Growth and the composition and transport of carbohydrate in compatible and incompatible peach/plum grafts

The growth of scions and rootstocks of compatible (Prunus persica L. Batsch cv. Springtime/Prunus cerasifera L. Ehrh. cv. myrobolan P2032) and incompatible (Prunus persica L. Batsch cv. Springtime/Prunus cerasifera L. Ehrh. cv. myrobolan P18) peach/plum grafts were compared. The composition of soluble carbohydrates in phloem and cortical tissues of both peach/plum grafts and ungrafted plums and the translocation of these compounds across the union of grafted plants were examined. Sorbitol and sucrose were the dominant sugars in the phloem and cortical tissues of plum. A cyanogenic glycoside, prunasin, was present in peach tissues in amounts equivalent to those of sorbitol or sucrose, whereas only small amounts of prunasin were detected in plum tissues. The concentration of prunasin was significantly higher in the phloem of the P18 rootstock of the incompatible graft. Sorbitol was the only sugar significantly depleted in rootstock tissues of the incompatible graft when the first foliar symptoms of graft incompatibility became evident. Translocation studies with 1-(14)C-deoxyglucose showed that the relative distribution of radioactivity across the graft union was similar in both compatible and incompatible grafts. However, the total amount of radioactivity translocated across the incompatible graft was less than one-third of that translocated across the compatible graft. The results are consistent with the hypothesis of a progressive poisoning of the root system in the incompatible graft by a compound synthesized in peach foliage. The role of prunasin as a possible candidate is discussed.     

Solar neutrinos: questions and hypotheses

The "solar neutrino puzzle" has been a challenge for almost 20 years, posing broad and fundamental questions about astrophysics and neutrino properties. This article sketches some of the ideas that have been put forward to solve the problem. These ideas can be grouped into two main classes: those involving changes in the standard solar model or in the basic nuclear reaction data, and those that attribute the puzzle to as yet unobserved properties of the neutrinos.     

Response of egg weight to the inclusion of various fats in layer diets

1. Brown egg layers were fed diets differing in oil content, oil source and linoleic acid concentration and the effect on performance from 22 to 69 weeks of age was studied.

2. The birds responded with an increasing mean egg weight up to a linoleic acid intake of 2.75 g/bird d.

3. Increasing the intake of readily absorbable oil without increasing linoleic acid concentration did not increase mean egg weight.     

Infestation in the dog by the paralysis tick Ixodes holocyclus 3. Respiratory effects

To assess respiratory function in dogs with tick paralysis, respiratory measurements were recorded on 14 dogs experimentally infested with Ixodes holocyclus. There was a progressive fall in respiratory rate with no change in tidal volume, which resulted in a significant fall in minute respiratory volume in the latter stages of the disease. The fall in respiratory rate was possibly central in origin and was accompanied by an increased alveolar-arterial oxygen tension difference, probably caused by pulmonary congestion and oedema. The "grunting" respiration seen in tick paralysis was due to closure of the vocal cords during expiration and could represent an attempt to re-expand collapsed parts of the lung.     

Rickets in yearling steers wintered on a swede (Brassica napus) crop

Rickets was diagnosed in a group of 80 yearling Angus steers wintered for three months on a crop of swedes (Brassica napus) in the Kimbolton area. Growth rate was poor and several steers developed lameness during the final three weeks on the crop. Five animals were euthanased after developing bone fractures. Necropsy of two animals revealed soft ribs, enlarged costochondral junctions and irregularly thickened growth plates in long bones. Histologically there were islands of hypertrophic cartilage within metaphyses and disruption of metaphyseal trabeculae. Thickened, irregular, trabeculae were sometimes lined by wide osteoid seams. Phosphorus deficiency was considered to be the most likely aetiology of the osteodystrophy. The dry matter content of the swedes was only six percent, and in order to satisfy their phosphorus requirements each steer would have had to ingest approximately 330 kg of swedes per day. Rickets is an uncommon disease of grazing animals in New Zealand and to our knowledge this is the first report of its occurrence in cattle.