Minor cultures as hosts for vectors of extensive crop diseases: Does <Emphasis Type="Italic">Salvia sclarea</Emphasis> act as a pathogen and vector reservoir for lavender decline?

Stolbur is a phytoplasma disease affecting crops worldwide. The planthopper Hyalesthes obsoletus is the main natural vector of ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma solani’ responsible of stolbur. In France, lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) and lavandin (Lavandula × intermedia) are strongly affected by this phytoplasma. These plant species are both hosts for the phytoplasma and its insect vector. In 2011, catches of adults were exceptionally sizable on one of the clones of lavandin most tolerant to lavender decline. A high population level of ‘Ca. P. solani’ vector was also observed on the adjacent plot of clary sage, Salvia sclarea. In order to clarify the potential role of S. sclarea as a host plant for H. obsoletus and ‘Ca. P. solani,’ we conducted field surveys and laboratory experiments. The uprooting of clary sage and root examination showed the presence of nymphs during winter. Harvested nymphs have been reared on S. sclarea from seedlings in a greenhouse for many generations. By performing its whole lifecycle on clary sage, we demonstrated for the first time that S. sclarea is a host plant of H. obsoletus and could be a source of stolbur vector. Nevertheless, status of clary sage as host plant of phytoplasma in the field up to now is not so clear. On 42 Q-PCR runs done on S. sclarea, 41 were negative to the phytoplasma, and one positive. Experimental transmission with infected H. obsoletus sampled on infected lavender showed that clary sage plant could be infected, expressed symptoms and multiplied ‘Ca. P. solani.’     

Intranasal infusion of enilconazole for treatment of sinonasal aspergillosis in dogs

OBJECTIVE: To determine effectiveness of infusion of 1 and 2% enilconazole for treatment of nasal and sinusal aspergillosis, respectively, in dogs. DESIGN: Case series. ANIMALS: 26 client-owned dogs with aspergillosis. PROCEDURE: All dogs had typical clinical signs of aspergillosis and rhinoscopically visible intrasinusal or intranasal fungal plaques associated with turbinate destruction. During rhinoscopy, affected nasal cavities and frontal sinuses were debrided meticulously. Nineteen dogs (group A) were treated with 1% enilconazole by use of a modified noninvasive infusion procedure. Seven dogs (group B) were treated with 2% enilconazole via catheters that were placed via endoscopic guidance into the frontal sinuses. All dogs underwent follow-up rhinoscopy for determination of further treatment until cure was established. RESULTS: Age, disease duration, clinical score, and rhinoscopic score were similar for both groups before treatment. In group A, 17 of 19 dogs were cured; 9, 6, and 2 dogs were cured after 1, 2, or 3 treatments, respectively. The remaining 2 dogs were euthanatized before the end of the treatment protocol. In group B, all dogs were cured; 6 dogs and 1 dog were cured after 1 or 2 treatments, respectively. Only minor adverse effects such as nasal discharge, epistaxis, and sneezing developed. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: After extensive rhinoscopic debridement, 1 and 2% enilconazole infused into the nasal cavities and the frontal sinuses, respectively, were effective for treatment of aspergillosis in dogs. Intrasinusal administration via endoscopically placed catheters appeared to require fewer infusions for success. Follow-up rhinoscopy is strongly advised.     

Occurrence and distribution of ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma trifolii’ associated with diseases of solanaceous crops in Lebanon

A survey for phytoplasma diseases in tomato and pepper fields in Lebanon was conducted during 2003 and 2004. Tomato plants with stunting, yellowing or purplish leaves, proliferation of laterals buds, hypertrophic calyxes and virescent flowers were found in 25% of the tomato fields surveyed, where they represented 2–8% of the plants. Pepper plants displaying stunting and yellowing of leaves, were found in 27% of the fields and 1–4% of the plants were affected. Phytoplasmas infecting tomato and pepper had identical 16S-rDNA RFLP profiles and sequences. A phytoplasma isolate named PTL was transmitted by dodder from a diseased tomato plant to a periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus) plant in which it induced leaf yellowing, virescence and phyllody. 16S-rDNA phylogenetic analysis classified PTL as a strain of ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma trifolii’.     

Molecular Weight Distribution of (1→3)(1→4)-β-Glucan Affects Pasting Properties of Flour from Oat Lines with High and Typical Amounts of β-Glucan

Experimental (N979-5-2-4 and IA95111) and traditional oat lines (Jim and Paul) with average %β-glucan of 7.5, 7.8, 4.9, and 4.4%, respectively, were grown in 2002, 2003, and 2004. Molecular weight (MW) distributions of the β-glucans were examined for potential variations among growing years and for relationships with pasting properties measured by Rapid ViscoAnalyser under three separate conditions: 1) in silver nitrate (SN) solution to inactivate enzymes; 2) hydrolyzed by α-amylase to eliminate the effect of starch; and 3) treated with lichenase to remove β-glucan. The β-glucan was extracted by a process involving multiple precipitation and dialysis steps, and the MW distributions were determined by HPLC. %β-Glucan in N979-5-2-4 and IA95111 lines were consistently and significantly greater (P < 0.05) than in Jim and Paul lines during three growing years. The contribution of β-glucan to peak viscosity on the RVA was substantially greater than that of the starch for all three years. The molecular number average and peak MW of β-glucan from N979-5-2-4 and IA95111 were greater than these values for Jim and Paul, and values were consistent among years. The MW of extracted β-glucan was associated with pasting properties after amylase hydrolysis, but not after treatment with lichenase or in SN solution.     

Influence of long-term organic and mineral fertilization on soil nematofauna when growing Sorghum bicolor in Burkina Faso

Soil degradation has led crop yield to decline in many Sahelian countries and is a fundamental agricultural and economical threat for local populations. In Saria, Burkina Faso, long-term experiments are being performed to find efficient soil management practices that could improve soil fertility. A randomized block experiment comprising organic amendment (unamended control, straw at 8.3 t ha⁻¹, manure at 10 t ha⁻¹) coupled with mineral fertilization (no urea, urea at 60 kg ha⁻¹) was started in 1980 with a continuous sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) cropping system. Twenty-six years after the settlement of the treatments, we compared their effects on nematode populations, community structure, and ecological indices, as well as soil physical and chemical properties at three stages of sorghum’s cropping cycle.     

Digestion residues of typical and high-beta-glucan oat flours provide substrates for in vitro fermentation

In vitro fermentabilities of the oat flour digestion residues (ODR) from two commercial oat lines with 4.7 and 5.3% beta-glucan and from two high-beta-glucan experimental lines with 7.6 and 8.1% beta-glucan were evaluated and compared with fermentations of lactulose, purified oat beta-glucan (POBG), and purified oat starch (POS). Substrates were fermented by using an in vitro batch fermentation system under anaerobic conditions for 24 h. The progress of the fermentation was studied by following the change in pH of the fermentation medium, production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) and gases, and consumption of carbohydrates. The substrate from the flour with the greatest amount of beta-glucan tended to have the greatest pH decline and the greatest total SCFA production. A significant correlation occurred between gas production and SCFA formation (R 2 = 0.89-0.99). Acetate was produced in the greatest amounts by all of the substrates except POBG, by which butyrate was produced in the greatest amount. More propionate and butyrate, but less acetate, were produced from high-beta-glucan ODR. With the given fermentation conditions, >80% of the total carbohydrate was depleted by the bacteria after 24 h. Glucose was the most rapidly consumed carbohydrate among other available monosaccharides in the fermentation medium. Overall, the high-beta-glucan experimental lines provided the best conditions for optimal in vitro gut fermentations.     

Gravity field and internal structure of Mercury from MESSENGER

Radio tracking of the MESSENGER spacecraft has provided a model of Mercury's gravity field. In the northern hemisphere, several large gravity anomalies, including candidate mass concentrations (mascons), exceed 100 milli-Galileos (mgal). Mercury's northern hemisphere crust is thicker at low latitudes and thinner in the polar region and shows evidence for thinning beneath some impact basins. The low-degree gravity field, combined with planetary spin parameters, yields the moment of inertia C/MR(2) = 0.353 ± 0.017, where M and R are Mercury's mass and radius, and a ratio of the moment of inertia of Mercury's solid outer shell to that of the planet of C(m)/C = 0.452 ± 0.035. A model for Mercury's radial density distribution consistent with these results includes a solid silicate crust and mantle overlying a solid iron-sulfide layer and an iron-rich liquid outer core and perhaps a solid inner core.