EFFECT OF DIFFERENT ROOTSTOCKS ON GROWTH,CHLOROPHYLL A FLUORESCENCE AND MINERAL COMPOSITION OF TWO GRAFTED SCIONS OF TOMATO

Two tomato scions (cvs. ‘Raf’ and ‘Gorety’) were grafted on three different rootstocks: S. torvum, ‘Beaufort’ (Lycopersicum esculentum × Lycopersicum hirsutum) and intermediate grafting of eggplant ‘Cristal’ between tomato and S. torvum (double graft). Plants were grown in Mediterranean greenhouse conditions. The response to grafting was measured through growth parameters, F_v/F_m and leaf macronutrients analysis, and it was compared with non-grafted plants. The scions grafted on S. torvum in simple and double graft showed lower fresh and dry weight of leaves, number of commercial fruits, plant height, F_v/F_m and decreased their capacity to absorb several nutrients resulting in a lower mineral concentration in scions leaves, as a result of a thickened graft union. On the other hand, both scions showed a good response when grafted on the rootstock ‘Beaufort’, with which growth parameters, yield and photosynthetic capacity were similar to non-grafted plants.     

Beef

ABSTRACT

The study examines the contribution of women scientists to agricultural development in southwestern Nigeria. It specifically determined the personal and job-related attributes of women scientists in Nigerian agricultural institutions, identified their areas of specialization and research needs, and highlighted the problems confronting women scientists in carrying out their research/teaching activities. The study was conducted using a simple random sampling technique to select 73 women scientists from the National Agricultural Research Institutes, Universities, and Colleges of Agriculture in the southwestern zone. Data were collected from women scientists through the use of pre-tested and validated questionnaires. Data were analysed using frequency distribution and percentages. The results of the analysis showed the integration of women scientists into the various agricultural disciplines and their involvement in research, teaching, and supervision. Major areas of research where training is needed are biometry and data analysis, information communication technology, and genetic engineering. Many of them were not satisfied with the number of women scientists in their institutions and suggested attracting women by providing incentives in the form of training and fellowships and by organizing career talks to young girls to encourage them to pursue the profession. The problems faced by women scientists in the course of carrying out their job schedule were inadequate research/teaching facilities, lack and timely release of funds for research, multiple roles of women as career women with family responsibilities, and gender imbalance in administrative and professorial positions.     

Evaluation of Composted Green Waste In Ornamental Container-Grown Plants: Effects on Growth and Plant Water Relations

Ornamental nurseries extensively utilize peat in commercial soilless potting media, but its use as an organic amendment with a superior water holding capacity is challenged by economic and environmental pressures so potential alternatives to peat need to be investigated. In our experiment, commercially available peat-based soilless mixes were amended with increasing composted green waste (CGW) percentages. Results on Photinia X fraseri and Viburnum tinus suggest that CGW could partially substitute peat in containerized nursery production, with a different effectiveness related to species behavior. Viburnum seemed to be less affected by CGW addition (only CGW-based media, T₁₀₀, showed a significant difference compared to peat-based media, used as control), which on the contrary hardly affected Photinia growth in terms of biomass production and quality. On the other hand, a higher CGW content (75% or 100%) also improved plant susceptibility to water shortage. Concluding, peat-based media partially amended with CGW may have positive agronomic and economic consequences for commercial ornamental nursery production.     

Physiological responses associated with capture and crowding stress in matrinxãBrycon cephalus (Gunther, 1869)

The dynamics of plasma cortisol, blood glucose, plasma chloride and liver glycogen were investigated in matrinxã (Brycon cephalus) submitted to capture and various periods of crowding. A total of 400 fish (700±22 g weight) were distributed in four ponds divided into four 50‐m² squares (25 fish/square, 350 g L^?1), where they were acclimated for 30 days. On the sampling day, after 24 h without food, all fish from three squares were transferred to the fourth square. Six fish were sampled before the procedure (control group, zero time) and 1, 3, 6 and 24 h after the capture and crowding. Each sampling was performed in a different pond to prevent additional stress. Fish were anaesthetized and blood and liver collected for biochemical analysis. Water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, alkalinity, ammonia and nitrite levels were within acceptable levels for matrinxã rearing. Slight but not significant increases were verified in plasma cortisol and blood glucose levels, as were decreases in plasma chloride and liver glycogen levels. The results suggest that matrinxã is highly tolerant to the procedures of capture and short‐term crowding.     

Uptake of Metronidazole in Artemia at Different Developmental Life Stages

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the capacity of live brine shrimp Artemia spp. to accumulate metronidazole at different developmental life stages. Metronidazole is used in fish as an antiparasitic medication. An effective drug delivery method is to enrich the Artemia with metronidazole and offer them as live feed to the infected fish, usually ornamental species and other small fishes. Artemia cysts were hatched and then soaked in a metronidazole solution (0.05%) at instars 1–3 of larval development. Our findings indicated that Artemia were able to accumulate metronidazole at levels considered therapeutic to other animals and humans (25–100 mg/kg). However, the levels varied depending on the stage of larval development. Artemia accumulated the highest levels of metronidazole (137–143 mg/kg) when they started filter feeding (instar 2), whereas newly hatched Artemia (instar 1) contained the lowest level (85 mg/kg). Based on this study and a review of the literature, a new protocol recommended for enriching Artemia with metronidazole consists of soaking the Artemia in a 0.05% metronidazole solution for 3 h at room temperature. Because metronidazole is relatively insoluble in water, it must first be dissolved in warm water with continuous stirring.

Received December 5, 2010; accepted January 30, 2011     

Intratesticular lidocaine reduces the response to surgical castration in dogs

ObjectiveTo investigate whether intratesticular injection of lidocaine pre-surgery would reduce the intraoperative responses to elective castration in dogs.Study designDouble-blinded, randomized, controlled, prospective clinical study.AnimalsForty-two client-owned dogs weighing 2.2–38.4 kg and aged between 4.5 and 56 months.MethodsGroup L dogs received an intratesticular injection of 2% lidocaine (2 mg kg^?1) and Group S an identical volume of saline prior to surgery. Premedication was with acepromazine and morphine intramuscularly. Anaesthesia was induced with propofol intravenously and maintained with isoflurane vaporized in oxygen. Heart rate (HR), mean arterial pressure (MAP), respiratory rate (f_R), end-tidal isoflurane (Fe′ISO) and carbon dioxide concentrations, oxygen saturation and ECG were monitored during surgery. Fe′ISO was maintained at 1.0 ± 0.1%. Supplemental propofol was given in response to gross movement.ResultsGroup L had significantly lower maximum values for both HR and MAP. Group L displayed significantly smaller increases in HR during exteriorization of the first testis than Group S. There was an overall significant difference in MAP between groups during all surgical events (p = 0.041) and time points (p = 0.002). In univariate analysis, Group L showed significantly less changes in MAP during skin incision, exteriorization of the first testis and clamping of both spermatic cords. Group S reached its highest f_R significantly earlier. Group L (eight dogs) required additional propofol 33 ± 18 minutes after the start of surgery and Group S (seven dogs) at 19 ± 17 minutes; this difference was not statistically significant. Seven dogs in Group L and 12 dogs in Group S required rescue analgesia with morphine (GCMPS-SF score ≥6); this difference was not statistically significant. No adverse effects were reported postoperatively.Conclusions and clinical relevanceBased on this study, the authors recommend the use of intratesticular lidocaine for surgical castration in dogs.     

The fractal spectrum of leaf colour as a tool for measuring frost hardiness in plants

Summary

An image analysis method, based on the calculation of the fractal spectrum of leaf colour, was evaluated for its potential use in assessing frost hardiness in plants. The technique developed consisted of a) digitization of the leaves after freezing treatments, b) splitting of the images obtained into the three components of the RGB (red, green and blue) colour system and c) calculation of the fractal spectrum for each colour component of the leaf. It was then tested to assess the freezing hardiness of acclimated and non-acclimated Callistemon linearis plants. The analysis system consisted of a scanning device, a personal computer and the image analysis algorithm. All the fractal parameters showed a sigmoidal relationship with temperature. From the inflection point, the LT₅₀ calculated for acclimated and non-acclimated plants, was –7.5 and –4.8°C, respectively. The LT₅₀ calculated from the electrolyte leakage test on the same material was about 2°C warmer than the LT₅₀ obtained from fractal analysis. The role of fractal analysis of leaf colour as an additional, rapid and inexpensive method for identifying freezing damage is discussed.     

Sex attractant for the banana moth,Opogona sacchari Bojer (Lepidoptera: Tineidae): provisional identification and field evaluation

BACKGROUND: The banana moth, Opogona sacchari Bojer, is a polyphagous agricultural pest in many tropical areas of the world. The identification of an attractant for male O. sacchari could offer new methods for detection, study and control. RESULTS: A compound extracted from female O. sacchari elicited responses from antennae of male moths. This compound was identified as a 2/3,(Z)13‐octadecadienal by gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry. An analog, 2/3,(Z)13‐octadecadienol, was also detected in some extracts at roughly a 1:20 ratio (alcohol:aldehyde) but did not elicit responses from antennae of male moths. Electroantennograms of synthetic candidate dienals found the strongest responses from (Z, Z)‐2,13‐octadecadienal and (E, Z)‐2,13‐octadecadienal. In field trials, (E, Z)‐2,13‐octadecadienal attracted more male O. sacchari than (Z, Z)‐2,13‐octadecadienal. Attraction was not improved for either of these compounds when the corresponding stereoisomeric alcohol was added at ratios of 1:1, 1:10 or 1:100 (alcohol:aldehyde). Jackson sticky traps containing 250 µg lures of (E, Z)‐2,13‐octadecadienal caught as many males as did traps holding virgin females. CONCLUSION: (E, Z)‐2,13‐octadecadienal has been identified as an attractant for O. sacchari males and can be used as a monitoring lure of populations of this moth. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

Combination of hot water, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bacillus subtilis</Emphasis> CPA-8 and sodium bicarbonate treatments to control postharvest brown rot on peaches and nectarines

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of hot water (HW), antagonists and sodium bicarbonate (SBC) treatments applied separately or in combination to control Monilinia spp. during the postharvest storage of stone fruit. Firstly, we investigated the effect of HW temperatures (55–70°C) and exposure times (20–60 s), seven antagonists at two concentrations (10⁷ or 10⁸ cfu ml⁻¹) and four SBC concentrations (1–4%). The selected treatments for brown rot control without affecting fruit quality were HW at 60°C for 40 s, SBC at 2% for 40 s and the antagonist CPA-8 (Bacillus subtilis species complex) at 10⁷ cfu ml⁻¹. The combinations of these treatments were evaluated in three varieties of peaches and nectarines artificially inoculated with M. laxa. When fruit were incubated for 5 d at 20°C, a significant additional effect to control M. laxa was detected with the combination of HW followed by antagonist CPA-8. Only 8% of the fruit treated with this combination were infected, compared to 84%, 52% or 24% among the control, CPA-8, and HW treatments, respectively. However, the other combinations tested did not show a significant improvement in effectiveness to control brown rot in comparison with applying the treatments separately. When fruit were incubated for 21 d at 0°C plus 5 d at 20°C, the significant differences between separated or combined treatments were reduced and generally the incidence of brown rot was higher than when fruit were incubated for 5 d at 20°C. Similar results were observed testing fruit with natural inoculum.     

Genetic variability and pathological properties of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Grapevine Leafroll-associated Virus 2</Emphasis> isolates

The genetic variability among Grapevine leafroll-associated virus 2 (GLRaV-2) isolates was investigated in several grapevine accessions from various geographic origins in three genomic fragments, which encode the 70 kDa heat-shock protein homologue, the coat protein and the ∼60 kDa protein. The majority of the isolates were identical or only slightly different from one another and formed a monophyletic group. Several other variants were found which differed greatly from the main cluster and were mostly present in autochthonous or specific vine cultivars. Phylogenetic analyses on the CP gene sequences, including the isolates analyzed in this work and some others from related literature, allowed five clades to be identified (PN, H4, RG, BD and PV20). Biological trials for graft incompatibility and leafroll symptoms revealed that GLRaV-2 divergent variants had different pathological properties, mainly according to their phylogenetic grouping. The BD isolate seemed to be a mild variant of the virus, because it was unable to induce graft incompatibility and it rarely caused leafroll symptoms. The RG isolate appeared to be a more virulent variant, given the strong decrease in rooted grafted grapevines obtained in nursery, in particular with the use of certain rootstocks; however, it does not induce leafroll symptoms. The variants belonging to the PN group, which were the most widespread, caused both graft incompatibility and leafroll symptoms, according to the viral variant. Graft incompatibility also proved to depend strongly on the rootstock used.