Pedigree analysis of the origin of manganese tolerance in Canadian spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars

Summary Breeding wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) for tolerance to manganese (Mn) might be in some cases more feasible and economical than use of soil amendments. As part of research on the heritability of Mn tolerance, a study on the level of Mn tolerance in Canadian wheat cultivars and its probable origin was accomplished by analysis of cultivar pedigrees and drawing phylogenetic maps to discern filial relationships. Cultivar tolerance to Mn was determined by relative root weight (RRW) in solution culture in the presence of 500 M Mn. A total of 91 cultivars were screened, 76 of which were Canadian. These data, together with data from another 28 cultivars reported in the literature, were used to draw two pedigree maps, a map for Canadian cultivars only, and a map for the Mn-tolerant Canadian cultivars Norquay and Laura. Results indicated a range of tolerance to Mn among Canadian cultivars. Manganese tolerance, found in either Canadian or foreign germplasm, and of either recent or older selection or origin, seems to have originated from land races from Rio Grande do Sul, the southernmost state of Brazil. Tolerance may have been introduced into Canadian germplasm directly by the use of Brazilian cultivars as parents, or indirectly by the introduction of Mexican germplasm with Brazilian parentages. This information will help the plant breeder to develop plant breeding systems, and may also help in the study of the mechanisms for Mn tolerance in wheat.     

Costs of harvesting, transportation and milling in the Brazilian Amazon: Estimation and policy implications

We estimate economic cost functions for timber harvesting, transportation and milling in the Brazilian Amazon using a 2003 sample of 527 firms in both new and older frontier locations. We find that labor wage, distance from the forest to the processing location, type of equipment, and the type of the frontier all factor significantly in the total and marginal cost of each activity, and that predicted processing costs are not significantly different on new frontiers implying a lack of technology adoption as industry expansion into the Amazon has occurred. We also show that capturing economies of scale in logging by increasing average annual logging volumes by 50% and reducing the number of firms to about 1400 could lead to an industry wide cost savings of approximately US$90 million per year. Similar economies of scale are also present in log transport but not in processing. Further, if improved logging techniques allow harvest for an additional 1 month per year, for example through better planning, the industry could reduce logging costs by almost US$30 million. This points towards generating forest policies and economic conditions that encourage firm size growth, as opposed to those policies encouraging massive entry of small, unregulated and inefficient firms, and the adoption of management practices that allow for additional time in the forest.     

Foliage browning and shoot death in Sitka spruce and other conifers in northern Britain during winter 1983–84

A hitherto undescribed form of injury to Sitka spruce and other conifers occurred in plantations throughout northern Britain during the dormant season 1983–84. Damage consisted primarily of shoot death which was typically concentrated in a zone of variable extent below the upper few whorls of the tree. It occurred predominantly in forests in the west and was most severe in older crops at high elevation. Possible causes are discussed and it is concluded that the damage was probably climatic in origin.     

Integrating revenues from carbon sequestration into economic breeding objectives for Eucalyptus globulus pulpwood production

A system where carbon sequestration was directly dependent upon biomass production in a plantation was modelled to assess whether economic breeding objectives for the genetic improvement of Eucalyptus globulus were sensitive to potential revenues from carbon sequestration. Carbon dioxide equivalent accumulation in the biomass (CO₂e) of the Australian E. globulus plantation estate established between 2004 and 2012 was estimated. Total carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e) accumulation was in the order of ～146 t CO₂e ha^?1, of which 62 t CO₂e ha^?1 were tradable in 2012 (the 1st Kyoto Protocol commitment period) and a further 30 t CO₂e ha^?1 were tradable in 2016 (a hypothetical second Kyoto protocol commitment period). The correlated response of breeding objectives with and without carbon revenues (ΔcG _{h 1}) never fell below 0.86 in sensitivity analysis, and the mean was 0.93. Where economic breeding objectives for the genetic improvement of Eucalyptus globulus for pulpwood plantations are based on maximizing net present value by increasing biomass production, the consideration of carbon revenues in economic breeding objectives will have no significant effect on the relative economic weights of the key economic traits, wood basic density and standing volume at harvest.     

Remediation of Cayuga Syndrome in Landlocked Atlantic Salmon Salmo salar Using Egg and Sac-Fry Bath Treatments of Thiamine-Hydrochloride

A lethal thiamine deficiency, termed Cayuga Syndrome (CS), affects larval landlocked Atlantic salmon Salmo salar in several of New York's Finger Lakes. This syndrome has been linked to a maternal diet of alewife Alosa pseudoharengus that have high thiaminase concentrations within them and were not endemic to the Finger Lakes. We evaluated thiamine bath treatments at a range of concentrations for remediation of the syndrome (CS) by treating eggs during water-hardening or sac-fry at the onset of CS when clinical signs such as yolk sac and cerebral edema, vascular and mandibular abnormalities, and in particular when abnormal swimming, lethargy and yolk sac oppacities, first became evident. Concentrations of thiamine in sac-fry from both treatments were elevated by a single 1-h exposure of eggs or sac-fry in a thaimine bath. Thiamine concentrations of at least 1,000 mg/L. during water hardening, or 10,000 mg/L if treated as moribund sac-ky, were necessary to almost eliminate syndrome-related mortality. When post-treatment total thiamine tissue concentrations (i.e., the sum of thiamine pyrophosphate, thiamine mono-phosphate and free thiamine) approached or exceeded a threshold of 0.8 nmol/g sac-fry in the sac-fry, mortality due to CS was significantly reduced. Earlier treatment at the egg hardening stage may provide a greater likelihood of avoiding long term effects of the deficiency.     

RENAL NUCLEAR MEDICINE: A REVIEW

Renal nuclear medicine is used to evaluate renal function and morphology. Renal scintigraphy is the best imaging modality for evaluation of functional parameters such as glomerular filtration rate and effective renal plasma flow. The commonly used renal radiopharmaceuticals are reviewed. Both imaging and non-imaging techniques are presented. Specific applications of renal nuclear medicine are discussed.     

Growth of Rhododendron,Rudbeckia and Thujia and the Leaching of Nitrates as Affected by the pH of Potting Media Amended with Biosolids Compost

A conventional potting media containing peat moss, softwood bark and sand was amended to contain 0,25,50,75 and 100 (percent vol^?1) municipal compost made from yard waste and biosolids. Each medium was adjusted with limestone and sulfur to an approximate pH of 5.0, 6.0 or 7.0. Rhododendron Panticum L. ‘Anah Kruschke’ (Rhododendron), Thujia occidentalis L. (Arborvitae) and Rudbeckia hirta L. ‘Goldilocks’ (Black-eyed Susan) were grown in each medium and pH level for 18 months. Leachate from pots was tested for NO₃-N and NH₃-N+NH₄-N to determine how media pH and the amount of compost effected the potential for potting media to be a source of nitrate in surface and ground water.

Media pH affected plant growth more than the percent compost. Compared to media with a pH of 7.0, statistically significant increases in the growth of Rhododendron occurred in media with a pH of 5.0 or 6.0. This pH effect was similar but less pronounced for Thujia. Growth of Rudbeckia was not effected by media pH or percent compost. Media with 0 and 25 percent compost leached the least nitrogen regardless of pH. Media with 75 and 100 percent compost at pH 5.0 and 6.0 leached the most nitrogen. The increase in nitrogen leaching in the more acidic media was associated with higher concentrations NH₃-N+NH₄-N. Nitrogen in leachate was greatest during the four weeks immediately after the pots were placed in the field and four weeks after fertilizer was applied in June of the second year of the experiment.