保护工作提出了建议,即从建立监管机构、明确分工职责、建设安全防护技术体系等方面进行完善.     

Just passing through: Global change and the conservation of biodiversity in protected areas

Climate and land-use changes are expected to cause many species to shift into or beyond the boundaries of protected areas, leading to large turnover in species composition. Here, we tested whether long-established protected areas in Canada were more robust to such climate change impacts than areas with no formal protection by measuring changes in modeled butterfly species distributions (n = 139) within them. We used a recently established distribution modeling technique, Maxent, to model butterfly species’ distributions in two epochs (1900-1930 and 1960-1990). We compared rates of butterfly species richness and composition change within protected areas against distributions of randomly selected, ecologically similar, but non-protected, areas. Change in species richness and composition within protected areas were, for the most part, the same as changes observed among random areas outside protected area boundaries. These results suggest that existing protected area networks in Canada have provided little buffer against the impacts of climate change on butterfly species richness, possibly because land-use change surrounding long-standing protected areas has not been substantial enough to elevate the habitat protection afforded by these protected areas relative to other areas. Although protected areas are unarguably beneficial in conserving biological diversity, their capacity to maintain habitat appears insufficient to prevent broader-scale climate changes from sweeping species beyond their boundaries.     

Residual Effect of Copper and Zinc from Fertilizers on Plant Concentration,Phytotoxicity, and Crop Yield Response

Abstract

To avoid toxicity resulting in reduced crop yields and/or phytotoxic symptoms on the foliage, information on the residual effect of micronutrient fertilization after periods of application is desirable. This article includes discussion on the micronutrients copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), because they are essential and are of concern from plant and animal standpoints. In general, no detrimental effects in yield reduction or phytotoxicity were noted from Cu applications of up to 50 kg Cu ha^?1 to barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Barley was an exception where 50 kg Cu ha^?1 decreased yield by about 12% in the first‐year crop. The Cu levels in plants did not exceed 9 mg kg^?1. Studies showed that Zn applications of 50 kg ha^?1 for 2 years in succession and the resulting crop tissue Zn levels as high as 105 mg kg^?1 did not cause any phytotoxicity in cereals. The results of this study suggest that cereals can tolerate high levels of Cu and Zn.