Partial resistance of barley to leaf rust,Puccinia hordei. IV. Effect of cultivar and development stage on infection frequency

Summary The cultivar effect on infection frequency (IF) was studied in the seedling and adult plant stages of 15 spring barley cultivars. In both stages the cultivar effects were highly significant. The cultivars L94 and Vada represented the extremes. Vada having about 2 1/2 times fewer uredosori than L94. Between cultivars and development stage clear interactions occurred. Pauline f.i. had the same low IF as Vada in the seedling stage, but in the adult plant stage its IF was about 70% higher. Also other effects could influence the cultivar effects. Increasing leaf age appears to increase IF. The cultivar effect also seemed to depend on the level of IF. At high levels the cultivars differed far less than at low levels of IF. The cultivar effect on IF appeared correlated with partial resistance in the field (r=0.7) through a high correlation with the cultivar effect on latent period (r=0.8).     

Partial resistance of barley to leaf rust,Puccinia hordei. III. The inheritance of the host plant effect on latent period in four cultivars

Summary The latent period (LP) in the barley-leaf rust relationship is an important component of the partial resistance complex. The inheritance of the host plant effect on LP was studied in five crosses between four cultivars. The LP, effectuated by the susceptible cultivars L94 and L92, were 8.0 and 8.6 days resp., those of the resistant cultivars Minerva (Mi) and Vada (Va) 16.9 and 17.1 days resp. The mean F₁ and F₂ values of the crosses L92×L94 and Mi x Va were intermediate between the parental ones. The variances of the F₂'s were slightly larger than those of the parents and the F₁'s indicating some segregation. In the crosses between a susceptible and a resistant cultivar the F₁ value was half way between the mid-parent and susceptible parent value. The F₂ mean lay approximately half way between the mid-parent and F₁ value, with a distribution positively skewed and slightly bimodal. There was no transgression, in fact not even the parental values were recovered among nearly 500 F₂ plants. The F₃-lines of the crosses between susceptible and resistant cultivars showed within line variances from as low as the parental values to as high as or higher than those of the F₂. In hte F₃'s the parental values could be recovered although no transgression occurred.L94 is supposed to carry no genes effecting a longer LP. The long LP of Mi and Va, assuming no linkage, is thought to be effectuated by the cumulative action of a recessive gene with a fairly large effect and some four to five minor genes with additive inheritance. One of these minor genes is supposed to be carried by L92, while Mi and Va are thought to differ for one minor gene only. In case linkage exists, the number of minor genes involved could be higher.     

Pleiotropic association of infection frequency and latent period of two barley cultivars partially resistant to barley leaf rust

Summary Cebada Capa, carrying four to six minor genes for a longer latent period (LP), was crossed to L94 and Vada, carrying no and five to six minor genes for a longer LP respectively. Of each of 68 F3-lines the infection frequency (IF) and the LP of ten just-heading plants were assessed. There appeared to be a strong association between IF and LP, whereby the relationship between IF and LP of both crosses could be described by a single linear regression equation. The data strongly suggest that the genes for increased LP pleiotropically decrease the IF. The possibility of a close linkage between genes for reduced IF and genes for increased LP, although unlikely, could not be excluded.     

Breeding for earliness in spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) as based on environmental and genetic factors

Summary One of the most important characters of a spinach cultivar is its earliness. This is determined by the rate of bolting and so by the rate of flower formation, as both coincide almost completely. The rate of flower formation is determined by three factors: Daylength (photoperiodic) requirement. The 7 cultivars tested showed an increased rate of flower formation at longer photoperiods, early cultivars having a higher rate than late cultivars. Rate of growth. By varying the light intensity and temperature, the rate of flower formation appeared to be related to the rate of growth. An increase in the latter is usually accompanied by an increase in the former. So acceleration of growth results in earlier bolting. Balance between growth and development. Indian Thorny and Virtuosa, although having similar daylength requirements and rates of growth, differ in earliness, which is ascribed to a difference in energy distribution over the growth and development processes. Indian Thorny is thought to use more energy for development processes than Virtuosa does.The genetic control of earliness is most likely a polygenic one as rate of growth and balance between growth and development can be expected to be polygenically controlled. This also means that earliness and yield are linked to each other; selection for the one often results in selection for the other. To select for the required earliness without unwanted yield effects, or to increase yield without changing the earliness, selection methods have been described, which are directed to each of the three components individually.Also published as Publication 297 of the Laboratory of Horticulture.     

The diagnosis and treatment of a thoracic abscess in an alpaca

A 6-month-old alpaca presented for lethargy, failure to thrive and leucocytosis. Diagnostic procedures, including thoracic ultrasound, radiographs and a computed tomography scan, were used to document a thoracic mass. Based on appearance and ultrasound-guided aspiration of purulent material, the mass was determined to be a large abscess. The abscess was treated with surgical drainage and long-term antibiotic therapy. The origin of this thoracic abscess was felt to be the caudal mediastinum, secondary to bacterial seeding of the caudal mediastinal lymph nodes. Although an aetiological agent was not definitively determined, the most likely was Actinomyces spp or Arcanobacterium pyogenes. The alpaca made a complete recovery following treatment.     

Heliotropium europaeum poisoning of sheep with low liver copper concentrations and the preventive efficacy of cobalt and antimethanogen

In a field experiment in the Mallee district of Victoria, Merlno xBorder Leicester ewes and wethers grazed Heliotropium europaeum (heliotrope) over periods of 3 to 4 months in 4 successive years. By the end of the second year 12% (14 of 120) of the sheep had died; after 4 years the loss attributable to heliotrope was between 18% and 35%. Mortality was not affected by intraruminal treatment with cobalt or antimethanogen. At the end of the experiment the highest concentration of copper in the liver was 1.95 mmol/kg wet weight (approximately 413 micrograms/g dry weight). The relatively low mortality from primary heliotrope poisoning and the low concentration of copper in the liver of sheep grazing the plant are discussed in relation to the contrasting situation that prevails in the Riverina area of New South Wales. The importance of local environmental factors in the management of heliotrope grazing by sheep is emphasised, particularly in relation to the number of seasons in which the plant may be a major component of the diet.     

Neuronal Responses in the Brainstem and Hypothalamic Nuclei Following Insulin Treatment During the Late Follicular Phase in the Ewe

The aim of this study was to determine the neuronal responses following insulin administration during the late follicular phase. Intact ewes were given either saline or insulin (5 IU/kg, i.v.) at 35 h after progesterone withdrawal and killed 3 h later. There was a marked increase in the number of Fos‐positive noradrenergic neurones in the caudal brainstem of insulin‐treated ewes. In the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus, insulin treatment increased the presence of Fos‐positive corticotrophin‐releasing hormone neurones (from 2% to 98%) and Fos‐positive arginine vasopressin parvocellular neurones (from 2% to 46%). Interestingly, after insulin treatment, despite a general increase in Fos‐positive neurones in the arcuate nucleus (ARC), there was a marked reduction (from 47% to 1%) in Fos‐positive β‐endorphin neurones. Similarly, colocalized Fos and oestradiol receptor (ER) α‐positive neurones decreased in the ARC after insulin (from 7% to 3%). Conversely, in the ventromedial nucleus, ERα‐positive neurones with Fos increased (from 7% to 22%) alongside a general increase in Fos‐positive neurones. Overall, a complex system of neurones in brainstem and hypothalamus is activated following insulin administration during the late follicular phase.     

The Use of Cefquinome in Equine Semen Extender

Antibiotics are commonly used in equine semen extender for conservation, if semen has to be stored cooled for a maximum of 48 hours or frozen, to eliminate pathogenic or potentially pathogenic bacteria from semen and reduce the risk of postmating endometritis. Little is known about the effect of antibiotics on spermatozoa when semen is stored over a longer period. Cefquinome, a broad spectrum antibiotic and fourth-generation cephalosporin, has been proven to be a powerful drug for the treatment of endometritis and mastitis in different species. Recently in equine studies, it was found to localize in high concentrations in the endometrium. Therefore, cefquinome was used as the antibiotic in semen extender and compared with a commercial semen extender containing gentamicin for effects on motility and membrane integrity of spermatozoa. During the breeding season, ejaculates from nine light horse stallions were collected and half of each ejaculate was stored for 48 hours in modified Kenney type semen extender containing either cefquinome or gentamicin. At 0, 24, and 48 hours, aliquots (20 μL) of the stored semen were evaluated for (progressive) motility and membrane integrity, as well as for various motility parameters by computer assisted sperm analysis. No differences (P > .05) were found in total motility or progressive motility between extenders at any time point. However, there were differences (P < .05) in velocity parameters, although the effect of velocity parameters on fertility is not clear. In general, semen parameters after storage in non-fat dried skim milk semen extender containing cefquinome are comparable with those after storage in semen extender containing gentamicin. The wider spectrum of bactericidal activity possessed by cefquinome may prove to be beneficial in some cases.     

Crystalline Ropes of Metallic Carbon Nanotubes

Fullerene single-wall nanotubes (SWNTs) were produced in yields of more than 70 percent by condensation of a laser-vaporized carbon-nickel-cobalt mixture at 1200degreesC. X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy showed that these SWNTs are nearly uniform in diameter and that they self-organize into "ropes," which consist of 100 to 500 SWNTs in a two-dimensional triangular lattice with a lattice constant of 17 angstroms. The x-ray form factor is consistent with that of uniformly charged cylinders 13.8 +/- 0.2 angstroms in diameter. The ropes were metallic, with a single-rope resistivity of <10(-4) ohm-centimeters at 300 kelvin. The uniformity of SWNT diameter is attributed to the efficient annealing of an initial fullerene tubelet kept open by a few metal atoms; the optimum diameter is determined by competition between the strain energy of curvature of the graphene sheet and the dangling-bond energy of the open edge, where growth occurs. These factors strongly favor the metallic (10,10) tube with C5v symmetry and an open edge stabilized by triple bonds.