ULTRASONOGRAPHIC AND CLINICOPATHOLOGIC FINDINGS IN 21 DOGS WITH INTESTINAL ADENOCARCINOMA

In a retrospective study of 21 dogs with intestinal adenocarcinoma, the signalment, clinical presentation, laboratory findings, ultrasonographic features, treatment, and outcome were reviewed. Anorexia (n = 16), vomiting (n = 15), diarrhea (n = 10), and weight loss (n = 9) were the most common clinical signs reported. Ultrasonographic features that were evaluated included location, length, wall thickness, echogenicity, regional motility, layering, regional lymphadenopathy, and fluid accumulation proximal to the lesion site. All lesions were transmural and associated with complete loss of wall layering. Maximum wall thickening at the lesion site ranged from 7 to 17 mm (median 12 mm, mean 11.9 mm). Most of the dogs had a lesion measuring from 23 to 63 mm in length, (median 40 mm, mean 42 mm). Most intestinal lesions were poorly echogenic and had an irregular lumen. Fluid accumulation proximal to the lesion site was identified in 17 of 21 dogs, and in 13 of 17 dogs the fluid accumulation was considered moderate to severe. Regional lymphadenopathy and/or nodular mesentery/omentum were noted in 12 of 21 dogs. The tumor was located in small intestine for 15 dogs and in the colon for the remaining 6 dogs. Fifteen dogs were treated by surgical resection of the intestinal mass. Their median survival time was 233 days. Only gender appeared to influence survival. Female dogs lived a median of 28 days, whereas male dogs lived a median of 272 days.     

Partial Carpal Arthrodesis for Third Degree Carpal Sprains: A Review of 45 Carpi

The efficacy of partial carpal arthrodesis was evaluated retrospectively in 39 dogs (45 carpi) with severe sprains of the middle carpal joints, the carpometacarpal joints, or both. The carpometacarpal joint was the most frequently injured joint. Jumping or falling from heights was the cause of injury in 49% of these animals. Of the 25 owners who responded to a mailed questionnaire (mean follow-up, 32 months), all stated their animal had improved or greatly improved after partial carpal arthrodesis and all were pleased or very pleased with the final surgical result. Hyperextension persisted in 11% of the cases and degenerative joint disease of the antebrachiocarpal joint was present in 15.5% of the cases. No dogs with partial carpal arthrodesis required panarthrodesis at a later date.     

Yield, yield components and plant architecture in the F3 generation of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) derived from a cross between the determinate cultivar ‘Prelude’ and an indeterminate landrace

Growth trials were conducted outdoors in the UK to determine the yield, yield components and plant architectural differences between determinate and indeterminate Phaseolus vulgaris bean plants. F3 lines derived from crosses between ‘Prelude’, a determinate cultivar and ‘V8’, an indeterminate landrace, were grown together with the parents and ‘Carioca’, an indeterminate landrace from Brazil. Data were recorded on flowering date, number of nodes on main stem at flowering, plant height at maturity, number of pods/plant, number of seeds/pod, number of seeds/plant, 100-seed weight, seed mass/plant, percentages of diseased and healthy seeds/plant. Determinate F3 lines had significantly lower (P < 0.05) seed mass/plant, fewer pods/plant, fewer seeds/pod, fewer seeds/plant, lower harvest index, shorter stems, earlier date of flowering, fewer nodes at flowering and fewer healthy seeds/plant than indeterminate F3 lines. However, determinate genotypes had significantly larger (P < 0.05) pods to accommodate their larger seeds compared with indeterminate lines. A similar situation was found when the yield and yield components of ‘V8’, ‘Prelude’ and ‘Carioca’ were evaluated; the highest seed mass/plant was given by ‘V8’ and the lowest by ‘Prelude’. Furthermore, some indeterminate genotypes with Type IV growth habit yielded significantly higher (P < 0.05) than the high-yielding parent, ‘V8’, indicating a positive influence on seed yield by crossing different genotypes.     

Screening techniques and sources of resistance to root diseases in cool season food legumes

Summary Soil-borne fungal diseases are among the most important factors, limiting the yield of grain legumes in many countries worldwide. Root rot, caused by Aphanomyces euteiches, Rhizoctonia solani, Fusarium solani and wilt, caused by several formae speciales of Fusarium oxysporum are the most destructive soil-borne diseases of pea, chickpea, lentil, fababean and lupin. The most effective control of these diseases is achieved through the use of resistant varieties. In this paper, recent advances in conventional and innovative screening methods for disease resistance are presented. Many grain legume accessions, which are maintained in national and international germplasm collections, have been evaluated for disease resistance and numerous resistant varieties have been released following incorporation of identified resistance genes from these sources. Recent identification of molecular markers tightly linked to resistance genes has greatly enhanced breeding programs by making marker assisted selection (MAS) possible and allowing the development of varieties with multiple disease resistance. Progress in the understanding of the biology of soil-borne fungal pathogens of grain legumes is also reviewed with particular reference to the genetic structure of their populations, diagnosis and host–pathogen interaction.     

Phenotypic variation within a Hungarian landrace of runner bean (Phaseolus coccineus L.)

Summary A landrace seed lot of runner bean (Phaseolus coccineus L.), obtained from the Budapest region, Hungary, was separated into five seed groups according to seed coat colour. 131 plants were grown randomly, and observed for 27 morphological and physiological characters. The collected data were analysed by ANOVA.Numerical taxonomy of the data employed Principal Components Analysis to generate scatter diagrams and Cluster Analysis to generate dendrograms, both before and after removing data on the four anthocyanin colour characters (seed coat, calyx, stem and flower colour) as these characters are probably controlled by a single major gene. The progenies from the five distinct parental seed groups showed much overlap in characteristics, indicating that they were not distinct lines but comprised a largely panmictic population.Some character associations were detected: plants from white seeds matured significantly later than those from black seeds, plants from white seeds with a few dark spots produced seeds significantly heavier than average, whereas those from white or black seeds produced significantly lighter seeds, although the average seed yield per plant did not differ significatly.     

Evaluation of several selection procedures for predicting yield performance of progenies in two populations of cotton (Gossypium barbadense L.)

Average, combined and specific indices involving lint yield and its components “seeds per boll” and “lint per seed” were computed for two populations of cotton (Gossypium barbadense) evaluated in two seasons. All indices were constructed to maximize advance in “lint yield”. Indices were evaluated as to their usefulness in identifying high yielding genotypes. Within the limits of this experiment it was shown that:

1. 1.
   Specific indices were superior to yield as criteria for selection in both predicted and actual gains.     

Genetics of resistance to 3 isolates of Ascochyta fabae on Faba bean (Vicia faba L.) in controlled conditions

Summary Genetics of resistance to Ascochyta fabae Speg. in Vicia faba L. was studied with a final objective to develop resistant faba bean varieties to Ascochyta blight. The study was conducted separately on 3 single spore isolates (AF10-2 and AF13-2 from Tunisia and AF4-3 from France) and belonging to different groups of virulence (GV1 and GV2). Important general combining ability (GCA) effects were found especially with isolates AF10-2 and AF4-3. Specific combining ability (SCA), although significant for the 3 isolates, was important only with AF13 -2, but less important than GCA. Additive gene effects were predominant to non-additive effects. Lines 29H and A8817 transmitted to their progenies resistance to the 3 isolates, whereas 14–12 and 19TB conferred resistance to their progenies only with isolates AF13-2 and AF4-3, respectively. In the material studied, resistance was generally controlled by dominant genes but also could be attributed to recessive genes although less frequent. Analysis of segregation in the F2 of 2 crosses between the resistant lines (A8817 and 29H) and the susceptible line (14–12) with isolate AF4-3 revealed dominant monogenic control at the level of leaves in the 2 resistant lines and, in addition, a recessive gene controlling resistance of stems. Non-allelic interactions were occasionally manifested and their origin appeared to be due to line 19TB. A recurrent selection scheme was proposed with the objective to develop improved open-pollination populations and synthetic varieties responding to the objective of the national Tunisian research programme on faba bean.