Artificial inoculation and susceptibility of Pinus armandii to Dothistroma septosporum

Dothistroma needle blight (DNB) is a serious needle disease of conifers that primarily affects pine species (Pinus spp.). Dothistroma septosporum is one of the DNB pathogens that has a diverse range of host species excluding Pinus armandii. In 15 inoculated P. armandii seedlings, D. septosporum acervuli were observed in 43 infected needles of ten seedlings with a mean disease severity of 1.11% at 25 weeks after inoculations, demonstrating the potential of D. septosporum to cause symptoms on the needles of P. armandii via artificial inoculation. The disease severity of P. armandii was similar to the positive control, Pinus nigra (median 0.75 for P. armandii to 0.70 for P. nigra), thus, P. armandii acts under artificial conditions as a susceptible host species.     

Structure and diversity of small-mammal communities of lowland forests in the rural central European landscape

Small-mammal communities were monitored over 4 years in South Moravian rural lowland forests in order to study relationships with various forest habitat types. Early successional sites (plantations) and forest edges maintained communities with higher abundance and diversity. Lowest total abundance was observed in unmanaged lowland forest and highest abundance in plantations with irregular undergrowth management. Low diversity was typical of non-fruiting monocultures. In plantations, both diversity and abundance were affected by herb layer removal, with sites subject to regular cutting, displaying lower levels. Significant differences in diversity and species richness were only detected between early and late successional sites, with the former showing higher values. Two basic small-mammal community groups were determined; (1) those inhabiting sites with a thick herb undergrowth and an open tree canopy (plantation) and (2) those inhabiting stands with sparse or no herb layer and a closed canopy (high forest). Forest stands support long-term populations of dominant small forest-dwelling mammal species and, as such, serve as reservoirs, even in rural landscapes dominated by intensive arable farming. Managed early succession lowland forests represent important refuges for a number of small open-habitat mammals negatively affected by intensive farming.     

Phytosanitary status of grapevine in Montenegro

During 2006 and 2007, a survey on the incidence and distribution of fourteen grapevine viruses was carried out in the Skadar Lake basin, one of the two main grapevine‐growing areas of Montenegro. In total 165 samples were collected from four red (‘Vranac’, ‘Krato?ija’, ‘Merlot’ and ‘Cardinal’), two white (‘Chardonnay’ and ‘Rkaciteli’) and a few unknown grapevine varieties in the vicinity of Podgorica and Bar. The phytosanitary status of the collected samples was analysed by DAS‐ELISA and the presence of Grapevine fanleaf virus (GFLV), Grapevine leafroll‐associated virus 1 (GLRaV‐1), Grapevine leafroll‐associated virus 2 (GLRaV‐2) and Grapevine leafroll‐associated virus 3 (GLRaV‐3) was confirmed in some of them. The most frequently found virus in assayed samples was GLRaV‐3 (54.5%), followed by GFLV (23%), GLRaV‐1 (20%) and GLRaV‐2 (0.6%). These serological analyses showed the absence of Grapevine leafroll‐associated virus 6 (GLRaV‐6), Grapevine leafroll‐associated virus 7 (GLRaV‐7), Raspberry bushy dwarf virus (RBDV), Strawberry latent ringspot virus (SLRSV), Tomato ringspot virus (ToRSV), Raspberry ringspot virus (RpRSV), Arabis mosaic virus (ArMV), Tobacco ringspot virus (TRSV), Tomato black ring virus (TBRV) and Cherry leaf roll virus (CLRV) from all tested samples.     

Leukocytic responses and intestinal mucin dynamics of broilers protected with Enterococcus faecium EF55 and challenged with Salmonella Enteritidis

The protective effect of Enterococcus faecium EF55 in chickens challenged with Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis phage type 4 (SE PT4) was assessed. The antibacterial effect on the bacterial microflora in the small intestine in relation to white blood cell count, phenotyping of peripheral blood and intestinal lymphocytes, functional activity of lymphocytes and phagocytes and mucin quantitation were investigated. Day-old chicks (85) were randomly divided into four groups. The probiotic group (EF) and Salmonella + probiotic group (EFSE) received E. faecium EF55 (10⁹ CFU – 3 g/group/day) for 21 days. The Salmonella group (SE) and EFSE group were infected with Salmonella Enteritidis (10⁸ CFU in 0.2 ml PBS) in a single dose per os on day four of the experiment. The control group chicks (C) were fed a commercial diet without added bacteria. Supplementation of EF55 in the diet of the chickens in the EFSE group, challenged with S. Enteritidis, caused the density of the intestinal mucin layer to increase significantly in non-specific regions (duodenum and jejunum), but decrease significantly in target regions (caeca) for S. Enteritidis. Probiotic treatment also appeared to result in a significantly higher number of lymphocytes in peripheral blood and a tendency to increase CD3, CD4, CD8, and IgM positive cells 3 days post-infection with S. Enteritidis. The results demonstrated an antibacterial effect and suggested that EF55 had a moderating effect on intestinal mucin production and leukocytic response in the early phase of S. Enteritidis infection.     

The Characterization of Heavy Metals in the Grapevine (Vitis vinifera) Cultivar Rkatsiteli and Wild Blackberry (Rubus fruticosus) from East Serbia by ICP-OES and BAFs

Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy, in combination with calculation of various biological factors, was used in this study not only for a simple illustration of the present status of some essential and non-essential metals such as copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), arsenic (As), and cadmium (Cd) in the grapevine cultivar Rkatsiteli and wild blackberry from East Serbia but also for the estimation of plant bioaccumulation potentials. Great majority of detected metal concentrations were in normal ranges except in few cases: Zn concentrations were at the level of deficiency in almost all plant parts, and some Cu and As concentrations were at the levels that could be considered phytotoxic. Biological accumulation factors provided very informative data on metal accumulation and translocation in both plants and pointed to low accumulation rates of metals except in the case of Cu, Zn, and As in some wild blackberry tissues.     

Maize defence mechanisms against the European corn borer,Ostrinia nubilalis Hübner (Lepidoptera: Crambidae)

Maize is arguably the most widely grown crop in the world, but it is often associated with one of its major insect pests, the European corn borer (ECB). The damage caused by this species to maize production is generally variable, but in many cases it is economically significant. This review paper provides an overview of the research findings on the natural plant defence mechanisms against ECB larvae published till now. What is resistance and how it is achieved, what is the chemical response of maize plants to insect feeding and how tolerance can be increased. A short introduction in breeding for resistance and a discussion if the mentioned traits can be used in conventional breeding in order to create maize hybrids less affected by ECB are given.     

St. John’s Wort Herbal Teas – Biological Potential and Chemometric Approach to Quality Control

Plant Foods for Human Nutrition - St. John’s wort has been used for centuries in traditional medicine of many cultures, and nowadays it is well-known as a clinically important antidepressant...     

The influence of surface-treated nano-TiO2 (rutile) incorporation in water-based acrylic coatings on wood protection

The aim of this research was to synthesize surface-treated nano-titanium dioxide (TiO₂) particles and incorporate them into water-based acrylic systems, which could offer long-term protection for UV-sensible wood substrates. To suppress the photocatalytic activity, the surface of TiO₂ nanoparticles in rutile crystal structure was coated with amorphous silica (SiO₂) layer. The amounts of SiO₂ were 5 and 10 wt%, respectively. Formation of SiO₂ layer on TiO₂ surface was analyzed using scanning and transmission electron microscopy. SiO₂ layer thickness increases as a function of precursor loading. In addition, the influence of SiO₂ loading on rutile UV-protective properties was determined. Transparent UV-protective coatings were developed by incorporating surface-treated nano-TiO₂ into water-based acrylic stain. The particle size distribution was determined using dynamic light-scattering measurements, which indicate that the suspension of surface-treated rutile is stable against agglomeration. Furthermore, the color change and ability of protection against UV light of coatings after nanoparticles incorporation were determined. TiO₂, surface treated with 10 wt% of SiO_2, yielded coatings of higher transparency; however, TiO_2, surface treated with 5 wt% of SiO_2, improved UV protection.     

Evidence for genetic diversity of Toxoplasma gondii in selected intermediate hosts in Serbia

To contribute to the insight into the worldwide population structure of Toxoplasma gondii, we genetically characterized a total of eight strains isolated from intermediate hosts including humans, sheep and pigeons in Serbia. Although parasite DNA was detected in 28.2% (60/213) of the human samples from 162 patients serologically suspected of active toxoplasmosis, as well as in 5/7 seropositive pigeons and in 2/12 seropositive sheep examined, multilocus PCR-RFLP genotyping, using SAG1, 5′SAG2, 3′SAG2, GRA6, 5′GRA7 and 3′GRA7 as markers, was successful in only four human isolates (of which one was isolated from both the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and blood samples of a single patient), one sheep and three pigeons. Of the eight isolates, five were type II (62.5%), one was type III, one was atypical, and one had a type I allele at GRA6 as the single locus genotyped. Although type II, as elsewhere in Europe, predominated, these results may suggest a higher genetic diversity of T. gondii in Serbia, reflecting local environmental contamination and also the geographical position of the country in South-East Europe.