The effects of the severe drought of 1976 on the vegetation of some moorland pools in The Netherlands

The effect of the extreme drough of 1976 has been studied to obtain information on the reaction of the vegetation of moorland pools following a fall in the ground water level. The degree of change appeared to be dependent on the nutrient status of water and soil and on the relief. The vegetation of metatrophic and guanotrophic moorland pools showed the most drastic change.     

Comparison of Chemical Composition and Biological Properties of Essential Oils Obtained by Hydrodistillation and Steam Distillation of Laurus nobilis L.

Plant Foods for Human Nutrition - The purpose of this study was to compare the yield, chemical composition, antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of essential oils isolated from leaves of Laurus...     

Optimizing aphid biocontrol with the predator Aphidoletes aphidimyza,based on biology and ecology

Aphidoletes aphidimyza is one of the most important predators used in the augmentative biological control of aphids, key pests of many crops worldwide. Adult females are very efficient in locating aphid infestations over a relatively long range, up to 45 m, and deposit eggs near or within aphid colonies. The predatory larvae are aphid generalists preying on several agriculturally important aphid species. The successful use of this biocontrol agent in agricultural systems depends on several biotic and abiotic factors. Among biotic factors, aphid species, plant structure, interspecific competition and intraguild predation may significantly impact the predator´s population dynamics. Key abiotic conditions include day lengths (above a critical threshold to prevent diapause), availability of mating sites in the crop, temperature (above 15 °C to enable egg laying), air relative humidity (above 70%) and availability of pupation sites. Although several successes have been reported in open field crops with naturally occurring or released populations, commercial releases are primarily used in protected crops. Optimized emergence boxes combining provisioning of food sources for the adults, integration with the technological advances that occurred in the greenhouse environment lately, insights into the nutritional ecology in open field crops and exploration of the genetic variability are proposed as future directions to improve adoption and efficacy of A. aphidimyza in crop protection. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry     

Effect of the fungicide imazalil on hepatic microsomal cytochrome P-450 and cytochrome P-450 dependent activities in the Bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus)

Bobwhite quails were treated with imazalil for 8 weeks. The fungicide was given admixed in the food at 0, 100, 300, 500 and 1000 mg kg^?1. Even at the highest dose tested, imazalil did not affect the liver weight or the hepatic microsomal protein content. In treated quails, no significant induction of cytochrome P-450 or NADPH-cytochrome c-reductase activity was observed. Furthermore, imazalil did not induce or inhibit 7-ethoxyresorufin or 7-ethoxycoumarin O-deethylase in quail microsomes. Only a slight but significant increase by 35% and 49% in aniline hydroxylase activity was measured for the 500- and 1000-mg kg^?1 dose levels, respectively. After a drug-free period of one week, aniline hydroxylase activity returned to control values, indicating that the effect was fully reversible. It is concluded that imazalil does not induce or inhibit drug-metabolizing enzymes in the quail, even at doses which exceed by far the maximum levels currently used to dress seed under field conditions (100 mg kg^?1).     

Latency sites and reactivation of duck enteritis virus

Duck virus enteritis (DVE) is a contagious disease caused by herpesvirus in waterfowl populations. Recovered birds become carriers and shed the virus periodically. Reactivation of latent duck enteritis virus (DEV) has been implicated in outbreaks of DVE in domestic and migrating waterfowl populations. In this study, the sites for virus latency were determined in white Pekin ducks infected with the DEV-97 strain. At 3 wk postinfection, infectious virus was not detectable in tissues or cloacal swabs (CSs). At 7 and 9 weeks postinfection, the viral DNA was detected by polymerase chain reaction in the trigeminal ganglia (TG), suggesting that the virus is latent. Viral DNA was detected in the peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL), spleen, thymus, bursa, and CSs only after in vitro cocultivation. In vivo virus reactivation was demonstrated when dexamethasone or a combination of dexamethasone and cyclophosphamide was inoculated in latently infected ducks. The reactivation of DEV occurred without any clinical evidence of the disease, but the virus was detected in PBL and CSs. We conclude from this study that DEV establishes latency in TG and lymphoid tissues including PBL.     

Hydrometra in a ferret-case report.

A desexed female ferret was presented with bilateral alopecic changes. Clinical examination revealed generalized alopecia and abdominal distension. A polycystic mass was found behind the right kidney, and the whole abdomen was filled with a large turgid mass. Radiography and ultrasonography confirmed the presumptive diagnosis of a hydrometra. Hematology and serum biochemistry showed regenerative anemia with light azotemia. Laparotomy showed the presence of a neoplastic mass at the location of the right ovary, a massive enlargement of the uterus filled with a clear fluid, and a subcapsular cyst on the left kidney. After surgery, histopathologic examination of the tissues diagnosed a leiomyoma of the right ovary with hyperplasia of the uterine wall.     

Functional markers delimiting a <Emphasis Type="Italic">Medicago</Emphasis> orthologue of pea symbiotic gene <Emphasis Type="Italic">NOD3</Emphasis>

Symbiotic gene mutated in the pea (Pisum sativum L.) line RisfixC is a determinant of the number of symbiotic root nodules. In parallel to a sharp increase in nodule number, its mutational inactivation brings about the insensitivity of nodulation to the ambient nitrate level (Nts trait). Using the established localization to the SYM2-NOD3 region of the pea linkage group I, functional PCR markers were developed for the orthologous region on the chromosome 5 of the model species Medicago truncatula. Owing to the conservation of the binding regions of the designed primers, pea orthologues were successfully amplified with 60% of the primer pairs tested. When applied to a mapping pea population from the cross of the line RisfixC x Afghanistan L1268 (sym2), the new markers allowed to localize the supernodulation mutation within 2.5 cM confidence interval in the pea genome. The placement of the functional markers on the M. truncatula chromosome 5 confined the orthologous gene location to eight overlapping BACs spanning approximately 710 kbp (positions 37,755,678–38,467,472). The narrowed list of the annotated Medicago genes in combination with the published data on their symbiotic and nitrate regulation can be used for the candidate gene identification, together with the requirements imposed by the known function in nodule number initiation and nitrate sensing. In addition, the new markers are applicable for tracking the RisfixC allele in breeding programmes aimed at the improvement of symbiotic performance.     

Hepatoprotective and TNF-α inhibitory activity of Zosima absinthifolia extracts and coumarins

Zosima absinthifolia (ZA) extracts and the coumarins (+)-columbianadin and (-)-deltoin were evaluated for their potential hepatoprotective and antiinflamatory effects in a CCl(4)-induced hepatotoxicity assay in rats and by the inhibition of TNF-α production on LPS-stimulated THP-1 macrophages, respectively. Both the ZA extracts and the coumarins showed hepatoprotective activity confirmed by monitoring the ALT/AST levels and by histopathological examination. The antiinflamatory activity, proved by the inhibition of TNF-α production, was found to be higher for the n-hexane root extract than for coumarins, suggesting synergic potential of the extract. The concentration of (-)-deltoin and (+)-columbianadin in extracts was determined by HPLC analysis.