Response of Potatoes to Soil-Applied Insecticides, Fungicides, and Herbicides

Non-target impacts of pesticides are well documented in crops such as soybeans and corn. However, little effort has been made to evaluate these impacts in potatoes. Field trials were conducted at the Parma and Aberdeen Research and Extension Centers during 2005 and 2006 to evaluate the potential for systemic insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides to affect disease development, crop injury, and tuber yield. The first set of trials evaluated six insecticide treatments (aldicarb, oxamyl, phorate, imidacloprid, thiamethoxam, and non-treated) in a factorial combination with in-furrow application of the fungicide azoxystrobin. Azoxystrobin significantly decreased Rhizoctonia stem canker, while aldicarb and phorate tended to increase it compared to the non-treated control. There was a significant insecticide by fungicide interaction due to a bigger reduction in disease index by the fungicide when certain insecticides were used. Despite the association of these insecticides with increased disease incidence, there was no significant impact on yield. In the second set of trials, sulfentrazone herbicide was applied just prior to plant emergence to potatoes treated with the same six insecticides to evaluate the potential for the in-furrow treatments to increase plant injury. Sulfentrazone caused stunting and visible plant injury, but the level of plant injury was influenced by insecticide treatment in only one out of four trials.     

Exploring the social bases of home gardening

The study of alternatives to conventional industrial agricultural production has intensified in recent years. While many types of alternative production systems, and the motivations of individuals to participate in them, have been studied, there are significant gaps in the literature. One such dearth is research on those participating in self-provisioning activities. This study begins to fill the gap by looking at the self-provisioning activity of home gardening using data from the 2008 Ohio Survey of Food, Agriculture, and Environmental Issues. Discerning who household gardeners are is important given the recent economic, cultural, and political climate of the United States. The results show that home gardening occurs throughout the state of Ohio at surprisingly high levels. Bivariate and multivariate analyses reveal several noteworthy associations between gardening and household characteristics, including spatial location, pro-environmental and economic hardship behaviors, and level of participation in localized food systems.     

Growth rates of different populations of the edible mussel, Mytilus edulis, in north Norway

Populations of Mytilus edulis which were attached to the floats supporting the fish cages at the University of Tromsø's former experimental fish farm were found to have grown at a relatively high rate, and almost continuously. In contrast, mussels taken from other populations in the area which were not in the vicinity of any fish farm had grown more slowly and had marked growth-stoppage rings, probably laid down in winter. Mussels samples from a second fish farm in the area had grown at a rate similar to those from the University's fish farm. Possible reasons for the differences in growth rates among the populations sampled are discussed with reference to the possibilities of mussel farming in north Norway.     

Survey of potato spindle tuber viroid in seed potato growing areas of the United States

Fourteen United States (U.S.) seed potato certification agencies surveyed all U.S. seed potato growing areas for presence of the potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd). The survey included general surveillance, which involved searching for the occurrence of PSTVd in state seed potato certification records from 1990 through 2000, and a field survey, which involved testing selected crops for PSTVd infection by nucleic acid dot blot hybridization during 1999 through 2001. No PSTVd incident was documented in any of the state certification records, nor was PSTVd detected in the field surveys. All U.S. seed-growing areas were determined to be free of PSTVd. It is concluded that PSTVd has been eradicated and freedom from potato spindle tuber viroid has been successfully maintained in all of the seed potato growing areas in the United States.     

A new strategy for the synthesis of glycoproteins

Posttranslational modifications of proteins regulate many biological processes, including metabolism, signal transduction, and gene expression. The synthetic challenges associated with generating homogeneous populations of selectively modified proteins, however, have hindered detailed studies of the effects of these modifications on protein structure and function. Here, we report an approach to the cotranslational synthesis of selectively glycosylated proteins in which the modified amino acid is genetically encoded. We show that myoglobin containing beta-N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc)-serine at a defined position can be expressed in Escherichia coli in good yield and with high fidelity. The beta-GlcNAc moiety can be recognized by a saccharide-binding protein, or subsequently modified with a galactosyltransferase to build more complex carbohydrates. This approach should be generally applicable to other posttranslational modifications such as protein phosphorylation, acetylation, and methylation.     

Equilibrative nucleoside transporter 3 deficiency perturbs lysosome function and macrophage homeostasis

Lysosomal storage diseases (LSDs) are a group of heterogeneous disorders caused by defects in lysosomal enzymes or transporters, resulting in accumulation of undegraded macromolecules or metabolites. Macrophage numbers are expanded in several LSDs, leading to histiocytosis of unknown pathophysiology. Here, we found that mice lacking the equilibrative nucleoside transporter 3 (ENT3) developed a spontaneous and progressive macrophage-dominated histiocytosis. In the absence of ENT3, defective apoptotic cell clearance led to lysosomal nucleoside buildup, elevated intralysosomal pH, and altered macrophage function. The macrophage accumulation was partly due to increased macrophage colony-stimulating factor and receptor expression and signaling secondary to the lysosomal defects. These studies suggest a cellular and molecular basis for the development of histiocytosis in several human syndromes associated with ENT3 mutations and potentially other LSDs.     

Distribution of Salmonella serovars and phage types on 80 Ontario swine farms in 2004

The objective of this study was to describe the distribution of Salmonella spp. on Ontario grower-finisher pig farms. Eighty swine farms were visited from January through July 2004. On each farm, fecal samples were collected from 5 pens, 2 rectal samples and 1 pooled sample from fresh manure on the floor per pen. Salmonella was isolated from 91 (11%) of the 800 rectal samples and 73 (18%) of the 397 pooled samples. Overall, Salmonella was recovered from 37 (46%) of the 80 farms. On each positive farm, Salmonella was cultured from 1 to 7 pigs or 1 to 5 pens. Of the 37 farms, 18, 13, 5, and 1 yielded 1, 2, 3, and 4 serovars, respectively. The most common serovars were S. Typhimurium var. Copenhagen, S. Infantis, S. Typhimurium, S. Derby, S. Agona, S. Havana, and S. enterica subsp. I:Rough-O. The 3 most frequent phage types were PT 104, PT 104a, and PT 104b. There was a statistically fair agreement between samples collected directly from pigs and pooled pen samples in determining the Salmonella status at the pen and farm level (kappa = 0.6, P < 0.0001). However, in 62 pens, Salmonella status, serovars, or phage types differed between the pig and pooled pen samples. The distribution of Salmonella on the swine farms in this study indicates that, in developing an intervention strategy, priority should be given to farms positive for S. Typhimurium var. Copenhagen. Also, the variation in Salmonella status between pig and pooled pen samples deserves consideration in a sampling strategy.