Some differences between eight grasses within the Lolium-Festuca complex when grown in conditions of severe water shortage

Differences between eight related grasses within the Lolium-Festuca complex in conditions of severe water shortage were investigated. Transparent covers were used to restrict the access of rain to field plots of pure stands of Westerwolds ryegrass ( Lolium multiflorum var. Westerwoldicum), Italian ryegrass ( L. multiflorum ), hybrid ryegrass ( L. multiflorum × L. perenne ), perennial ryegrass ( L. perenne ), meadow fescue ( Festuca pratensis ), Italian ryegrass × meadow fescue, perennial ryegrass × meadow rescue, tall fescue ( Festuca arundinacea ) and three mixtures (Italian ryegrass with perennial ryegrass; Italian ryegrass with tall fescue; perennial ryegrass with tall rescue) grown in west Wales. Westerwolds ryegrass and Italian ryegrass died out after 12–15 months of exclusion of rain; meadow fescue, meadow rescue × ryegrass hybrids and perennial ryegrass died out after ≊ 2 years of exclusion of rain; tall rescue was still alive after 4 years of exclusion of rain. During the 2 years after the year of sowing, the loss of water from the top 1 m of soil was greater with tall rescue than with the other grasses. Tall fescue and perennial ryegrass had a low rate of leaf expansion, a small increase in length of exposed leaf sheath and a high weight per unit area of emerging leaf blade. Tall rescue had a greater number and weight of roots than the other grasses, particularly in the 50–100 cm layer of soil, on an adjoining, uncovered site. The order of suitability of the eight grasses for conditions of severe water shortage appears to be tall fescue > perennial ryegrass > perennial ryegrass × meadow rescue, meadow fescue, Italian ryegrass × meadow rescue, hybrid ryegrass > Italian ryegrass > Westerwolds ryegrass.     

Canine hepatozoonosis: comparison of lesions and parasites in skeletal muscle of dogs experimentally or naturally infected with Hepatozoon americanum.

We report previously undescribed, early lesions in skeletal muscle of dogs experimentally infected with Hepatozoon americanum by ingestion of laboratory-reared, infected Amblyomma maculatum. The earliest muscle lesion was recognized at the first interval of examination 3 weeks following exposure. The lesion consisted of a large, modified host cell whose cytoplasm frequently contained a demonstrable parasite. In skeletal muscle, the cell was consistently located between muscle fibers or in loose connective tissue adjacent to those fibers. Evidence suggesting that the parasite arrives in muscle and other tissue within the host cell cytoplasm is presented. Mucopolysaccharide encystment of the host cell, absent at this early stage, was acquired gradually and approached maximal development 26 weeks post exposure. Completion of the asexual cycle as evidenced by the presence of parasites entering vascular lumens within granulomas and also by the presence of gamonts in peripheral blood leukocytes, occurred within 28-32 days postexposure. Progression of the parasite cycle from meront to passage of zoites into vessel lumens of granulomas can occur in 11 or fewer days. The density with which parasitic lesions occur in one named skeletal muscle compared to other named muscles, although somewhat variable, was not significantly different in either experimentally induced or natural infections. The distribution of developmental stages of the parasite/lesion in four experimental infections (969 lesions) is compared with those in eight dogs with natural infections (557 lesions).     

Economic analysis of monosex culture of giant freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii De Man): a case study

All‐male monosex culture of Macrobrachium rosenbergii (De Man) has emerged as a popular practice in India, especially in the state of Andhra Pradesh. A study was conducted to compare the economics of all‐male, mixed and all‐female culture in 15 adjacent, rectangular ponds of 4000 m² each by stocking juveniles previously reared in a nursery for 60 days. The experiment was conducted using a completely randomized design with three treatments; T₁ (all male), T₂ (mixed) and T₃ (all female), and five replicates for a period of 5 months after the nursery phase. Statistical analysis showed highly significant (P<0.01) differences among the three types of culture. The cost of production was estimated and the economic feasibility of the culture methods was evaluated by cost‐return and partial budgeting analysis. The average weight, productivity and specific growth rate were the highest for all male culture, being 80.92±2.41 g, 1532 kg ha^?1 and 1.97±0.02 respectively. All‐female culture registered significantly higher survival (89.16±0.77%) and the best apparent feed conversion ratio of 1.26±0.02. The economic analysis revealed that all‐male monosex culture of M. rosenbergii was 63.13% and 60.20% more profitable than mixed and all‐female cultures respectively.     

Effect of integrated management on Fusarium wilt progression and grain yield of chickpea in Syria

Fusarium wilt, caused by Fusarium oxysporum Schlechtend.: f. sp. ciceris (Padwick) Matuo & K. Sato, is a major production problem in many countries. A study was conducted to develop an integrated management of Fusarium wilt of chickpea using genotypes, sowing dates (January as early sowing and March/April as spring sowing) and fungicide seed treatments under natural infested plots in research plots and farmers’ fields 2007–2009 cropping seasons. In most cases, sowing date and fungicides did not affect disease parameters and seed yield. Chickpea genotypes showed significant differences in seed yield but different responses for disease parameters. Averaged over locations and seasons, the rate of disease development was higher in early (0.035 units day^?1) than spring (0.023 units day^?1) sowing. Chickpea genotypes showed different responses in affecting rate of disease development and cumulative wilt incidence in early and late sowing periods. Higher mean seed yield (1.3 t ha^?1) was recorded in early than late sowing (1.0 t ha^?1) of chickpea. The average seed yield reduction due to spring sowing ranged from 9% to 60% and highest yield losses were observed in FLIP-97–706 and Ghab-3. This study showed that integrating January sowing with genotypes having good levels of resistance for Fusarium wilt and Ascochyta blight helps farmers to narrow chickpea yield gaps in Syria.     

Colorectal basidiobolomycosis in a dog

A 7-year-old castrated male French Bulldog was examined for chronic large intestinal enteropathy. A colonic mass and thickened rectal mucosa were identified, and histopathologic examination of endoscopic biopsy specimens disclosed eosinophilic proctitis with large (5-20 μm), irregularly shaped, pauciseptate hyphae that were Gomori methenamine silver and periodic acid-Schiff positive. Amplification and sequencing of ribosomal DNA extracted from paraffin-embedded tissues yielded a sequence with 97% identity to GenBank sequences for Basidiobolus ranarum. After itraconazole, terbinafine, and prednisone administration, clinical signs resolved rapidly, and sonographic lesions were largely absent after 6 weeks. Treatment was discontinued by the owner 15 weeks after diagnosis. Three weeks later, the dog collapsed acutely and was euthanized. Necropsy identified metastatic islet cell carcinoma and grossly unremarkable colorectal tissues. However, histopathology of the rectum disclosed multifocal submucosal granulomas with intralesional hyphae morphologically similar to those previously observed. This report is the first to describe medical treatment of gastrointestinal basidiobolomycosis in a dog.     

Assessment of the effects of different concentrations of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) on erythrocytic indices of Nigerian White Fulani cattle and West African Dwarf goat

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of varying concentrations of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) on blood samples from White Fulani breed of cattle and West African Dwarf goat from Nigeria. Sample sizes of 20 animals were used for both species. Different concentrations of EDTA (2, 4, 8 and 16 mg/ml) were used. The packed cell volume (PCV), red blood cell (RBC) and haemoglobin (Hb) concentration of blood samples collected from White Fulani breed of cattle and West African Dwarf goat into bottles containing 16 mg/ml of EDTA were significantly lower (P < 0.05) than those samples collected from the same animals into bottle containing 2 mg/ml (control). Similarly, the PCV, RBC and Hb values of the West African Dwarf goats in bottles containing 8 mg/ml of EDTA were significantly lower than those of the samples in the control (2 mg/ml). This study has shown that high concentration of EDTA as an anticoagulant can lead to a false erythrocytic index especially the PCV. In collecting blood samples for evaluation of haematological parameters, therefore, the blood volume/anticoagulant ratio must be strictly adhered to prevent error in the evaluated parameters in cattle and goats. Taken together, there is tendency for haemolytic anaemia to occur in blood sampled at higher concentration of anticoagulants in West African Dwarf goat than in White Fulani breed of cattle.     

Farmers’ knowledge of crop diseases and control strategies in the Regional State of Tigrai, northern Ethiopia: implications for farmer–researcher collaboration in disease management

Differences in perceptions and knowledge of crop diseases constitute a major obstacle in farmer–researcher cooperation, which is necessary for sustainable disease management. Farmers’ perceptions and management of crop diseases in the northern Ethiopian Regional State of Tigrai were investigated in order to harness their knowledge in the participatory development of integrated disease management (IDM) strategies. Knowledge of disease etiology and epidemiology, cultivar resistance, and reasons for the cultivation of susceptible cultivars were investigated in a total of 12 tabias (towns) in ten weredas (districts). Perception of diseases involved both scientific and spiritual conceptual frameworks. Of the more than 30 crop diseases recorded on the major crops in the region, only rusts and powdery mildews (locally called humodia) and a few root rots were considered by farmers to be important. Farmers’ awareness of other diseases was extremely low; some highly damaging but less conspicuous diseases, such as faba bean chocolate spot and chickpea ascochyta blight (also called humodia), were not regarded by farmers as disease but as problems caused primarily by excessive soil moisture. Considering that some of these “unrecognized” diseases can cause complete yield loss and genetic erosion in epiphytotic years, there is an urgent need for bringing together farmers’ and scientists’ knowledge to complement each other. Even when farmers had access to disease-resistant or disease-tolerant cultivars, they grew susceptible local varieties because of multiple criteria including earliness, good yield in years with low humodia severity, suitability for home consumption, market demand/quality, and low soil fertility and land management requirements. Farmer innovation and knowledge were evident in their use of diverse disease control measures, but these were a mixture of the “useful and the useless.” Our findings stress the necessity for extension workers and researchers to understand and improve farmers’ knowledge of crop diseases, and farmers’ ability to observe and experiment, through the Farmer Field School or a similar experiential learning approach. These insights about farmers’ knowledge of crop diseases provide a basis for further collaborative maintenance of crop genetic diversity, development of germplasm, and IPM-related research in Africa.

Effect of a Tart Cherry Juice Supplement on Arterial Stiffness and Inflammation in Healthy Adults: A Randomised Controlled Trial

Tart cherries are a particularly rich source of anthocyanins. Evidence indicates that dietary intake of anthocyanins is inversely associated with arterial stiffness. We conducted an open-label randomised placebo controlled study to determine whether a tart cherry juice concentrate (Cherry Active®) reduced arterial stiffness, inflammation and risk markers for cardiovascular disease in 47 healthy adults (30–50 years). Participants consumed 30 ml of cherry concentrate diluted to a volume of 250 ml with water or the same volume of an energy matched control drink daily for six weeks. Measurements were taken at baseline and at the end of the intervention. There was no effect of the intervention on arterial stiffness (P?=?0.218), c-reactive protein (P?=?0.220), systolic blood pressure (P?=?0.163), diastolic blood pressure (P?=?0.121), total cholesterol (P?=?0.342) and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (P?=?0.127). At the end of the intervention, plasma antioxidant capacity (measured as the ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP)) was significantly higher in the intervention group than the control group (P?=?0.012). We conclude that a tart cherry juice concentrate rich in anthocyanins has no effect on arterial stiffness, c-reactive protein and risk markers for cardiovascular disease, but evokes a minor increase in antioxidant status in healthy adults.