Modelling Biomass Accumulation and Partitioning in Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

Quantitative information regarding biomass accumulation and partitioning in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is limited or inconclusive. The objective of this study was to obtain baseline values for extinction coefficient (K_S), radiation use efficiency (RUE, g MJ^?1) and biomass partitioning coefficients of chickpea crops grown under well‐watered conditions. The stability of these parameters during the crop life cycle and under different environmental and growth conditions, caused by season and sowing date and density, were also evaluated. Two field experiments, each with three sowing dates and four plant densities, were conducted during 2002–2004. Crop leaf area index, light interception and crop biomass were measured between emergence and maturity. A K_S value of 0.5 was obtained. An average RUE of 1 g MJ^?1 was obtained. Plant density had no effect on RUE, but some effects of temperature were detected. There was no effect of solar radiation or vapour pressure deficit on RUE when RUE values were corrected for the effect of temperature. RUE was constant during the whole crop cycle. A biphasic pattern was found for biomass partitioning between leaves and stems before first‐seed stage. At lower levels of total dry matter, 54 % of biomass produced was allocated to leaves, but at higher levels of total dry matter, i.e. under favourable and prolonged conditions for vegetative growth, this portion decreased to 28 %. During the period from first‐pod to first‐seed, 60 % of biomass produced went to stems, 27 % to pods and 13 % to leaves. During the period from first‐seed to maturity, 83 % of biomass was partitioned to pods. It was concluded that using fixed partitioning coefficients after first‐seed are not as effective as they are before this stage. Environmental conditions (temperature and solar radiation) and plant density did not affect partitioning of biomass.     

Assessment of the hip reduction angle for predicting osteoarthritis of the hip in the Labrador Retriever

Hip palpation has been used to provide semiquantitative information regarding passive joint laxity and susceptibility to hip dysplasia. The purpose of this study was to: (1) evaluate the intra- and inter-examiner repeatability of the hip reduction angle measured at 4 months of age by three examiners using manual goniometry and an electromagnetic tracking system; (2) compare the hip reduction angle measured with manual goniometry to the hip reduction angle measured with the electromagnetic tracking system; and (3) evaluate the hip reduction angle, distraction index and Ortolani manoeuvre at 4 months of age as predictors of the development of hip osteoarthritis at 12 months of age in 11 Labrador Retriever dogs. Intra- and inter-examiner repeatability was demonstrated for both the manual and electromagnetic goniometric measurement of the hip reduction angle (coefficient of variation < 4.3% and < 6.1%; and P = 0.163 and P = 0.836 respectively). The hip reduction angle measured by manual goniometry was moderately correlated to the hip reduction angle measured by the electromagnetic tracking system (r = 0.603, P < 0.0000). The hip reduction angle measured by manual and electromagnetic goniometry was a poor predictor of osteoarthritis at 12 months of age (r = 0.231, P < 0.062, and r = 0.321, P < 0.01). The distraction index was moderately correlated with the development of osteoarthritis by 12 months of age (r = 0.493, P < 0.0000). The Ortolani sign was sensitive (100%) but not specific (41%) for the development of osteoarthritis at 12 months of age. The hip reduction angle did not further quantify the Ortolani manoeuvre as a predictor of osteoarthritis in Labrador Retrievers.     

Blood, Bull Terriers and Babesiosis: further evidence for direct transmission of Babesia gibsoni in dogs

This study reports on the epidemiology of Babesia gibsoni in American Pit Bull Terriers living in a region of western Victoria in southern Australia. Both American Pit Bull Terriers (n = 100) and other dog breeds (n = 51) were screened for B gibsoni using immunofluorescent antibody testing (IFAT) and/or polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). A questionnaire was also completed by each dog owner, ascertaining the husbandry and habits of the dogs sampled. Fourteen dogs were positive for B gibsoni using IFAT and/or PCR-RFLP and all were American Pit Bull Terriers. Dogs that were male and/or had been bitten by or were biters of other American Pit Bull Terriers were more likely to be B gibsoni positive, thus suggesting that blood-to-blood transmission contributes to the spread of this disease between dogs.     

Carbohydrate composition in relation to structural stability, compactibility and plasticity of two soils in a long-term experiment

The effects of tillage on soil organic carbon content, carbohydrate content, monosaccharide composition, aggregate stability, compactibility and plasticity were investigated in a field experiment on a gleysol and on a cambisol under winter barley in South-East Scotland. Two long-term treatments (direct drilling and conventional mouldboard ploughing for 22 years) were compared with short-term direct drilling and broadcast sowing plus rotavation for 5 years. Carbohydrate released sequentially to cold water, hot water, 1.0 M HCl and 0.5 M NaOH was determined after hydrolysis as reducing sugar equivalent to glucose in both fresh and air-dried samples. All other measurements were made on dry soils only. About 3% of the soluble carbohydrate was extracted by cold water, 10% by hot water, 12% by HCl and 75% by NaOH from both the dry and fresh soils. The total reducing sugars of the fractions were proportional to the total organic carbon determined by dichromate oxidation or C analysis. Organic carbon and carbohydrates were concentrated near the surface of the direct drilled soil, but were more uniformly distributed with depth in the ploughed soil. The surface soil under direct drilling was more stable, less compactible and had greater plasticity limits than under ploughing. However, particle size distributions were unaffected by tillage so that differences in soil properties were attributed to differences in the quantity and quality of organic matter. Differences in compactibility, structural stability and plasticity limits between depths and tillage treatments correlated with total carbon and with total carbohydrates. The hot water extractable carbohydrate fraction correlated best with aggregate stability and the NaOH fraction correlated best with compactibility and plastic limit. Both fractions were greatest in the long-term direct drilled soil. The hot water fraction had a galactose plus mannose over arabinose plus xylose ratio of 1.0–1.6 in comparison to 0.4–0.7 in the NaOH fraction indicating that the microbial contribution within the hot water-soluble fraction was the greater. The hot-water fraction was likely to contain more exocellular microbial polysaccharides involved in the stabilizing of soil aggregates. The hot-water and NaOH carbohydrate fractions may be good indicators of soil organic matter quality relevant to the preservation of good soil physical conditions.     

Pyrolysis-gas chromatography studies on a climosequence of soils in tussock grasslands,New Zealand

The nature of the organic matter in the A horizons of seven New Zealand soils in tussock grasslands has been shown by pyrolysis-gas chromatography of the whole soils to be strongly influenced by climate. A ratio relating the a abundances of four pyrolysis products varies systematically from 1.20 for a brown-grey earth to 3.82 for a high-country podzolized yellow-brown earth, and shown significant correlations with altitude, precipitation, and mean annual temperature; this is in accord with the concept of the seven soils forming members of a climosequence. Similarities with the mull/mor humus sequence in Scottish soils are also noted.     

Some genetic characteristics of the freely drained soils of the ettrick association in East Scotland

This paper describes the interrelated characteristics of the freely drained soil series of the Ettrick Association. These soils are extensively developed in the Southern Uplands of Scotland on glacial drift derived from greywacke.At the present day the soils of the Linhope series are acid brown soils whereas the Minchmoor and Dod series include podzols and peaty podzols. Subalpine podzols and alpine soils are included within the Merrick series. It is concluded that the soils of the Linhope, Minchmoor and Dod series were all formerly brown forest soils under deciduous woodland. They have evolved to their present status after forest clearance which gathered momentum after the widespread establishment of monastic institutions in Scotland in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries A.D. The evolutionary outline of profile development is described and discussed.     

Hybridisation in kiwi (Apteryx; Apterygidae) requires taxonomic revision for the Great Spotted Kiwi

Background: Kiwi (Apteryx spp.) are flightless ratites from New Zealand whose numbers and distributions have declined following human arrival. Some of the kiwi ...     

Two anatomic resources of canine pelvic limb muscles based on CT and MRI

Advances in magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and three-dimensional (3D) modeling software provide the tools necessary to create sophisticated, interactive anatomic resources that can assist in the interpretation of MR images of extremities, and learning the structure and function of limb musculature. Modeling provides advantages over dissection or consultation of print atlases because of the associated speed, flexibility, 3D nature, and elimination of superimposed arrows and labels. Our goals were to create a diagnostic atlas of pelvic limb muscles that will facilitate interpretation of MR images of patients with muscle injury and to create a 3D model of the canine pelvic limb musculature to facilitate anatomic learning. To create these resources, we used structural segmentation of MR images, a process that groups image pixels into anatomically meaningful regions. The Diagnostic Atlas is an interactive, multiplanar, web-based MR atlas of the canine pelvic limb musculature that was created by manually segmenting clinically analogous MR sequences. Higher resolution volumetric MR and computed tomography (CT) data were segmented into separately labeled volumes of data and then transformed into a multilayered 3D computer model. The 3D Model serves as a resource for students of gross anatomy, encouraging integrative learning with its highly interactive and selective display capabilities. For clinicians, the 3D Model also serves to bridge the gap between topographic and tomographic anatomy, displaying both formats alongside, or even superimposed over each other. Both projects are hosted on an open-access website, http://3dvetanatomy.ncsu.edu/