Morphological and molecular identification of Neopestalotiopsis mesopotamica causing tomato fruit rot

Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection - Severe fruit rot symptoms were observed on tomato crop (Lycopersicon esculentum) located in Hamedan province of Iran, in spring 2014. Affected fruits...     

Ocular anomalies in a herd of Exmoor ponies in Canada

Objective To characterize the ocular anomalies, determine their recurrence in families and assess the mode of inheritance of the most prevalent anomalies through pedigree analysis in a herd of Exmoor ponies. Animals studied Thirty Exmoor ponies residing in south‐western Ontario, Canada. Procedures Ophthalmic examination was performed using direct ophthalmoscopy, slit‐lamp biomicroscopy and indirect ophthalmoscopy, pre‐ and post‐pupillary dilation. Following compilation of ocular findings, pedigree analysis was conducted to assess the recurrence pattern of specific anomalies in families and the data were tested for significance for breed prevalence and gender dependence, using Fisher’s exact test. Results Twenty‐eight purebred ponies and two cross‐breds, ranging from 14 days to 31 years were examined. A prominent brow above the eyes characteristic of this breed was a consistent periocular feature of adult ponies. In nine ponies, eyelid sarcoid, iris nevus, Mittendorf’s dot, hyaloid artery remnant, and hyper‐reflective vitreal strands were detected while the lesions recorded in the remaining 21 included macroblepharon, persistent pupillary membranes, iris hypoplasia, cataracts, focal choroidal or retinal pigment epithelium hypoplasia and optic nerve head coloboma. The most common ocular finding was cataracts seen mainly in females. Statistical tests on prevalence data confirmed a significant breed and sex association. Pedigree analysis favored a sex‐linked mode of inheritance for cataracts in this line of Exmoor ponies. Conclusions Although the ocular anomalies detected in this group have been previously reported in other breeds of horses, this is the first report of equine cataracts showing a familial trend suggestive of a sex‐linked genetic defect.     

Using digital repeat photography and eddy covariance data to model grassland phenology and photosynthetic CO2 uptake

The continuous and automated monitoring of canopy phenology is of increasing scientific interest for the multiple implications of vegetation dynamics on ecosystem carbon and energy fluxes. For this purpose we evaluated the applicability of digital camera imagery for monitoring and modeling phenology and physiology of a subalpine grassland over the 2009 and 2010 growing seasons.We tested the relationships between color indices (i.e. the algebraic combinations of RGB brightness levels) tracking canopy greenness extracted from repeated digital images against field measurements of green and total biomass, leaf area index (LAI), greenness visual estimation, vegetation indices computed from continuous spectroradiometric measurements and CO₂ fluxes observed with the eddy covariance technique. A strong relationship was found between canopy greenness and (i) structural parameters (i.e., LAI) and (ii) canopy photosynthesis (i.e. Gross Primary Production; GPP). Color indices were also well correlated with vegetation indices typically used for monitoring landscape phenology from satellite, suggesting that digital repeat photography provides high-quality ground data for evaluation of satellite phenology products.We demonstrate that by using canopy greenness we can refine phenological models (Growing Season Index, GSI) by describing canopy development and considering the role of ecological factors (e.g., snow, temperature and photoperiod) controlling grassland phenology. Moreover, we show that canopy greenness combined with radiation use efficiency (RUE) obtained from spectral indices related to photochemistry (i.e., scaled Photochemical Reflectance Index) or meteorology (i.e., MOD17 RUE) can be used to predict daily GPP.Building on previous work that has demonstrated that seasonal variation in the structure and function of plant canopies can be quantified using digital camera imagery, we have highlighted the potential use of these data for the development and parameterization of phenological and RUE models, and thus point toward an extension of the proposed methodologies to the dataset collected within PhenoCam Network.     

Survey of the microbiological count of the milk collected from livestock ancient city of Garmsar,Semnan Province,Iran

Milk has a high nutritional value and can affect human health. Therefore, it is important to know the factors affecting its quality. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the raw milk microbial quality and factors affecting it. A total of 4260 raw cow milk samples, which were collected from villages around Garmsar city, Iran, and their microbial load were registered at Garmsar Dairy Cow Association between 2013 and 2014, was used in the present study. The total average ± SD of microbial load concentration was 3.02?×?10⁵?±?2.75?×?10⁵ (CFU/ml). The average concentration of total bacteria in 2013 was 2.73?×?10⁵?±?1.58?×?10⁵ (CFU/ml) and in 2014 it was 3.32?×?10⁵?±?3.93?×?10⁵(CFU/ml). Seasonally, it was 2.94?×?10⁵?±?1.72?×?10⁵ (CFU/ml), 3.69?×?10⁵?±?4.55?×?10⁵ (CFU/ml), 2.91?×?10⁵?±?1.62?×?10⁵ (CFU/ml), and 2.63?×?10⁵?±?1.67?×?10⁵ (CFU/ml) for spring, summer, autumn, and winter, respectively. There was a significant difference in seasonal average microbial concentration of milk samples (p?<?0.05). The present study concludes that microbial load of milk can be affected by environmental and hygienic conditions. Ranchers need to pay more attention to hygiene especially in warm seasons. Because in case of high microbial load in raw milk, even after milk pasteurization, it is not possible to have a high-quality and desirable product. Milk producers and distributors need also awareness in order to reduce the incidence of secondary contamination. But, the main correction is to establish direct supervision of the Ministry of Health onto the health of dairy cow farmers by structural integrity of Veterinary Medical Organization as the global one health.

     

Chemical composition and antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of essential oil of Artemisia annua L. from Bosnia

Hydrodistilled volatile oil obtained from the aerial parts of Artemisia annua L., cultivated near Sarajevo, Bosnia, was analyzed by GC-MS. More than one hundred compounds were identi?ed, representing 95.5% of the total oil. The major constituents of essential oil were oxygenated monoterpenes, artemisia ketone (30.7%) and camphor (15.8%). Isolated essential oil was tested for radical-scavenging ability using the stable DPPH radical, the ABTS radical, for reducing power ability with a test based on the reduction of ferric cations, for reducing ability of hydroxy radical in ORAC assay, and for metal chelating ability using the ferrozine assay. In all tests oil did not show a prominent antioxidant activity, but still comparable with thymol, an already known antioxidant. The screening of antimicrobial activity of oil was individually evaluated against representatives of Gram-positive, Gram-negative bacteria and fungi, using the agar diffusion method. All tested microorganisms were inhibited by essential oil. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of antimicrobial activity of essential oil of A. annua against Haemophilus influenzae, Enterococcus faecalis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Micrococcus luteus and Candida krusei microbial strains. The antioxidant, antibacterial and antifungal activity of essential oil of A. annua from Bosnia is presented here for the first time and extends our knowledge in the range of valuable biological activities and possible roles in therapy associated with this medicinal herb.