Biocontrol ofRhizoctonia damping-off of cucumber by non-pathogenic binucleateRhizoctonia

Three isolates of binucleateRhizoctonia (BNR) were tested for biological control of damping-off of cucumber seedlings caused byRhizoctonia solani AG 2-2 and AG 4. BNR isolates L2 (AG Ba) and W1 and W7 (AG A) provided protection of 58 to 71% against virulent isolate C4 of AG 4 and 64 to 75% protection against virulent isolate RH 65 of AG 2-2. Varying protection was provided to the seedlings by the BNR isolates against the virulentR. solani from the two AGs depending on their combination. The BNR isolates did not vary in providing protection to the seedling when tested against virulent C4 when both isolates were inoculated using three different methods,viz. in water agar, combination of water agar and soil and using soil alone. Protection of 58 to 71 % was provided by the isolates when inoculation was done on the hypocotyl using water agar, 62.8 to 75% using the combination of water agar and soil, and 75 to 85% when inoculation of both isolates was done in soil. Pre-incubation of BNR W7 or delayed inoculation of C4 (from 0.5 day to longer duration) using the different methods provided an increased protection to the seedlings to give complete inhibition of damping-off disease. Simultaneous inoculation of both BNR W7 and C4 using the three methods failed to provide protection to the seedlings. Among the BNR isolates, BNR W7 showed plant growth promotion in terms of significant increase in plant height (P=0.01) and fresh weight (P=0.05).     

Constructive Approaches to Intellectual Property Complexity in Today＇s Agricultural Technology World

Essential to progress in plant biotechnology for deliverable applications, patent and patent application data must be transparent in order to determine where there is whitespace for innovation.     

Chemometric studies of vinegars from different raw materials and processes of production

The phenolic composition, aroma compounds, and organic acid content of 83 vinegars have been determined. Multivariate analysis techniques have been used to classify these vinegar samples according to raw material (white wine, red wine, apple, honey, alcohol, balsamic, and malt) and production process (with and without aging in wood). Cluster analysis grouped the samples according to production process. Only apple and balsamic vinegars were separated from wine vinegars. Alcohol, honey, and malt vinegars were grouped with no aged wine vinegars. Linear discriminate analysis allowed a 88% differentiation according to raw material and 100% according to aging in wood. Besides, from the results obtained, a major role of the volatile compounds in the differentiation of the vinegar samples according to their aging period in wood can be seen.     

Treatment of canine hip dysplasia: a review.

This article discusses the treatment approaches and recommendations for canine hip dysplasia. A search of the literature database MEDLINE (1969-1994) was conducted and relevant journal articles regarding the medical and surgical treatment of hip dysplasia were selected and reviewed. Dysplastic dogs can be divided, for treatment purposes, into those with no or minimal osteoarthrosis, and those with moderate to severe osteoarthrosis. In young animals with joint laxity and pain, but with no or minimal radiographic evidence of osteoarthrosis, the treatment approach is controversial. Conservative management may be effective in the short term, but progressive development of osteoarthrosis occurs and clinical signs may manifest at an older age. Options for surgical treatments in these young dogs include pectineal myectomy, lengthening of the femoral neck, and corrective osteotomies. Corrective osteotomies are advocated to reestablish joint congruency and prevent development of osteoarthrosis. In the mature osteoarthritic dog, effective conservative management depends on the severity of the degenerative joint disease. Proposed surgical treatments for clinically debilitating hip dysplasia include biocompatible osteoconductive/shelf arthroplasty; femoral head and neck excision arthroplasty, with or without muscle sling interposition; and total hip replacement. Although research directly comparing the salvage procedures has not been reported, studies suggest that total hip replacement is more effective in returning large dogs to full functional weight bearing.     

Kinetics of thermal modifications in a grape seed extract

The thermal modification kinetics of a commercial grape seed extract (GSE) was investigated. A GSE was exposed to 60, 90, and 120 °C for 5, 10, 15, 30, 45, and 60 min. The antioxidant activity (AA) and the absorbance at 420 nm (A(420)) were measured. (+)-Catechin, (-)-epicatechin, procyanidins B1 and B2, and gallic acid were identified and measured. After the thermal treatments, the AA did not show a significant difference (p > 0.05) and both procyanidins and gallic acid increased as well as A(420). (+)-Catechin and (-)-epicatechin decreased. To obtain the activation energy (E(a)) of the changes, a modified Weibull and a combined zero- and first-order model were compared, both followed by the Arrhenius equation. The Weibull model was more accurate. The E(a) values for browning and (+)-catechin, (-)-epicatechin, gallic acid, and procyanidins B1 and B2 were 170, 286, 42, 102, 249, and 95 kJ/mol, respectively. The results were valid at a confident level of 95%.