Responses of Italian ryegrass to phosphorus on highly‐weathered soils

Italian ryegrass (Loliwn multiflorum cv. Midmar) responses to fertilizer P were studied in field experiments under irrigation on highly‐weathered ferrallitic soils at two localities in Natal. Each experiment was conducted over two seasons (1985 and 1986), the pasture being re‐established after the first season. Large dry matter yield responses to P were measured on both soils. Phosphorus effects were greatest during the establishment phase (autumn) and, on the colder site, in spring. Concentrations of P in herbage were much lower in winter than in autumn or summer. The greater responsiveness to P in spring and the lower P concentrations in herbage during the colder months suggested that restricted P uptake contributed to yield reductions in winter. Relationships between ryegrass P concentrations and yield indicated substantial within‐season variations in internal P requirement for maximum yield. This detracts from the usefulness of routine herbage P analyses for assessing ryegrass P sufficiency. However, soil analysis using an alkaline extractant (NH₄HCO₃/EDTA/NH₄F at pH 8.0), showed promise for predicting responsiveness to P. Concentrations of P in Italian ryegrass were well below the requirements reported in the literature for most classes of grazing ruminants, particularly during the colder months.     

Simulating Current Successional Trajectories in Sagebrush Ecosystems With Multiple Disturbances Using a State-and-Transition Modeling Framework

Disturbances and their interactions play major roles in sagebrush (Artemisia spp. L.) community dynamics. Although impacts of some disturbances, most notably fire, have been quantified at the landscape level, some have been ignored and rarely are interactions between disturbances evaluated. We developed conceptual state-and-transition models for each of two broad sagebrush groups—a warm-dry group characterized by Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata Nutt. subsp. wyomingensis Beetle & Young) communities and a cool-moist group characterized by mountain big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata Nutt. subsp. vaseyana [Rydb.] Beetle) communities. We used the Vegetation Dynamics Development Tool to explore how the abundance of community phases and states in each conceptual model might be affected by fire, insect outbreak, drought, snow mold, voles, sudden drops in winter temperatures (freeze-kill), livestock grazing, juniper (Juniperus occidentalis var. occidentalis Hook.) expansion, nonnative annual grasses such as cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.), and vegetation treatments. Changes in fuel continuity and loading resulted in average fire rotations of 12 yr in the warm-dry sagebrush group and 81 yr in the cool-moist sagebrush group. Model results in the warm-dry sagebrush group indicated postfire seeding success alone was not sufficient to limit the area of cheatgrass domination. The frequency of episodes of very high utilization by domestic livestock during severe drought was a key influence on community phase abundance in our models. In the cool-moist sagebrush group, model results indicated at least 10% of the juniper expansion area should be treated annually to keep juniper in check. Regardless, juniper seedlings and saplings would remain abundant.     

Viruses associated with feline respiratory disease in Dunedin

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In Dunedin, feline respiratory infections with a high morbidity, but a low mortality except in very young animals, commonly occur in epizootics and appear to be enzootic between these outbreaks. The affected animals develop a serous ocular discharge which later becomes mucoid, and a mucoid nasal discharge associated with sneezing especially after handling. While these signs of infection are present, the animals are anorexic and listless. The disease may last for two weeks or more and sometimes affected cats develop a chronic snuffle lasting for months despite treatment. The disease is usually referred to as “snuffles”, although it is probably identical with the syndrome called “rhinotracheitis”. In the summer time, it commonly occurs in boarding establishments where large numbers of pets collected from a wide area are left by summer vacationers. In breeding catteries, infections occur most often in the spring and especially at the time of the first warm weather. Young kittens about 5 to 10 days old are usually affected but kittens which escape infection at this stage not infrequently develop symptoms at about 6 weeks of age.     

Further studies on feline respiratory virus diseases

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The July 1973 issue of the New Zealand Journal of Agriculture discussed the Tama revolution. No mention was made of the possibility of nitrite poisoning in cattle grazing ‘Grasslands Tama’ (tetraploid westerwolds) ryegrass. There have been deaths from nitrite poisoning in cattle grazing Tama ryegrass and other crops in many districts this year, and this experience with a brief discussion on nitrite/nitrate poisoning is presented for the guidance of those who may be considering Tama ryegrass as a fodder crop.     

Animal disease and public health

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It has been recognized for many centuries that human and animal health are closely related. One of the earliest examples of such recognition which is easily available is from the book of Judges in the Old Testament, where it is reported that the Philistines, after capturing the Ark of the Covenant in a battle with the Israelites, suffered a plague associated with large numbers of rodents and with “emerods”, which we might well believe to be bubos. It seems reasonable to explain this severe epidemic, which apparently killed 50,000 Bethsemites apart from other people, as an example of bubonic plague. Several of the other early accounts of epidemics in which there was an association of large numbers of rats with the occurrence of the disease would appear to be accounts of bubonic plague.     

Serum biomarker profiling in cancer studies: a question of standardisation?

Companion animals are exposed to similar environmental conditions and carcinogens as humans. In some animal cancers, there also appears to be the same genetic changes associated as in humans. However, little work has been carried out in cancer biomarker identification in animals. The recent dramatic advances in molecular medicine, genomics, proteomics and translational research will allow biomarker identification, which may provide the best strategies for veterinarians and clinicians to combat disease by early diagnosis and administration of effective treatments. Proteomics may have important applications in cancer diagnosis, prognosis and predictive clinical outcome that could directly change clinical practice by affecting critical elemen‐ts of care and management. This review summarizes the advances in proteomics that has propelled us to this exciting age of clinical proteomics, and highlights the future work that is required for this to become a reality. In this review, we will discuss the available proteomic technologies and their limitations, and highlight the key areas of research and how they have been used to discover cancer biomarkers. The principles described here are equally applicable to human and animal disease, but implementation of ‘omic’ technologies requires stringent guidelines for collection of clinical material, the application of analytical techniques and interpretation of the data.     

Effect of dietary zinc source and method of oral administration on performance and tissue trace mineral concentration of broiler chicks.

Two experiments were conducted with chicks to examine the effect of high dietary levels of soluble sources of Zn on tissue Zn, Cu, and Fe concentrations as influenced by two methods of oral Zn administration from 14 to 21 d of age. Treatments included the basal diet (62 ppm Zn), basal diet supplemented with 1,000 ppm Zn from Zn sulfate, acetate, or chloride fed continuously, or basal diet plus crop intubation with a single oral dose of water (control) or 1,000 ppm Zn dietary equivalent from the sources based on feed intake from the previous day. In Exp. 2, crop-intubated doses were administered daily from 14 to 21 d of age. In Exp. 1, chicks given Zn by gavage decreased (P < .0001) feed intake at 24 h after oral dose compared with chicks fed either the control or high-Zn diets. After the gavage dosing stopped, feed intake was similar among treatments. Bone Zn was increased (P < .0001) by Zn source and was greater at 24 than at 168 h after dosing by gavage. In chicks given a single gavage dose of Zn, liver and kidney Zn measured at 24 h after oral dosing was greater (P < .0001) than at 168 h. In birds given a single oral dose of Zn, time x Zn source interactions were observed in pancreas (P < .0001), mucosal cells (P < .01), and remaining intestinal tract segments (P < .001). In Exp. 2, greater bone, pancreas, kidney (P < .0001), and liver (P < .001) Zn accumulations were observed in chicks given daily gavage doses of Zn compared with those fed Zn in diets. Zinc from the four sources was absorbed and stored in tissues to a similar extent.     

Aerial applications of pesticides in the United Kingdom: 1978 to 1998

The aerial application of pesticides increased rapidly following the end of the Second World War, as, along with the development of a wider range of synthetic pesticides, more planes and pilots became available. It also became clear that new and previously inaccessible areas could be sprayed from the air. By the 1980s there were around 100 planes in the United Kingdom (UK) capable of spraying pesticides. However, increasing environmental pressure brought about the introduction of tougher legislation to control pesticide usage. The Food and Environment Protection Act 1985 and the Control of Pesticides Regulations 1986 (as amended) introduced tight controls over the application of pesticides from the air. Aerial application of pesticides has been monitored each year by the UK Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) since 1978, during which time the area treated has decreased significantly. This has been partly as a result of changes in legislation but also due to technological improvements in conventional crop‐protection methods. The area treated from the air in the UK has never risen above 2.5% of the area treated from the ground and in 1998 had fallen to less than 0.04% of the total area treated with pesticides. It is likely that this figure will continue to fall in the future. By 1998, the only pesticides to be sprayed from the air comprised fungicides, herbicides and insecticides. As a group, herbicides comprised the greatest area of treatment and the only target to show an increase in area treated in recent years has been bracken (Pteridium aquilinum (L) Kuhn). © Crown copyright 2000. Reproduced with the permission of Her Majesty's Stationery Office.