Comparison of the forage and grain composition from insect-protected and glyphosate-tolerant MON 88017 corn to conventional corn (Zea mays L.)

The next generation of biotechnology-derived products with the combined benefit of herbicide tolerance and insect protection (MON 88017) was developed to withstand feeding damage caused by the coleopteran pest corn rootworm and over-the-top applications of glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup herbicides. As a part of a larger safety and characterization assessment, MON 88017 was grown under field conditions at geographically diverse locations within the United States and Argentina during the 2002 and 2003-2004 field seasons, respectively, along with a near-isogenic control and other conventional corn hybrids for compositional assessment. Field trials were conducted using a randomized complete block design with three replication blocks at each site. Corn forage samples were harvested at the late dough/early dent stage, ground, and analyzed for the concentration of proximate constituents, fibers, and minerals. Samples of mature grain were harvested, ground, and analyzed for the concentration of proximate constituents, fiber, minerals, amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins, antinutrients, and secondary metabolites. The results showed that the forage and grain from MON 88017 are compositionally equivalent to forage and grain from control and conventional corn hybrids.     

Analysis of tidal breathing flow volume loop in dogs with tracheal masses

Objectives To investigate whether there are any changes in the tidal breathing flow volume loop (TBFVL) in calm, non-dyspnoeic dogs with intratracheal masses. Methods We compared 4 dogs with intratracheal masses (group 1) with 10 healthy dogs (group 2). Routine clinical and laboratory examinations of the dogs were unremarkable, except for episodic upper respiratory obstructive signs in the dogs in group 1. Lateral radiography of the neck and thorax showed that group 1 dogs had masses that appeared to protrude into the tracheal lumen. Tracheoscopy and surgery or necropsy was performed to confirm the presence of the mass. Arterial blood gas and TBFVL analysis was carried out in all dogs to assess respiratory status. Results The shape of the TBFVL for dogs in group 1 was narrower and ovoid compared with that for the group 2 dogs. Tidal volume and expiratory and inspiratory times were significantly reduced, whereas the respiratory rate was increased for dogs in group 1 compared with dogs in group 2. Arterial blood gas analysis was unremarkable for all dogs. Conclusions TBFVL is a non-invasive technique that is easy to perform and well tolerated by dogs. In the absence of abnormalities detected by routine diagnostic evaluations and arterial blood gas analysis in dogs with intratracheal masses, the TBFVL contributes to the definition of the physiologic status of the airways at the time of testing, and results suggests that these dogs breathe quite normally when they are calm and non-dyspnoeic.     

Biological activity of the coprolites of earthworms

The most important indicators of biological activity (respiration, methane genesis, nitrogen fixation, denitrification, and size and structure of the microbial population) were determined in coprolites of two types of earthworms (Lumbricus rubellus considered as the “litter” type and Aporrectodea rosea as the “soil” type) in the model experiment, in which the earthworms were kept separately and together, as in soddy-podzolic loamy soil. The biological activity of coprolites was significantly higher than in the soil and varied between worm species.     

Quantification,Morphology and Ultrastructure of Preantral Follicles of Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) Foetuses

The objective of this study was to determine the number, morphology and ultrastructure of preantral ovarian follicles of buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) foetuses at different ages. Quantification revealed number of primordial, primary and secondary follicles of 48 857 ± 17 506, 26 000 ± 20 452, 18 428 ± 10 875 and 18 375 ± 19 690, 225 ± 349, 326 ± 288 at 12–34 cm and 35–60 cm crown rump length (CRL), respectively. Follicular diameter values were 28.9 (±3.4), 34.7 (±5.9) and 59.4 (±12.6) μm; oocyte diameters were 21.7 (±2.8), 24.3 (±3.4) and 33.0 (±7.7) μm, and the numbers of follicular cells in the follicle equatorial section were 7.1 (±1.4), 12.0 (±2.4) and 13.8 (±2.4) for primordial, primary and secondary follicles, respectively. The primordial follicle consisted of an oocyte surrounded by a layer of flattened follicular cells with a normally eccentric oocyte nucleus. Dispersed Golgi complex, smooth endoplasmic reticulum, rounded mitochondria and several lipid vesicles were observed in the cytoplasm and cell junctions between the follicle cell membranes and the oocyte. This work describes the number, morphometry and ultrastructure of preantral follicles of buffalo foetuses, concluding that folliculogenesis is established between 8 and 34 cm CRL and that follicle number varies individually and according to age and that further studies are needed in this species.     

An outbreak of malignant catarrhal fever in young rusa deer (Cervus timorensis)

On the basis of clinical signs and histological findings eight 9-month-old male rusa deer ( Cervus timorensis ) were diagnosed with sheep associated-malignant catarrhal fever. Following a variable course involving rectal temperatures around 40.5°C, depression, inappetence, diarrhoea, corneal opacity and hypopyon all animals died or were euthanased over a 5-week period. Severe multifocal vasculitis, mainly periglomerular and in the arcuate vessels were consistent histological findings which in the past have been adequate to confirm clinical diagnosis of sheep associated-malignant catarrhal fever. A nested poly-merase chain reaction test has been used to detect a sheep associated-malignant catarrhal fever PRC product, 238 base-pairs in size, in DNA extracted from lymphocyte preparations. The result supported the diagnosis of sheep associated-malignant catarrhal fever in these deer.     

Reciprocal compatibility within the genus Pisum L. as studied in F1 hybrids: 4. Crosses within P. sativum L. subsp. elatius (Bieb.) Aschers. et Graebn.

Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution - Five accessions representing divergent lineages of wild peas (Pisum sativum subsp. elatius) were crossed with each other in both directions and also...     

The first record of tetrasomy in pea (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Pisum sativum</Emphasis> L.)

Tetrasomic plants with two additional small chromosomes were identified, with a frequency about 2.5%, in the trisomic pea line TRUST-R, which normally contains one extra chromosome covering a sporophyte lethal in the regular chromosome set. As compared to trisomics, tetrasomics exhibited an enhanced expression of the traits resulting from extra chromosome addition: slow growth, enlarged bracts, shortened peduncles, wavy leaflets and stipulae. They were almost sterile, their pollen contained a variable proportion of empty grains and some anomalously large, small or deformed grains. In metaphase I, two extra chromosomes did not form a stable bivalent and only in some cases were situated close to each other. In anaphase I, the extra chromosomes migrated independently to either pole or retarded in the equatorial plain, the same was observed for chromatids in anaphase II. This retardation resulted in anomalous cytokinesis, so that triads, dyads and half-divided or non-divided monads appeared. The retarded extra chromosomes may form small extra nuclei either included into one of the microspores or forming a separate miniature cell; in this way tetrasomics may eliminate extra chromosomes. One of the tetrasomics analysed formed an exceptionally high proportion of microspore pentads. In the regluar TRUST-R trisomics, the sole extra chromosome retarded in the equatorial plain in anaphases I and II. The retardation in anaphase II often makes cytokinesis in trisomics (in general more regular than in tetrasomic) to proceed in two steps: at first cell wall formation separates a pollen mother cell into two dyads and then each of them into two microspores.     

Relationship of wild and cultivated forms of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pisum</Emphasis> L. as inferred from an analysis of three markers,of the plastid,mitochondrial and nuclear genomes

Eighty-nine accessions of wild and cultivated peas (12 Pisum fulvum Sibth. et Smith., 7 P. abyssinicum A. Br., 31 wild and 42 cultivated forms of P. sativum L.) were analysed for presence of the variants of three functionally unrelated polymorphic markers referring to different cellular genomes. The plastid gene rbcL either contains or not the recognition site for restriction endonuclease AspLEI (rbcL+ vs. rbcL−); the mitochondrial gene cox1 either contains or not the recognition site for restriction endonuclease PsiI (cox1+ vs. cox1−); the nuclear encoded seed albumin SCA is represented by slow (SCA^S) or fast (SCA^F) variant. Most of the accessions possessed either of two marker combinations: 24 had SCA^F cox1+ rbcL+ (combination A) and 49 accessions had SCA^S cox1− rbcL− (combination B), 16 accessions represented 5 of the rest 6 possible combinations. All accessions of P. fulvum and P. abyssinicum had combination A, the overwhelming majority of cultivated forms of P. sativum had combination B while wild representatives of P. sativum had both combinations A and B, as well as rare combinations. This pattern indicates that combination A is the ancestral state in the genus Pisum L., inherited by P. fulvum and P. abyssinicum, while combination B seems to have arisen in some lineage of wild P. sativum which rapidly fixed mutational transitions of the three markers studied, most probably via a bottleneck effect during the Pleistocene. Then this ‘lineage B’ spread over Mediterranean and also gave rise to cultivated forms of P. sativum. Rare combinations may have resulted from occasional crosses between ‘lineage A’ and ‘lineage B’ in nature or during cultivation, or represent intermediate evolutionary lineages. The latter explanation seems relevant for an Egyptian cultivated form ‘Pisum jomardii Schrank’ (SCA^F cox1− rbcL−) which is here given a subspecies rank. Wild representatives of P. sativum could be subdivided in two subspecies corresponding to ‘lineage A’ and ‘lineage B’ but all available subspecies names seem to belong to lineage B only. Presently all wild forms would better be considered within a fuzzy paraphyletic subspecies P. sativum subsp. elatius (Bieb.) Schmalh. s. l.     

Attitudes and practices of Queensland dairy farmers to the control of the cattle tick, Boophilus microplus

Objective To determine practices for the control of cattle ticks on dairy farms in Queensland, the attitudes of farmers to tick infestations and to identify opportunities for and barriers against the introduction of non-chemical methods of tick control.
Design A survey of 199 dairy farmers from tick-infested parts of Queensland was undertaken by 20 dairy advisers and stock inspectors from October 1996 to June 1997. The sample was a proportional, random selection of dairy farms from four regions. A personal interview was conducted with each farmer and answers to 134 questions were obtained.
Results and conclusions Most farmers were not concerned by cattle ticks on their own farms, although they believed that ticks are important to the dairy industry. They were most concerned about the development of chemical resistance by cattle ticks. Inadequate facilities and lack of motivation appeared to be the factors most limiting to improving the methods of control. Most farmers claimed to have only small numbers of ticks at worst. Although a control program recom mended by the Queensland Dairyfarmers' Organisation was well regarded by farmers, few had adopted it. Many farmers saw no need to implement a strategic control program.