An avirulence gene to rice cultivar K60 is located on the 1.6-Mb chromosome in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Magnaporthe oryzae</Emphasis> isolate 84R-62B

A Japanese differential rice cultivar K60 was tested with 114 F₁ cultures of Magnaporthe oryzae from a cross between isolates 84R-62B and Y93-245c-2. Segregation patterns of avirulence and virulence in the progeny suggested that avirulence on cv. K60 was controlled by a single gene derived from 84R-62B and tentatively named AvrK60. In the F₁ population, AvrK60 cosegregated with avirulence gene AvrPik on a small 1.6-Mb chromosome of 84R-62B and with the 1.6-Mb chromosome itself. Therefore, we suggest that, along with AvrPik, AvrK60 is also located on the 1.6-Mb chromosome of 84R-62B.     

Species Composition,Diversity and Productivity of Homesteads in Southeastern Bangladesh

A homestead is an integrated production system where trees, crops, livestock and poultry are found in and around the household residence in Bangladesh. It is a potential production unit that provides various product, service and ecological functions. Almost all people in Bangladesh including landless households have homesteads in which they grow trees and crops even in a small piece of land. This study characterizes the species composition, diversity and productivity of the homestead production system in the Teknaf peninsula, southeastern Bangladesh. Survey data collection was from a total of 180 homesteads covering five household categories: large, medium, small, marginal and landless. Vegetable, fruit, timber, and livestock and poultry were common components in the homestead production system. Various types of plants were mainly concentrated in back yards, front yards, boundaries and corners of homesteads. The mean number of tree species per homestead was about 15. In total, 189 tree and shrub species were recorded, and were distinctly high and low in the large (363.7) and landless (55.7) household categories. Species composition, diversity and productivity of homesteads were found to be related to household categories. Richness and diversity of tree and shrub species increased with household size. Betel nut was the dominant tree species followed by mango, jackfruit and coconut. Annual income from homesteads also varied among the household categories, with a mean contribution of the homestead to annual income of about 25 %. A large portion of homestead income came from betel nut trees. There is scope to increase species diversity and income by designing homesteads with the engagement of women and other family members.     

Vertical profiles of environmental factors within tropical rainforest, Lambir Hills National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia

Environmental factors, such as global solar radiation, wind speed, air temperature, humidity, and CO₂ concentration, were measured above and within the canopy of a tropical rainforest in Lambir Hills National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia. Few data concerning the environment of this forest have been reported. Intensive observations were carried out in 1998, 1999, and 2000 with the following results: (1) The fraction of global solar radiation reaching the upper layer of the canopy varied with global solar radiation above the canopy. Even though the global solar radiation above the canopy fluctuated, the fraction of that reaching the lower canopy and the ground was constantly approximately 5%. (2) The fraction of wind speed reaching each layer of the canopy increased with wind speed above the canopy. Little wind was usually present at the lower canopy. (3) The daytime air temperature at the canopy top was higher than that near the ground. The maximum difference between the air temperature at the canopy top and that at the ground was about 5°C, and the diurnal temperature ranges at the canopy top and those at the ground were about 8°C and about 5°C, respectively. The highest daytime water vapor pressure occurred within the canopy and particularly near the ground. Vertical gradients of water vapor pressure during the day were steep, probably because of high transpiration. (4) In the 1998 observation the minimum and the maximum CO₂ concentrations were 360 ppm in the day and 450 ppm at night, while in the 2000 observation the minimum and the maximum CO₂ concentrations were 350 ppm in the day and 540 ppm at night. The higher CO₂ concentration in the daytime and the lower concentration at night observed during the 1998 observation period were probably due to reduced photosynthesis and soil respiration caused by exceptional dry conditions during the observation period.     

Interference with cell-to-cell movement of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Tomato mosaic virus</Emphasis> by transient overexpression of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Arabidopsis thaliana</Emphasis> KELP homologs from different plant species

The KELP protein of Arabidopsis thaliana (AtKELP), which binds to the Tomato mosaic virus (ToMV) movement protein in vitro, can interfere with cell-to-cell movement of the virus under transient overexpression conditions. In this study, we constructed expression plasmids encoding a fluorescent protein fused to AtKELP or to its homolog from Brassica, Nicotiana, Solanum, or Oryza species. When expressed transiently, all the AtKELP homologs inhibited the cell-to-cell movement of ToMV with different efficiencies. The results of domain swapping between two selected AtKELP homologs suggest the importance of combination between the N- and C-terminal half regions for high inhibitory function.     

A Case of Feline Gastrointestinal Eosinophilic Sclerosing Fibroplasia

Feline gastrointestinal eosinophilic sclerosing fibroplasia was diagnosed in an 8-month-old Scottish fold that had a primary gastrointestinal mass involving the stomach, duodenum and mesenteric lymph nodes. Histopathologically, the most characteristic feature of this mass was granulation tissue with eosinophil infiltration and hyperplasia of sclerosing collagen fiber. Immunohistochemically, large spindle-shaped cells were positive for smooth muscle actin and vimentin. This case emphasizes the importance of feline gastrointestinal eosinophilic sclerosing fibroplasia as a differential diagnosis of gastrointestinal neoplastic lesions such as osteosarcoma and mast cell tumor in cats.     

Lactic acid bacteria effective for regulating the growth of contaminant bacteria during the fermentation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Undaria pinnatifida</Emphasis> (Phaeophyta)

ABSTRACT:   Lactic acid fermentation of seaweed is a recent topic and quite limited information is available on culture conditions. To know the suitable strains for use as a starter culture for seaweed fermentation, 14 lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains, including 11 species, were tested in culture conditions prepared with or without salt. A commercial product of Undaria pinnatifida powder was used as a substrate for fermentation without sterilizing. Starter-suitability of the LAB strains was assessed from their predominance after culture. Among the tested strains, Lactobacillus brevis, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus rhamnosus showed high (>90%) predominance in their cultures, while control cultures prepared without inoculation of LAB did not show any detectable growth of acid producing bacteria and spoiled. A total of 102 strains not showing acid producing activity were isolated and characterized from spoiled cultures, and all the isolates were observed as Bacillus strains, including 64 strains (62.7%) and 16 strains (15.7%) of a Bacillus cereu s-related and B. fusiformis -related species, respectively. The Undaria substrate before fermentation contained culturable microorganisms at 1.4–3.1 × 10² CFU/g, but the Bacillus cereu s-related strain was not a major composition, suggesting a concern of selective growth of the Bacillus cereu s-related strain during the spoiled fermentation.     

The smell and odorous components of dried shiitake mushroom, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lentinula edodes</Emphasis> I: relationship between sensory evaluations and amounts of odorous components

The smell of food is one of the most important factors in assessing its quality. Concerning the smell of dried shiitake mushrooms [Lentinula edodes (Berk.) Pegler], 1,2,3,5,6-pentathiepane, commonly known as lenthionine, has been reported as a key compound. However, other compounds have not been studied sufficiently in connection with smell. From the results of sensory intensity studies and sensory evaluations of dried shiitake mushrooms, a positive significant correlation at 1% risk was observed between sensory intensity and sulfur perception. This showed that the smell of dried shiitake mushrooms was characterized by a sulfurous smell. Also, comparing the sensory intensity with the amounts of volatile components showed positive significant correlations at 1% risk between sensory intensity and three compounds: 1,2,4-trithiolane, 1,2,4,6-tetrathiepane, and lenthionine. Furthermore, significant correlations at 5% risk were obtained between the amounts of these three compounds and sensory intensity by multiple regression analysis. This showed that the smell of dried shiitake mushrooms depended on these compounds. The partial regression coefficient of 1,2,4-trithiolane was larger than those of the others, and so it was proposed that 1,2,4-trithiolane could serve as an indicator to estimate the smell of dried shiitake mushroom.     

The smell and odorous components of dried shiitake mushroom, Lentinula edodes III: substances that increase the odorous compound content

This study formed part of an effort to improve the quality of dried shiitake mushroom [Lentinula edodes (Berk.) Pegler], in accordance with consumer preferences, and deals with the search for substances that increase the odorous component content. From analysis of sulfur and sulfur-containing substances in the culture substrate, rice bran was found to be the main source of sulfur, and 75% of this was present as cysteine and methionine. The sulfur-containing substances were added to a sawdust medium containing only rice bran and sawdust as a substrate; shiitake mushrooms were cultivated in the medium, the fruiting bodies were dried, and the 1,2,4-trithiolane content in the fruiting bodies was measured as an indicator of the odorous compounds. Of the sulfur-containing substances, those that increased odorous compounds the most were cysteine and methionine. The efficiency of cysteine in this regard was higher than that of methionine. It was also noted that the amount of glutamic acid increased the odorous compounds in combination with cysteine and methionine. Furthermore, the addition of both amino acids and glutamic acid had no negative effect on the yield. These results showed that it is possible to produce dried shiitake mushrooms with a smell suitable for particular consumer preferences.     

The impact of forest clear-cutting on soil temperature: a comparison between before and after cutting,and between clear-cut and control sites

Soil temperature is one of the most important factors governing biological activity in the soil. This study was conducted to investigate how forest clear-cutting changes soil temperature. Soil temperatures at 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0m depths were measured in two neighboring forest watersheds (35°12N, 140°06E) in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, from 1994 to 2000. One watershed was clear-cut 5 years after the observations began. After clear-cutting, the annual mean soil temperature at 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0m depths rose by about 2.2, 2.0, 1.7, and 1.4°C, respectively. The maximum respective soil temperatures rose by about 3.2, 3.0, 2.2, and 1.8°C. The minimum soil temperature rose slightly (1°C). The range of temperatures increased by 3.0, 2.4, 1.6, and 1.4°C, respectively. In our study, forest clear-cutting raised maximum and average soil temperatures but hardly changed minimum soil temperature. This is probably because solar radiation dominated in the summer season and increased soil temperature; on the other hand, net long-wave radiation, and releases of latent and sensible heat from the soil surface, were predominant in the cool season.