A comparison of the biochemical and physiological effects of the systemic fungicide cyprofuram with those of the related compounds metalaxyl and metolachlor

Strains of Phytophthora megasperma insensitive to the fungicide metalaxyl showed limited cross-resistance to the structurally related fungicide cyprofuram and to metolachlor, a herbicide with antifungal properties. The three compounds each inhibited nucleic acid synthesis, but the wide variation in resistance factors and in the degree of nucleic acid inhibition at the concentrations inhibiting mycelial growth by 50% indicated that cyprofuram and metolachlor possess alternative mechanisms of toxicity. Studies with protoplasts suggested that cyprofuram has a direct effect on the plasma membrane which may be important against those resistant strains where nucleic acid synthesis is least affected. Metolachlor also was extremely effective in causing protoplast lysis. Sporangia production by P. palmivora was stimulated by low concentrations of cyprofuram, and germination was delayed. As with other ‘acylalanine-type’ fungicides, inhibition of nucleic acid synthesis is considered to be the main mode of action. Some degree of cross-resistance between cyprofuram and other acylalanines is likely to occur in the field but the dual mode of action of cyprofuram might delay its onset. The effect of increased sporogenesis on the development of resistance is more difficult to assess.     

Horizontal resistance insolanum tuberosum to colorado potato beetle (leptinotarsa decemlineata say)

Horizontal resistance (HR) was assessed as a strategy to reduce potato defoliation by the Colorado potato beetle (CPB). Hybrids amongSolanum tuberosum varieties grown in Iowa were first evaluated with a detached leaflet feeding bioassay. Beginning in 1998, resistance was increased annually over three years by intermating and selecting the most resistant l%–2% of each generation of 300–400 plants using the bioassay. When C (= mg leaf tissue consumed_* neonate larva^-1 over 48 h) was measured for the 1% most-resistant genotypes of all generations grown side by side in 2000, it ranged from 6.1 mg_* larva^-1 in the parents to 2.3 for progeny of the F₃ generation compared to 2.7 in ND2858-1, a resistant check. Field trials in Wisconsin showed less defoliation in the F₁ and F₂ selected genotypes than in the parents. A second breeding program using moreS. tuberosum parents with greater genetic diversity, and much larger breeding populations, resulted in significantly faster accumulation of resistance, further suggesting that recurrent mass selection is effective. Foliar glycoalkaloid analyses revealed low levels of solanine and chaconine in the F₃ selections; no leptines or leptinines were detected. Because the parents wereS. tuberosum varieties in which vertical resistance to CPB is unknown, and because the resistance to feeding from parents to the F₃ resistant plants was linear and gradual while ranging from initially very low to considerably higher in the third year, horizontal resistance is strongly implicated. The development of a significant degree of resistance after three rounds of breeding using relatively small breeding populations suggests that HR can be developed from varieties ofSolanum tuberosum lacking initial high levels of resistance to CPB.     

Quantitative characteristics of anesthetic induction with and recovery from isoflurane and sevoflurane in cats

Isoflurane (ISO) is the most commonly administered feline inhalant anesthetic in North America. A newer agent, sevoflurane (SEVO), may provide faster induction and recovery from anesthesia based on its physical characteristics. Accordingly, we compared some induction and recovery characteristics of ISO and SEVO in healthy cats. Six female DSH cats (17.9 ± 9.0 (mean ± SD) months, 3.7 ± 0.3 kg) received four randomly assigned treatments: ISO for 1 hour (IS), SEVO for 1 hour (SS), ISO for 5 hours (IL), and SEVO for 5 hours (SL). Anesthesia was induced in a chamber into which ISO or SEVO was delivered at 2.7 times the individual's MAC (determined previously) in 6 L minute^?1 O₂. Measured (Rascal II, Ohmeda) anesthetic concentration was reported after correction using a multiple gas, standard‐defined calibration curve. For induction, time (seconds) from introduction of inhalant to onset of incoordinated movement (IM), recumbency with movement (RM), recumbency without movement, loss of pedal reflex (PD), and intubation (ET) were recorded. Following intubation, anesthesia was maintained for the required time at 1.25 times the individual's MAC. For recovery, time (seconds) from discontinuation of the inhalant (with continuation of O₂) to first movement, extubation (EXT), start of incoordinated movement, head‐lift, sternal recumbency (SR), crawl, stand/walk with incoordination, and jump without incoordination were recorded. Esophageal normothermia was maintained. Data were analyzed by paired t‐test (induction) or One‐way Repeated Measures anova followed, when appropriate, by Tukey's test (recovery). p < 0.05 was regarded as significant. For induction, IM was not significantly different between ISO and SEVO (118 ± 28 seconds vs. 104 ± 28 seconds). All other induction times were significantly shorter with SEVO vs. ISO, e.g. RM (181 ± 31 seconds vs. 213 ± 31 seconds), PD (426 ± 68 seconds vs. 504 ± 70 seconds), and ET (434 ± 66 seconds vs. 515 ± 69 seconds). For recovery, there were no differences between ISO and SEVO for any stage of recovery, e.g. EXT (IS 588 ± 163 seconds vs. SS 425 ± 109 seconds), SR (IS 735 ± 215 seconds vs. SS 655 ± 337 seconds), and IL (710 ± 658 seconds vs. SL 807 ± 465 seconds). We concluded that quantitative recovery characteristics did not depend on whether cats are anesthetized with equipotent amounts of SEVO or ISO, but some induction end‐points were reached more quickly with SEVO.     

Mechanisms of Infertility Associated with Clinical and Subclinical Endometritis in High Producing Dairy Cattle

Clinical and subclinical endometritis are common causes of infertility and subfertility in high producing dairy cattle, delaying the onset of ovarian cyclic activity after parturition, extending luteal phases and reducing conception rates. Escherichia coli and Arcanobacterium pyogenes cause endometrial damage and inflammation. Components of microbes, such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS), are detected by Toll-like receptors on endometrial cells, leading to secretion of cytokines, chemokines and antimicrobial peptides. Long luteal phases associated with endometritis are probably caused by a switch in endometrial prostaglandin production from prostaglandin F_2a (PGF) to prostaglandin E₂. In addition, LPS impairs the function of the hypothalamus and pituitary, and directly perturbs ovarian granulosa cells steroidogenesis, providing mechanisms to explain the association between uterine disease and anovulatory anoestrus. Cows with uterine disease that ovulate have lower peripheral plasma progesterone concentrations that may further reduce the chance of conception associated with endometritis.     

Oxidized dietary fat,alkaline phosphatase concentrations and performance in racing greyhounds

Racing dogs are often fed raw meat. Raw meat may become oxidized because it contains no preservatives but few studies have examined the effect of feeding oxidized food to dogs. This study was originally designed to determine the effect of different concentrations of dietary fat on greyhound performance. After the experiment had been completed, however, it was discovered that the peroxide values (PV) of both diets were elevated indicating that fat oxidation had been present. This study was considered to have value, therefore, because it compared performance and blood parameters in eight trained Greyhounds fed either a high fat moderately oxidized (HFMO) diet (43%ME fat with PV of 44 mEq/kg) or a medium fat highly oxidized (MFHO) diet (31%ME fat with PV of 211 mEq/kg) for 8 weeks per diet in a randomized cross‐over design. Dogs were raced over 500 m twice weekly. Race times over the last 4 weeks of each diet period and blood parameters before racing during the last week of each diet period were compared. Dogs fed the MFHO food ran 0.04 m/s slower (p = 0.06) and serum alkaline phosphatase concentrations were higher (149 vs. 56 U/L; p < 0.0001) than in dogs fed the HFMO diet. Further evaluation is needed to determine whether lower dietary fat or increased oxidation was responsible for the altered performance but oxidation of the food should be considered as one possible explanation for an increase in serum alkaline phosphatase during a diet trial.     

EFFICIENCY ANALYSIS AND THE EFFECT OF POLLUTION ON SHRIMP FARMS IN THE MEKONG RIVER DELTA

This article investigates the efficiency of intensive, semi-intensive, and extensive shrimp farming practices as well as the difference between the upstream and downstream efficiency of shrimp farms in the Mekong River Delta (MRD), Vietnam. Our article is the first to compare the efficiency of the 3 shrimp practices and investigate the difference between the efficiency of downstream and upstream farms. The efficiency of shrimp farms is measured using group-frontier and meta-frontier analysis on a sample of 292 farms. The results show that, on average, shrimp farms are inefficient; extensive farms are more efficient than intensive and semi-intensive farms; and, controlling for key socio-economic factors, upstream farms are more efficient than downstream farms, suggesting that pollution from upstream farms may influence shrimp farm efficiency. The results give some direction for improvement and some evidence to shrimp farmers and policymakers in the MRD to take the pollution problem seriously and find solutions for more sustainable development.     

The incorporation of environmentally derived 87Sr/86Sr and Sr/Ca in early otolith formation of Chinook salmon

Effective species management often requires understanding patterns of movement and habitat use. A common approach in identifying where individuals reside relies upon chemical tracers from the environment that are incorporated into an individual's tissues. For fish, isotopes in their otoliths, specifically the portion of their otolith formed during their larval stage, have been used to identify the natal origin. Complicating this work, however, is the fact that during this life stage, there is a shift in the source of isotopes deposited onto the growing otolith from maternally to environmentally derived. The objective of this study was to identify the portion of the otolith representing this transition to environmentally derived isotopes so as to accurately investigate questions of natal origin for a threatened population of fall Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). We exposed developing larvae to four treatments that differed in terms of their water strontium isotope ratio (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr) and used change-point analysis of otolith ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and strontium to calcium ratio (Sr/Ca) to identify the otolith radius corresponding to the transition to environmentally derived isotopes. Our results indicated this transition occurred, on average, at 132 μm (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr; ±50 μm standard deviation) and 127 μm (Sr/Ca; ±29 μm) from the otolith core, which corresponded to the developmental time between hatching and exogenous feeding. A substantial proportion of our otoliths (i.e., 61%) did not show convergence between otolith and water ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr by the end of the 113-day experiment, which was likely due to the dietary contribution of marine-based feed. Therefore, we were unable to recommend an otolith radius to target for the purposes of reconstructing natal origin apart from being beyond approximately 130 μm.