Molecular evolution of herbicide resistance to phytoene desaturase inhibitors in Hydrilla verticillata and its potential use to generate herbicide-resistant crops

Hydrilla [Hydrilla verticillata (Lf) Royle] is one of the most serious invasive aquatic weed problems in the USA. This plant possesses numerous mechanisms of vegetative reproduction that enable it to spread very rapidly. Management of this weed has been achieved by the systemic treatment of water bodies with the herbicide fluridone. At least three dioecious fluridone-resistant biotypes of hydrilla with two- to fivefold higher resistance to the herbicide than the wild-type have been identified. Resistance is the result of one of three independent somatic mutations at the arginine 304 codon of the gene encoding phytoene desaturase, the molecular target site of fluridone. The specific activities of the three purified phytoene desaturase variants are similar to the wild-type enzyme. The appearance of these herbicide-resistant biotypes may jeopardize the ability to control the spread of this non-indigenous species to other water bodies in the southern USA. The objective of this paper is to provide general information about the biology and physiology of this aquatic weed in relation to its recent development of resistance to the herbicide fluridone, and to discuss how this discovery might lead to a new generation of herbicide-resistant crops.     

Epidemiological pattern and risk factors associated with bovine viral-diarrhoea virus (BVDV) infection in a non-vaccinated dairy-cattle population from the Asturias region of Spain

A survey of bovine viral-diarrhoea virus (BVDV) infection was carried out in a non-vaccinated cattle population from the Asturias region of Spain in 1997 to assess seroprevalence and identify risk factors associated with infection. Twenty-eight herds were included; 529 cows were bled. Information regarding the herd and each animal sampled were recorded through a personal interview with the farmer. The true prevalence was estimated to be 21%. According to the antibody-age profiles and the herd-management characteristics, no persistently infected animals were suspected at that time within the herds sampled. Random-effects logistic regression found two major factors associated with seropositivity: age and cow origin. Results suggested that BVDV infection could be controlled in that area by livestock-trade control (without vaccines). In addition, an increasing risk of abortion was not observed when cows were seropositive to both BVDV and Neospora caninum infections.     

聚丙烯酰胺防治坡地水土流失田间试验研究

坡地篱用聚丙烯酰胺可以减少地表径流,提高土壤含水量,促进土壤沉降,增强土壤结构性和水稳性,因而提高了土壤的持水性和抗蚀性,减少了土壤侵蚀量和肥力流失量,有利于作物增产。施用聚丙烯酰胺可使产量增加１８．７％～３２．４％。施用聚丙烯酰胺对环境无不良影响,而且投入费用较低,是一条值得探索的防治坡地水土流失的新途径。     

On the Quantum Nature of the Shared Proton in Hydrogen Bonds

The relative influence of thermal and quantum fluctuations on the proton transfer properties of the charged water complexes H5O2+ and H3O2- was investigated with the use of ab initio techniques. These small systems can be considered as prototypical representatives of strong and intermediate-strength hydrogen bonds. The shared proton in the strongly hydrogen bonded H5O2+ behaved in an essentially classical manner, whereas in the H3O2- low-barrier hydrogen bond, quantum zero-point motion played a crucial role even at room temperature. This behavior can be traced back to a small difference in the oxygen-oxygen separation and hence to the strength of the hydrogen bond.     

Correlation of lycopene measured by HPLC with the L, a, b color readings of a hydroponic tomato and the relationship of maturity with color and lycopene content

Tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum cv. Laura) were separated, according to the ripening stage, by a sensory panel into seven groups, and color was measured on the tomato surface with a Minolta Chroma meter. The L, a, b, hue, chroma, and lycopene content were plotted against the maturity stages of the tomatoes, and several good correlations were found. The a/b ratio and the lycopene content were the parameters that allowed six of seven maturity groups in the tomato to be statistically distinguished. The lycopene content, measured by HPLC, was also correlated with the color measurements, and the a, a/b, and (a/b)(2) color factors produced the best regressions. An estimation of the lycopene content in tomatoes can be achieved by using a portable chroma meter, with a possible field usage application. Equations to calculate the lycopene content of tomatoes based on the color readings are reported.     

Estimation of phosphate adsorption by Acrisols of western Spain from electrical conductivity of potassium dihydrogen phosphate extracts of soil

Estimation of the phosphate adsorption capacity in highly weathered acid soils is crucial for adopting appropriate phosphate fertilization practices. In this work, the salt sorption effect was used to develop a method for estimating phosphate adsorption capacity from the decrease in electrical conductivity of a potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution brought in contact with acidic soil samples from surface and subsurface horizons of Acrisols. The method is fast and simple and requires only the use of a conductimeter.     

Isolation of amoebae of the genera Naegleria and Acanthamoeba from public fountains in Galicia (N.W. Spain)

Tests for free-living amoebae in water from 11 public fountains in Galicia were conducted at two seasons of the year, winter and summer. Only one fountain gave a negative result for the presence of amoebae in both samples. Twenty five strains were isolated, 14 belonging to the genus Acanthamoeba and 10 to the genus Naegleria. The Acanthamoeba strains were made up of the species A. polyphaga, A. quina, A. castellanii and A. paradivionensis. No relation was found between temperature, presence of free chlorine in the water and whether the water was drinkable and the presence or absence of amoebae, nor with the number of strains present in the water samples. The pathogenic capacity of the strains isolated from the genera Naegleria and Acanthamoeba was tested in vivo. It was found that of the 22 strains that would grow at 37 °C, 4 (3 strains of Acanthamoeba and 1 of Naegleria) caused the death of a statistically significant number of mice that had been inoculated intracerebrally, and the presence of amoebae was confirmed in the brains of all the animals inoculated. Intranasal inoculation caused less mice deaths than intracerebral inoculation, and less organs were found containing amoebae.     

Hg, Cu, Pb, Cd, and Zn Accumulation in Macrophytes Growing in Tropical Wetlands

The concentrations of Hg, Cu, Pb, Cd, and Zn accumulated by regional macrophytes were investigated in three tropical wetlands in Colombia. The studied wetlands presented different degrees of metal contamination. Cu and Zn presented the highest concentrations in sediment. Metal accumulation by plants differed among species, sites, and tissues. Metals accumulated in macrophytes were mostly accumulated in root tissues, suggesting an exclusion strategy for metal tolerance. An exception was Hg, which was accumulated mainly in leaves. The ranges of mean metal concentrations were 0.035?C0.953 mg g^?1 Hg, 6.5?C250.3 mg g^?1 Cu, 0.059?C0.245 mg g^?1 Pb, 0.004?C0.066 mg g^?1 Cd, and 31.8?363.1 mg g^?1 Zn in roots and 0.033?C0.888 mg g^?1 Hg, 2.2?C70.7 mg g^?1 Cu, 0.005?C0.086 mg g^?1 Pb, 0.001?C0.03 mg g^?1 Cd, and 12.6?C140.4 mg g^?1 Zn in leaves. The scarce correlations registered between metal concentration in sediment and plant tissues indicate that metal concentrations in plants depend on several factors rather than on sediment concentration only. However, when Cu and Zn sediment concentrations increased, these metal concentrations in tissues also increased in Eichhornia crassipes, Ludwigia helminthorriza, and Polygonum punctatum. These species could be proposed as Cu and Zn phytoremediators. Even though macrophytes are important metal accumulators in wetlands, sediment is the main metal compartment due to the fact that its total mass is greater than the corresponding plant biomass in a given area.     

Forage Quality of Plant Species Consumed by Capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) in the Paraná River Delta,Argentina

The capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) is a selective herbivore that may show a preference for certain plant species. Such a preference is likely to be explained by the nutritional benefits hypothesis, stating that the nutritional value of species selected by capybaras is higher than that of avoided ones. Therefore, the objectives of this work are to evaluate the nutritional value of the plant species eaten by capybaras in the Lower Delta of the Paraná River, and to test the nutritional benefits hypothesis by analyzing forage quality. Samples of consumed plant species were collected from habitats located in the study area. We also collected plant species that are very abundant in the field but absent in the capybara’s diet, some of which are consumed by other native herbivores such as coypus (Myocastor coypus). Their nutritional quality was analyzed by estimating the following variables: water content, ash percentage, percentage of organic matter, acid detergent fiber, nitrogen percentage, crude protein, and caloric energy. The protein to fiber ratio was calculated and the water content was determined. The species consumed and not consumed by capybaras had a similar nutritional composition for all the variables analyzed (P  <  0.05). A similar result was observed when comparing within consumed species, except for the caloric energy content, which was significantly higher in species consumed in greater proportion than availability (P  <  0.05). Water content was at its minimum in species consumed in greater proportion than availability, and at its maximum in unconsumed species. No significant differences were found between consumed Poaceae and the rest of the consumed plant species for any of the analyzed variables. Diet selection by capybaras in the studied area may only be partially related to nutritional quality, and there would be other factors involved in foraging, such as physiological mechanisms of the animal or chemical and structural characteristics of food.