The toxicity of Cassia senna to Nubian goats

Ten Nubian goats were given oral doses of the fresh fruits and leaves of Cassia senna at 1, 5, and 10 g / kg /day. Eight goats died within 30 days and two others were slaughtered in a moribund condition on days 18 and 29. The clinical signs of diarrhoea, inappetence, loss of condition, and dyspnoea were well correlated with the pathological findings. There was an increase in G.O.T., ammonia, urea, and total cholesterol and a decrease in total protein in the serum of Cassia‐poisoned goats. Blood sugar level was reduced and the increase in the values of Hb, PCV, and RBC was due to haemoconcentration.     

Effect of Genotypes and Plant Maturity on Forage Quality of Certain Forage Legume Species Under Rainfed Conditions

Evaluation of plant species for animal feed requires the quantitative and qualitative comparison of different genotypes. Promising lines of annual legumes comprising seven genotypes of vetche ( Vicia spp.) and chicklings ( Lathyrus spp.) were compared for herbage quality. The content of crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) in herbage and pods were measured at different stages of plant maturity. The proportion of the leaves to shoots (leafiness) and in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) were also determined. As plants matured IVDMD, CP and leafiness decreased and NDF and ADF increased. For all the genotypes maximum digestible dry matter (DDM) and CP yields were more or less attained at 50–100 % podding. Narbon vetch had the highest DDM. The possible uses of the different genotypes as animal feed are discussed based on the partitioning of the DDM and CP yield as plants matured.     

Effect of Juglone on Active Oxygen Species and Antioxidant Enzymes in Susceptible and Partially Resistant Banana Cultivars to Black Leaf Streak Disease

The black leaf streak disease (BLSD), caused by Mycosphaerella fijiensis, is the most destructive disease of bananas and plantains around the world. Breeding for resistance is the most promising strategy to fight this disease especially in small farmer plantations. Mycosphaerella fijiensis produces many phytotoxins such as juglone, which can be used, jointly with field and inoculations under controlled conditions, for screening banana cultivars for BLSD-resistance. This non-host specific phytotoxin has been shown to act on chloroplasts and disturbs the proton electrochemical gradient across the plasmalemma membrane. Moreover, an involvement of the oxidative burst during the interaction has been suggested. The present study was carried out using two cultivars that differed for either their juglone-responses or their resistance to BLSD (cv. Grande Naine susceptible to BLSD and juglone and cv. Fougamou partially resistant to BLSD and highly tolerant to juglone). The production of active oxygen species (AOS) and the enhancement of the enzymatic and/or non-enzymatic AOS-scavenging systems were investigated after treatment of the two cultivars with juglone. The time-course of AOS-production and AOS-scavenging was shown to be the key difference between these two tested cultivars after treatment with juglone. Thus, an early release of AOS (O₂⁻ radical and H₂O₂) and a quick stimulation of a preferment anti-oxidant system (superoxide dismutases, catalases, and peroxidases) was observed for cv. Fougamou as compared to cv. Grande Naine for which a late and weak generation of AOS accompanied by a late stimulation of the anti-oxidant systems were detected.     

Potato production from true potato seed (TPS) in Egypt: Effect of the growing season on seedling development,recovery from transplanting and yield

Summary Ware potatoes were produced from true potato seed by transplanting seedlings to the field in different growing periods to evaluate environmental constraints of this production method in the Nile delta. In the autumn season, with high temperatures and long-day conditions during seedling culture in the nursery and transplant establishment in the field, seedling development was fast, and transplants resumed growth within 5 days of transplanting in the field. Tuber yields ranged between 120 and 160 dt ha⁻¹. In the spring season, with low temperatures and short-day conditions during the initial growing phase, seedling development in the nursery was slow and biomass partitioning between above ground organs (stems, leaves) and tubers was shifted towards the tubers. This partitioning was further enhanced by transplanting the seedlings in the field. Seedlings recovered only slowly from transplanting or died. It is concluded that potato production via transplants is poor in the spring season when premature tuberization of seedlings in the nursery leads to slow field establishment and low tuber yield.     

Effects of soil solarization on soil-borne populations ofPythium aphanidermatum andFusarium solani and on the potato crop in Tunisia

Summary Soil solarization by mulching with polyethylene for 60 days during summer in Tunisia, was effective in reducing dramatically to a depth of 30 cm inoculum levels ofFusarium solani (Fs) from 3,000 to 450 propagules gram⁻¹ of dry soil. Population densities ofPythium aphanidermatum (Pa) were reduced from 1,700 and 3,000 to 0.5 and 1 propagule gram⁻¹ of dry soil in the top 15 cm and at 1–30 cm depth, respectively. After a subsequent autumn potato crop, populations ofPa remained very low in the previously solarized soil whereas propagule density in non-solarized soils was similar to the initial density. Also, inoculum level ofFs increased by 40% in nonsolarized soils while it remained unchanged in solarized soils, suggesting microbial processes that prevented soil reinfestation. All the annual weeds were eradicated by solar heating but not the perennial weedConvolvulus arvensis. Potato plant growth and yields were improved in solarized plots.     

Effect of fermentation on sorghum protein fractions and in vitro protein digestibility

Changes in pH, titratable acidity, total soluble solids and proteins ofDabar sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (Linn) Moench.) during naturalfermentation at 37 ^°C for up to 36 h were monitored. The pH ofthe fermenting material decreased sharply with a concomitant increase in the titratable acidity. Total soluble solids increased with progressivefermentation time. The crude protein and non-protein nitrogen slightlyincreased during the last stages of fermentation. The in vitroprotein digestibility markedly increased as a result of fermentation.The globulin plus albumin fractions increased significantly (p 0.05)during the first 8 h of fermentation. Kaffirin fraction decreasedduring the first 8 h of fermentation but increased sharply as fermentationprogressed. Cross-linked kaffirins fluctuated during the fermentationprocess. Glutelin like protein, which was the minor fraction, trueglutelins, the second most abundant fraction, together with non-extractableproteins fluctuated during the fermentation process.     

Leak syndrome of potato in Tunisia caused byPythium aphanidermatum andPythium ultimum

Summary TwoPythium spp. were isolated from diseased tubers exhibiting rots at harvest, in summer stores and also in refrigerated storage. Symptoms shared features described for both pink rot caused byPhytophthora erythroseptica and leak caused byPythium spp. The causal agents were identified asPythium aphanidermatum andP. ultimum by morphological and physiological observations and by fingerprinting using oomycete specific primers to amplify the internal transcribed spacer (ITS1) within ribosomal DNAs. The optimum temperatures for infection were 30°C forP. aphanidermatum and 25°C forP. ultimum, corresponding to the optimum temperatures for growth in vitro. The optimum concentration for infection of tubers inoculated by dipping in a suspension of oospores or hyphal swellings after wounding was found to be 10³ reproductive organs/ml, whereas the infection threshold was 10 reproductive organs/ml.     

Assessing potato cultivars in Tunisia for susceptibility to leak caused byPythium aphanidermatum

Summary The susceptibility of 21 potato cultivars to leak (watery wound rot) caused byPythium aphanidermatum was compared. Whole tubers were inoculated after wounding by dipping into a water suspension of 10³ oospores/ml and incubated for 3 days at 25°C. The mean penetration of tissue calculated from the recording of lesion width and depth and the qualitative assessment of rot extension were highly correlated. For 10 of 12 cultivars tested at least twice, consistent reactions were obtained: cvs Korrigane. Superstar, Safrane and Yesmina were moderately susceptible, whereas Atlas, Diamant, Mondial, Obélix, Spunta and Timate were susceptible to highly susceptible. Tubers originated from two locations and/or two cropping seasons: thus, the performance of these cultivars under different production conditions reveals a satisfactory level of agreement with the test. Moreover, ratings assigned are supported by field or store observations.