Niska: A maincrop chipping potato cultivar with high specific gravity and good quality after storage

Niska is a white-skinned, white-fleshed potato cultivar with a maincrop maturity, stable yield and chipping quality and good storage characteristics. It has considerable resistance to Common scab, Early blight, PLRV, PVY and PVS. Evaluation conducted by chip processors in Alberta and Ontario, under commercial conditions, indicates that the cultivar has good storage characteristics.     

The technology path to deep greenhouse gas emissions cuts by 2050: the pivotal role of electricity

Several states and countries have adopted targets for deep reductions in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, but there has been little physically realistic modeling of the energy and economic transformations required. We analyzed the infrastructure and technology path required to meet California's goal of an 80% reduction below 1990 levels, using detailed modeling of infrastructure stocks, resource constraints, and electricity system operability. We found that technically feasible levels of energy efficiency and decarbonized energy supply alone are not sufficient; widespread electrification of transportation and other sectors is required. Decarbonized electricity would become the dominant form of energy supply, posing challenges and opportunities for economic growth and climate policy. This transformation demands technologies that are not yet commercialized, as well as coordination of investment, technology development, and infrastructure deployment.     

Binding of ciprofloxacin labelled with technetium Tc 99m versus 99mTc-pertechnetate to a live and killed equine isolate of Escherichia coli

This paper describes a simple methodology for evaluating the bacterial binding of ciprofloxacin labelled with technetium Tc 99m. Using this methodology, the binding of 99mTc-ciprofloxacin by live Escherichia coli was compared with the binding of 99mTc-ciprofloxacin by killed E. coli and the binding of 99mTc-pertechnetate (99mTcO4-) by live E. coli. The antimicrobial effect of 99mTc-ciprofloxacin on E. coli was evaluated. Four groups were defined: live E. coli with 99mTc-ciprofloxacin, live E. coli with 99mTcO4 , killed E. coli with 99mTc-ciprofloxacin, and killed E. coli with 99mTcO4-. After 0, 2, and 4 h of incubation of 1 x 10(8) colony-forming units of E. coli suspended in 5 mL of sterile distilled water with 1.85 MBq of 99mTc-ciprofloxacin or 99mTcO4, 1 mL from each sample was centrifuged. The radioactivity of the bacterial pellet and that of the supernatant were measured separately, and the percentage of sample radioactivity attributable to bacterial binding was calculated. Of the 99mTc-ciprofloxacin, 3.6% to 5.9% was bound to live or killed E. coli; only 0.1% to 0.2% of the 99mTcO4- was bound to live E. coli (P < 0.0001). No significant difference in 99mTc-ciprofloxacin binding was found between live and killed E. coli (P = 0.887). An antimicrobial effect on E. coli was seen with 99mTc-ciprofloxacin: colony counts were reduced after 4 h. The small amount of 99mTc-ciprofloxacin binding and the lack of difference in binding between live and killed E. coli may limit the utility of this methodology in evaluating the presence of E. coli infection.     

Longitudinal growth strain as a log and wood quality predictor for plantation-grown <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eucalyptus nitens</Emphasis> sawlogs

Peripheral longitudinal growth strain (LGS) was measured on a total of 81, 22-year-old pruned Eucalyptus nitens trees from five thinning treatments in a plantation thinning trial in Tasmania. Growth strain data were gathered at breast height on each tree using the CIRAD-Forêt method. The effects of thinning treatment and tree diameter on LGS and its relationships to solid-wood traits determined in a processing trial were examined. LGS was significantly higher in the direction of the prevailing wind and was not significantly affected by either thinning treatment or tree diameter. An index of log end splitting was positively related to tree diameter, sawlog position (upper/lower), and LGS, which explained up to an additional 20% of the variance after tree diameter and log position were accounted for in a linear regression model. High LGS and log end splitting were significant indicators of increased board end splitting.     

Air ion exposure system for plants

A system was developed for subjecting plants to elevated air ion levels. This system consisted of a rectangular Plexiglas chamber lined with a Faraday cage. Air ions were generated by corona discharge from frayed stainless steel fibers placed at one end of the chamber. This source was capable of producing varying levels of either positive or negative air ions. During plant exposures, environmental conditions were controlled by operating the unit in a growth chamber.     

Apparent digestibility coefficients of feed ingredients and their predictability in compound diets for gilthead seabream, Sparus aurata L.

Apparent digestibility of crude protein, amino acids, lipid, carbohydrate and energy was measured for a range of feed ingredients fed to gilthead seabream, Sparus aurata L. — fish meal, poultry meal, meat meal, blood meal, squid meal, extracted soyabean and wheat flour. Chromic oxide was used as a non-absorbed reference substance and faeces were collected by stripping. Diets compounded from mixtures of these ingredients were then used to examine the possibility of predicting the digestibility of formulated diets.
Apparent digestibility of crude protein ranged from 79% to 90%, lipids from 83% to 95% and energy from 72% to 88% in the different ingredients. Apparent digestibility of carbohydrates was lower and ranged from 49% to 77%. Apparent digestibility of amino acids was higher than that of crude protein and differences were found among digestibilities of individual amino acids.
Tests conducted using five compound diets indicated that ingredient digestibility was additive for protein, amino acids, lipids and energy, whereas the digestibility of carbohydrates in the compound feeds was slightly lower than predicted.
Diets for Sparus aurata may thus be formulated on the basis of digestibility of individual ingredients.     

Iron chlorosis development and growth response of peach rootstocks to bicarbonate 1

For dicots, bicarbonate (HCO₃‐) is regarded as a main factor in the induction of iron (Fe) chlorosis in calcareous soils, and sand and solution culture. In sand culture experiments, peach [Prunus persica (Batsch) L.] rootstock developed chlorosis only when HCO₃‐ levels were equal to or higher than 6 mM. Above this level, chlorosis increaeed as HCO3‐ level was increased. In spite of the lack of chlorosis at to or below 6 mM of HCO₃‐, large growth reductions (40–60% reduction in fresh shoot weight) were seen in all rootstocks, although the tolerant rootstock had less reduction than the more susceptible rootstocks. Shoot growth was affected by HCO₃‐ more than was root growth.     

Methods to assay absorption of foliar applied nutrients and removal of unabsorbed residue 1

Various glues and adhesives were tested for their ability to remove the unabsorbed residue from drops of foliar applied radioactive nutrients to Ficus benjamina L. and Glycine max Merr. Most glues/adhesives adequately removed the unabsorbed residue from nutrients that dried forming a salt deposit on the leaf surface, but only 1.6–3.2% agar, Rhoplex 33, and Elmers Glue removed greater than 95% of the residue from nutrients that formed a moist hygroscopic residue on the leaf surface. Adding 25 mM KH₂PO₄ to 3.2% agar, followed by swabbing the treated area with lN HCl‐1% Liquinox detergent removed all unabsorbed residue from monovalent and divalent cationic an anionic nutrients including heavy metals. Methods to assay foliar absorption were compared by applying “Rb phosphate to leaves of intact plants, excised leaves and leaf discs. Excised leaves with their petiole or stem bases in water behaved similar to intact plants, whereas excised leaves or discs maintained in in a moist atmosphere behaved atypically due to slower and incomplete drying compared to intact plants.