Reevaluation ofSolanum species accessions showing resistance to bacterial ring rot

One hundred and fifty-six plant accessions, including susceptible checks, from the IR-1 collection were evaluated for resistance/immunity to bacterial ring rot (BRR). Each accession selected had been previously rated as highly resistant to BRR based on symptom expression but, in our tests, 57 of them yielded no plants which failed to produce symptoms. However, the remaining 99, represented by a total of 2589 inoculated plants, yielded 1000 plants which failed to produce BRR symptoms after eight weeks. Immunofluorescent antibody stain testing showed that 679 of the symptomless plants supported detectable numbers ofCorynebacterium sepedonicum cells. Comparison of root-inoculated and tuber-inoculated accessions showed that root-inoculations yielded significantly fewer symptomless and bacterial cell-free plants. No significant differences were found in BRR reactions of fiveSolanum spp. when inoculated with two different strains ofC. sepedonicum. Appreciable numbers of symptomless plants were obtained from inoculated progeny of crosses with resistant cultivars but none of those retested proved to be immune.     

Utilizing old potatoes for summer chipping

Tubers of Kennebec, Netted Gem and four seedlings treated with MH30 made acceptable chips after storage for 9 months at 55 F. After treatment with CIPC and storage at 46 F for nine months tubers of Kennebec and three seedlings made chips of acceptable colour; at 52 F Kennebec and two seedlings were acceptable. When reconditioned at 70 F for two weeks after storage at 40, 46 and 52 F, CIPC-treated samples of Kennebec made acceptable chips, plus one seedling from 40 F, two from 46 F and one from 52 F.     

Survey of intramammary infections in ewes on the New England Tableland of New South Wales

Samples of mammary secretion were collected aseptically from 1093 ewes in 8 separate flocks. Most of the ewes were suckling lambs 4 to 6 weeks old. Standard bacteriological tests were carried out on the samples to identify the organisms involved in intramammary infections. Data on age, breed, lactational status and clinical status of the gland and its secretion were recorded at the time of sampling. The prevalence of intramammary infection was 14% of ewes (8% of glands). There was a tendency for prevalence of intramammary infection to be positively correlated with age of the ewe (two-year-old and six-year-old ewes had, respectively, 4.4% and 14.0% of glands infected). This relationship was highly significant for Border Leicester x Merino ewes. There were also significant differences in infection prevalence between breeds. infected glands had a higher prevalence of clinical abnormalities of udder, teat and secretion than did non-infected glands. Staphylococcus aureus was overwhelmingly the most frequently isolated bacterium being responsible for 40% of all intramammary infections.