Insecticidal potency of novel compounds on multiple insect species of medical and veterinary importance

BACKGROUND: Vector‐borne diseases continue to present significant threats to human, animal and plant health. Mosquitoes, houseflies, sand flies and stable flies are well‐known vectors of several human and animal pathogens. The toxicity of selected semiochemicals with molecular structures indicative of insecticidal activity was determined against these insect species with the aim of developing novel insecticides toxic to multiple insect species. RESULTS: Three semiochemicals, namely beta‐damascone, cyclemone A and melafleur, showed remarkable toxicity to three mosquitoes, Aedes aegypti L., Ae. albopictus (Skuse) and Anopheles quadrimaculatus Say, the housefly, Musca domestica L., the stable fly, Stomoxys calcitrans L., and the sand fly, Lutzomyia shannoni (Dyar). The chemicals were equally toxic to several field‐collected permethrin‐tolerant housefly strains. When formulated as 500 mL L^?1 emulsifiable concentrates, the chemicals demonstrated stability and toxicity on filter paper and camouflage military fabrics, with persistence up to 8 days under laboratory conditions. The chemicals were equally effective under field conditions when evaluated on unpainted plywood panels, although a higher dosage was required under field conditions to achieve similar efficacy. CONCLUSION: Laboratory quantification of LC₅₀ values and field efficacy of three semiochemicals as formulated compounds on mosquitoes, houseflies, stable flies and sand flies showed that these semiochemicals could serve as potent insecticides for multiple insect species. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

Rhynchosporium leaf scald disease incidence: seed source and spatial pattern

A programme of field trials for the study of the winter barley–Rhynchosporium commune pathosystem is reported. The associated seedborne disease rhynchosporium leaf scald is regarded as having an important impact on barley yields. The analysis in this study relates to the impact of the seed source (commercial or farm-saved seed) on disease incidence and to the spatial pattern of rhynchosporium leaf scald disease incidence. Disease incidence data were calculated from field data recorded as disease severity. Mean disease incidence was higher in the crops grown from farm-saved seed than in those grown from commercial seed, although great agronomic significance cannot be attached to this result. The spatial pattern of rhynchosporium leaf scald disease incidence was characterized in terms of the binary power law (BPL) and was indicative of an aggregated pattern. Programme-wide BPL results were described using a novel phytopathological application of a random coefficients model. These results have application in field sampling for rhynchosporium leaf scald disease.     

Reduced chromosome association between the short arms of 5H homologues in Hordeum vulgare L. at metaphase I

Rod or ring bivalents at metaphase I (MI) reflect whether crossing-over has occurred on one or both pairs of chromosome arms, respectively, during meiotic prophase (pachytene). In cultivated barley ( Hordeum vulgare ) the highest frequencies of rod bivalents were found for satellite chromosomes (either 5H or 6H). To distinguish between chromosome 5H and 6H associations, a recombinant line derived from an H. vulgare × H. bulbosum hybrid with a hemizygous introgression from H. bulbosum on the short arm of chromosome 6H was probed with 45S rDNA and pSc119.2 using fluorescent in situ hybridization and compared with non-recombinant H. vulgare. The frequencies of rod bivalents, caused by failure of the short arms of 5H chromosomes (5HS) to associate during meiosis in the recombinant line, were similar to the frequencies of rod bivalents involving the satellite chromosomes in H. vulgare. Hence, rod bivalent formation in H. vulgare satellite chromosomes is probably based on reduced association of 5HS, corresponding to a low frequency of genetic recombination. 5HS is, therefore, more likely to show linkage disequilibrium than the other chromosome arms.     

The performance of a thermometer screen on an automatic weather station

The performance of a Didcot-type thermometer screen on an Automatic Weather Station and a conventional Stevenson screen were compared, both with each other and against an aspirated Assmann psychrometer. Maximum temperature in the Didcot screen exceeded the conventional screen maximum by up to 1 K on calm, sunny days, and Didcot minimum temperatures were as much as 1.5 K less than the screen minima on still, clear nights; mean temperature discrepancies between screens were + 0.3 and − 0.4 K for maxima and minima, respectively. The apparent psychrometric constant for the Didcot screen was 1.0 mbar K⁻¹ which increased to 1.2 mbar K⁻¹ when u < 2 m s⁻¹ in contrast to the value of 0.799 mbar K⁻¹ frequently used for the Stevenson screen.     

Turf-banked terrace treads and risers, turf exfoliation and possible relationships with advancing treeline

Fine-scale geomorphic/pedogenic processes at alpine treeline may facilitate the initial stages of conifer invasion of alpine tundra. Turf-banked terraces and turf exfoliation associated with solifluction may provide both the topographic protection and the seedbed necessary for conifer establishment above treeline. The morphometry, stoniness and surface penetrability of turf-banked terraces were recorded. Whereas differences among sites exist due to topographic constraints, differences in soil penetrability depend on turf exfoliation. Exfoliated turf risers are significantly more penetrable than non-exfoliated solifluction risers and adjacent treads. These penetrable microsites provide favorable conditions for seed germination. The process of turf exfoliation may play a role in conifer advance into tundra during climatic change.     

Follow-up of mercury levels in fish,human hair and urine in the Madeira and Tapajós basins,Amazon, Brazil

Informal economy of gold mining has contaminated some important river basins in Amazon. Follow-up studies on critical compartments showed some areas with high Hg levels in fish as well as in human hair samples. Average Hg in piscivorous fish in the Madeira river itself was 846 ppb (N=284) with a maximum of 3921 ppb. Mercury in fish from non polluted areas in this basin shows high variability, even for single species. A seasonal variation in Hg content was observed, with higher values at the end of the dry season. In the upper Tapajós basin comparable values were found for fish but with a definite decreasing trend downstream. Average value for piscivorous fish in the whole Tapajós basin is 482 ppb (N=122) with a maximum value of 3770 ppb. Hair Hg was higher in fishing villages in the Tapajós (average: 17 ppm; with N=432 and maximum value of 176 ppm) than in the Madeira (average: 9 ppm; N=169; maximum 71 ppm), and data from some areas of the Tapajós suggest a decrease with time. Mercury was much higher in urine of goldshop workers in Santarém (low Tapajós) than in Alta Floresta (high Tapajbs) and show a decreasing trend in both cases, probably related to the significant decline in gold mining activities during the study period (1986–1994).     

Soil nitrogen mineralization not affected by grass species traits

Species N use traits was evaluated as a mechanism whereby Bromus inermis (Bromus), an established invasive, might alter soil N supply in a Northern mixed-grass prairie. We compared soils under stands of Bromus with those from three representative native grasses of different litter C/N: Andropogon gerardii (Andropogon), Nassella viridula (Nassella) and Pascopyrum smithii (Pascopyrum); in ascending order of litter quality. Net mineralization (per g soil N) measured in year-long laboratory incubations showed no differences in comparisons of Bromus with two of the three native grasses: Andropogon and Nassella. Higher mineralization in Pascopyrum stands relative to Bromus was consistent with its higher litter quality. However, an unusually high occurrence of an N-fixing legume in Pascopyrum stands, potentially favoring high mineralization rates, confounded any conclusions regarding the effects of plant N use on N mineralization. Instead of an initial flush of net mineralization, as would be expected in laboratory incubation, we observed an initial lag phase. This lag in net N mineralization coincided with high microbial activity (respiration) that suggests strong N limitation of the microbial biomass. Further support for the importance of immobilization initially came from modeling mineralization dynamics, which was explained better when we accounted for microbial growth in our model. The absence of strong differences in net mineralization beneath these grasses suggests that differences in plant N use alone were unlikely to influence soil N mineralization through substrate quality, particularly under strong N control of the microbial biomass.     

Verification of identities in global cacao germplasm collections

The ex situ conservation of cacao genetic resources is in the form of field genebanks. Misidentified trees though, represent a serious problem to (i) curators, who need to capture genetic diversity, and (ii) users of germplasm material, who must be certain of the identities of the accessions for proper evaluation of their results. The presence of mislabelled trees was assessed from data compiled in the International Cocoa Germplasm Database (ICGD) 2000 v4.1CD-ROM, which contains the published records of cacao accessions in global holdings. Circumstantial evidence revealed that many germplasm collections, especially those in Brazil (CEPEC), Colombia (ICA), Costa Rica (CATIE), Côte d'Ivoire, Mexico, Malaysia, Togo, Trinidad (ICG,T) and Venezuela (EEC) probably possessed misidentified material. The severity of the problem ranged from 15–44 % and is suggested as an area for immediate resolution. Based upon the morphological data provided by the ICGD CD-ROM, several accessions were highly suspect, including 'EET 19 [ECU]', 'EET 48 [ECU]', 'EET 162 [ECU]', 'ICS 1', 'ICS 6', 'ICS 43', 'ICS 89', 'ICS 100', 'IMC 67', 'PA 121 [PER]', 'POUND 7 [POU]', 'SCA 6', 'SPA 9 [COL]', 'UF 29', 'UF 613' and 'UF 667'. However, the identification of mislabelled trees should depend ultimately on molecular analysis. Hence, the use of voucher specimens for verification is forwarded and the concept of a public domain database for microsatellite analyses of germplasm holdings is raised.