Molecular and serological detection of animal and human vector-borne pathogens in the blood of dogs from Côte d’Ivoire

In Côte d’Ivoire, limited information are available on vector-borne pathogens, their prevalence and distribution. Here, we assess the occurrence and diversity of canine vector-borne diseases (CVBDs) in Abidjan and Yamoussoukro cities. Blood from a total of 123 dogs were tested for Leishmania infantum and Ehrlichia canis antibodies and screened for Leishmania and Trypanosoma spp., Piroplasmida, Filariidae and Anaplasmataceae by PCR and sequencing. Among dogs, 39 % were positive for at least one pathogen. Seroprevalences were: 15.4 % and 12.2 % for L. infantum and E. canis, respectively. DNA of L. infantum and T. congolense (4.1 %), Baabesia vogeli (1.6 %), Filariidae (Dirofilaria immitis, D. repens and Acanthocheilonema reconditum) (10.6 %) has been detected. Anaplasmataceae were detected in (17.1 %) and E. canis was the only identified specie. Co-infections were observed in 13.8 % of dogs: E. canis-L. infantum co-infection was the most prevalent (4.9 %). Age, breed and sex of dogs do not seem to influence infections. Village dogs were more susceptible to CVBDs than kennel dogs (PV = 0.0000008). This study reports for the first time the presence of L. infantum, B. vogeli, A. reconditum, D. immitis and D. repens in dogs from Côte d’Ivoire and determines the prevalence and diversity of CVBD pathogens. The results indicate that human and animal pathogens are abundant in Ivoirian dogs which requires attention of veterinarians, physicians and authorities against these diseases, especially against major zoonosis such as visceral leishmaniasis (L. infantum).     

枣AP2/ERF转录因子鉴定及其响应枣疯病植原体表达分析

利用生物信息学方法，从植物转录因子数据库和NCBI数据库中分别得到175和164个候选的枣AP2/ERF转录因子序列，使用DNAMAN软件进行序列比对、去除重复序列，采用SMART软件预测蛋白结构域发现，枣基因组中包含有145个AP2/ERF基因，其中ERF、AP2、RAV亚家族分别含有116个、23个、5个，另有1个独立基因。预测枣AP2/ERF转录因子氨基酸数量在111 ~ 692之间，分子量在12 446.87 ~ 76 154.10之间，pI在4.31 ~ 10.11之间。鉴定出的145个AP2/ERF转录因子，105个分别定位到12条染色体上，40个未能定位。在此基础上，利用嫁接病芽方法将枣疯病植原体转至健康枣植株，通过转录组测序和qRT-PCR手段，分析了AP2/ERF转录因子对枣植原体侵染的响应，在植原体侵染枣的6个不同时期，枣AP2/ERF表达数量和表达量均不相同，共有48个差异表达基因，其中ZjAP2*9、ZjERF49和ZjERF91是响应枣疯病植原体最为重要的AP2/ERF转录因子。     

光伏板对吐鲁番‘无核白’葡萄叶幕微气候、叶片质量及果实品质的影响

以吐鲁番7年生‘无核白’为试验材料,研究不同密度光伏板对‘无核白’叶幕微气候、叶片质量以及果实品质的影响,旨在找到合适的光伏板密度,为葡光互补新型栽培模式的推广提供科学依据。结果表明:随着光伏板密度的增大,叶幕空气温度降低,空气相对湿度增大,光照强度显著降低。‘无核白’葡萄叶片质量、果实品质随着光伏板密度的增大呈现出先上升后下降的变化趋势,中度遮阴条件下,‘无核白’叶片的纵、横径,叶绿素含量和果实中可溶性固形物含量均表现最佳。在吐鲁番地区采用光伏板遮阴对‘无核白’葡萄叶幕微气候有显著影响,适度遮阴有利于缓解夏季高温强光对葡萄生长发育的危害,但过度遮阴会产生负面影响。在吐鲁番地区推广葡光互补栽培模式时,建议选择光伏板的间隔为1.0 m。     

温度对拟穴青蟹循环水养殖系统微生物群落结构的影响

为探究温度对拟穴青蟹(Scylla paramamosain)循环养殖水体中微生物群落的影响,深入理解环境因子与养殖水体微生物群落之间的相关性。在水温分别为18℃、22℃、26℃、30℃和32℃的循环养殖系统中进行拟穴青蟹养殖,采用16S rRNA高通量测序技术对不同温度下的养殖水体微生物群落组成进行分析。结果表明:(1) Alpha多样性指数显示5组水样中细菌群落多样性指数大小为t26t22t30t32t18,物种丰度大小为t22t26t32t30t18。温度可以导致养殖水体中微生物群落多样性发生变化,但并未发现二者之间直接的相关性。(2) 5种温度下的养殖系统中细菌群落共有31门、43纲、94目、185科和351属,变形菌门(Proteobacteria)为循环养殖水体中绝对优势菌门。在养殖系统水温为26℃时,养殖水体中氮磷污染物含量相对较高,其水中脱氮除磷菌属的相对丰度也显著高于其他4组。(3)由花瓣图和UPGMA聚类分析图进行相似性分析可知,水体微生物群落对温度的变化有着良好的响应, 5组水样的细菌群落结构总体相似性较低,其中最高温度32℃和最低温度18℃的水体中细菌群落结构最为相似。(4)水体中微生物群落结构和与环境因子的相关性分析显示,氮磷营养盐中的总磷(TP)和硝酸盐(NO3–-N)对水中微生物群落特征具有显著性影响,而温度是导致养殖水体中氮磷营养盐差异化的主要原因。上述研究结果初步解释了温度对拟穴青蟹循环养殖水微生物群落的作用机制,为下一步深入研究拟穴青蟹循环水养殖系统中环境变化与微生物的相互关系提供参考。     

长江口及邻近海域4个不同地理群体凤鲚矢耳石形态差异

为探明相邻海域凤鲚（Coilia mystus）群体间的差异性，分别采集江苏吕四（吕四群体）、上海崇明（崇明群体）、浙江舟山（舟山群体）和浙江温州（温州群体）邻近海域的凤鲚共240尾。以凤鲚矢耳石为研究对象，利用耳石测量法和耳石框架法获得21个测量参数，通过公式转化为20个形态指标数据，并进行多元统计分析。非参数检验显示4个群体间14个形态指标具有显著性差异（P<0.05）；应用主成分分析构建了7个反映耳石形态特征的主成分，累计贡献率为81.79%，结果显示不同群体耳石的整体形态相似，各群体间的耳石形态差异主要体现在局部的框架形态指标；利用贡献率最大的9个形态指标构建了4个群体的判别方程，温州群体的判别准确率最高，为96.7%，其次是崇明群体（66.7%）、吕四群体（60.0%）和舟山群体（58.3%）；聚类分析表明崇明和舟山群体距离最近，其次为吕四群体，与温州群体距离最远。结果表明，崇明、舟山和吕四群体间矢耳石形态差异较小，而温州群体与这3个群体的差异最大，可单独确立为一个生态群体。可见，短距离洄游性凤鲚不同群体间耳石形态差异大小与群体地理阻隔程度相关。     

‘王林’苹果苦痘病的防治试验

近几年来‘王林’苹果苦痘病的发病率较高,为了探索防治办法,2018—2019年在瓦房店市驼山乡大魏村‘王林’苹果园进行施用“聚能螯合钙+硅”+生物有机肥试验。结果表明:第1年好果率达到90.2%,比对照提高15.0%;第2年分别为96.82%、22.23%。病果的病斑数也明显减少。     

“一分钟游程”构园法则的适用性研究

“一分钟游程”构园法则将人的视觉感受与园林组景共同考虑,以25~30 m作为组景转换的理想距离,对游路结构进行反复烘托与不断强化,从而形成柔和、丰富的“构景曲线”。选择南北方各具代表性的苏州沧浪亭和北京恭王府花园,分析其园林的景观布局,对比园林空间序列的“起”“承”“转”“合”间距。结果表明,“一分钟游程”构园法则在南方私家园林及北方皇家园林中同样适用,为今后的游线组织与组景布设提供了设计参考。     

Tackling fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) outbreak in Africa: an analysis of farmers’ control actions

Abstract

Since its emergence in Africa in 2016, fall armyworm (FAW) has spread rapidly and poses a severe threat to the food security and livelihood of millions of smallholder farmers in the continent. Using survey data from Ghana and Zambia, we examined FAW prevention and control methods implemented by farm households and their impacts on maize output and household consumption of self-produced maize. The main control methods used included pesticide application and handpicking of larvae, while access to information on FAW was a key driver behind the implementation of the control methods. Results from an endogenous switching regression showed that the implementation of a FAW management strategy significantly enhanced maize yield and households’ own maize consumption. When disentangling the impacts of the main control methods, we found that the combination of pesticide application and handpicking of larvae produced the highest yield gain of 125%. We concluded that the current interventions put in place by farmers to tackle FAW infestations are providing positive outcomes, but successful management of the pest will require more actions, including raising awareness to enhance the adoption of control interventions and exploring other control options.     

China's alfalfa market and imports: Development,trends, and potential impacts of the U.S.–China trade dispute and retaliations

This study examines the development and trends of China's alfalfa market and imports, identifies key factors for the rapid increase in China's alfalfa imports, and discusses potential impacts of the U.S.–China trade dispute and retaliations on the alfalfa markets and trade in both nations. China's rapid transition toward larger-scale commercial dairy production, with enhanced feed and cost management as well as quality and safety control, and its limited resources for high-quality alfalfa production are key factors for the dramatic increase in its alfalfa imports, from 19 601 metric tons in 2008 to 1.38 million metric tons (mmt) in 2018. While the United States dominated China's alfalfa imports with an average share of 97.01% from 2007 to 2017, the share dropped to 83.76% in 2018 and 63.28% in January 2019 due to the trade dispute and retaliations started in 2018. China will likely remain a large importer of alfalfa because of both its growing demand and the comparative advantages of imported alfalfa in quality and price, but the imports from the United States will be highly affected by the ongoing trade dispute and negotiations. China is also expected to make more efforts to reduce its dependence on U.S. alfalfa through increased investment in domestic alfalfa production and identification of alternative sources of alfalfa and other hay imports.