The effect of the fruit container on a commodity treatment of mangoes with 1,2-dibromoethane against the queensland fruit fly,Dacus tryoni (froggatt)

Fruit packed in fibreboard cartons required a higher dosage of 1,2-dibromoethane (EBD) for an effective commodity treatment than fruit packed in polystyrene trays. This was due to considerably greater sorption of EDB by fibreboard compared with polystyrene, as indicated by concentration-time products. However, compensating factors in the form of a lower sorption of EDB by the fruit itself when in fibreboard cartons, and a residual fumigant effect for fruit in such cartons, reduced the expected increase in dosage requirement. The required dosages of EDB for effective treatments were 20 g m^?3 in fibreboard cartons and 16 g m^?3 in polystyrene trays, for 2 h at 20°C.     

Cryopreservation of pollen from two rose cultivars

Summary An investigation was undertaken on the storage characteristics of pollen collected from two English rose cultivars. A rapid decline in viability was observed in pollen stored at +4° C and –20° C, whereas the viability of pollen, stored at ultra-low temperature (–196° C), remained constant. Cryopreserved pollen was shown to retain its ability for fertilisation. The effects of the stage of flower development and anther dehiscence were assessed on both pre-and post-cryopreservation viabilities. Successful long-term storage of pollen will facilitate hybridisation of rose species and cultivars that do not flower synchronously.     

The abundance of Trichoderma propagules and the distribution of species in forest soils

Propagules of Trichoderma generally formed less than 3 per cent of the total fungal propagules in a variety of forest soils in the southeastern U.S. and Washington State. The largest populations were found in the F and H organic horizons of the forest floor or under conditions of excessive moisture. T. viride Pers. ex S.F. Gray and T. polysporum (Link ex Pers.) Rifai were largely restricted to cool temperate regions; whereas, T. harzianum Rifai was characteristic of warm climates. T. koningii Oud. and T. hamatum (Bon.) Bain, were the most widely distributed species aggregates and were found in all the climatic regions investigated. Under conditions of excessive moisture, strains of T. hamatum and T. pseudokoningii Rifai were the dominant forms.     

Report on the 43rd Annual Meeting of the DPG-Working Group Nematology

Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection -     

Residual fumigant effect of 1,2-dibromoethane (EDB) in fumigations against queensland fruit fly,Dacus tryoni (froggatt), infestations in mangoes

A residual fumigant effect is demonstrated for fruit held 1 to 3 days within its cardboard carton after fumigation with 1,2-dibromoethane (EDB). This residual fumigant effect reduces significantly the dosage required for a specified level of control when compared with that required for fruit removed from the carton immediately after airing when fumigation is completed. The effect is due to the slow release of gas sorbed during fumigation and to the slow dispersion of this gas from the carton.     

The Leptosphaeria maculans – Leptosphaeria biglobosa species complex in the American continent

Stem canker of oilseed rape (canola, Brassica napus ) is associated with a species complex of two closely related fungal species, Leptosphaeria maculans and L. biglobosa . Of these, L. maculans is the most damaging and develops gene-for-gene relationships with the host . Here, a wide scale analysis of the L. maculans - L. biglobosa species complex was performed throughout the American continent (23 locations from Chile to Canada) plus several locations in Western Australia for comparison purposes, based on a collection of 1132 isolates from infected tissues of a susceptible cultivar. Fungal species were discriminated on the basis of morphological, phytopathological and molecular criteria and showed that L. biglobosa was closely associated with L. maculans in most of the locations. Multiple gene phylogeny using sequences of ITS, actin and β-tubulin confirmed the prevalence of the L. biglobosa 'canadensis' sub-clade in Canada, whereas up to three different sub-clades of L. biglobosa were found in Georgia (USA). Race structure of L. maculans was investigated using a combination of pathogenicity tests and PCR amplification of avirulence alleles AvrLm1 , AvrLm4 and AvrLm6 . Three contrasting situations were observed: (i) race structure in Ontario, Chile and Georgia was related to that of European and Western Australian populations, with a low race diversity; (ii) only one race was found in Mexico, and not found outside of this country; (iii) a large diversity of races was observed in central Canada (Manitoba, Alberta and Saskatchewan) with very specific features including maintenance of avirulence alleles absent from Europe, absence of the AvrLm7 allele common in Europe (or eastern Canada) and wide location-to-location variability.