Detection of beet yellows virus in sugarbeet plants by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)

Beet yellows virus can be detected in leaf extracts of infected sugarbeet plants by ELISA. The use of discs was studied and proved to be a valuable and qualitatively reliable method. Leaf material could be stored at 4^o or 22°C for at least six days without affecting the detection of this virus by ELISA. A dramatic decrease in ELISA values was found when leaf extracts were frozen.In an analysis of the distribution of virus over the plant it was found that young leaves present at the moment of infection and those which had still to develop after infection will contain virus. Symptoms produced by systemic virus invasion occur on the oldest leaves containing virus.Samenvatting Het bietevergelingsvirus kan op betrouwbare wijze met de ELISA methode in geïnfecteerde bieteplanten worden aangetoond. Een aanzienlijke vereenvoudiging van de procedure kan worden bereikt met de zogenaamde disc-method, waarbij intacte ponsstukjes in de putjes van de ELISA-plaat worden geïncubeerd. Hierbij komt voldoende virus uit de ponsstukjes voor ELISA vrij. Bladmateriaal kon op verschillende wijzen bewaard worden zonder dat de mogelijkheid om het virus aan te tonen achteruitging. Met bladextracten die ingevroren waren, werden echter slechte resultaten verkregen.In een analyse naar de verdeling van het virus over het loof bleek het virus voor te komen in de geïnoculeerde bladeren, in die bladeren die op het tijdstip van inoculatie minder dan de helft van hun uiteindelijke lengte bereikt hadden en in de bladeren die nog moesten verschijnen. De symptomen ontwikkelden zich op de oudste systemisch geïnfecteerde bladeren.     

Equine hydatidosis: a new record for New Zealand

Cysts found in the liver of a horse which had never been out of New Zealand were used to infect two dogs which were slaughtered 35 days after infection. Large numbers of Echinococcus granulosus were recovered. These cestodes were compared with mature dog-sheep cestodes, using light and scanning electron microscopy and identified as the dog-horse strain of E.granulosus.     

Effects of pretreatment conditions on ammonium and nitrate uptake by Douglas-fir seedlings

Effects of pretreatment solutions containing varying concentrations of calcium, potassium, ammonium and nitrate were evaluated by measuring fluxes of the same ions during a subsequent 4-hour uptake by Douglas-fir seedlings. Maximal rate of ammonium uptake (11 microeq g(-1) root dry weight h(-1)) was about 5 times faster than that of nitrate (2 microeq g(-1) root dry weight h(-1)). Ammonium uptake was most rapid after pretreatment with low potassium levels and was unaffected by ammonium pretreatment. Nitrate uptake was most rapid after pretreatment with high levels of nitrate and low levels of potassium. Calcium uptake was greater when nitrate replaced ammonium as the N source. High calcium pretreatment levels depressed subsequent calcium uptake or resulted in calcium release in both ammonium and nitrate experiments. Potassium efflux occurred with both N sources, but the release was less during nitrate uptake than during ammonium uptake. Efflux of potassium is probably associated with the high potassium status of the seedlings and the exchange between potassium and other cations. High levels of potassium in the pretreatment solutions enhanced potassium efflux and caused a reduction in the subsequent rates of uptake of both ammonium and nitrate. Length of pretreatment and seedling size generally did not affect uptake rates.     

Venus: detailed mapping of maxwell montes region

From October 1983 to July 1984, the north hemisphere of Venus, from latitude 30 degrees to latitude 90 degrees , was mapped by means of the radar imagers and altimeters of the spacecraft Venera 15 and Venera 16. This report presents the results of the radar mapping of the Maxwell Montes region, one of the most interesting features of Venus' surface. A radar mosaic map and contour map have been compiled.