Factors affecting the performance of granular insecticides applied to field beans

Factors influencing the performance of various granular formulations of disulfoton and phorate after foliar application to field beans were investigated by bioassay in controlled environment rooms. Frequent rainfall and high temperature increased activity considerably but humidity had little effect. With disulfoton formulation on pumice rather than fuller's earth, and toxicant concentrations of 7.5% rather than 10% increased toxicity, but effects of formulation were small with phorate. The influence of rainfall and formulation were confirmed in a field experiment. There was evidence for an initial fumigant effect, particularly for phorate, in both laboratory and field experiments. The detailed effects of the various factors at different intervals after applying the granules are discussed in relation to the physical properties of the insecticides and granular carriers. It is suggested that the possibilities of controlling performance by influencing release rates from granules are limited for chemicals such as phorate and disulfoton which are appreciably adsorbed by soil.     

Presence of salicylic acid in standardbred horse urine and plasma after various feed and drug administrations

Plasma and urinary levels of salicylic acid were examined in Standardbred mares after administration of various feeds, containing different compositions of hay. In addition, horses were administered acetylsalicylic acid orally and methyl salicylate topically. Elevated salicylic acid levels were observed in horse urine and plasma in animals fed lucerne hay. The plasma and urinary elimination of salicylic acid exhibited a diurnal pattern which was related to the type of feed and the feeding schedule. Within 24 h after oral administration of acetylsalicylic acid, plasma and urine salicylic acid levels were consistent with residual levels observed after feeding lucerne hay. Elimination of salicylic acid was rapid and complete, with a half-life between 5 and 7 h. Topical administration of methyl salicylate (8.4 g) produced elevated urinary salicylic acid levels for 6 h. A smaller dose of methyl salicylate (3.4 g) did not elevate plasma or urine salicylic acid levels above those observed following administration of lucerne hay.     

Incidents of poisoning of honeybees (Apis mellifera) by agricultural pesticides in Great Britain 1981–1991

Suspected cases of poisoning of honeybees by agricultural pesticides are investigated by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (in England and Wales) and the Scottish Office Agriculture and Fisheries Department (in Scotland). Studies include field visits to sites where bee mortality is recorded, examination of dead bees for disease, and analysis for the presence of pesticide residues. This paper reviews the results of these investigations for the period 1981–1991. Pesticide poisoning is diagnosed from the detection of residues in dead bees, through interpretation in relation to the median lethal dose (LD₅₀), and ‘subsequent residue level’ (SRL) determined from laboratory studies in which bees were exposed to one LD₅₀ dose. Overall, an annual average of 50 incidents were confirmed as due to pesticide poisoning, involving 30 pesticide active ingredients during the 1981–1991 period. In England and Wales, the principal hazards were caused by misuse of the insecticide triazophos on oilseed rape, a problem that has been reduced to low levels during the 1980s, and by dimethoate use on a variety of arable crops. In Scotland there were fewer incidents, most of which were associated with use of fenitrothion on raspberries, and gamma-HCH on oilseed rape. Opportunities for reducing the risks of poisoning, and for refining the investigation of suspected incidents, are discussed.     

Phenotypic stability of resistance to late blight in potato clones evaluated at eight sites in the United States

Changes in the fungal pathogenPhytophthora infestans in the United States pose a significant threat to potato production. Sources of resistance to these new genotypes of P.infestans need to be identified for potato breeders to have parental materials for crossing, and the phenotypic stability of late blight resistance in these potato clones needs to be determined. Sixteen potato clones which reportedly have some resistance to late blight were evaluated at eight locations: Florida (FL), Maine (ME), Michigan (MI), Minnesota (MN), North Dakota (ND), New York (NY), Pennsylvania (PA) and Wisconsin (WI) in 1996. Percent infected foliage was recorded at approximately weekly intervals following the onset of the disease at each location. Area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC) was calculated. Clones were ranked for mean AUDPC within location and the nonparametric stability statistics, mean absolute rank differences and variance of the ranks, were analyzed for phenotypic stability. Neither of these statistics was significant, indicating a lack of genotype x environment interaction on the rankings of these clones across locations in 1996. The four clones with lowest AUDPC scores were U.S. clones AWN86514-2, B0692-4, B0718-3 and B0767-2. These clones should be useful parental materials for breeders seeking to incorporate genes for late blight resistance into potatoes.     

Automated fluorometric determination of thiamine and riboflavin in infant formulas.

Commercial infant formulas were analyzed simultaneously for thiamine and riboflavin by an automated fluorometric method and by the AOAC manual fluorometric methods. For 10 products, the mean thiamine and riboflavin results determined using the automated method ranged from 104 to 113% and 90 to 112%, respectively, of those by the AOAC manual methods. The coefficients of variation for thiamine and riboflavin ranged from 1.05 to 3.90% and 0.60 to 2.48%, respectively, for the automated methods, and 1.48 to 3.86% and 0.69 to 10.9%, respectively, for the manual methods. Using the automated method, mean recoveries of thiamine and riboflavin added to samples were 103 and 104%, respectively. The automated method used a common sample preparation to determine both thiamine and riboflavin, and gave results equivalent to, or better than, those obtained by the manual methods.     

Micromechanical "Trampoline" magnetometers for use in large pulsed magnetic fields

A silicon micromechanical magnetometer was constructed and successfully used in 60-tesla pulsed magnetic fields of less than 100-millisecond duration. The device is small, inexpensive to fabricate, and easy to use. It features a fast mechanical response (up to 50,000 hertz) and extremely high sensitivity yet is relatively robust against electrical and mechanical noise. Quantum oscillations in the magnetization of a 1-microgram sample of an organic superconductor, kappa-[bis(ethylenedithio)tetrathiafulvalene]2Cu(NCS)2, have been observed with this device.