Über einige in Häusern lästige Arthropodenarten

Outbreaks of some Arthropoda species in buildings of Praha are reviewed.Cylindroiolus teutonicus (Myriap., Chilopoda) leaved grassland around and entered cellars and rooms of dwelling houses. Here they died quickly in consequence of dryness. Several observations showed that Anobiidae (Anobium punctatum) living in wooden sculptures died within short after coming into central heated rooms.Lepisma saccharina damaged textil goods in a nursery school. The miteTyrophagus putrescentiae, unknown from field hitherto was often found in spider (Meta menardi) cocoons in caves and cracks of rocks.     

Eine Methode zur integrierten Bekämpfung des Rüsselkäfers (Hylobius abietis L.)

Zusammenfassung Es wird gezeigt, da? es m?glich ist, durch die Anwendung subletaler Konzentrationen des Insektizids DTHP, d. h. durch eine allgemeine Schw?chung des Organismus erwachsener Rüsselk?fer (Hylobius abietis L.), eine geeignete Disposition dieses Sch?dlings zur Infektion durch den parasitischen PilzBeauveria bassiana (Bals-Criv.) Vuill. herbeizuführen. Die K?fer, die in Fangrinden oder Fallen an Kiefern? stchen — welche in ein kombiniertes Pr?parat einer 0,05% DTHP-Suspension (Organophosphorverbindung vom Dipterex-Typ, technischer Block 0,0-Dimethyl-2,2,2-trichlor-1-hydroxy?thyl-phosphonat) mit 0,1% Sporen vonBeauveria bassiana getaucht worden waren — konzentriert wurden, nahmen keine Nahrung mehr auf und starben allm?hlich ab. Wie die histologischen Untersuchungen gezeigt haben, wurden Erkrankung und Tod der K?fer durch den genannten parasitischen Pilz herbeigeführt. Obwohl nur zwei Vergleichsfl?chen zur Verfügung standen, ist aus dem obengesagten klar, da? bei der Anwendung des kombinierten Pr?parates mit einer gewissen selektiven Wirkung gerechnet werden kann: W?hrend an der nur mit 1% DTHP behandelten Versuchsfl?che ungef?hr 2,5% nützlicher Insekten unter den get?teten K?fern festgestellt wurden (vor allem Laufk?fer der GattungPterostichus), betrug der Prozentsatz der get?teten nützlichen Insekten bei der Anwendung des kombinierten Pr?parates (DTHPBeauveria bassiana-Sporen) nur 0,25%. Die angeführten Versuche bewiesen die Anwendbarkeit der Kombination von Insektiziden — in subletalen Dosen oder Konzentrationen — mit Sporen parasitischer Pilze.     

Correlation of stylar ribonuclease isoenzymes with incompatibility alleles in apple

Fifty-six cultivars of apple were analysed for stylar ribonucleases; proteins were extracted from styles, separated by non-equilibrium pH gel electrofocusing and stained for activity. Excellent correlation was found between the ribonuclease bands revealed and the 11 known incompatibility, S, alleles, in 14 diploid cultivars genotyped in the classic work of Kobel by monitoring pollen tube growth after test crossing, and in 20 cultivars genotyped, at least partially, by more recent DNA methods. For 12 triploid cultivars studied by Kobel, the correlation was good but not perfect. Two apparent minor electrophoretic variants for S10 were noted and, to distinguish them from each other and also from the electrophoretically similar S3, isoelectric focusing was used. Ten cultivars were genotyped for the first time. In all, 14 ribonuclease bands that may correspond to the ‘new’ S alleles, S12 to S 25, were detected but these alleles should be regarded as provisional until confirmed by pollination tests, especially when the electrophoretic differences were only slight. Analysis of stylar ribonucleases is a convenient method of predicting S alleles in flowering material and thereby investigating incompatibility relationships. The polymorphism of the S locus makes it useful for checking the identity and parentage of cultivars. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Numerical investigation of irrigation scheduling based on soil water status

Improving the sustainability of irrigation systems requires the optimization of operational parameters such as irrigation threshold and irrigation amount. Numerical modeling is a fast and accurate means to optimize such operational parameters. However, little work has been carried out to investigate the relationship between irrigation scheduling, irrigation threshold, and irrigation amount. Herein, we compare the results of HYDRUS 2D/3D simulations with experimental data from triggered drip irrigation, and optimize operational parameters. Two field experiments were conducted, one on loamy sand soil and one on sandy loam soil, to evaluate the overall effects of different potential transpiration rates and irrigation management strategies, on the triggered irrigation system. In both experiments, irrigation was controlled by a closed loop irrigation system linked to tensiometers. Collected experimental data were analyzed and compared with HYDRUS 2D/3D simulations. A system-dependant boundary condition, which initiates irrigation whenever the matric head at a predetermined location drops below a certain threshold, was implemented into the code. The experimental model was used to evaluate collected experimental data, and then to optimize the operational parameters for two hypothetical soils. The results show that HYDRUS 2D/3D predictions of irrigation events and matric heads are in good agreement with experimental data, and that the code can be used to optimize irrigation thresholds and water amounts applied in an irrigation episode to increase the efficiency of water use.     

Systemic View on Heading and Overwintering: Are They Always Opposed?

The study investigated the cultivars of non‐obligatorily requiring vernalization plant Festulolium braunii and assessed the influence of non‐hardy reproductive and hardy vegetative structures on overwintering effect. The study was conducted taking into account systemic relations between these types of structures. The results show the cultivars differ according to the percentage of headed and overwintered plants, when the cultivars with the most abundant heading – ‘Felopa’ and ‘Sulino’ – are also better at overwintering. The positive correlation between heading and overwintering characteristics was also observed, what seemed to be a rather new finding. It can be explained by systemic effect: non‐hardy later reproductive structures induce the post‐generative regrowth of vegetative shoots, which during shorter days halt development and become potentially hardy. More detailed interpretation is also provided including discussion of causal mechanisms of the detected phenomenon. The authors suppose that these mechanisms constitute a survival strategy for such perennial plants. The observed late heading which represents reproductive structures could be applied in plant breeding as a marker of winter‐hardiness among perennial grass plants which non‐obligatorily demand vernalization.     

Variation in Ano‐Genital Distance in Spontaneously Cycling Female Mice

A recently observed developmental instability of the ano‐genital distance (AGD) in female mice indicates that natural prenatal androgens do not have such a robust effect on female genital morphology as has been generally assumed. Part of this instability might be caused by oestrous cyclicity. To check this assumption, we examined the effect of the stage of the oestrous cycle on the AGD in adult (61–75 days old) female mice. Consistent with our assumption, the female AGD (1) varied during the oestrous cycle (p < 0.05), indicating thus rapid changes in morphology of female external genitalia, and (2) showed good repeatability (>0.66) in each stage of the oestrous cycle, suggesting that female genital morphology systematically varied within the oestrous cycle. Therefore, the stage of the oestrous cycle should be considered when assessing prenatal masculinization in adult female mice.     

Toxoplasma gondii infection in slaughter pigs in Serbia: seroprevalence and demonstration of parasites in blood

ABSTRACT: A seroepizootiological study of Toxoplasma gondii infection involving a total of 488 slaughter pigs (468 market-weight pigs and 20 sows) in the Belgrade area, also included examination of the presence of T. gondii in the blood. Blood sampled at the slaughter line was examined for specific antibodies by modified direct agglutination, and blood clots of those seropositive at titres of 1:50-1:12800 were bioassayed in mice. The overall seroprevalence was 9.2%, significantly higher (p = 0.0063) in sows (30.0%) than in market-weight pigs (8.3%). Amongst the 22 bioassays performed, a total of 16 (72.7%) were positive, by observation of T. gondii cysts (12), seropositivity (7, including 3 in which cysts were not detected), and/or detection of T. gondii DNA by real-time PCR (12, including one otherwise negative). The positive bioassays originated from the blood of 12 market-weight pigs and 4 sows. Despite a general increase in the rate of demonstration of T. gondii with the increase in the specific antibody level, the association was not significant (p = 0.101). The risk of infection was 41-fold increased in sows vs market-weight pigs, and 15-fold in pigs from smallholders' finishing type farms vs those from large farrow-to-finish farms. The presence of viable T. gondii in a proportion of the samples indicates that some of the pigs had an active parasitaemia at the time of slaughter, which, along with the seroprevalence established, points to a potential source of human infection in Serbia. This is the first report on parasitaemia in naturally infected swine.     

Comparison of Iodide and Iodate Accumulation and Volatilization by Filamentous Fungi during Static Cultivation

Five common fungal strains, Cladosporium cladosporioides, Aspergillus clavatus, Penicillium citrinum, Fusarium oxysporum, and Alternaria alternata, were cultivated in presence of iodide and iodate to evaluate their efficiency in iodine biovolatilization and bioaccumulation. Our results suggest that iodide and iodate bioaccumulation by microscopic filamentous fungi is similar although the biological transformation into volatile iodine compounds is driven by various pathways resulting in higher volatilization efficiency of iodate. Thus, the mobilization of iodate by filamentous fungi is superior to iodide mobilization. Our paper is also the first to compare the iodide and iodate volatilization efficiency by microorganisms. Our results highlight the significant role of filamentous fungi in biogeochemistry of iodine, especially in formation of environmentally reactive volatile forms that may contribute to ozone layer destruction.