Comparison of number of Streptococcus uberis calculated on a volume or weight basis in sand and sawdust bedding

OBJECTIVE: To determine a method for comparing counts of Streptococcus uberis in sand and sawdust and account for the influence of weight or volume of the bedding material. SAMPLE POPULATION: 2 sources of kiln-dried sawdust and 2 sources of washed sand. PROCEDURES: Sterilized bedding material (100 ml) was weighed and uniformly distributed in an aluminum pan. Each sterilized bedding material was inoculated with a mean of 3.6 X 10(6) (experiment 1) or 2.4 X 10(7) (experiment 2) colony-forming units (CFU) of S uberis/ml of bedding material. Without allowing time for replication of S uberis, inoculated bedding materials were washed with sterile saline (0.9% NaCl) solution. A 200-ml aliquot of wash solution was serially diluted up to 2,500 times with additional saline solution and inoculated on plates containing tryptose agar with 5% sheep blood. After incubation for 48 hours, number of CFU of S uberis was counted. This procedure was replicated 19 and 16 times for each bedding material in experiments 1 and 2, respectively. RESULTS: Evaluation of Bonferroni 95% confidence intervals revealed significant differences for counts of S uberis calculated on a weight basis between sand and sawdust. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Comparison of counts of S uberis determined on a volume basis for sand and sawdust accentuates to a lesser degree the weight difference of the bedding materials and ensures a more appropriate comparison of number of S uberis.     

NorValley: A white-skinned chipping cultivar with cold-sweetening resistance

NorValley is a multi-purpose, high-yielding, whiteskinned cultivar suitable for processing into chips, dehydrated flakes, or for table stock use. It chips directly from long-term storage at 6 C without reconditioning. NorValley has wide adaptability and is suitable for production on irrigated or non-irrigated land and has a low incidence of hollow heart. NorValley was released by the North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station on August 22,1996.     

PCR detection of Pseudoperonospora humuli in air samples from hop yards

Downy mildew of hop, caused by Pseudoperonospora humuli , is an important disease in most regions of hop production and is managed largely with regular fungicide applications. A PCR assay specific to P . humuli and the related organism P .  cubensis was developed and used to monitor airborne inoculum in hop yards to initiate fungicide applications. The PCR amplified as little as 1 fg of genomic DNA of P . humuli , and yielded an amplicon in 70% of reactions when DNA was extracted from single sporangia. In the presence of 25 mg of soil, an amplicon was amplified in 90% of reactions when DNA was extracted from 10 or more sporangia. During nine location-years of validation, PCR detection of the pathogen in air samples occurred no later than 8 days after the appearance of trace levels of disease signs and/or detection of airborne spores in a volumetric spore sampler. Inoculum was detected on average 4·5 days before (range −8 to 14 days) the first appearance of basal spikes in six commercial yards, or 1·3 days after (range −5 to 1 days) sporangia were detected in a volumetric spore sampler in experimental plots. In commercial yards, use of PCR to initiate the first fungicide application led to enhanced disease control or a reduction in fungicide use in four of six yards compared to growers' standard practices. These results indicate that the efficiency and efficacy of hop downy mildew management can be improved when control measures are timed according to first detection of inoculum.     

Phytoconstituents from Vitex agnus-castus fruits

A new labdane-diterpene, viteagnusin I (1), together with 23 known phytoconstituents were isolated from the fruits of Vitex agnus-castus L, and their structures characterized by spectroscopic methods (NMR and MS). The known compounds include ten flavonoids, five terpenoids, three neolignans, and four phenolic compounds, as well as one glyceride. Biological evaluation identified apigenin, 3-methylkaempferol, luteolin, and casticin as weak ligands of delta and mu opioid receptors, exhibiting dose-dependent receptor binding.     

Goldrush: A new high quality russet-skinned potato cultivar

On March 1, 1992, the North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station announced the release of a new russet potato cultivar named Goldrush. Goldrush is an oblong, smooth, russet-skinned potato cultivar that has very white flesh, good culinary quality, resistance to hollow heart and is adapted for both the fresh and processing market.     

Russet Norkotah: A new russet-skinned potato cultivar with wide adaptation

Russet Norkotah is a long, smooth, shallow-eyed, russet-skinned potato cultivar with wide adaptation. It has a smooth golden russet-skin and produces a high percent of medium sized U.S. No. 1 tubers that are good count-carton size.     

INJURY OF THE COLLATERAL LIGAMENTS OF THE DISTAL INTERPHALANGEAL JOINT DIAGNOSED BY MAGNETIC RESONANCE

We describe the clinical, imaging, and necropsy findings of two horses with severe injury of the collateral ligaments of the distal interphalangeal (DIP) joint diagnosed using magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. In MR images it was possible to examine the collateral ligaments of the DIP joint from the origin at the middle phalanx to the insertion on the distal phalanx. Both horses in this report had abnormal high signal intensity within the collateral ligaments of the DIP joint, and one horse had abnormal high signal intensity within the bone of the distal phalanx on short tau inversion recovery (STIR) and T2-weighted imaging sequences. High signal intensity on STIR and T2-weighted images represents abnormal fluid accumulation indicative of inflammation, within ligament, tendon, or bone on these imaging sequences. Abnormalities were confirmed on necropsy in both horses. Injury of the collateral ligaments of the DIP joint should be considered as a source of pain in horses with lameness localized to the foot.     

A set of simple decision matrices for prioritizing collection of rare plant species for ex situ conservation

Because it is virtually impossible to collect seed or tissue for ex situ conservation banks from every known population of rare plant species, it is important to rank populations systematically in terms of their priority for collection. The New England Wild Flower Society, which maintains a regional seed bank, developed a set of three complementary decision matrices in spreadsheet form by which to prioritize all occurrences of all state-listed rare plant species in New England in terms of their urgency and feasibility for collection. Data on 4333 occurrences, spanning 456 taxa, were collated from six state Natural Heritage Programs. The first decision matrix ranked taxa in terms of their amenability to storage or propagation at ex situ institutions, and determined whether any known New England occurrences were reproductive. The second matrix further ranked taxa in terms of their global and regional rarity and the viability and genetic and geographic representation of collections already present in the bank. The third matrix scored individual occurrences within each taxon in terms of the presence of imminent threat, reproductive status, vigor, protection status, potential genetic distance from other occurrences, availability of landowner permission, and their current status in the bank. Occurrences were then sorted in ascending order by total matrix score; those with low scores were at the top of the list for collection priority. 3743 occurrences were deemed eligible for collection. Scores ranged from 14.5 to 182, and were influenced most strongly by the number of occurrences per taxon. Clear breakpoints were apparent in the distribution of scores, with clusters of uncommon taxa at the low end of the scale and a long tail created by taxa with more numerous occurrences in New England. These breakpoints could potentially be used to prioritize groups of occurrences that should receive the first attention for collection, while postponing collection of higher-scoring groups. Fewer than 1% of occurrences were misclassified, according to post hoc inspection. This simple set of decision matrices can be adapted by a wide range of institutions involved in ex situ conservation.