An easy and rapid method using microscopy to determine herbicide effects in Poaceae weed species

A new, easy, rapid and relatively inexpensive method using microscopy has been developed for the detection of herbicide effects in leaves of grass weed species displaying no visual signs of damage. The method has potential to be used as a tool to indicate future death of grass species due to herbicide exposure by observing phytochemical effects, i.e. early-warning effects. In the present study, Apera spica-venti (L.) Beauv., Bromus hordeaceus L., Alopecurus myosuroides Huds., Lolium perenne L. and Poa annua L. were exposed to lethal rates of four herbicides with different mode of action. The herbicides investigated were the thiocarbamate: prosulfocarb, the sulfonylurea: iodosulfuron, the aryloxyphenoxypropionate: fenoxaprop-P-ethyl and the organophosphate glyphosate. Autofluorescence of leaves was studied under a microscope using ultraviolet and blue light. The fluorescence of leaves treated to enhance flavonoids was also examined. To confirm the results, microspectrofluorometry was performed. Effects indicating future death of the grasses were observed in visually healthy leaves following treatment with prosulfocarb, glyphosate and iodosulfuron. No changes were detected following treatment with fenoxaprop-P-ethyl. After exposure to glyphosate or iodosulfuron, changes in the content of flavonoids and other compounds with a conjugation system and rigid structure and a decrease in the content of chlorophyll were detected in the leaves. Prosulfocarb treatment resulted in changes in the content of flavonoids and other compounds with a conjugation system and rigid structure and an increase in the content of chlorophyll in the leaves. The results obtained from microspectrofluorometry indicated that exposure to prosulfocarb caused a reduction in the flavonoids quercetin, naringenin and/or naringin.     

Environmental,historical, and contextual determinants of vegetation cover: a landscape perspective

We formulated and tested models of relationships among determinants of vegetation cover in two agroforested landscapes of eastern North America (Haut Saint-Laurent, Quebec, Canada) that differed by the spatial arrangement of their geomorphic features and intensity of agricultural activities. Our landscape model compared the woody plots of each landscape in terms of the relative influence of environmental attributes, land use history (1958 – 1997), and spatial context (i.e., proximity of similar or contrasting land cover). Our vegetation model evaluated the relative contribution of the same sets of variables to the distributions of herbs, trees, and shrubs. Relationships were assessed using partial Mantel tests and path analyses. Significant environmental and contextual differences were found between the vegetation plots of the two landscapes, but disturbance history was similar. Our vegetation model confirms the dominant effect of historical factors on vegetation patterns. Whereas land-use history overrides environmental and contextual control for trees, herbaceous and shrub species are more sensitive to environmental conditions. Context is determinant only for understory species in older, less-disturbed plots. Results are discussed in relevance to vegetation dynamics in a landscape perspective that integrates interactions between environmental and human influences.     

Assessing the agronomic potential of linseed genotypes by multivariate analyses and association mapping of agronomic traits

High prices of fish oil make linseed attractive for aquaculture and animal feed. To ensure a constant supply of linseed, the development of stable cultivars is of strategic importance. In this study, 35 linseed genotypes were evaluated in five Chilean environments (E) from 2009 to 2012. The additive main effect and multiplicative interaction analysis (AMMI), genotype (G) plus genotype by environment (GE) interaction (GGE) biplot analysis and three stability parameters were tested with the aim of identifying adapted genotypes for the development of linseed cultivars. An association mapping (AM) analysis was also conducted for four agronomic traits and the stability of the associated markers was evaluated using the QQE (QTL main effect and QTL by environment interaction) approach. Combined analysis of variance for yield, seeds per boll (SPB), plant height (PH) and days to flowering (DTF) were significant for G, E and GE (P < 0.001). The combined stability analysis identified some Canadian, Argentinean and Chilean accessions to be the best adapted and highest yielding genotypes. Coancestry analysis indicated that crossing Canadian and Chilean genotypes could maximize transgressive segregation for yield. Significant associations for DTF, PH and SPB explained up to 59 % of the phenotypic variation for these traits. The QQE and AM analyses were consistent in identifying marker LGM27B as the most stable and significant across all environments with the largest effect in reducing DTF. The combined application of the stability, AM and QQE analyses could accelerate the development of marketable linseed cultivars adapted to Southern Chile.     

Comparison of sandy soils suppressive or conducive to ectoparasitic nematode damage on sugarcane

ABSTRACT Two South African sandy soils, one suppressive and the other conducive to ectoparasitic nematode damage on monoculture sugarcane, were compared. Analysis of field transects indicated that the suppressive soil displayed a comparatively higher population of the weak ectoparasite Helicotylenchus dihystera, whose predominance among ectoparasitic nematodes is known to limit yield loss caused by more virulent phytonematodes. Soil type was identical at both sites (entisols), but the suppressive soil had a higher organic matter content and a lower pH, which correlated with H. dihystera population data. In contrast, microclimatic differences between the two field sites were unlikely to be responsible for the suppressive or conducive status of the soils, as shown in a greenhouse experiment. The two soils exhibited a bacterial community of the same size but with different genetic structures, as indicated by automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (RISA). The number of culturable fluorescent pseudomonads was higher for the conducive soil, probably because extensive root damage caused by ectoparasitic nematodes favored proliferation of these bacteria. This study shows that apparently small differences in soil composition between fields located in the same climatic area and managed similarly can translate into contrasted nematode communities, ectoparasitic nematode damage levels, and sugarcane yields.     

The Brucella genome at the beginning of the post-genomic era

The year 2002 began with the publication of the first complete genome sequence for a Brucella species, that of the two replicons of B. melitensis 16M. Hopefully in 2002, the complete genome of B. suis 1330, and, perhaps, a B. abortus strain will be published. This is the culmination of over 30 years investigation of the composition, structure, organisation and evolution of the Brucella genome. Brucella research must now adapt to the new challenges of the post-genomic era.     

An unusual form of canine babesiosis

An Akita Inu, living in Belgium, was presented with unusual clinical manifestations of acute babesiosis that included neurological signs and pancytopenia. Diagnosis was made by identifying Babesia canis in the blood smear. Neurological signs resolved after treatment with imidocarb diproprionate. Normalization of hematological abnormalities was gradual over 5 months.     

Vaccination against the feline immunodeficiency virus: the road not taken

Natural infection of domestic cats by the feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). FIV is genetically related to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and the clinical and biological features of infections caused by feline and human viruses in their respective hosts are highly analogous. Although the obstacles to vaccinating against FIV and HIV would seem to be of comparable difficulty, a licensed vaccine against feline AIDS is already in widespread use in several countries. While this seemingly major advance in prevention of AIDS would appear to be highly instructive for HIV vaccine development, its message has not been heeded by investigators in the HIV field. This review endeavours to relate what has been learned about vaccination against feline AIDS, and to suggest what this may mean for HIV vaccine development.     

Dogs as carriers of the emerging pathogen Arcobacter

Dogs and cats living in a household have previously been identified as a risk factor for human infection with Campylobacter and Helicobacter. In this study, carried out between July 2006 to September 2007, feces and oral swabs from 267 dogs and 61 cats were examined for the presence of the emerging pathogen Arcobacter. Isolates, obtained by an Arcobacter selective isolation procedure, were identified with an Arcobacter species-specific multiplex-PCR and characterized by modified enterobacterial repetitive intergenic concensus PCR. No arcobacters were isolated from cats. Five dogs excreted arcobacters in the feces and two other dogs carried arcobacters in the mouth. In the follow-up, one dog excreted the same Arcobacter butzleri strain for at least 1 week. Six dogs carried each an unique A. cryaerophilus strain although three of them lived in the same family. Therefore, beside the consumption of food and water, contact with dogs is another potential source of Arcobacter infection.