Population changes in Phytophthora infestans in Taiwan associated with the appearance of resistance to metalaxyl

In recent years, late blight, caused by Phytophthora infestans (Mont) De Bary, has increased in severity in many parts of the world, and this has been associated with migrations which have introduced new, arguably more aggressive, populations of the pathogen. In Taiwan, late blight has been endemic on outdoor tomato crops grown in the highlands since the early 1900s, but recent epidemics have been more damaging. To ascertain the present status of the Taiwanese population of P infestans, 139 isolates of the pathogen collected and maintained by the Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center (AVRDC) were characterized using mating type, metalaxyl sensitivity, allozyme genotype, mitochondrial haplotype and RFLP fingerprinting. Up to 1997, all isolates were found to belong to the old clonal lineage of P infestans (US-1 and variants), but in isolates from 1998 a new genotype appeared, and by 2000 this had apparently completely displaced the old population. This new genotype was an A1 mating type and has the dilocus allozyme genotype 100/100/111, 100/100 for the loci coding for glucose-6-phosphate isomerase and peptidase, respectively. These characters, together with RG57 fingerprinting, indicated that these isolates belonged to the US-11 clonal lineage, a minority (11%) being a previously unreported variant of US-11. Whereas metalaxyl-resistant isolates were not detected in the old population, 96% of the new genotypes proved resistant, with the remainder being intermediate in sensitivity. It may be inferred from this sudden, marked change in the characteristics of the Taiwanese P infestans that a new population of the pathogen was introduced around 1997-98 and that this may well have already been metalaxyl-resistant when it arrived, although a role for in situ selection cannot be excluded.     

Small animal practice: billing, third-party payment options, and pet health insurance.

Rising veterinary costs can keep some people from accepting necessary medical care for their pets. This article discusses viable alternative financing options. Each alternative comes with its own pros and cons. Practice owners will want to study the offerings carefully to find the best match for their practice and clients.     

The tree tenure factor in agroforestry with particular reference to Africa

Rights over trees are often distinct from rights over land. Tree tenure consists of a bundle of rights over trees and their produce which may be held by different people at different times. These rights include the right to own or inherit trees, the right to plant trees, the right to use trees and tree products, the right to dispose of trees and the right to exclude others from the use of trees and tree products. Factors affecting who had rights include the nature of the tree, the nature of the use and the nature of the person or group. Landowners and tree plants tend to be relatively advantaged in terms of their rights to trees. Those with temporary claims to the land and, in some case, women, tend to be disadvantaged. The implications of tree tenure issues for the design of agroforestry projects are discussed.

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Resumen Los derechos sobre los arboles muchas veces son distintos a los derechos sobre la tierra. La propiedad del arbol consiste en un lote o derechos sobre arboles y sus productos que pueden ser mantenidos por distintas personas en distintos tiempos. Estos derechos incluyen el derecho a poseer o heredar arboles, el derecho a plantar arboles, el derecho a usar arboles y los productos arboreos, el derecho a disponer de los arboles y el derecho a excluir a otros del uso de los arboles y los productos arboreos. Se incluyen en los factores que afectan quienes tienen determinados derechos la naturaleza de los arboles, la naturaleza de su uso y la naturaleza dela persona o grupo. Terratenientes y plantadores de arboles tienden a tener ventajas en terminos de sus derechos sobre los arboles. Aquellos con derechos temporales y en algunos casos las mujeres tienden a estar en desventaja. Aqui se discute la problematica de las implicancias de la tenencia de los arboles para el diseno de proyectos silvo-agropecuarios.

     

Role of phospholipase A2 in the induction of drip loss in porcine muscle

The role of phospholipase A2 in the induction of drip loss from pig muscle has been investigated. In samples from porcine M. longissimus dorsi, total PLA2 activity as well as mRNA and protein levels of the group VIA iPLA2 (iPLA2-VIA) increased during the initial 4 h post-mortem period. Morphological studies of porcine muscle showed that at 4 h post-mortem, gaps had formed between muscle fibers and that the sarcolemma membrane borders appeared blurred. At the same time iPLA2-VIA protein levels were increased inside muscle fibers and at the sarcolemma. iPLA2-VIA mRNA abundance in samples from different breeds of pigs with variations in drip loss revealed no clear correlation between drip loss level and iPLA2-VIA expression. Together, these data indicate that during the post-mortem period, iPLA2-VIA expression and activity is increased at the muscle fiber membranes. PLA2 activity may affect membrane permeability and consequently the progression of drip formation in porcine muscle.     

Olfactory responses of Argentine stem weevil to herbivory and endophyte-colonisation in perennial ryegrass

Journal of Pest Science - Argentine stem weevil adults (ASW, Listronotus bonariensis) feed on the leaves of agricultural grasses and their larvae mine the pseudostem, causing extensive damage that...     

Dietary nano-chromium tripicolinate increases feed intake and decreases plasma cortisol in finisher gilts during summer

Chromium (Cr) is an essential mineral element and has been used in pig diets to improve growth performance, insulin sensitivity, immune response and carcase traits and to reduce heat or other stress responses. The aims of thiss study were to determine the impact of nano-sized chromium tripicolinate (nCrPic) on growth performance, feed efficiency and carcase characteristics of finisher gilts during the summer period. A total of 60 finisher Large White x Landrace gilts were stratified on initial weight and then within strata randomly allocated into two treatment groups in three replicates during mid-summer for 28 days. All pigs were housed in individual pens and had ad libitum access to feed and water. Pigs were fed either a control finisher diet (wheat-based diet containing 13.8 MJ digestible energy (DE) per kilogram and 0.56 g available lysine/MJ DE) or a control diet containing 400 ppb Cr as nCrPic. Dietary nCrPic supplementation increased feed intake by 6 % over the entire study (P?=?0.05). In particular, dietary nCrPic increased average daily feed intake (ADFI) by 8 % (P?=?0.02) during the final 2 weeks of the study. Moreover, dietary nCrPic tended to improve average daily feed (ADFI) over the entire study (P?=?0.09). However, there were no significant effects of nCrPic on feed conversion ratio (FCR), final weight, hot standard carcase weight (HCWT), P2 depth or dressing percentage. Plasma cortisol was decreased by 25 % (P?=?0.06) by dietary nCrPic supplementation. However, there were no effects of nCrPic on plasma glucose, insulin and nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA), might because of the higher feed intake. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that dietary nCrPic supplementation at 400 ppb can increase feed intake in finisher gilts during mid-summer, suggesting that nCrPic can ameliorate some of the negative effects of heat stress in pigs, possibly via decreased of circulating cortisol.