New report of Hirsutella sp. infecting mango hopper Idioscopus clypealis from Chotanagpur Plateau, India

An entomopathogenic fungus belonging to the genus Hirsutella was found infecting the mango hopper, Idioscopus clypealis (Lethierry) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae), for the first time in India in September 2011. The report of a natural control agent of mango hopper during the off season has special significance because its outbreak depends upon its residual hibernating population.     

Communicating with special populations: children and older adults.

Veterinary professionals must meet the growing expectations of a diverse range of clients to sustain success in veterinary medicine. Few veterinarians, however, receive comprehensive skills training for communicating effectively with clients, particularly among special populations, such as children and older adults. An increasing number of veterinary professionals have recognized a need to master requisite skills for effectively interacting with pet-owning families. This article highlights the importance of the human-animal bond for children and older adults, addresses issues of pet loss, and provides suggestions for meeting the communication needs of both populations.     

Seroprevalence of bluetongue and presence of viral antigen and type-specific neutralizing antibodies in goats in Tripura,a state at Indo-Bangladesh border of northeastern India

Tropical Animal Health and Production - Bluetongue (BT) is a notifiable multiple species transboundary viral disease of domestic and wild ruminants. Though the disease is enzootic in India, little...     

Assessment of Genetic Diversity among Finger Millet (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Eleusine coracana</Emphasis> (L.) Gaertn.) Accessions using Molecular Markers

Finger millet (Eleusine coracana), an allotetraploid cereal, is widely cultivated in the arid and semiarid regions of the world. Being rich in protein and calcium, finger millet serves as an important staple food for rural populations in developing tropical countries where calcium deficiency and anemia are wide spread. Thirty-two finger millet genotypes were fingerprinted using 50 random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. Out of the total 529 loci generated using the 50 RAPD primers, 479 loci (91%) were polymorphic and informative to differentiate the accessions. Cluster analysis grouped the 32 finger millet accessions into two major clusters. Among the 32 finger millet genotypes, GEC 182 and CO 12 were distantly related with a low similarity index of 0.315. These two accessions also differed considerably in days to flowering and grain weight; GEC 182 is early flowering and has bold grains, while CO 12 is late flowering and has smaller grains. These two accessions with higher diversity at molecular level, phenology and grain weight will be ideal as parents in hybridization programme, to develop improved finger millet varieties suitable for peninsular region of India.     

A survey of gastro-intestinal parasitic infection in domestic and wild birds in Chittagong and Greater Sylhet,Bangladesh

A survey of gastrointestinal parasitic infection as determined by faecal examination was conducted among domestic and wild birds in Bangladesh. Birds were sampled from households, wet markets and wetlands in Chittagong and Greater Sylhet districts during April 2012 to February 2013. Mist nets were used to catch resident wild and migratory birds. The overall prevalence of parasitic infection ranged among locations from 25 to 55% in indigenous domestic ducks (live bird samples = 304), 20% in resident wild birds (environmental faecal samples = 40) and 40% in migratory birds (live bird samples = 35). The prevalence of parasitic infection was significantly higher in indigenous domestic ducks collected during summer (39%) than winter (22%) (p = 0.04). In domestic indigenous ducks and Muscovy ducks, both single and multiple types of parasitic infections were found. However, other domestic birds and wild birds often had a single type of parasitic infection. Ascaridia spp. with an average egg load of 50–900, was commonly detected in faecal samples of domestic and wild birds in this study. Other identified parasites were Capillaria spp. and Heterakis spp. both in domestic and wild birds. Improvement of biosecurity measures for household duck farms through educating and motivating household farmers could help mitigate the effects of parasitic infection on production.     

Repellancy and contact toxicity of clove bud oil and its constituents against German cockroaches,Blatella germanica (Dictyoptera: Blattellidae), under laboratory conditions

Abstract

The German cockroach, Blattella germanica L. (Dictyoptera: Blattellidae), an invasive pest of human habitats, is distributed throughout the world, except in Antarctica. They have developed resistance against chemical pesticides used for the management of their populations. Numerous essential oils and their constituents have been tested; however, the insecticidal activities of clove bud powder, oil, and their constituents have not yet been tested against the German cockroaches. Thus, in this study, clove bud powder, oil, and their major constituents, eugenol and eugenol acetate, were evaluated for their contact toxicity and repellancy against adult German cockroaches under laboratory conditions. The clove bud powder applied at 30?mg/cm² killed 92% of German cockroaches at 6?hours after treatment (HAT). Similarly, clove bud oil, eugenol and eugenol acetate applied at 4.00?ml/cm² provided 95%, 85%, and 87% German cockroach mortality at 24, 6, and 24 HAT, respectively. At 2.0?ml/cm², clove bud oil repelled 80% of German cockroaches within 30?min. In contrast, eugenol and eugenol acetate repelled 85% at 1.0?ml/cm² and 2.5?ml/cm², respectively, at 0.5 HAT. Based on this study, clove bud powder, oil, eugenol, and eugenol acetate could be environmentally friendly tools for the management of German cockroaches.     

Separation, identification, quantification, and method validation of anthocyanins in botanical supplement raw materials by HPLC and HPLC-MS

A method has been established and validated for identification and quantification of individual, as well as total, anthocyanins by HPLC and LC/ES-MS in botanical raw materials used in the herbal supplement industry. The anthocyanins were separated and identified on the basis of their respective M(+) (cation) using LC/ES-MS. Separated anthocyanins were individually calculated against one commercially available anthocyanin external standard (cyanidin-3-glucoside chloride) and expressed as its equivalents. Amounts of each anthocyanin calculated as external standard equivalent were then multiplied by a molecular-weight correction factor to afford their specific quantities. Experimental procedures and use of a molecular-weight correction factors are substantiated and validated using Balaton tart cherry and elderberry as templates. Cyanidin-3-glucoside chloride has been widely used in the botanical industry to calculate total anthocyanins. In our studies on tart cherry and elderberry, its use as external standard followed by use of molecular-weight correction factors should provide relatively accurate results for total anthocyanins, because of the presence of cyanidin as their major anthocyanidin backbone. The method proposed here is simple and has a direct sample preparation procedure without any solid-phase extraction. It enables selection and use of commercially available anthocyanins as external standards for quantification of specific anthocyanins in the sample matrix irrespective of their commercial availability as analytical standards. It can be used as a template and applied for similar quantification in several anthocyanin-containing raw materials for routine quality control procedures, thus providing consistency in analytical testing of botanical raw materials used for manufacturing efficacious and true-to-the-label nutritional supplements.     

Muscle fiber types,growth and development in the whole myotome of cultured Pacific bluefin tuna Thunnus orientalis

Following the successful development of Pacific bluefin tuna (PBT) aquaculture, it is of considerable importance to determine the muscle fiber types and their growth patterns for future development. Muscle fiber profiles of dorsal ordinary, lateral ordinary (LO) and dark muscles and their growth patterns in PBT from 3.0 to 54.3 kg body weight were studied. Muscle fibers were histochemically stained for NADH-diaphorase and myosin adenosine triphosphatase activity (mATPase), and immunohistochemically stained with S-58 slow-muscle myosin antibody. All muscle fibers in dorsal and LO muscles showed low NADH-diaphorase activity, and acid-labile (pH 4.0 or 4.3) and alkali-stable mATPase activity. In LO muscle adjacent to dark muscle, three intensities of mATPase activity were observed after acid pre-incubation at pH 4.5 or 5.0, and the activity was related to the muscle fiber diameter. In dark muscle, all small and some large fibers stained intensely for NADH-diaphorase activity, related to their high aerobic metabolism. The high-active fibers with NADH-diaphorase in dark muscle were positive for S-58 antibody. Some large fibers in dark muscle showed intermediate NADH-diaphorase activity and high mATPase activity after alkali pre-incubations. These are fast-twitch oxido-glycolytic fibers in dark muscle and transformed to red muscle fibers with increasing body weight.     

Weed control in rose-scented geranium (Pelargonium spp)

Abstract: Field investigations were carried out during 1999 and 2000 to identify effective chemical/ cultural methods of weed control in rose-scented geranium (Pelargonium spp). The treatments comprised pre-emergence applications of oxyfluorfen (0.15, 0.20 and 0.25 kg AI ha(-1)) and pendimethalin (0.50, 0.75 and 1.00kg AI ha(-1)), successive hand weeding, hoeing and mulching using spent of lemon grass (at 5 tonnes ha(-1)) 45 days after planting (DAP), three hand-weedings 30, 60 and 90 DAP, weed-free (frequent manual weeding) and weedy control. Broad-leaf weeds were more predominant than grass and sedge weeds, accounting for 85.8% weed density and 93.0% weed dry weight in 1999 and 77.2% weed density and 93.9% weed dry weight in 2000. Unrestricted weed growth significantly reduced geranium oil yield, by 61.6% and 70.6% in 1999 and 2000, respectively. Pre-emergence application of pendimethalin (0.75-1.00 kgAI ha(-1)) or oxyfluorfen (0.25 kg AI ha(-1)), successive hand-weeding, hoeing and mulching and three hand-weedings were highly effective in reducing weed density and dry weight and gave oil yield comparable to the weed-free check. Application of oxyfluorfen (0.15 or 0.20 kg AI ha(-1)) and pendimethalin (0.50 kg AI ha(-1)) were less effective in controlling the weed species in geranium. None of the herbicides impaired the quality of rose-scented geranium oil measured in terms of citronellol and geraniol content.