Soil mixing in the East Anglian fens

Abstract. Experiments were started in 1967 to investigate the effects of soil mixing on fen peat soil. Peaty topsoil was mixed with mineral subsoil to a maximum depth of 80 cm at two sites, one with a clay subsoil, the other sand. Mixing was done on a commercial scale with a range of implements. After initial increases, yields of arable crops on both mixed soils were subsequently similar to those on unmixed soil. Residual herbicide activity was enhanced on mixed soils, and evidence of peat conservation was obtained at one site. The practice has not been taken up commercially because of the high capital cost of mixing and lack of serious problems which had been predicted following peat wastage.     

Flow Cytometry Identification of X- and Y-Chromosome-Bearing Goat Spermatozoa

Flow cytometric sorting technology was used to measure the difference in DNA content between X- and Y-chromosome-bearing spermatozoa in bucks. Spermatozoa were analysed by flow cytometry to characterize X- and Y-chromosome-bearing sperm populations and to quantify the DNA difference between them. Two symmetrical, overlapping and clearly separated peaks, corresponding to X- and Y-bearing spermatozoa, were detected. The difference in fluorescence intensity between the peaks was 4.4 +/- 0.03% without any significant inter- or intra-animal variations. Therefore, the identification and selection of high-purity samples of sperm populations for sex sorting is easier in bucks compared with other domestic species.     

Review: The strobilurin fungicides

The original article to which this Correction refers was published in Pest Management Science 58 (7): 649–662 (2002).Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Equine pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction: current understanding and recommendations from the Australian and New Zealand Equine Endocrine Group

The purpose of this article is to provide a review of the current knowledge and opinions about the epidemiology, clinical findings (including sequelae), diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of equine pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction, particularly in the Australian context. This information and the recommendations provided will assist practitioners in making informed decisions regarding the diagnosis and management of this disorder.     

Effect of bovine seminal plasma on bovine endometrial epithelial cells in culture

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of seminal plasma (SP) from bulls of known fertility on bovine endometrial epithelial cells (bEEC) in culture. The bEEC from passage 5, approximately 5.0–13 × 10⁵ cells per flask, were challenged with SP from bulls of high or low fertility (n = 3 and 2, respectively) or PBS (control), at 1% (75 μl) or 4% (300 μl) and were incubated for 72 hr (n = 13 per challenge). Total cell number and viability of bEEC after challenge with 1% SP from either high‐ or low‐fertility bulls (75H or 75L, respectively) did not differ from controls. In contrast, challenge with 4% of SP from high‐ or low‐fertility bulls (300H or 300L) negatively affected bEEC cell number and viability. Challenge with 300 L had a greater adverse effect than 300H. These results suggest that the negative effect of bovine SP on bEEC is both dose‐dependent and fertility‐dependent.     

A framework for evaluation of on-farm mastitis diagnostics in Australia

Numerous culture-based diagnostics are available on the Australian and international markets for on-farm detection of bacterial pathogens in milk. Use of such diagnostics may provide an opportunity to improve the prudent use of antimicrobials in udder health management. Farms are low-resource settings in terms of diagnostic microbiology capacity. The World Health Organisation has identified criteria for the evaluation of diagnostic tests in low resource settings based on Accuracy, Sensitivity, Specificity, User-friendliness, being Rapid or Robust, Equipment-free and being Deliverable (ASSURED). Here, we review how those criteria can be interpreted in the context of microbiological diagnosis of mastitis pathogens, and how on-farm diagnostics that are currently available in Australia perform relative to ASSURED criteria. This evaluation identifies multiple trade-offs, both with regard to scientific criteria and with regards to convenience criteria. More importantly, the purpose of testing may differ between farms, and test performance should be evaluated relative to its intended use. The ability of on-farm mastitis diagnostics to inform mastitis treatment decision-making in a timely and cost-effective manner depends not just on test characteristics but also on farm-specific pathogen prevalence, and on the farm enterprise's priorities and the farm manager's potential courses of action. With most assay evaluations to date conducted in professional laboratories, there is a surprising dearth of information on how well any of the diagnostic tests perform on-farm and, indeed, of the on-farm decision-making processes that they aim to inform.     

Pneumocystosis associated with canine distemper virus infection in a mink

An adult mink from a farm experiencing 100% mortality in affected animals was submitted for diagnostic examination. Clinical history included signs of respiratory disease, oculonasal discharge, and thickening of footpads. Canine distemper virus and Pneumocystis carinii were identified in lung tissue, suggesting immunosuppresion and secondary infection due to morbillivirus disease.     

Population Genetic Structure of Tapesia acuformis in Washington State

ABSTRACT Eyespot of wheat is caused by Tapesia yallundae and T. acuformis. Historically, T. yallundae has been considered the more important causal agent of the disease in Washington state and consists of a large homogeneous population with a genetic structure consistent with both sexual and asexual reproduction. T. acuformis has increased significantly in Washington in the past 10 years and apothecia were found recently under natural field conditions, indicating that T. acuformis may have a more important role in eyespot of wheat than previously was thought. To determine the genetic structure of T. acuformis in Washington, 141 single conidial isolates were sampled from four subpopulations in the eastern wheat-growing region of the state. Isolates were scored for mating type and six amplified fragment length polymorphism markers. All markers segregated in a 1:1 ratio and were determined to be unlinked based on genetic analysis of 24 progeny from an in vitro cross. No significant differences in allele frequencies (0.127 < P < 0.809) were found among individual loci across the four subpopulations and over all loci based on contingency table analysis of the log-likelihood ratio statistic G(2). Likewise, no overall differences between subpopulations were detected using the population differentiation statistic theta (theta = -0.004, P = 0.537). Random mating could not be rejected within each subpopulation or for the combined data using clone-corrected data sets based on (i) 1:1 ratio of mating-type, (ii) multilocus gametic disequilibrium analyses (index of association), (iii) phylogenetic analyses (parsimony tree length permutation test), and (iv) genotypic diversity analyses. T. acuformis has a genetic structure similar to that of sympatric populations of T. yallundae in Washington, with both sexual and asexual reproduction contributing to the structuring of this species.