Owner survey of schitosomiasis mortality in sudanese cattle

The estimated mortality in six- to 30-month-old cattle due to presumptive schistosomiasis was 7.1% for 155 interviews conducted in the White Nile Province in 1981. This mortality was higher for those herds under sedentary management than for migratory herds (9.4% vs 3.6%). The interviews were done through an informal visit technique by a veterinarian living in the area. The approximate number (19,000) of cattle over six months old estimated to be owned by those interviewed represents about 1% of the population in that province. The mortality from all causes in the six- to 30-month age group was 9.2%; in the over 30-month age group it was 1.8%. The authors judge the schistosomiasis mortality to be somewhat upwardly biased but the mortality due to all causes (9.2%) is consistent with the few reports available.     

Reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol over sonoimmobilized silver/reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites on polyester fabric

The current paper is aimed to compare different arrangement of Ag nanoparticles within silver/reduced graphene oxide (Ag/rGO) nanocomposites on the polyester fabric. rGO sheets cannot be dispersed in the water for long time however, thin layer surfactant-free Ag/rGO nanocomposites were immobilized on the surface of polyester. This leads to attain the preserved array of nanocomposites for a long time. TEM, FESEM/EDX, XRD, XPS, cyclic voltammetry, catalytic activity and electrical resistivity were used to characterize Ag/rGO nanocomposites coated polyester fabric. Interestingly, sonoimmobilization of Ag/GO produced an even coating layer of nanocomposites on the polyester fabric. The prepared fabric can be used as a high active and stable nanocatalyst for reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) in water at room temperature. The created flexible and light fabric showed low electrical resistance and high catalytic activity, wherein sonoimmobilization of Ag/rGO treated samples indicated highest catalytic activity as 4-NP solution completely reduced to 4- AP with assistance of 2×4 cm2 treated polyester after 25 min. On the other hand, introducing sonoprepared silver nanoparticles among graphene nanosheets led to significant lowering of electrical resistivity from 43 kΩ/square in mechanical stirring methodto 2 kΩ/square using ultrasound.     

The Imperata grasslands of tropical Asia: area, distribution, and typology

The rehabilitation or intensified use of Imperata grasslands will require a much better understanding of their area, distribution, and characteristics. We generated estimates of the area of Imperata grasslands in tropical Asia, and suggested a typology of Imperata grasslands that may be useful to define the pathways toward appropriate land use intensification. We conclude that the area of Imperata grasslands in Asia is about 35 million ha. This about 4% of the total land area. The countries with the largest area of Imperata grasslands are Indonesia (8.5 million ha) and India (8.0 million ha). Those with the largest proportion of their surface area covered with Imperata are Sri Lanka (23%), the Philippines (17%), and Vietnam (9%). Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, and Bangladesh evidently all have similar proportions of their land area infested with Imperata (about 3 to 4%). Malaysia (< 1%), Cambodia (1%), and the southern part of China (2%) have but a minor proportion of their total land area in Imperata. The species was found widely distributed on the full range of soil orders. It occupied both fertile (e.g. some of the Inceptisols and Andisols) and infertile soils (Ultisols and Oxisols) across a wide range of climates and elevations. Imperata lands fall into four mapping scale-related categories: Mega-grasslands, itmacro-grasslands, meso-grasslands, and micro-grasslands. The mega-grasslands are often referred to as sheet Imperata. They are the large contiguous areas of Imperata that would appear on small-scale maps of say 1:1,000,000. We propose that this basic typology be supplemented with a number of additional components that have a key influence on intensification pathways: land quality, market access, and the source of power for tillage. The typology was applied in a case study of Indonesian villages in the vicinity of Imperata grasslands. We propose an international initiative to map and derive a more complete and uniform picture of the area of the Imperata grasslands. This should include selected studies to understand conditions at the local level. These are critical to build the appreciation of change agents for the indigenous systems of resource exploitation, and how they relate to local needs, values and constraints.     

The application of polyamines by pressure or immersion as a tool to maintain functional properties in stored pomegranate arils

Pomegranate fruits were treated with putrescine (Put) or spermidine (Spd) at 1 mM either by pressure infiltration or by immersion and then were stored at 2 degrees C for 60 days. Samples were taken biweekly and were further stored 3 days at 20 degrees C for shelf life study. The treatments were effective on maintaining the concentration of ascorbic acid, total phenolic compounds, and total anthocyanins in arils at higher levels than in control samples. In addition, the two ways of polyamine application increased the levels of total antioxidant activity (TAA) during storage, especially when polyamines were applied by pressure infiltration. Moreover, Spd showed the best results on increasing TAA through maintenance of total phenolic compounds.     

Monitoring the efficacy and metabolism of phenylcarbamates in sugar beet and black nightshade by chlorophyll fluorescence parameters

Desmedipham, phenmedipham and a 50% mixture of the two decreased the maximum quantum efficiency of photosystem II (F(v)/F(m)) and the relative changes at the J step (F(vj)) immediately after spraying in both sugar beet and black nightshade grown in the greenhouse. Sugar beet recovered more rapidly from phenmedipham and the mixture than from desmedipham. Desmedipham and the mixture irreversibly affected F(v)/F(m) and F(vj) in black nightshade at much lower doses than in sugar beet. Black nightshade recovered from phenmedipham injury at the highest dose in the first experiment (120 g AI ha(-1)) but not in the second experiment (500 g AI ha(-1)). The dry matter dose-response relationships and the energy pipeline presentation confirmed the same trend. There was a relatively good correlation between F(vj) taken 1 day after spraying and dry matter taken 2 or 3 weeks after spraying. The differential speed of herbicide metabolism between weed and crop plays an important role in herbicide selectivity and can be studied by using appropriate chlorophyll a fluorescence parameters.     

Effect of site and elevation on wood density and shrinkage and their relationships in Carpinus betulus

This study examined the effect of site and elevation on the oven-dry density and volumetric shrinkage of hornbeam (Carpinus betulus) wood.For this purpose,45 normal hornbeam trees from three different sites (Mazandaran,Guilan and Golestan) at three elevations,300 m (low elevation),700 m (intermediate elevation) and 1100 m (high elevation) from natural forest in northern Iran were selected.Disks were cut at breast height from mature wood and test samples were prepared to determine physical properties,i.e.,wood density and volumetric shrinkage.The results show that there are significant differences between site and elevation on these physical properties of wood.The interaction effects between site × elevation on wood density and volumetric shrinkage were also statistically significant.At any fixed site,wood density and volumetric shrinkage increased with elevation.As well,their values at Guilan were higher than those at the other two sites.The relationship between wood density and volumetric shrinkage was determined by simple regression equations.Strong,positive relationships between wood density and volumetric shrinkage at each site were found.Again,these were stronger at the Guilan site than at the other two sites.Given a fixed site,the correlation at high elevation was stronger than at the other two elevations.     

Selective genotyping to identify late blight resistance genes in an accession of the tomato wild species <Emphasis Type="Italic">Solanum pimpinellifolium</Emphasis>

Late blight (LB), caused by the oomycete Phytophtohra infestans, is one of the most destructive diseases of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and other Solanaceae species. Current disease control and prevention strategies are not sufficient to control the disease in tomato. Recent germplasm screening experiments led to the identification of a new source of resistance (PI 270443) in the tomato wild species S. pimpinellifolium. This study was conducted to identify genomic regions associated with LB resistance in this accession. A large F₂ population (n = 986) derived from a cross between PI 270443 and a LB-susceptible tomato breeding line (NCEBR-2) was screened for LB resistance using a highly aggressive isolate of P. infestans. Twenty-five of the most resistant and 29 of the most susceptible, but surviving F₂ individuals were identified based on disease evaluations conducted in the F₂ and F₃ progeny populations. The selected individuals were genotyped with 153 DNA markers located across the 12 tomato chromosomes. A selective genotyping approach led to the identification of two genomic regions on tomato chromosomes 1 and 10 associated with LB resistance in PI 270443. Identification of two genomic regions associated with resistance was consistent with a previous estimate of the number of LB resistance genes in this accession. Research is currently underway to fine map the two resistance genes and incorporate them into new tomato breeding lines and hybrid cultivars.     

Metals in Main Rivers of Azerbaijan: Influence of Transboundary Pollution

Silver, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, copper, mercury, lead, and zinc were determined monthly during 2004–2008 at 11 sites in the Kura–Araks river system, Azerbaijan. Suspended fractions of the elements were studied at the five sites experiencing the highest load. Metal concentrations varied moderately at each site but differed substantially between sites. Sites near the borders with Armenia and Georgia were most polluted, both with respect to soluble concentrations and percentage transported in suspended form. Lower parts of the Kura river were shielded from metal contamination by an upstream reservoir acting as a metal trap. Corresponding removal was not evident in Araks, its main tributary, where particularly high concentrations of arsenic were observed. At the most contaminated sites, more than 60% of cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, manganese, nickel, lead, and zinc was transported in suspended form whereas arsenic and molybdenum occurred mainly in soluble form. Dynamics of metals in the Kura–Araks water/sediment system should be further studied to meet future problems.     

Interaction of water and nitrogen on maize grown for silage

Water scarcity and environmental pollution due to excessive nitrogen (N) applications are important environmental concerns. The Varamin region, which is located in the central part of Iran, is one of the locations where farmers apply 250-350 kg N ha⁻¹ for silage maize without any concerns with respect to the available water for irrigation. The objective of this study was to quantify the response of the silage maize (Zea mays L.) to variable irrigation and N fertilizer applications under arid and semi-arid conditions and to determine the optimum amount of N fertilizer as a function of irrigation. The maize Hybrid 704 single-cross was planted on 3 August 2003 and on 25 June 2004. The experimental treatments consisted of three N rates (0, 150, and 200 kg N ha⁻¹) and four levels of irrigation, including two deficit irrigation levels 0.70 SWD (soil water depletion) and 0.85 SWD, a full-irrigation level (1.0 SWD) and an over-irrigation level (1.13 SWD). Twelve treatments were arranged in a strip-plot design in a randomized complete block with three replicates. Gravimetric soil samples were collected in 2003 and a neutron probe was used in 2004 to measure soil water content. Leaf area index, total aboveground biomass (TB), plant height, stem diameter, and leaf, stem, and ear dry weight were measured during the growing seasons and at final harvest. Total aboveground biomass was affected by irrigation (P < 0.0001) during both years and was also affected by N fertilizer in 2003 (P = 0.0001) and 2004 (P < 0.0001). However, there was no irrigation and N fertilizer interaction for both years (P > 0.5). Total aboveground biomass and biomass of the crop components increased as a function of the amount of water and N applied. For each of the irrigation levels, there was an associated optimum amount of N, which increased as the amount of irrigation water that was applied increased. Among the four irrigation levels that were studied, 0.85 SWD was the optimum level of irrigation for the conditions at the experimental site. The results also indicated that an increase in N applications is not a good strategy to compensate for a decrease of TB under drought stress conditions. We concluded that the effect of N fertilizer on TB depends on the availability of water in the soil, and that the amount of N fertilizer applied should be decreased under drought stress conditions. Further research will combine these results with a crop simulation model to help optimize nitrogen and water management for silage maize.