Responding to Economic Crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa: New Farmer-Developed Pest Management Strategies in Cocoa-Based Plantations in Southern Cameroon

Cocoa is a key or source of income and poverty reduction in the humid forest of Southern Cameroon. Cameroon like other African countries went through a major economic crisis in the early 1980s with a decline in international commodity prices and significant changes in macroeconomic policies. Structural adjustment reforms following the economic crisis led to removal of fertilizers and pesticides subsidies, cocoa price liberalization and the overall withdraw of Government interventions from the cocoa sub-sector. Cocoa input price increases have been compounded by the devaluation of the CFA Franc, which doubled the prices of the imported pesticides which were considered key to the control of cocoa pests. This overall economic shock led to changes in cocoa producer's production decisions as a response to minimize cost. Among the changes the use of alternatives to imported chemicals for cocoa pest control. Farmers responded to the high prices of pesticides by developing, from local botanical knowledge and pest management strategies, which include plant extracts and plant extracts mixed with pesticides at different proportions. This is a major decision given the importance of imported chemical in the cost of production of cocoa. Valuable indigenous knowledge from farmers could be used also as an effective support system for communicating and diffusing modern knowledge and technologies to farmers. The paper describes the farmer knowledge-based alternatives to chemical pesticides for pest control in cocoa fields as a response to high pest control costs. Pest management specialists are urged to take advantage of this shift in practice and assess their effectiveness for further use. Two sets of questions are posed: (1) were the conventional insecticides, with all their problems, really necessary? and (2) are the materials derived from locally grown plants effective pest management agents or are they, in some way, placebos?     

辣椒疫病发病主导因素及综合防治技术研究

通过3a在多年辣椒重茬地的田间试验及调查研究,基本明确了辣椒疫病发生与灌水方法、栽培方式、降水、中心病株的出现等主导因素的关系。提出了栽培防病、化学治疗的综防技术,达到控病增产的目的。     

瓜类蔬菜光合特性研究进展

综述了瓜类蔬菜光合特性的研究进展，总结了光照、温度、CO2浓度、水分、矿质营养、叶龄、叶住及嫁接等因素对光合作用的影响，并提出了今后的研究方向。     

制约稻粒黑粉病菌冬孢子萌发的关键因素

在相同条件下，从稻田直接收集的病粒中的稻粒黑粉病菌厚垣孢子不能萌发，而取之于仓库中的孢子能萌发。为探明其制约因素，对该病菌进行了光照和浸水时间试验。研究结果表明：稻粒黑粉病菌冬孢子形成后，必须经光照射后，方可进入休眠期；度过5～6个月休眠期的冬孢子，必须浸水48h以上才开始复苏；复苏后的冬孢子必须在光照条件下才能萌发。未完成后熟作用的冬孢子和完成后熟但尚未复苏的冬孢子即使在光照条件下也不能萌发。即稻粒黑粉病菌冬孢子必须经历后熟、休眠、复苏三个阶段后，在适宜的光照与温湿条件下，方可萌发。光照对其冬孢子具有双重作用，促使后熟进入休眠和刺激萌发。     

琯溪蜜柚光合特性的研究

 利用Li-6400 光合作用仪对田间条件下7 年生琯溪蜜柚的光合特性进行了系统研究。结果表明: (1) 琯溪蜜柚外围叶片晴天的净光合速率(P_n) 日变化为双峰曲线, 首峰出现在8～10 时, 次峰值小于首峰值, 出现在14 时以后; 阴天呈单峰曲线; 内膛叶片P_n 日变化有双峰、单峰和锯齿形3 种类型。(2)观测期内P_n季节变化近似双峰曲线。(3) 不同月份和不同枝条叶片Pn 对光和CO₂ 响应有较大差别, 光补偿点和饱和点分别为16～46 和1 026～1 656μmol·m^-2·s^-1 , 表观量子效率0.01725～0.05431 ; CO₂ 补偿点和饱和点分别为51～80 和822～926μmol·mol ^-1 , 羧化效率0.01769～0.05191 ;P_n对CO₂ 的响应进程近似双曲线。(4) P_n与气孔导度、蒸腾速率、光照强度正相关, 与胞间CO₂ 浓度负相关, 与温度、湿度和叶面水气压亏缺的相关性比较复杂。(5) P_n 与叶片的叶绿素含量和比叶重之间没有明显相关性。(6) 光合适温为24～34 ℃。     

粪臭素在家畜养殖中的危害

粪臭素是L-色氨酸的细菌降解产物，是引起反刍动物急性肺水肿和肺气肿(ABPE)的主要物质，同时也是产生猪肉异臭味的主要物质，严重危害家畜养殖。本文综述了粪臭素的理化性质及合成途径、在家畜中的作用机理、影响粪臭素的因素及降低家畜体内粪臭素的方法等内容。     

对虾的免疫机制及其疾病预防策略的研究

在对虾的细胞免疫中血细胞是主要的作用因素,而体液免疫是血淋巴中的一些酶和调节因子,机体还可以被诱导产生特殊的免疫保护反应.应用免疫增强剂、疫苗和基因工程技术为预防对虾病害提供了有效的途径.本文根据国内外的有关资料,就对虾的免疫机制和疾病预防策略进行了综述.     

稻曲病侵染时期和流行因素研究

分期接种试验的结果表明,稻曲病对水稻的侵染时期,主要在孕穗末期至破口期,病菌侵入籽粒在水稻开花前。3a的系统调查和对比分析结果说明,水稻穗期最高气温>32℃的天数少,降雨量大,有利病菌的侵入和发展流行,品种间抗(耐)病性差异显著。近年来稻曲病发生严重的主要原因是单季晚稻的大面积种植,穗期气候条件适宜病害发生流行。     

Effect of insulin on the secretion of VEGF and its receptor in serum-free cultured bovine thoracic aortic endothelial cells

AIM: This study was designed to investigate the secretion of VEGF and its receptor (flt-1 or flk-1/KDR) protein by cultured bovine thoracic aortic endothelial cells treated with various insulin concentrations. METHODS: Endothelial cells was isolated from bovine thoracic aorta, and cultured in serum-free medium, then incubated with different insulin concentrations (30 mU/L, 300 mU/L, 3 000 mU/L). The level of VEGF and its receptor (flt-1 or flk-1/KDR) protein were detected by immunohistochemical staining. RESULTS: As compared with no insulin group, the expression of VEGF protein in low insulin concentration (30 mU/L and 300 mU/L) groups were significantly increased (P＜0.01). The expression of VEGF protein in high insulin concentration (3 000 mU/L) group was significantly decreased (P＜0.05). Howerer, no difference of the expression of VEGF receptor (flt-1 or flk-1/KDR) protein among all groups (P＞0.05) was observed. CONCLUSION: Low concentration insulin up-regulates the VEGF protein expression while high concentration insulin down-regulates the VEGF protein expression in bovine thoracic aortic endothelial cells, but insulin had no directly effect on the VEGF receptor (flt-1 or flk-1/KDR) protein expression in bovine thoracic aortic endothelial cells.     

Variation and distribution of virulence phenotypes of Bremia lactucae in natural populations of Lactuca serriola

During 1997–2000 the virulence variation and distribution of virulence phenotypes of Bremia lactucae (lettuce downy mildew) in natural populations of Lactuca serriola (prickly lettuce) were studied. Altogether 139 isolates of B. lactucae originating from the Czech Republic, France and Germany were examined for the presence of 27 virulence factors (v-factors) and their combinations. In the Czech population, 37 different v-phenotypes (P1–P37) of B. lactucae were found to occur on L. serriola . Most v-phenotypes were characterized by v-factors that match resistance ( Dm genes/R-factors) carried by L. serriola . A wide diversity of v-phenotypes was recorded every year, but most were rare and did not reappear in other populations of B. lactucae . The three v-phenotypes P21, P28 and P29 were most frequent and widely distributed. There was variation both between spatially isolated populations and within populations of the pathogen. Geographic differences in virulence were found for the southern parts of Moravia, where the phenotypic composition of pathogen populations was completely different from the remaining part of the area investigated. However, some populations had v-phenotypes similar to those of spatially distant populations in Moravia.