Selection for <Emphasis Type="Italic">Phytophthora</Emphasis> field resistance in the F<Subscript>2</Subscript> generation of organic outdoor tomatoes

Tomatoes are the most important vegetable, globally as well as in Germany. Outdoor tomato production is seriously impaired due to increasing infections with evolving late blight (Phytophthora infestans) populations. Within organic agriculture, research is being conducted to develop regionally adapted and open pollinated cultivars of outdoor tomatoes with late blight field resistance. In the present experiment, three crosses, including wild, cocktail, and beefsteak tomatoes, were selected for field resistance against late blight in F₂ at one location per cross. The comparison of positive and negative selection in F₃ revealed the selection of single F₂ plants to be efficient in all three crosses. F₂ selection has proved to be a robust and efficient tool for breeding programs. The correlated response to selection in other traits, including yield, fruit weight, days to maturity, harvest period, and plant height, depended on the cross. It was evident that selection for desired traits combined with field resistance against late blight is promising, even in wide crosses. The most undesired attribute of wild tomatoes is the formation of shoots on leaves and in inflorescences. No correlation was observed between field resistance and shoot formation, allowing the selection of genotypes with improved field resistance and yield, but without morphological disadvantages.     

The spread of the fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda in Africa—What should be done next?

Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection - The following text summarizes the different perspectives of presenters participating in the section Plant Protection in the Tropics and Subtropics, 61st...     

Threshold responses of songbirds to long-term timber management on an active industrial forest

Forest managers often seek to balance economic benefits from timber harvesting with maintenance of habitat for wildlife, ecosystem function, and human uses. Most research on the relationship between avian abundance and active timber management has been short-term, lasting one to two years, creating the need to investigate long-term avian responses and to identify harvest thresholds when a small change in habitat results in a disproportionate response in relative abundance and nest success. Our objectives were to identify trends in relative abundance and nest success and to identify landscape-scale disturbance thresholds for avian species and habitat guilds in response to a variety of harvest treatments (clear-cuts, heavy and light partial harvests) over 14 years. We conducted point counts and monitored nests at an industrial forest in the central Appalachians of West Virginia during 1996-1998, 2001-2003, and 2007-2009. Early successional species increased in relative abundance across all three time periods, whereas interior-edge and forest-interior guilds peaked in relative abundance mid-study after which the forest-interior guild declined. Of 41 species with >10 detections, four (10%) declined significantly, 13 (32%) increased significantly (only three species among all periods), and 9 (22%) peaked in abundance mid-study (over the entire study period, four species had no significant change in abundance, four declined, and one increased). Based on piecewise linear models, forest-interior and interior-edge guilds’ relative abundance harvest thresholds were 28% total harvests (all harvests combined), 10% clear-cut harvests, and 18% light partial harvests, after which abundances declined. Harvest thresholds for the early successional guild were 42% total harvests, 11% clear-cut harvest, and 10% light partial harvests, and relative abundances increased after surpassing thresholds albeit at a reduced rate of increase after the clear-cut threshold. Threshold confidence intervals for individual species overlapped their guild threshold intervals 91% of the time. Even though relative abundance of most species (80%) did not decline as the area affected by timber management increased, implementing management at or below our approximate forest-interior and interior-edge harvest thresholds would reduce the number of declining species by half, maintain higher relative abundances of four species with a net decline in abundance but that peaked in abundance mid-study, and maintain higher relative abundances of ten additional species. In contrast, this management strategy also would prevent the increase in relative abundance of seven species and limit the increase in abundance of three species that increased throughout the study.     

Tapered conduits can buffer hydraulic conductance from path-length effects

The model of West, Brown and Enquist showed that total hydraulic resistance in trees can be independent of path length, provided that vascular conduits taper sufficiently. This model assumes that the tree branch network is volume-filling, so that segment lengths increase exponentially from tree top to base. We show that partial buffering of hydraulic resistance from path-length effects can occur even for moderate tapering, and that this effect is stronger when segment lengths are fixed. Still needed are measurements of tracheary size and hydraulic resistance designed to test this model, which shows how hydraulic limitation of tree height growth may be mitigated.     

Medicinal and aromatic plants in agroforestry systems

Agroforestry Systems - A large number of people in developing countries have traditionally depended on products derived from plants, especially from forests, for curing human and livestock...     

Semisynthesis and pharmacological investigation of lipo-alkaloids prepared from aconitine

Processed aconite drugs are widely used in Eastern medicine as painkillers and antirheumatic agents. It is known that the traditional processing of aconite drugs increases the amount of lipo-alkaloids. In order to obtain information about the pharmacological potential of these compounds, semisynthesis of 9 aconitine-derived lipo-alkaloids was carried out and their COX-1, COX-2 and LTB₄ formation inhibitory activities were investigated. It was found that compounds esterified with unsaturated fatty acids demonstrated significant COX-2 inhibitory effects, while in the COX-1 assay only 14-benzoylaconine-8-O-eicosapentaenoate exerted remarkable activity. The inhibition of LTB₄ formation was pronounced in cases of long chain fatty acid derivatives.     

Die Wirksamkeit von Isomeren des Hexachlorcyclohexans gegen holzzerstörende Käferlarven

Zusammenfassung Es wurde die Giftwirknng der α-, β-, γ- und δ-Isomeren des Hexachlorcyclohexans gegenüber Eilarven des Hausbockk?fers (Hylotrupes bajulus L.) und mittelgro?en Larven des Gew?hnlichen Nagek?fers (Anobium punctatum De Geer) bestimmt. Gegenüber beiden Larvenarten erwies sich das λ-Isomere erwartnngsgema? als der bei weitem wirksamste Stoff. Danach folgt, je nach den Versuchsbedingungen um den Faktor 10 bis 20100 schlechter, unerwartet das α-Isomere. Das δ- und noch ausgepr?gter das β-Isomere sind bedeutend weniger wirksam. Der Unterschied gegenüber dem γ-Isomeren liegt für Hausbock-Eilarven in der Gro?enordnung von 1500 und 80000; für Anobien-Larven ist er mit < 500 geringer. Das Ergebnis mit dem α-Isomeren ist beachtenswert.

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Summary The toxicity of the α-, β-, γ-, and δ-isomers of hexachlorocyclohexane towards egg-larvae of the Old House Borer (Hylotrupes bajulus L.) and medium-sized larvae of the Common Furniture Beetle (Anobium punctatum De Geer) was determined. As was to be expected, the γ-,isomer proved by far most effective against both species of larvae. Then, unexpectedly, the α-isomer follows, inferior by the factor 10 to 2000 according to the testing conditions. The δ- and, even more distinctly, the β-isomer show a considerably smaller efficiency. The difference to the γ-isomer amounts to a relation of 1500 and 80000 withHylotrupes egg-larvae; it is smaller (<500) withAnobium larvae. The result obtained with the α-isomer is remarkable.

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Résumé L'effet toxique des α-, β-, γ-, et δ-isomères du chlorocyclo-hexane contre des ovule-larves desHylotrupes bajulus L. et contre des larves de moyenne grandeur del'Anobium punctatum De Geer fut déterminé. Comme supposé, le γ-isomère était bien la plus efficace substance. Inattendu, le α-isomère, suit, selon les conditions d'essai plus mauvaises du facteur 10 à 2000. Le δ-isomè re et plus distinctement le β-isomère sont efficaces beaucoup moins. La différence entre ces derniers et les γ-isomères est de 1500 et 80000 pour des larves deHylotrupes bajulus L.; elle e'st moindre (< 500) pour des larves del'Anobium punctatum De Geer.