Diallel study of open-pollinated maize varieties in Trinidad

Summary In Trinidad, maize (Zea mays L.) is primarily harvested in the immature stage as green ears for human consumption. The purchase of popular imported hybrid seed has become a substantial component of the economic inputs of maize production. The objectives of this study were to investigate combining abilities and heterotic patterns among available open-pollinated varieties and to assess correlations among five important traits: time to silking, plant height, grain yield, ear size, and marketable ears per hectare. General combining ability was significant for all traits. Specific combining ability was significant for all traits except ear size. Three intervarietal crosses showed moderate levels of heterosis (10–27%), and several yielded similarly to the control hybrids, Pioneer X304 and Pioneer 3078. The cross Acid Soil Tolerant 1991 SA-3 X ICTA Farm Corn was selected as the most suitable base population for mass selection. Phenotypic and genotypic correlations among the five traits studied were all positive and significant. Populations which flowered early were shorter and yielded less than the late flowering and taller populations and population crosses included in this study.     

Hydraulic Retention Time Influence on Improving Flocculation in the Activated Sludge Processes Through Polyelectrolytes

Hydraulic retention time (HRT) influence improving sludge flocculation with adding the polyelectrolytes (non-ionic, anionic, and cationic) was studied on an activated sludge (AS) system fed with synthetic domestic wastewater (SDW), dairy industry wastewater (DIW), and caramel industry wastewater (CIW). The sludge volumetric index, food/microorganism ratio (F/M), and mixed liquor volatile suspended solids at different HRTs (6, 8 and 10 h) were monitored on an experimental model. Results showed that both SDW and IW had the best sludge flocculation conditions at 8 h and 100 mL of non-ionic polyelectrolyte (0.2 mg L^?1). In addition, this phenomenon reached the organic matter removal efficiencies of 95.9, 95.7, and 94.2% for SDW, DIW, and CIW, respectively. Therefore, optimum HRT increased the organic matter removal efficiencies by 10%, sludge concentration by 37% (22–55%), and F/M ratio by 70%. Moreover, the polyelectrolytes used in AS improved the sludge flocculation by 2.9 times.     

The Comet assay for detection of DNA damage in canine sperm

Sperm DNA integrity is a fundamental prerequisite in fertilization and embryo development. Among DNA integrity tests, the Comet assay is an accurate and sensitive test for the detection of sperm oxidative damage. The aim of this work was to evaluate sperm oxidative damage using the Comet assay and to study the correlation between Comet and routine assays for the evaluation of semen quality. Dogs were divided in two groups: group A (n = 6), comprising dogs with abnormal spermiogram, that is astheno‐, terato‐ or oligoasthenoteratozoospermic (OAT); and group B (n = 8), comprising normospermic dogs. The distribution of sperm oxidative damage was significantly different between the two groups (p = .001): group A—median: 31.55%, interquartile range (IQR): 30.18–38.01; group B—median: 0.90%, IQR: 0.65–1.96. The correlation between oxidative damage and abnormal morphology was high (r = .846; p < .001). There was a negative correlation between progressive motility and oxidative damage (r = ?.792; p = .001). Basal and oxidative DNA damage of spermatozoa are increased in dogs with non‐normospermic semen. In conclusion, and considering the elevated correlation with classical tests of sperm quality, the Comet assay has ample potential for clinical and research purposes in dogs.     

Factors affecting grazing preference by sheep in a breeding population of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.)

A disadvantage of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) is its low voluntary intake, resulting in suboptimal performance under grazing. Ideally, selection for this trait is done using grazing animals, but their use in plant breeding programmes is costly and laborious. Repeatable, stable and quantifiable traits linked to animal preference could ease tall fescue breeding. We established a trial to find relationships between the grazing preference of sheep and sward‐ and plant‐related traits. Seventeen genotypes were studied in swards. Sheep grazing preference, pre‐grazing sward height (SH), leaf softness, leaf blade length, width, colour and shear strength, and concentration of fibre, silica, digestible organic matter (DOM) and water‐soluble carbohydrate (WSC) were quantified throughout the growing season. The traits with the strongest correlation with sheep preference were DOM, SH, leaf colour, leaf width and WSC. Leaf softness, silica content and leaf shear strength were not correlated with sheep preference. We conclude that DOM is the trait that offers the best prospects for contributing to progress in tall fescue plant breeding for both intake and feeding value.     

Dynamics of denitrification and ammonification activities in the abandoned and intensely cultivated gray forest soils (Tula oblast)

The results of experimental study of daily dynamics of denitrification activity and the activity and population density of ammonifiers in the abandoned (converted to long-term fallow) and intensely cultivated gray forest soils (Luvic Retic Greyzemic Phaeozems (Aric)) are discussed. The potential denitrification activity in the arable soil is higher than that in the fallow soil, whereas the actual denitrification activity in the arable soil is lower. Data on the dynamics of ammonification do not show reliable differences between the activities of ammonifiers in the arable and fallow soils, though the number of ammonifying bacteria is considerably higher in the arable soil. Differences in daily dynamics of the numbers of ammonifiers in the fallow and arable soils are shown.     

Analysis of Haemophilus parasuis isolates from southern Ontario swine by restriction endonuclease fingerprinting.

To study the occurrence and distribution of various strains of Haemophilus parasuis in southern Ontario swine, organisms isolated from healthy swine, from specific pathogen-free and conventional herds, and from disease cases were examined using restriction endonuclease fingerprinting analysis. In most herds, several strains of H. parasuis could be detected although one or two strains usually predominated. Individual animals were colonized by a single or limited number of strains. In several cases, the same strains were isolated from more than one specific pathogen-free herd. Conventional herds carried a more heterogeneous population of H. parasuis. Only one strain was isolated which was common to more than one conventional herd. No strains were isolated which were common to both specific pathogen-free and conventional herds. None of the strains isolated from disease cases were found in healthy conventional or specific pathogen-free swine examined in this study.     

Comparison between Haemophilus parasuis infection in colostrums-deprived and sow-reared piglets

The aim of this study was to compare the development of Glasser's disease in sow-reared and colostrum-deprived piglets. Ninety piglets from a commercial pig farm in Spain were used. The farm was positive for Haemophilus parasuis. Fifty-two pigs were sow-reared (SR) and 38 were colostrum-deprived (CD) piglets. The animals were intratracheally inoculated with H. parasuis serovar 5 and sacrificed at 1, 2 and 3 days post-infection. To assess the development of disease, antibody titers, clinical signs, pathological lesions, microbiological isolation and PCR amplification were compared between the groups. Inoculation of SR pigs did not cause clinical signs or lesions of Glasser's disease. In SR pigs, H. parasuis isolation and specific PCR amplification from tissues showed a very low number of positive samples. In contrast, in CD pigs, inoculation resulted in the typical signs and lesions of Glasser's disease. Positive microbiological isolation and specific PCR products were obtained from the majority of the tissues tested, and no antibodies against H. parasuis were detected. The experimental infection using CD pigs describes a successful method to study this microorganism and confirms the important role that maternal antibodies play in protection against clinical signs and disease.     

Ticks associated with the three largest wild ruminant species in southern Africa

The objective of this study was to assess the host status of the three largest southern African wild ruminants, namely giraffes, Giraffa camelopardalis, African buffaloes, Syncerus caffer, and eland, Taurotragus oryx for ixodid ticks. To this end recently acquired unpublished data are added here to already published findings on the tick burdens of these animals, and the total numbers and species of ticks recorded on 12 giraffes, 18 buffaloes and 36 eland are summarized and discussed. Twenty-eight ixodid tick species were recovered. All stages of development of ten species, namely Amblyomma hebraeum, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) decoloratus, Haemaphysalis silacea, Ixodes pilosus group, Margaropus winthemi, Rhipicephalus appendiculatus, Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi, Rhipicephalus glabroscutatum, Rhipicephalus maculatus and Rhipicephalus muehlensi were collected. The adults of 13 species, of which the immature stages use small mammals as hosts, namely Haemaphysalis aciculifer, Hyalomma glabrum, Hyalomma marginatum rufipes, Hyalomma truncatum, Ixodes rubicundus, Rhipicephalus capensis, Rhipicephalus exophthalmos, Rhipicephalus follis, Rhipicephalus gertrudae, Rhipicephalus lounsburyi, Rhipicephalus lunulatus, Rhipicephalus pravus group and Rhipicephalus simus, were also collected.     

Study on the association of BoLA-DRB3.2 alleles with clinical mastitis in Norwegian Red cows

Genotyping of bovine leucocyte antigen DRB3.2 (BoLA-DRB3.2) in a total of 523 Norwegian Red (NR) cows from two groups selected for high protein yield and low clinical mastitis, respectively, identified 27 previously reported BoLA-DRB3.2 alleles across the groups. Significant differences in BoLA-DRB3.2 allele frequencies were found between the selection groups. Alleles *13, *18, *22 and *27 had a significantly higher frequency in cows selected for low clinical mastitis, while alleles *3, *9, *11 and *26 had a higher frequency in cows selected for high protein yield. Associations between BoLA-DRB3.2 alleles and clinical mastitis were analysed based on mastitis data from 741,072 first-lactation NR cows, of which 452 were genotyped. Alleles *22 and *26 were found to be associated with increased clinical mastitis, while alleles *7, *11, *18 and *24 had a favourable effect on mastitis resistance. Contradictory results from different studies investigating associations between BoLA-DRB3.2 alleles and mastitis indicate that future studies should focus on associations of mastitis with BoLA haplotypes rather than with single BoLA genes.     

Bayesian inference towards the resolution of molecular evolution:application to the "Trichoderma harzianum sensu lato" clade

The Hypocrea lixii/Trichoderma harzianum species aggregate contains a group of taxa (H. lixii /T. harzianum, T. aggressivum, T. tomentosum, T. cerinum, T. velutinum, H. tawa) of which some (e.g. T. harzianum) are important for biocontrol of plant pathogenic fungi in agriculture, whereas others are aggressive pathogens of Agaricus spp. and Pleurotus spp. in mushroom farms (T. aggressivum), or opportunistic pathogens of immunocompromised mammals including humans (T. harzianum). We ch…