Der Buchdrucker (Ips typographus L.) (Col., Scolytidae) und seine Problematik in der Tschechischen Republik

The Czech Republic is passing the third outbreakperiod ofIps typographus since 1880. The first and second outbreaks (1870–1876 and 1945–1954) were a consequence of falling of masses of trees caused by storm. The data ofIps duplicatus during the first outbreak mentioned in later papers are a mistake, reality it has beenIps amitinus.The third outbreak from 1980 until now has not one but several from man dependent and not dependent causes. There are: Falling of trees, by repeating windstorms damage of trees by pollutions of SO₂ and their pollutants, the increasing temperatures during the last period of 30 years and the development of higher numbers of generations of the beetle. The successes in using pheromones in control ofIps typographus were overestimated. Also the changes in the ownership of forest stands were of importance. Ips duplicatus occured in North Moravia having been migrated across Northpoland to the east Czech Republic.In the Nationalpark of umava (on the other side to the Nationalpark of Bavaria) in some reservations no measures againstIps typographus as in Bavaria were made. Here new control measures must be taken against this pest.     

Sustainable agriculture in historical perspective

This paper is an evaluation of the sociological significance of the development and adoption of sustainable agricultural practices. The concept of “appropriationism” is introduced as a means of determining whether or not sustainable agriculture is an expression of class antagonisms in U. S. agriculture. “Appropriationism” is the process by which corporate agribusiness replaces natural processes with industrial products. A comparison of responses to farm crisis in the late 19th century and in the 1980s is employed as a heuristic device to determine the contemporary sociological significance of sustainable agriculture. Based on past experience and changes in key institutions over the past century, it is concluded that the development of sustainable agricultural practices will not significantly challenge the economic prerogatives of agribusiness and that the long-term process of the industrial appropriation of natural processes in agriculture will continue into the 21st century.     

Die Zuverlässigkeit der visuellen Selektion in der ersten Klongeneration von Kartoffeln

Zusammenfassung Eine Population der ersten Klongeneration mit einem eingefügten Kontrollsortiment wurde an vier Orten ausgepflanzt und durch vier Züchter visuell nach der Methode der negativen Selektion selektiert. Es wurden signifikante Einflüsse der Orte, Jahre und Züchter ermittelt. Die Effizienz kann durch die aktuelle Optimierung der Selektionsgrenzen anhand des Kontrollsortiments erh?ht werden. Ausserdem wird erfolgreich praktiziert, die Populationen aus zwei Knollen je Genotyp zusammenzufügen oder im Rahmen der internationalen Zusammenarbeit der L?nder des Rates für Gegenseitige Wirtschaftshilfe an zwei Orten auszupflanzen.

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Summary A population of first clonal generation material was planted at four sites and selected visually by four breeders using the method of negative selection. Six table cultivars of potato that displayed appropriate levels of the characters under consideration, and six that did not, were planted at random throughout the population as standards. There were significant effects for site, year and breeder. The variance for sites was ca. 2 1/2 times that for the breeders (Tables 1 and 2), with about twice as many positive cultivars selected at site 1 as at site 3 (Table 3). There were also differences in selection results between breeders (Table 4). The uncertainty of visual selection of single plants is obvious from Table 5. Results from two years show a marked effect of year (Table 6). The relative frequencies of wrongly rejected (loss risk — Verlustrisiko) and wrongly selected (ballast risk — Ballastrisiko) standards are shown in Table 7. Only a few negative genotypes (standards) were selected, but there was a considerable loss of positive genotypes. The expected values of the standards and their actual selection results are being used to optimize the selection limits. The exploitation of populations can largely be ensured in bad years or sites, without the use of indicators and individual handling of clones with several tubers, by bulking two tubers per genotype from the first vegetative progeny. This measure may be restricted to highly valuable combinations. The possibility of accidentally selecting identical genotypes can be corrected in later generations simply by electrophoresis of soluble tuber proteins. Growing the population at two sites, best done through the framework of international co-operation, improves the likelihood of optimizing screening.

     

Hypersensitivity skin testing of lambs infested with the biting louse (Bovicola ovis)

Cockle, a defect of lamb's pelts, has recently been shown to be associated with infestation of lambs with the louse Bovicoh ovis. The mechanisms by which infestation with the louse leads to cockle are not known, but immunological hypersensitivity has been suggested. The objectives of our work are to determine if lambs respond immunologically to lice and, if so, whether hypersensitivity occurs. Preliminary results are presented here.     

Reservoir‐Driven Heterogeneous Distribution of Recorded Human Puumala virus Cases in South‐West Germany

Endemic regions for Puumala virus (PUUV) are located in the most affected federal state Baden‐Wuerttemberg, South‐West Germany, where high numbers of notified human hantavirus disease cases have been occurring for a long time. The distribution of human cases in Baden‐Wuerttemberg is, however, heterogeneous, with a high number of cases recorded during 2012 in four districts (H districts) but a low number or even no cases recorded in four other districts (L districts). Bank vole monitoring during 2012, following a beech (Fagus sylvatica) mast year, resulted in the trapping of 499 bank voles, the host of PUUV. Analyses indicated PUUV prevalences of 7–50% (serological) and 1.8–27.5% (molecular) in seven of eight districts, but an absence of PUUV in one L district. The PUUV prevalence differed significantly between bank voles in H and L districts. In the following year 2013, 161 bank voles were trapped, with reduced bank vole abundance in almost all investigated districts except one. In 2013, no PUUV infections were detected in voles from seven of eight districts. In conclusion, the linear modelling approach indicated that the heterogeneous distribution of human PUUV cases in South‐West Germany was caused by different factors including the abundance of PUUV RNA‐positive bank voles, as well as by the interaction of beech mast and the proportional coverage of beech and oak (Quercus spec.) forest per district. These results can aid developing local public health risk management measures and early warning models.     

N Dynamics under Reduced Tillage

Different methods of tillage are investigated in a field trial in Austria. In those variants where soils are treated with a cultivator respectively a plough in autumn the contents of mineral N (Nmin) in 0-90cm soil depth increased significantly. Therefore the danger of N-leaching or N-losses in autumn or winter is higher in intensively tilled soils (without plant cover) than in soils with minimum tillage (treatment only with rotary driller without any primary treatment before seeding). In this variant Nmin-contents are lower even at the beginning of vegetation due to the plant cover and reduced tillage. At this time the potential of N mineralisation is higher in the minimum tilled plots compared to the more intensively tilled soils due to the accumulation of organic matter. However, despite enhanced potential N availability the N contents of the crops did not increase. The yields don't differ in the investigated tillage systems and N balances are the highest under minimum tillage, therefore a higher N fertilisation in this variant cannot be recommended. An adaptation of N fertilisation according to the lower mineral N contents in spring should be investigated.     

Leukocidin genes lukF-P83 and lukM are associated with taphylococcus aureus clonal complexes 151, 479 and 133 isolated from bovine udder infections in Thuringia, Germany

ABSTRACT: Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most important causal agents of bovine mastitis. Population studies on bovine Staphylococcus aureus isolates have identified considerable genetic heterogeneity among strains causing mastitis. The aim of this study was to investigate the contribution of different clonal complexes and the occurrence of virulence factors and resistance determinants within bovine Staphylococcus aureus isolates.A total of 189 Staphylococcus aureus isolates obtained from milk samples of 34 dairy herds in the German Federal State of Thuringia were characterised by microarray technology.The isolates were assigned to eleven different clonal complexes with CC151, CC479 and CC133 being dominant (together 80.5%). The methicillin resistance gene mecA was found in four isolates (2.1%), which belonged to CC398. Enterotoxin genes could be detected in 79.3% of analysed Staphylococcus aureus and 19 isolates (10.1%) harboured a distinct allele of the toxic shock syndrome toxin gene, tst-RF122. The most striking finding of the present study was that almost all except one isolate (151/152) belonging to CC151, CC479 and CC133 harboured the leukocidin genes lukF-P83 and lukM, whereas no further isolates from other lineages possessed these genes.The consistent occurrence of lukF-P83/lukM in the dominating clonal complexes suggests an essential role of this leukocidin in the etiology of bovine mastitis.