Knowledge,attitudes, and practices (KAP) related to brucellosis and factors affecting knowledge sharing on animal diseases: a cross-sectional survey in the dry zone of Sri Lanka

Farmers’ lack of knowledge is assumed to have affected the presence of brucellosis in Sri Lanka for decades. This study, carried out in the Ampara district in the dry zone of Sri Lanka, revealed that there is a significant knowledge gap for brucellosis compared to foot and mouth disease (FMD) (p?<?0.001). Only 8.3% of farmers knew that brucellosis causes cattle abortions. Only 2.6% knew that it is zoonotic. The difference in knowledge of the symptoms and transmission of brucellosis and FMD was significant (p?<?0.001). Farmers’ attitudes and practices related to the spread of the disease were poor. Farmers’ education and spoken language had a negative influence on knowledge. Young people and those with strong social relationships were efficient in knowledge sharing. It can be concluded that brucellosis knowledge, attitudes, and practices are poor; thus, there is a need for more attention in disease control policymaking. Backward farmer groups should be the focus in animal health extension programs.     

First report of anthracnose on tillandsia caused by Colletotrichum sp. in Japan

Journal of General Plant Pathology - In July 2018, tillandsia (Tillandsia sp.) plants with brown to dark brown lesions on the leaves and pseudobulbs were found in Japan. Based on morphological and...     

Growth response of cabbage plants to arsenic and antimony under water culture conditions

Recently some attention has been paid to arsenic and antimony because these elements are polluting our environment (1, 2). The responses of crops to arsenic have been studied mainly from the view point of reduced growth due to arsenic toxicity (3). However little information on plant-antimony relations is available, although the chemical properties of arsenic are analogous to those of antimony. Thus, the present experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of widely graded-levels of arsenic an antimony in a culture solution on the growth of cabbage plants, which were selected as the experimental plant because their inner leaves are eaten by human beings.     

Effect of Aluminum and Silicon in Solution on the Growth of Rice (Oryza sativa L.) uspension Cells

Cells of two indica rice (Oryza sativa L.) varieties, one aluminum-tolerant (IAC3), and the other aluminum-sensitive (IR45), were grown in suspension culture in a medium with or without Al (0-800 µM), Si (0-2,000 µM), or Al and Si in combination as well as in R2 medium as control. The influence of Al or Si on cell growth was evaluated based on the growth of the cells in the treatment medium as well as in the R2 medium and compared with the effect on rice seedlings. Similar responses were observed for the cells and the seedlings; Al treatment resulted in a significant reduction of cell growth in both varieties, and the growth was reduced with the increase of the Al uptake by the cells. IAC3 was more tolerant to Al and it absorbed more Al than IR45. On the contrary, Si alone had almost no effect or exerted a negligible effect on the cell growth in both varieties and Si was hardly absorbed by the cells. There was a slight alleviative effect of Si on Al toxicity in the suspension cells of IR45, whereas, a considerable ameliorative effect in the seedlings. The content of total Al and of AI insoluble in citric acid in the cells were higher in the sole Al (800 µM) treatment than in the Al-Si combination treatment. This tendency was also observed in aluminon staining. The differences in the alleviative effects of Si and the uptake of Al and Si between the suspension cells and seedlings may have resulted from the presence of roots and morphological differences in the apoplastic tissues.     

Increased supply of boron to swiss chard plants did not affect the level of boron in a cell wall-bound form: A possible application to the diagnosis of nutrition of plants

Swiss chard plants were water-cultured under various B levels ranging from 0.01 to 20 g B m^-3 culture solutions for 4 weeks. The B content of the shoot increased with the increase in the B supply. The increase, however, was entirely ascribed to acetate buffer (20 mol m^-3 pH 4.0)-soluble B, and the content of acetate buffer-insoluble, cell wall-bound B did not increase.. More than ca. 80% of the cell wall-bound B was associated with rhamnogalacturonan II under various B levels. The amount of acetate buffer-soluble B could be estimated from the B levels in the expressed leaf sap.     

Gene expression levels of growth hormone receptor and insulin-like growth factor-I in gonads of maturing coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch)

The expression levels of growth hormone receptor (GHR) and insulin-like growth factor (IGF-I) in gonads of maturing coho salmon were measured by real-time PCR. The GHR and IGF-I mRNAs showed different gene expression pattern between male and female. These results suggest that a sexual dimorphism may exist in the GHR and IGF-I mRNA expressions of coho salmon during gonadal maturation     

Nutritional evaluation of live food organisms and commercial dry feeds used for seed production of amberjack Seriola dumerili

To improve the nutritional quality of live foods and dry feeds ordinarily used for the seed production of amberjack Seriola dumerili, the nutrient contents of rotifers, Artemia nauplii and commercial feeds used in two larval production stations were evaluated. For comparison of the nutrient contents, artificially produced larvae, wild-caught juveniles and wild zooplankton samples were also analyzed. The proportions of 22∶6n-3 in the polar lipid of the cultured larvae increased by feeding the dry feeds. The taurine contents of the cultured larvae reflected the contents of their foods (rotifers<dry feed<Artemia nauplii). The taurine content and the proportion of 22∶6n-3 in Acartia spp. were higher than in foods fed to the larvae. These parameters in the wild juveniles were higher than the cultured ones. The A/E ratios [(each essential amino acid/total essential amino acids)×1000] of the total amino acids of the live foods and dry feeds were similar to those of the cultured larvae, except for the lower ratios of histidine, arginine, threonine and lysine in the live foods. The mucosal folds of the intestine of the cultured larvae did not show typical signs of dietary phospholipid deficiency. These results suggest that requirements of nutrients such as 22∶6n-3 and taurine should be determined for mass production of amberjack seeds.     

Road crossing structures for amphibians and reptiles: Informing design through behavioral analysis

Road traffic causes significant amphibian and reptile mortality, which could be mitigated through the installation of road crossing structures that facilitate safe passage, but only if reptiles and amphibians are willing to use them. Through a series of behavioral choice experiments with frogs and turtles, we examined how aperture diameter, substrate type, length, and light permeability influenced individuals’ preferences for specific attributes of crossing structures, and how individuals responded to various heights of barrier fences. Snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina), green frogs (Rana clamitans), and leopard frogs (Rana pipiens) preferred larger diameter tunnels (>0.5 m) whereas painted turtles (Chrysemys picta) preferred tunnels of intermediate (0.5-0.6 m) diameter. Green frogs preferred soil- and gravel-lined tunnels to concrete- and PVC-lined tunnels. Painted turtles showed non-random choice of different lengths of tunnel, possibly indicating some avoidance of the longest tunnel (9.1 m); although no species preferred to exit via the longest tunnels (9.1 m), members of all four species used such tunnels. Green frogs preferred tunnels with the greatest light permeability. Fences 0.6 m in height were effective barriers to green frogs, leopard frogs, and snapping turtles, whereas 0.3 m fences excluded painted turtles. We conclude that tunnels > 0.5 m in diameter lined with soil or gravel and accompanied by 0.6-0.9 m high guide fencing would best facilitate road crossing for these and likely other frog and turtle species.