Early blight in South Africa: Knowledge, attitudes and control practices of potato growers

Summary A survey of control practices and grower perceptions of early blight in South Africa was conducted from May 2001 — July 2002 using an informally structured questionnaire. Questionnaires were collected from the 10 largest of the 14 potato production regions in South Africa. The predominant control method for early blight was the use of fungicides with mancozeb or chlorothalonil as active ingredient. Most respondents commence spraying at flowering and spray at 7–10 day intervals thereafter. BP1, Up-to-date and Mondial were the most commonly planted cultivars. The majority of farmers indicated that they would be willing to use an early blight decision support system if an accurate and cost-effective one was available, and that they believe more research is necessary on early blight in South Africa. Estimated economic losses ranged from 1–60%, with the average being approximately 20%. This is the first such survey to be conducted in South Africa.     

Resistance of wheat pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici to DMI and QoI fungicides in the Nordic-Baltic region - a status

Septoria tritici blotch (STB) caused by the ascomycete Zymoseptoria tritici (Z. tritici) is currently the most prevalent foliar disease in wheat in the Nordic-Baltic region. Fungicide availability in this region differs greatly and is generally more limited than in other European regions. Monitoring of fungicide sensitivity is an essential tool to survey changes in fungal populations in order to react and be able to adapt recommendations for fungicide use. In this study the authors give an overview of the current situation of 14α-demethylation inhibitor (DMI) and quinone outside inhibitor (QoI) sensitivity of Z. tritici from Scandinavia and the Baltic countries. A total of 985 isolates from the Nordic-Baltic region were investigated for EC₅₀ of DMI epoxiconazole and prothioconazole. Fungicide sensitivity remains at a high level with values ranging from 0.07 to 0.48 mg L^?1 for epoxiconazole and 1.17 to 9.47 mg L^?1 for prothioconazole. Point mutation I381V in the DMI target gene CYP51 was dominant throughout the region, but mutations D134G, V136A/C and S524T were also detected in the population in 2014. Screening for inserts in the CYP51 promoter region revealed that a ~ 1000 bp insert is predominant in the entire region. Only a single isolate was found in Denmark, harbouring the 120 bp insert, known to reduce fungicide sensitivity. Two Danish isolates which had elevated resistance levels were associated with an enhanced efflux. Significant differences were found across the area for the presence of G143A, conferring QoI resistance. As there is only limited access to results from this area, these findings can serve as reference for future fungicide sensitivity investigations and for evaluation of changes in the Northern European Z. tritici population.     

Quantification of the aggressiveness of a foliar pathogen, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, responsible for water yam (Dioscorea alata) anthracnose

In the absence of a gene-for-gene relationship between a pathogen and its host, knowledge about aggressiveness is crucial to characterize novel pathogen populations that potentially emerge in agricultural pathosystems. Information about pathogen aggressiveness is also critical when establishing representative panels of pathogen isolates to test host resistance and in mapping quantitative trait loci involved in the host resistance. In this study, we focused on the fungus C. gloeosporioides that causes necrosis on the aerial part of one of its host plants, Dioscorea alata, and identified the in vitro conditions required to assess fungal aggressiveness on this host. Our main purpose was to convert the necrosis area development into a unique index for quantifying pathogen aggressiveness. The ??Ag?? index described here has two advantages. First, it integrates the variance of symptom evolution curves to estimate the lesion development rates (initial and secondary) and the maximal necrosis area. Secondly, the new index takes two different symptoms commonly observed when inoculating D. alata leaves with C. gloeosporioides into account, one correlated with high leaf colonisation efficiency and the other with low colonisation efficiency. The weights accorded to each symptom in the index were proportional to leaf colonisation efficiency. We propose a framework for the acquisition of this index that has been designed to be conveniently combined with the routine bioassays required to establish representative panels of pathogen isolates. The general framework for the construction of this index can be broadly applied to diseases with necrotic symptoms.     

No signs of thermal acclimation of heterotrophic respiration from peat soils exposed to different water levels

In a mesocosm experiment, with bare peat soils exposed to different water levels (WL), we examined whether heterotrophic respiration (R_h) acclimated to a 3 ^°C temperature increase. Across all WLs, R_h at 15 ^°C was never lower in the heated treatment than in the unheated treatment, indicating that R_h did not acclimate to the warmer conditions. We hypothesize that this lack of thermal acclimation is due to the unlimited substrate availability in these organic soils. These results imply that peat soils may exhibit a sustained positive feedback to global warming.     

Heads you win,tails you lose: Life‐history traits predict invasion and extinction risk of the world's freshwater fishes

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A case–case study comparing the individual risk factors and symptomatology of Salmonella Heidelberg and Salmonella Typhimurium in Ontario in 2015, following implementation of the Ontario Investigation Tools

Salmonella Heidelberg and Salmonella Typhimurium are among the most common serotypes responsible for human salmonellosis in Ontario. Introduction of the Ontario Investigation Tools (OIT) in 2014 allowed for standardized case investigation and reporting. This study compared the risk factors and symptomatology for sporadic S. Heidelberg and S. Typhimurium cases reported in Ontario in 2015, following implementation of the OIT. Multilevel logistic regression models were applied to assess associations between serotype and individual‐level demographic characteristics, exposures and symptoms for sporadic confirmed cases of S. Heidelberg and S. Typhimurium in Ontario in 2015. There were 476 sporadic cases of S. Typhimurium (n = 278) and S. Heidelberg (n = 198) reported in Ontario in 2015. There were significant associations between the odds of the isolate from a case being one of these serotypes, and travel, consumption of sprouts (any type), contact with reptiles and development of malaise, fever or bloody diarrhoea. The S. Typhimurium and S. Heidelberg cases differed in both symptom presentation and risk factors for illness. Case–case comparisons of Salmonella serotypes have some advantages over case–control studies in that these are less susceptible to selection and recall bias while allowing for rapid comparison of cases to identify potential high‐risk exposures that are unique to one of the serotypes when compared to the other. Comparing cases of two different Salmonella serotypes can help to highlight risk factors that may be uniquely associated with one serotype, or more strongly associated with one serotype compared to another. This information may be useful for understanding relative source attribution between common serotypes of Salmonella.     

PROSPECTIVE COMPARISON OF TUMOR STAGING USING COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY VERSUS MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING FINDINGS IN DOGS WITH NASAL NEOPLASIA: A PILOT STUDY

Identification of nasal neoplasia extension and tumor staging in dogs is most commonly performed using computed tomography (CT), however magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is routinely used in human medicine. A prospective pilot study enrolling six dogs with nasal neoplasia was performed with CT and MRI studies acquired under the same anesthetic episode. Interobserver comparison and comparison between the two imaging modalities with regard to bidimensional measurements of the nasal tumors, tumor staging using historical schemes, and assignment of an ordinal scale of tumor margin clarity at the tumor‐soft tissue interface were performed. The hypotheses included that MRI would have greater tumor measurements, result in higher tumor staging, and more clearly define the tumor soft tissue interface when compared to CT. Evaluation of bone involvement of the nasal cavity and head showed a high level of agreement between CT and MRI. Estimation of tumor volume using bidimensional measurements was higher on MRI imaging in 5/6 dogs, and resulted in a median tumor volume which was 18.4% higher than CT imaging. Disagreement between CT and MRI was noted with meningeal enhancement, in which two dogs were positive for meningeal enhancement on MRI and negative on CT. One of six dogs had a higher tumor stage on MRI compared to CT, while the remaining five agreed. Magnetic resonance imaging resulted in larger bidimensional measurements and tumor volume estimates, along with a higher likelihood of identifying meningeal enhancement when compared to CT imaging. Magnetic resonance imaging may provide integral information for tumor staging, prognosis, and treatment planning.     

Association between management practices and within-herd prevalence of Cryptosporidium parvum shedding on dairy farms in southern Ontario

To identify management practices associated with an increased within-herd prevalence of Cryptosporidium parvum shedding on dairy farms in southern Ontario, fecal samples were taken from 1089 calves aged 7-28 days, from 119 herds. Information on management practices was obtained by administering a questionnaire compiled using a modified Delphi technique. Data were analyzed using univariable and multivariable negative binomial regression. Overall, 30% of the calves in the study were shedding C. parvum oocysts, with at least one positive calf detected in 77% of herds. Within-herd prevalence ranged from 0 to 80%. Predictors significantly associated with an increased prevalence of shedding in multivariable modelling were the use of calf scour prophylaxis in cows (risk ratio [RR] 1.70, P<0.01) and calves (RR 1.38, P=0.02) and the feeding of milk replacer in the first week of life (RR 1.40, P=0.02). In contrast, the presence of concrete flooring in calf housing areas (RR 0.59, P<0.01) and the use of soap or detergent when washing calf feeding utensils (RR 0.61, P<0.01) appeared to be protective.     

Introgression between oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) and its weedy relative B. rapa L. in a natural population

We investigated introgression in a mixed weedy population ofoilseed rape (Brassica napus) and itsrelative B. rapa usingspecies-specific AFLP-markers. The population wassituated in a field relayed from conventional to organic cultivation11 years ago. One-hundred-and-twoB. napus orB. rapa-like plantswere collected in a 3 m² plot. Of these, onewas a first generation hybrid (F₁) and nearlyhalf (44 plants) were introgressed, having bothB. napus andB. rapa specific markers.The remaining plants apparently corresponded to pure species, with 50having only B. rapa-and seven having only B.napus-specific markers. We compared thenumber of markers in the plants from the weedy population with thenumbers in controlled backcross generations (BC₁ andBC₂). The marker distribution in the weedy populationresembled the distribution in the second backcross generation mostclosely. Together with the cultivation history of the field, thissuggests that the introgression process in the weedy mixed populationhas been in progress for some time. This study is the first to showintrogression between B.napus and B.rapa under natural conditions.     

Resistance stability to Septoria tritici blotch and comparison of screening methods for ranking STB disease

Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection - Septoria tritici blotch (STB), caused by the ascomycete fungus Zymoseptoria tritici (formerly known as Mycosphaerella graminicola), is a devastating...