Cystic echinococcosis in the Falkland Islands

From 1991 to 1993, an investigation into the epidemiology of cystic echinococcosis (CE) was carried out in the Falkland Islands to evaluate the progress of the hydatid eradication campaign. The prevalence of CE in sheep was assessed using abattoir and farm slaughter data, and the exposure of dogs to the parasite was estimated using immunological techniques. A total of 59 466 sheep was examined at slaughter for E. granulosus and T. hydatigena cysts and the entire dog population of the Falkland Islands (n = 908) was examined by ELISA for the presence of specific serum antibodies to E. granulosus (IgG, IgA and IgE). In addition, a subsample of dogs (n = 464) was tested for the presence of E. granulosus antigens in faeces (copro-antigens). The prevalence of CE in sheep increased significantly during the period of the study from 0.11% in 1991 to 0.47% in 1993. Nineteen (2.1%) of 908 dog sera tested were seropositive, and eight dogs (1.7%) of 464 tested were positive in the copro-antigen assay. The combined use of abattoir surveillance, specific antibody and copro-antigen assay suggested that there were several locations in the Falkland Islands where the life cycle of E. granulosus may still perpetuate. Specific deficiencies in the eradication effort in those locations could be identified through follow-up questionnaires.     

Effects of intraoperative irradiation on gastric and urinary bladder incisions in the dog

Fourteen adult dogs of mixed breeding were given intraoperative irradiation (25 Gy) after surgical incisions were made into the greater curvature of the stomach and the ventral surface of the urinary bladder. Sequential biopsy samples were obtained 10 days to 180 days after surgical operation. All irradiated stomachs developed gastritis and persistent ulceration of the irradiated field. Microscopic changes induced by irradiation of both the bladder and stomach progressed from severe submucosal edema to severe submucosal fibrosis. A parallel progression of fibrinoid degeneration of the small blood vessels was seen in both organs. Severe gastric ulceration persisted up to 180 days after irradiation, although a degree of mucous neck cell and gastric gland regeneration did occur. Pathologic changes were less severe in the bladder than in the stomach. The bladder had greater resiliency and capability for healing and, in contrast to the stomach, showed a capability to reepithelialize the radiation-induced ulcers. Conclusions of this study are as follows: (a) the canine urinary bladder tolerated intraoperative radiation therapy after tissue resection better than did the canine stomach, (b) the combination of surgical operation and irradiation resulted in a more prolonged and complicated healing pattern than did either procedure alone, and (c) the introduction of a surgical procedure upon irradiated tissue within an undetermined time span relative to irradiation resulted in a similar pattern of disturbed healing.     

The plot thickens: Land administration and policy in post‐New Order Indonesia

Abstract: The turbulent events in Indonesia during the closing years of the 20^th century prompted the reopening of public discussion on many longstanding issues of social and economic reform. Land reform is one of many agendas that have preoccupied policy makers, scholars and activists as the nation attempts to reinvent itself in the wake of the collapse of the 32‐year New Order government of ex‐President Suharto. This article examines some of the main debates swirling around the issue of land management and policy during the post‐Suharto ‘reformasi’ period, and provides illustrations of current problems and emerging trends. The article begins with a brief overview of land law and policy in Indonesia, followed by a discussion of its philosophical and ideological basis. This is followed by a discussion of government reform during the New Order period and beyond, and the social and environmental costs of Indonesia's development. The discussion then turns to efforts to decentralise government, and implications on land admin‐istration and policy. Case study examples are provided to illustrate the complex dynamic unfolding across the country.     

Evaluation of maternal parent and puroindoline allele on kernel texture in a reciprocal cross between two hard spring wheat cultivars

Kernel texture is an important characteristic for both the milling and the end-use quality of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Gene sequence variation and mutations to the two puroindoline genes (Pina and Pinb), located at the Ha locus on chromosome 5DS, account for the majority of variation in wheat kernel texture. Other factors also influence kernel texture, including effects associated with different maternal parent backgrounds. To investigate the effect of two hard puroindoline alleles in different maternal backgrounds, a population of 228 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from a reciprocal cross between two wheat cultivars ID377s (Pina-D1b/Pinb-D1a) and Klasic (Pina-D1a/Pinb-D1b) were examined in two succeeding generations (F₇ & F₈). Kernel texture was determined using the Single Kernel Characterization System (SKCS) and the RIL puroindoline haplotype was identified by the sequence-specific PCR amplification of each gene. Analysis of variance identified a significant (P 0.001) effect of the maternal parent and puroindoline mutation on kernel texture. RILs containing the Pina-D1b mutation were significantly harder than lines containing the Pinb-D1b mutation. RILs which had Klasic as the maternal parent were significantly harder than those which had ID377s as the maternal parent. When the maternal parent and puroindoline allele were analyzed in combination, RILs derived from Klasic as the maternal parent and the Pina-D1b allele were significantly harder (P 0.001) than those containing the same allele but ID377s as the maternal parent. The same occurred for RILs containing the Pinb-D1b allele, lines with Klasic as the maternal parent were harder than lines with ID377s as the maternal parent. These results corroborate the harder phenotype of the Pina-D1b allele and indicate a significant maternally-inherited contribution to kernel texture variation.     

Modification of oilseed rape to produce oils for industrial use by means of applied tissue culture methodology

Summary A programme of research was designed to investigate methods for the modification of the fatty acid profiles of high performance lines of oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) in an attempt to produce lines with enhanced levels of industrially useful fatty acids. The methodology employed to achieve these objectives was based on the exploitation of somaclonal or protoclonal variation, and targeted somatic hybridization using wild cruciferous germplasm as fusion partners.A range of somaclonal lines was produced from shoot regeneration protocols. These lines underwent replicated, randomised glasshouse trials for morphological assessment followed by gas chromatographic analysis to monitor any changes in fatty acid profile. It was found that a small number of lines exhibited potentially useful changes in oleic acid and polyunsaturated fatty acid content. Protoplast regeneration and electrofusion protocols for a range of winter oilseed rape lines were developed, and methods for the isolation and fusion of protoplasts of the wild crucifer Lunaria annua (chosen for its high nervonic acid content) established.Abbreviations GC Gas Chromatography     

Analysis of puroindoline a and b sequences from Triticum aestivum cv. `Penawawa' and related diploid taxa

Flanking sequences of the puroindoline a(pinA) and puroindoline b (pinB) genes from Triticum monococcum, T. urartu, Aegilops speltoides and A. tauschii were obtained by inverse PCR. Two accessions from each of these related diploid taxa were sequenced, and the sequences compared to those of the soft hexaploid wheat cultivar `Penawawa'. As expected from the origin of the D-genome in hexaploid wheat, the highest sequence identity was observed for the A. tauschii sequences, whereas the sequences for A.speltoides were the most divergent. The promoter sequences were further analyzed for putative regulatory elements, and the possible significance of several highly conserved sequence motifs is discussed. Western blots of Triton X-114 extracted proteins separated by SDS-PAGE confirmed the accumulation of pinA and pinB gene products in the endosperm of all the germplasm lines studied. The deduced amino acid sequences for the related diploid taxa do not imply any major structural changes as compared to the wild-type T. aestivum puroindolines, and is therefore in agreement with the soft endosperm texture of these species. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Modification of sugar profiles in California adapted apricots (Prunus armeniaca L.) through breeding with Central Asian germplasm

Summary Central Asian apricot germplasm was used in hybridizations with California adapted apricots to increase Brix levels and improve fresh eating quality. Fruit from parental trees, the F₁ hybrid and two backcross families were evaluated for fruit quality traits and analyzed by HPLC for specific sugar content. The F₁ hybrid between Central Asian and California adapted apricots was intermediate to its parents in many of the evaluated characteristics and levels of specific sugars. When the F₁ hybrid was backcrossed to California adapted apricots ‘Lorna’ and ‘Robada,’ the resulting hybrids were diverse in Brix, juice acidity, fruit size and profiles of specific sugars. Glucose: fructose ratios higher that 3.3 were encountered in fruit from five of the 22 analyzed seedlings, and fructose: sorbitol ratio ranged from 0.67 to 6.46. Brix and total sugar content correlated significantly with each other and with both sucrose and glucose. No significant correlations existed between sorbitol and any of the other analyzed sugars, nor with Brix or total sugars. The results demonstrated the extent of sugar profile modification possible in California adapted apricots after just two generations of breeding with Central Asian apricot germplasm.     

Diallel analysis of sweetpotatoes for resistance to sweetpotato virus disease

Sweetpotato virus disease (SPVD) is due to the dual infection and synergistic interaction of Sweetpotato feathery mottle potyvirus (SPFMV) and Sweetpotato chlorotic stunt crinivirus(SPCSV), and causes up to 98% yield loss in sweetpotato in East Africa. This study was conducted to determine the inheritance of resistance to SPVD in sweetpotato and to estimate the nature of genetic variance. Ten parental clones varying in reaction to SPVD were crossed in a half diallel mating design to generate 45 full-sib families. The families were graft-inoculated with SPCSV and SPFMV to induce SPVD and evaluated for resistance in a randomized complete block design at two sites in Namulonge, Uganda during 1998–2000. In serological assays for SPFMV and SPCSV,resistance to symptom development and recovery from initial systemic SPVD symptoms, characterised resistant genotypes. Genetic component analysis showed significant effects for both general combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) for resistance to SPVD. GCA to SCA variance component ratios were large (0.51–0.87), hence GCA effects were more important than SCA effects. Resistant parents exhibited high GCA indicating that additive gene effects were predominant in the inheritance of resistance to SPVD and recovery. Narrow-sense heritability (31–41%) and broad-sense heritability (73–98%) were moderate to high, indicating that rapid genetic gains for SPVD resistance could be accomplished by mass selection breeding techniques. Two genotypes, New Kawogo and Sowola, had high negative GCA effects and had several families in specific crosses,which exhibited rapid recovery from SPVD,and are promising parents for enhancement of SPVD resistance and recovery. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Nitrogen mineralization in a pecan (Carya illinoensis K. Koch)–cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) alley cropping system in the southern United States

Information on temporal and spatial patterns of N mineralization is critical in designing tree-crop mixed systems that could maximize N uptake while minimizing N loss. We quantified N mineralization rates in a pecan (Carya illinoensis K. Koch)–cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) alley cropping system in northwestern Florida with (non-barrier) and without tree-crop belowground interactions (barrier separating the root systems of pecan and cotton). Monthly rates of mineralization were estimated using buried bag incubations over a 15-month period. In addition, seasonal mineralization rates and cotton lint yield on soils supplied with two sources of N—inorganic fertilizer and organic poultry litter—were assessed. Results indicated that temporal variations in net NH₄ and NO₃ accumulation and mineralization rates were driven primarily by environmental factors and to a lesser degree by initial soil NH₄ and NO₃ levels. Mineralization varied by belowground interaction treatment during the initial growing season, when the non-barrier treatment exhibited a higher mineralization rate than the barrier treatment, likely due to reduced nutrient uptake by cotton in the non-barrier or a higher degree of immobilization in the barrier treatment. Mineralization during the second growing season was similar for both treatments. Source of N had no effects on N transformation in the soil. Lint yield reductions were observed in the non-barrier treatment during both years compared to the barrier treatment, likely due to interspecific competition for water. Yield differences between treatments in the second growing season were likely compounded by a diminishing pre-study fallow effect. Source of N was found to have a significant effect on cotton yield, with inorganic fertilizer resulting in 39% higher lint compared to poultry litter in the barrier treatment.     

Managing small remnants of native forest to increase biodiversity within plantation landscapes in the south west of Western Australia

Recent expansion of industrial-scale plantations into agricultural areas in Australia has the potential to assist biodiversity conservation by rehabilitating ecosystems at the landscape scale and reducing edge effects, isolation and disturbance within remnants of native vegetation. However, the efficient management of remnants for biodiversity within a plantation estate requires knowledge of both the causes and the consequences of remnant degradation. With this in mind, we examined key ecosystem features and processes relating to soil chemistry, decomposition, native tree health and regeneration and vertebrate abundance, within small forest remnants (1-4 ha) embedded within Eucalyptus globulus plantations in south west Western Australia. Soil nutrient enrichment was significantly associated with a scale of vegetation modification in order from: (1) intact forest, (2) remnants with native understorey (UDN), (3) remnants with exotic understorey (UDE), (4) plantation and (5) pasture. We propose that, in this region, UDE remnants will often remain in a degraded state even after plantation establishment and the cessation of stock grazing. This is due, in part, to more rapid rates of nutrient turnover sustaining higher nutrient availability in the soil following the replacement of ligneous understorey plants with annual ones. Cotton strips placed in surface soils were often disintegrated in UDE remnants and largely intact in UDN remnants, indicating that decomposition was accelerated in the former. Continued tree decline and regeneration failure within UDE remnants will also reinforce the UDE condition. There was less canopy seed set and little or no seedling establishment in UDE remnants compared to UDN remnants. Therefore, management interventions to assist native tree regeneration in UDE remnants are needed. Fauna trapping highlighted the desirability of retaining, and preferably restoring, small remnants in plantations. Small native mammals were found exclusively in remnants and fewer introduced Mus musculus were present in UDN remnants. Higher numbers of native lizards were found in UDN remnants, but this result was not significant (marginally).