Weeds as the potential inoculum source of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Colletotrichum fructicola</Emphasis> responsible for strawberry anthracnose in Nara,Japan

Colletotrichum fructicola is a major causal agent among anthracnose pathogens of strawberry in Nara, Japan. We hypothesized that a wide range of weeds growing in and around strawberry fields are inoculum sources of the disease and investigated their potential as hosts of C. fructicola. We also examined the influence of herbicide treatment on C. fructicola sporulation on weeds. The fungus was detected on 31 of 541 (5.7%) leaves sampled from 13 weed species from 2005 to 2008. The fungus was most frequently isolated from leaves of Amaranthus blitum with an isolation frequency of 17.9%; inoculation of A. blitum with the pathogen caused brown leaf spots. Other weeds such as Digitaria ciliaris, Galinsoga ciliata, Solidago altissima, Erigeron annuus, and Sonchus oleraceus were found to harbor the fungus at lower rates (4.3–8.1%) without symptoms. C. fructicola formed acervuli on leaves of A. blitum, D. ciliaris, and S. oleraceus after plants were killed by a herbicide (glyphosate). These results demonstrated that infected weeds associated with strawberry cultivation are potential inoculum sources of C. fructicola, especially after herbicide treatment.     

Effects of climate change on reduction of internal bond strength of particleboard subjected to various climatic conditions in Japan

The effects of climate change on the reduction of internal bond strength (IB) of particleboard subjected to various climatic conditions in Japan were predicted. The temperature increased throughout Japan with increasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, so the climate deterioration index (climate index for predicting the IB reduction of particleboard; a high index indicates a large IB reduction) also increased to decrease IB. The number of low-temperature areas decreased because of climate change. The rupture of bonding points in particleboard caused by outdoor exposure led to a IB reduction, and biodeterioration accelerated this reduction. In high-temperature areas, particleboard was found to be prone to biodeterioration, and the IB significantly reduced. An area wherein there was a significant decrease in the IB spread along the Pacific Ocean side of western Japan and the Sea of Japan in central Japan in relation to increasing GHG emissions. Particleboards are difficult to use outdoors because of climate change.     

Mapping the quantitative trait loci (QTL) for body shape and conformation measurements on BTA1 in Japanese Black cattle

The detection and mapping of segregating quantitative trait loci (QTL) that influence withers height, hip height, hip width, body length, chest width, chest depth, shoulder width, lumbar width, thurl width, pin bone width, rump length, cannon circumference, chest girth, abdominal width and abdominal girth at weaning was conducted on chromosomal regions of bovine chromosome one. The QTL analysis was performed by genotyping half‐sib progeny of five Japanese Black sires using microsatellite DNA markers. Probability coefficients of inheriting allele 1 or 2 from the sire at specific chromosomal locations were computed. The phenotypic data of progeny were regressed on these probability coefficients in a within‐common‐parent regression analysis using a linear model that included fixed effects of sex, parity and season of birth, as well as age as a covariate. F‐statistics were calculated every 1 cM on a linkage map. Permutation tests of 10 000 iterations were conducted to obtain chromosome‐wide significance thresholds. A significant QTL for chest width was detected at 91 cM in family 3. The detection of this QTL boosts the prospects of implementing marker‐assisted selection for body conformation traits in Japanese Black beef cattle.     

Classification of Southeast Asian mints (Mentha spp.) based on simple sequence repeat markers

Mentha is a complex genus encompassing many species as a consequence of their interspecific hybridization and polyploidy. Southeast Asian mints have been poorly distinguished though they are widely used for culinary and medical purposes. In this study, we have analyzed Southeast Asian mints and known varieties as well as a related Lamiaceae species (Nepeta sp.) using simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers and leaf morphology. Two types of mints were clearly distinguished based on their venation pattern and leaf shape index. We developed 12 SSR markers that allowed good amplification in the Mentha and another Lamiaceae species. In the SSR-based phylogram, the Mentha lines could be delimited into groups I–VI. The Southeast Asian mints divided into groups I and II, and the phylogram separated most of the available species, with groups I and II containing the known species M. × cordifolia and M. arvensis, respectively. The separation of the two groups was supported by a population structure analysis. The SSR markers developed in this study enabled the simultaneous classification of mints and will help improve our understanding of the genetic composition of known mint varieties and as yet unclassified Southeast Asian mints.     

Molecular Structure and Some Physicochemical Properties of Buckwheat Starches

The molecular structure and pasting properties of starches from eight buckwheat cultivars were examined. Rapid viscograms showed that buckwheat starches had similar pasting properties among cultivars. The actual amylose content was 16–18%, which was lower than the apparent amylose content (26–27%), due to the high iodine affinity (IA) of amylopectin (2.21–2.48 g/100 g). Amylopectins resembled each other in average chain‐length (23–24) and chain‐length distributions. The long‐chains fraction (LC) was abundant (12–13% by weight) in all the amylopectins, which was consistent with high IA values. The amyloses were also similar among the cultivars in number‐average DP 1,020–1,380 with 3.1–4.3 chains per molecule. The molar‐based distribution indicated that all the amyloses comprised two molecular species differing in molecular size, although the weight‐based distribution showed a single species. A comparison of molecular structures of buckwheat starches to cereal starches indicated buckwheat amylopectins had a larger amount of LC, and their distributions of amylose and short chains of amylopectin on molar basis were similar to those of wheat and barley starches.