Abundance and survival of infective larvae of the cattle nematodes Cooperia punctata, Haemonchus placei and Oesophagostomum radiatum from faecal pats in a wet tropical climate

Observations were made on the abundance and survival of Haemonchus placei, Cooperia punctata and Oesophagostomum radiatum infective larvae from cattle faecal pats exposed at various times of the year in north Queensland wet tropics. Pats exposed in the hot, wet season yielded abundant larvae on herbage. In the dry season, although low numbers of infective larvae were usual, considerable numbers were produced under conditions of heavy dews on dense herbage. Irrespective of season of deposition of pats, the resulting larvae persisted generally for not longer than 10 to 12 weeks, and in large numbers for only 2 to 6 weeks. The findings suggest that prevention of contamination in the wet season, and in the dry season when light rainfalls are accompanied by heavy dews on dense herbage, will result in low levels of larval infestation on herbage. Rotational grazing in the area is suggested as a means of worm control.     

Incursion of epizootic hemorrhagic disease into the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia in 1999

In September 1999, unusually high mortality rates in white-tailed deer and California bighorn sheep occurred in the southern Okanagan Valley. Necropsy and histopathologic findings were compatible with epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD); the presence of virus was not demonstrated. Subsequent serologic and polymerase chain reaction assays on sentinel cattle suggested an EHD virus incursion.     

Control of individual microsprinklers and fault detection strategies

Based on yield variability in orchards, it is evident that many trees receive too much or too little water and fertilizer under uniform management. Optimizing water and nutrient management based on the demand of individual trees could result in improved yield and environmental quality. A microsprinkler sensor and control system was developed to provide spatially variable delivery of water and fertilizer, and a prototype was installed in a nectarine orchard. Fifty individually addressable microsprinkler nodes, one located at every tree, each contained control circuitry and a valve. A drip line controller stored the irrigation schedule and issued commands to each node. Pressure sensors connected to some of the nodes provided lateral line pressure feedback. The system was programmed to irrigate individual trees for specific durations or to apply a specific volume of water at each tree. Time scheduled irrigation demonstrated the ability to provide microsprinkler control at individual trees, but also showed variation in discharge because of pressure differences between laterals. Volume scheduled irrigation used water pressure feedback to control the volume applied by individual microsprinklers more precisely, and the average error in application volume was 3.7%. Fault detection was used to check for damaged drip lines and clogged or damaged emitters. A pressure monitoring routine automatically logged errors and turned off the microsprinklers when drip line breaks and perforations caused pressure loss. Emitter diagnosis routines correctly identified clogged and damaged microsprinkler emitters in 359 of 366 observations. Irrigation control at the individual tree level has many useful features and should be explored further to characterize fully the benefits or disadvantages for orchard management.     

Improving the efficacy of nuclear polyhedrosis virus and Bacillus thuringiensis against Helicoverpa spp. with ultra-violet light protected petroleum spray oils on cotton crops in Australia

Nuclear polyhedrosis virus (NPV) and Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) are the most commonly used biopesticides for the control of Helicoverpa spp. larvae on cotton crops in Australia. The performance of NPV and Bt against Helicoverpa spp. larvae on cotton crops, is inconsistent and at times totally unsatisfactory against high densities of Helicoverpa spp. larvae. We determined the effect of mixing petroleum spray oils, containing ultra-violet light absorbing compounds, with NPV and Bt for efficacy against Helicoverpa spp. larvae, levels of cotton plant damage, and persistence of efficacy. The study showed that the efficacy and persistence of NPV and Bt were increased when mixed with petroleum spray oil (PSO?–?Canopy®) at the rate of 2% (v/v). In the field experiments, mixing NPV with 1 and 2% (v/v) PSO, increased Helicoverpa spp. mortality from 25.9 to 31.5 and 44.8%, respectively. Similarly, the mortality caused by Bt, when mixed with 1 and 2% (v/v) PSO, was increased from 31.5 to 36.0 and 48.2%, respectively. In addition, 1 and 2% PSO mixtures with NPV increased persistence of efficacy from 1.1 to 1.6 and 2.5 days, respectively, whilst persistence of Bt was increased from 1.5 to 1.8 and 2.6 days, respectively. In another study using potted cotton plants, in which the plants were left outdoors throughout the study, the average NPV induced mortality of first instar Helicoverpa larvae was increased from 20.9% to 35.9 and 43.4% by 1 and 2% (v/v) PSO, respectively. Persistence of NPV efficacy was enhanced by 2 and 3.1 times by 1 and 2% (v/v) PSO, respectively. Similarly, Bt induced mortality of Helicoverpa larvae was increased by 1 and 2% PSO from 68.1 to 78.8 and 83.2%, respectively, and the persistence of Bt efficacy was enhanced 1.3?–?2.0 times, respectively. In a mesh house study, young cotton plants, treated with a PSO/biopesticide mixture, suffered less leaf damage than cotton plants treated with the biopesticides alone. In conclusion, the results of this study showed synergies from the combined use of UV protected PSO and NPV or Bt, against Helicoverpa spp. larvae on cotton. Such a biopesticide-PSO combinations could be a useful tool for IPM program in cotton.     

GONG Observations of Solar Surface Flows

Doppler velocity observations obtained by the Global Oscillation Network Group (GONG) instruments directly measure the nearly steady flows in the solar photosphere. The sun's differential rotation is accurately determined from single observations. The rotation profile with respect to latitude agrees well with previous measures, but it also shows a slight north-south asymmetry. Rotation profiles averaged over 27-day rotations of the sun reveal the torsional oscillation signal-weak, jetlike features, with amplitudes of 5 meters per second, that are associated with the sunspot latitude activity belts. A meridional circulation with a poleward flow of about 20 meters per second is also evident. Several characteristics of the surface flows suggest the presence of large convection cells.     

Neutron-mapping polymer flow: scattering, flow visualization, and molecular theory

Flows of complex fluids need to be understood at both macroscopic and molecular scales, because it is the macroscopic response that controls the fluid behavior, but the molecular scale that ultimately gives rise to rheological and solid-state properties. Here the flow field of an entangled polymer melt through an extended contraction, typical of many polymer processes, is imaged optically and by small-angle neutron scattering. The dual-probe technique samples both the macroscopic stress field in the flow and the microscopic configuration of the polymer molecules at selected points. The results are compared with a recent "tube model" molecular theory of entangled melt flow that is able to calculate both the stress and the single-chain structure factor from first principles. The combined action of the three fundamental entangled processes of reptation, contour length fluctuation, and convective constraint release is essential to account quantitatively for the rich rheological behavior. The multiscale approach unearths a new feature: Orientation at the length scale of the entire chain decays considerably more slowly than at the smaller entanglement length.