Concentration and deposition of trace metals in Ontario-1982

Results of trace metal concentrations in air and precipitation and the corresponding wet and dry deposition in Ontario in 1982 arc reported. In terms of the spatial patterns, in general, there was a decreasing gradient from south-to-north in both concentration and deposition. Patterns differed with each parameter although certain groups of metals (e.g., Fe and Al; Pb, Zn, and Mn) displayed similar patterns. In general, wet deposition was greater than dry deposition at all sites. Geographically, the variability in the wet to dry deposition ratio for coarse particles (MMD > 2.5 μm) was small. However, it increased from the south to the north for fine particles (MMD < 2.5 μm), being higher away from the source areas. Scavenging ratios (W) have been derived from the precipitation and air concentrations of trace metals. The scatter in W is quite large for all trace metals, up to 2 orders of magnitude. There was little seasonal variability in W for fine particles (Pb, Mn, Zn, and Cd). However, coarse particles (Fe, Al, and Cu) were more efficiently scavenged by snow than by rain.     

Changes to a soil on irrigation with a sanitary landfill leachate

A detailed soil column leaching experiment was set up to investigate the changes in properties to a soil as a result of irrigation with an alkaline sanitary landfill leachate (pH 10.3). Chemistry of the soil was drastically altered as a consequence of the interaction. The soil was titrated from pH 5 to pH 10 and was changed from an exchangeable Mg dominated soil to an exchangeable Ca dominated soil. Magnesium was displaced by ion exchange reaction at acid pH, but at pH 10, 14.2 meq 100 g^?1 of Mg, i.e. up to three times the cation exchange capacity of Mg, was adsorbed in non-exchangeable forms at the immediate surface of the soil column by specific adsorption reactions. The leachate-treated soil was not stable on distilled water leaching. Structural breakdown led to clay dispersion and reduction in pore space, resulting in a 64 times reduction in hydraulic conductivity, 1.6 × 10^?4 to 2.5 × 10^?6 cm s^?1. The structural breakdown could be explained in term of the increase in Na adsorption ratio of the treated soil and the subsequent reduction in electrolyte concentration following the distilled water treatment.     

Effects of mutations in Drosophila nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunits on sensitivity to insecticides targeting nicotinic acetylcholine receptors

Several strains of Drosophila melanogaster possess mutant alleles in nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subunits, Dα1 and Dβ2 that confer resistance to neonicotinoids such as imidacloprid and nitenpyram, and Dα6, that confers resistance to spinosyns. These mutant strains were bioassayed with a selected set of nAChR active insecticides including neonicotinoids, spinosad, and sulfoxaflor, a new sulfoximine insecticide. All of the neonicotinoids examined, except dinotefuran showed reduced insecticidal efficacy on larvae of the Dα1 mutant, suggesting that this subunit may be important in the action of these insecticides. All of the neonicotinoids, including dinotefuran, showed reduced insecticidal efficacy on larvae possessing the Dβ2 mutation. A similar pattern of broad neonicotinoid resistance to that of Dβ2 alone was also observed for larvae with both the mutations (Dα1 + Dβ2). The Dβ2 mutation exhibited a lower level of cross-resistance to sulfoxaflor (<3-fold) than to any of the neonicotinoids (>13-fold). In contrast, there was no cross-resistance for any of the neonicotinoids or sulfoxaflor in adult flies with the Dα6 mutation, which confers high levels of resistance to spinosad. Thus in the D. melanogaster strains studied, target site resistance observed for the neonicotinoids and the spinosyns does not translate directly to resistance towards sulfoxaflor.     

Molecular Typing and Presence of Genetic Markers Among Strains of Banana Finger-Tip Rot Pathogen, Burkholderia cenocepacia, in Taiwan

ABSTRACT Burkholderia cenocepacia (genomovar III of B. cepacia complex), the causal agent of banana finger-tip rot, is a common plant-associated bacterium but also an important opportunistic pathogen of humans. To better understand the nature of B. cenocepacia from banana, the genetic variation among B. cenocepacia isolates from various banana-growing regions in southern Taiwan was examined. Forty-four serial isolates recovered from diseased banana stigmata from three banana-growing regions during the periods ranging from 2002 to 2004 were investigated. All B. cenocepacia isolates picked from quinate-yeast extract tetracycline-polymyxin semiselective medium could cause onion maceration and were polymerase chain reaction (PCR) positive for bcscV, which is a type III secretion gene present in all members of the B. cepacia complex except B. cepacia (formerly genomovar I). Genetic diversity was assessed using recA PCR restriction fragment length polymorphism, recA nucleotide sequence analysis, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis assays. The assays revealed the genetic variability among the isolates and also allowed us to trace the relationship among isolates. The isolates all were assigned to genomovar III and consisted of two groups, A and B, which corresponded to recA lineage IIIA and IIIB. The group B strains were separated into B1 and B2 subgroups and the B1 strains were further divided into distinct lineages. The B1 strains were the most frequently detected and occurred in all regions tested. There was no significant difference between strains from each subgroup in the virulence on banana fingers of cv. Cavendish. PCR assays were further used to determine whether B. cenocepacia from banana contained the cable pilus subunit gene (cblA), IS1356, and B. cepacia epidemic strain marker (BCESM), which are DNA markers associated with epidemic B. cepacia clinic strains. The results indicated that cblA and IS1356 were absent but the BCESM was found in all isolates. The present study revealed that banana is a natural reservoir of genetically diversified B. cenocepacia strains.     

葡萄锰中毒症及其相关营养元素分析

以玉溪市葡萄生产上出现的锰中毒症株及正常株为研究对象,采用田间调查与室内检测分析、锰中毒株与正常株比较相结合的方法,研究了葡萄锰中毒株及正常株叶片的N、P、K、Ca、Mg、Mn、Fe等指标,以及根际土壤的pH、有效态Mn、Fe、Ca、Mg等指标,以期为玉溪市葡萄生产上锰中毒症的防控提供技术依据。结果表明:与正常株比较,葡萄发生锰中毒株的叶片锰含量平均高达1 501.3 mg·kg^-1,比正常株的552.6 mg·kg^-1提高了1.7倍之多;P、K含量也极显著提高1倍多,而Ca、Mg含量则极显著降低近40%;锰毒株的Ca/Mn、Mg/Mn很低,分别为17.7、2.1,均显著低于正常株的98.3、10.5。葡萄发生锰中毒株的根际土壤的pH为4.29~4.35(为强酸性),有效Mn含量高达159.8~178.2 mg·kg^-1;土壤的Ca/Mn、Mg/Mn也很低,分别为7.1、0.6,均显著低于正常株的180.2、13.3。在玉溪市葡萄生产上发生的以"叶片主脉、支脉及叶脉附近的叶肉组织呈褐色状"为典型症状的锰毒株,其叶片锰吸收量过高,分析其原因是由于根际土壤pH较低为强酸性,土壤有效Mn含量过高,有效态Ca、Mg含量过低,Ca/Mn、Mg/Mn也很低所致。为葡萄生产上选择适宜土壤及其pH调节、合理平衡施肥提供参考依据。     

壳聚糖浸种对干旱胁迫下苜蓿种子发芽的缓解作用

以苜蓿种子为试材,采用不同浓度壳聚糖溶液对苜蓿进行浸种处理,测定其对干旱胁迫下苜蓿种子发芽和幼苗生长的影响,旨在寻找苜蓿发芽阶段抗干旱胁迫的最佳浸种浓度。结果表明:随着壳聚糖溶液处理浓度的升高,干旱胁迫下苜蓿种子发芽率、发芽势、发芽指数、活力指数、苗高与根长均呈现先上升后下降的趋势。隶属函数综合分析表明,壳聚糖溶液浸种对干旱胁迫下苜蓿种子发芽能力的影响效果由大到小依次为:100 mg/L、50 mg/L、25 mg/L、150 mg/L、0 mg/L、200 mg/L,以100 mg/L的壳聚糖浸种处理对提高苜蓿种子发芽阶段抗干旱胁迫的效果最佳。     

青杄功能性状及其在各器官间分配格局的时空变化

为研究青杄在不同环境和发育阶段的适应性和生存策略,以关帝山典型森林分布区的青杄(Piceawilsonii)为对象,分析其叶片鲜干比、叶面积、叶绿素和C、N、P含量等重要功能性状在不同年龄(5、15、25、35、45a)和不同海拔梯度(1760、1820、1880、1940、2000m)上的变化,以及C、N、P在各器官间分配格局随年龄和海拔的时空变化。结果表明:1)随树龄的增加,青杄叶面积、叶鲜干比呈增大趋势,叶P和根P含量呈下降趋势,叶有机碳含量下调,但根有机碳在上调。2)随海拔增加,叶绿素、叶面积显著增加,叶有机碳呈下降趋势,而根有机碳在增加。叶、枝、根中的N、P含量均呈先增加后减小趋势,相比之下,N、P随海拔的变化较有机碳更为显著。3)随树龄增加,C、N、P在各器官间分配格局表现为:P在幼年时于叶、根中分配比例相对较大,成年时主要集中在枝中。在研究的5~45a范围内,N分配呈叶>枝>根的稳定格局,未随年龄而显著变化。有机碳则在各器官呈近乎均匀分配的基础上随年龄增加根中比例略有增大,相反叶中比例略有下降。C、N、P并未随海拔增加呈现各器官间分配格局上的显著变化。青杄各功能性状随年龄和海拔变化并通过在各器官间相互关联和协调分配来增强其生态适应性。     

Drivers,challenges and opportunities of forage technology adoption by smallholder cattle households in Cambodia

Forage technology has been successfully introduced into smallholder cattle systems in Cambodia as an alternative feed source to the traditional rice straw and native pastures, improving animal nutrition and reducing labour requirements of feeding cattle. Previous research has highlighted the positive impacts of forage technology including improved growth rates of cattle and household time savings. However, further research is required to understand the drivers, challenges and opportunities of forage technology for smallholder cattle households in Cambodia to facilitate widespread adoption and identify areas for further improvement. A survey of forage-growing households (n = 40) in July–September 2016 examined forage technology adoption experiences, including reasons for forage establishment, use of inputs and labour requirements of forage plot maintenance and use of forages (feeding, fattening, sale of grass or seedlings and silage). Time savings was reported as the main driver of forage adoption with household members spending approximately 1 h per day maintaining forages and feeding it to cattle. Water availability was reported as the main challenge to this activity. A small number of households also reported lack of labour, lack of fencing, competition from natural grasses, cost of irrigation and lack of experience as challenges to forage growing. Cattle fattening and sale of cut forage grass and seedlings was not found to be a widespread activity by interviewed households, with 25 and 10% of households reporting use of forages for these activities, respectively. Currently, opportunities exist for these households to better utilise forages through expansion of forage plots and cattle activities, although assistance is required to support these households in addressing current constraints, particularly availability of water, if the sustainability of this feed technology for smallholder cattle household is to be established in Cambodia.