Sources and seasonal dynamics of inoculum for brown spot disease of pear

The dynamics of the production of Stemphylium vesicarium conidia and Pleospora allii ascospores from different inoculum sources on the ground were compared in a model system of a wildflower meadow mainly composed of yellow foxtail, creeping cinquefoil and white clover. The meadow was either inoculated (each October) or not inoculated with a virulent strain of S. vesicarium, and either covered or not covered with a litter of inoculated pear leaves. Spore traps positioned a few centimetres above the ground were exposed for 170 7-day periods between October 2003 and December 2006. Ascospores and conidia were trapped in 46 and 25% of samples, respectively. Ascospore numbers trapped from the pear leaf litter were about five times higher than those from the meadow, while conidial numbers were similar from the different inoculum sources. The ascosporic season was very long, with two main trapping periods: December–April, and August–October; the former was most important for the leaf litter, the latter for the meadow. The conidial season lasted from April to November, with 92% of conidia caught between July and September. The fungus persistently colonized the meadow: the meadow inoculated in early October 2003 produced spores until autumn 2006. The present work demonstrates that orchard ground is an important source of inoculum for brown spot of pear. Thus, it is important to reduce inoculum by managing the orchard ground all year long.     

Estimating the germination dynamics of Plasmopara viticola oospores using hydro-thermal time

The effects of environmental conditions on the variability in germination dynamics of Plasmopara viticola oospores were studied from 1999 to 2003. The germination course was determined indirectly as the relative infection incidence (RII) occurring on grape leaf discs kept in contact with oospores sampled from a vineyard between March and July. The time elapsed between 1 January and the infection occurrence was expressed as physiological time, using four methods: (i) sums of daily temperatures > 8°C; (ii) hourly temperatures > 10°C; (iii) sums of hourly rates from a temperature-dependent function; or (iv) sums of these rates in hours with a rain or vapour pressure deficit ≤ 4·5 hPa (hydro-thermal time, HT). An equation of Gompertz in the form RII = exp[− a  · exp(− b  · HT)] produced an accurate fit for both separate years ( R ² = 0·97 to 0·99) and pooled data ( R ² = 0·89), as well as a good accuracy in cross-estimating new data ( r between observed and cross-estimated data were between 0·93 and 0·99, P  < 0·0001). It also accounted for a great part of the variability in oospore germination between years and both between and within sampling periods. Therefore, the equation of Gompertz (with a  = 15·9 ± 2·63 and b  = 0·653 ± 0·034) calculated over hydro-thermal time, a physiological time accounting for the effects of both temperature and moisture, produced a consistent modelling of the general relationships between the germination dynamics of a population of P. viticola oospores and weather conditions. It represents the relative density of the seasonal oospores that should have produced sporangia when they have experienced favourable conditions for germination.     

Large‐scale heterogeneous cattle grazing affects plant diversity and forage value of Alpine species‐rich Nardus pastures

In Europe, the decline in agriculture in traditional mountain farming areas has caused abandonment, or irregular grazing, of less accessible pastures. In the Italian Alps, we studied plant diversity, forage value and trophic traits in six large‐scale heterogeneously grazed Nardus pastures, in their central and peripheral parts, and across the montane, lower and upper subalpine zones. Seventy cover‐abundance floristic relevés were performed in randomly located permanent plots, half at the pasture edge (M‐plots) and half in their central part (C‐plots). Plant diversity varied significantly with respect to the distance from the edge, being higher in M‐plots because of shrub invasion as a consequence of reduced cattle pressure. Nardus cover was slightly higher in C‐plots and negatively related to plant diversity. Forage value was lower in M‐plots and negatively correlated with the cover of Nardus and woody species, implying that different grazing pressure was negatively influencing sward productivity. Differences in trophic traits of swards between C‐ and M‐plots existed mostly as trends. Forage value significantly decreased in the lower subalpine and montane pastures, which are further grazed in late summer. Heterogeneous grazing management was therefore exerting positive effects on plant diversity and negative effects on forage value. Results are discussed in the context of future management recommendations.     

COMPARISONS AMONG COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHIC FEATURES OF ADIPOSE MASSES IN DOGS AND CATS

A better understanding of the CT features of different forms of canine and feline adipose tumors would be valuable for improving patient management and treatment. The purpose of this retrospective, cross‐sectional study was to describe and compare the CT features of pathologically confirmed lipomas, infiltrative lipomas, and liposarcomas in a sample of canine and feline patients. A total of 50 animals (46 dogs, four cats) and a total of 60 lesions (23 lipomas, 20 infiltrative lipomas, and 17 liposarcomas) were included in the study. Lipomas appeared as round to oval‐shaped (n = 21), well‐marginated (n = 20) fat‐attenuating lesions. Infiltrative lipomas appeared as homogeneous, fat‐attenuating masses but, unlike lipomas, they were most commonly characterized by an irregular shape (75%; P < 0.001), and linear components, hyperattenuating relative to the surrounding fat (100%; P < 0.05). Liposarcomas were represented exclusively by heterogeneous lesions with soft tissue attenuating components with a multinodular appearance (76.5%; P < 0.05). Regional lymphadenopathy (n = 10) and amorphous mineralization (n = 4) were also observed in association with liposarcomas. Computed tomography can provide useful information regarding disease location, extent, and involvement of the adjacent structures. Tumor definition and shape were the most useful parameters to differentiate between lipomas and infiltrative lipomas. The presence of a heterogeneous mass, with a multinodular soft tissue component and associated regional lymphadenopathy and mineralization, were features favoring a diagnosis of liposarcoma.     

The EFSA quantitative approach to pest risk assessment – methodological aspects and case studies

A new method for pest risk assessment and the identification and evaluation of risk‐reducing options is currently under development by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) Plant Health Panel. The draft method has been tested on pests of concern to the European Union (EU). The method is adaptable and can focus either on all the steps and sub‐steps of the assessment process or on specific parts if necessary. It is based on assessing changes in pest population abundance as the major driver of the impact on cultivated plants and on the environment. Like other pest risk assessment systems the method asks questions about the likelihood and magnitude of factors that contribute to risk. Responses can be based on data or expert judgment. Crucially, the approach is quantitative, and it captures uncertainty through the provision by risk assessors of quantile estimates of the probability distributions for the assessed variables and parameters. The assessment is based on comparisons between different scenarios, and the method integrates risk‐reducing options where they apply to a scenario, for example current regulation against a scenario where risk‐reducing options are not applied. A strategy has been developed to communicate the results of the risk assessment in a clear, comparable and transparent way, with the aim of providing the requestor of the risk assessment with a useful answer to the question(s) posed to the EFSA Plant Health Panel. The method has been applied to four case studies, two fungi, Ceratocystis platani and Cryphonectria parasitica, the nematode Ditylenchus destructor and the Grapevine flavescence dorée phytoplasma. Selected results from these case studies illustrate the types of output that the method can deliver.     

Control of brown spot of pear by reducing the overwintering inoculum through sanitation

Stemphylium vesicarium, the causal agent of brown spot of pear, overwinters in the leaf residues of pear and herbaceous plants of the orchard floor. Pseudothecia of the teleomorph, Pleospora allii, are formed on these residues where they produce ascospores. New methods were tested aimed at reducing this overwintering inoculum and increasing the efficacy of control of brown spot of pear. Sanitation methods were evaluated in nine trials in Girona (Spain) and Ferrara (Italy) over a 4-year period. The sanitation methods were leaf litter removal in December to February, and application of biological control agents (commercial formulates of Trichoderma spp.) to the orchard ground cover from February to May. Fungicides were also applied to the trees during the pear-growing season, scheduled according to the BSPcast model. The different methods were tested as stand-alone applications or in combination. All methods consistently reduced the disease incidence at harvest on fruit with an efficacy between 30 to 60% for leaf litter removal and more than 60% for the combination of leaf litter removal and biological control. Efficacy of sanitation alone (leaf litter removal and biological control) in reducing the brown spot level on fruit was similar in most of the trials to the efficacy obtained when fungicides were applied alone. However, integration of sanitation methods and fungicides did not improve the efficacy of disease control over the level provided by fungicides alone.     

Genetic structuring among populations of the great egret,Ardea alba egretta,in major Brazilian wetlands

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Combining sanitation and disease modelling for control of grapevine powdery mildew

Chasmothecia of Erysiphe necator form in one season, survive winter and discharge ascospores that cause primary infections and trigger powdery mildew epidemics in the next season. A strategy for powdery mildew control was developed based on (i) the reduction in overwintering chasmothecia and on (ii) spring fungicide applications to control ascosporic infections timed based on estimate risk (two to five sprays per season). Several fungicides, the hyperparasite Ampelomyces quisqualis, and a mineral oil product were first tested as separate applications in a greenhouse and in vineyards. In the greenhouse, A. quisqualis suppressed chasmothecia formation by 41 %; fungicides and mineral oil suppressed chasmothecia formation by 63 % and ascospore viability by 71 %. In vineyards, application of boscalid + kresoxim-methyl or meptyldinocap once after harvest, as well as application of A. quisqualis pre- and post-harvest, delayed disease onset and epidemic development in the following season by 1 to 3 weeks and lowered disease severity (up to the pea-sized berry stage) by 56 to 63 %. Risk-based applications of sulphur and of synthetic fungicides provided the same control as the grower spray program but required fewer applications (average reduction of 47 %). Sanitation strategies were then tested by combining products and application times (late-season, and/or pre-bud break, and/or spring). Adequate disease control with a reduced number of sprays was achieved with the following combination: two applications of A. quisqualis (pre- and post-harvest), one application of mineral oil before bud break, and model-based applications of sulphur fungicides between bud break and fruit set.