Australian Oryza: Utility and Conservation

Australian Oryza are an understudied and underexploited genetic resource for rice improvement. Four species are indigenous: Oryza rufipogon, Oryza meridionalis, Oryza australiensis are widespread across northern Australia, whereas Oryza officinalis is known from two localities only. Molecular analysis of these wild populations is required to better define the distinctness of the taxa and the extent of any gene flow between them and rice. Limited collections of these wild populations are held in seed and DNA banks. These species have potential for domestication in some cases but also have many traits of potential value in the improvement of domesticated rice. Stress tolerance (biotic and abiotic) and grain quality characteristics in these populations may be useful.     

The interaction of Cytolin and NAA on cropping red ‘Delicious’ apple

A trial, at Spreyton in north-western Tasmania, studied the effects of Cytolin and NAA sprays on the thinning and shape of ‘Delicious’ apples. Untreated control and hand thinned trees were compared with trees treated with Cytolin or NAA alone, or in combination. Cytolin was applied at 25 mg 1~‘ at the king petal (KP) stage. NAA was applied at 8 mg I“1 at full bloom (FB) and 7,10, or 15 days after full bloom (AFB). Cytolin alone had no effect on thinning, fruit weight or on pip numbers but it did improve fruit shape. The combination of cytolin and NAA at FB overthinned. Cytolin and NAA combinations applied at all times after FB significantly decreased both mean fruit weight and pip numbers and reduced the percentage of fruit > 70 mm. All Cytolin-NAA combinations and the NAA treatments applied at 10 and 15 days AFB resulted in unacceptably high percentages of apples < 45 mm in diameter (pygmy fruit). It is recommended that Cytolin and NAA should not be used in the same spray programme. NAA alone is a most effective thinner at FB or seven days AFB.     

Changes in the competence of Quercus robur ‘Fastigiata’ to grow in vitro as affected by seedling rootstocks and differential pruning

Three physiologically distinct forms of the same genotype of Quercus robur ‘Fastigiata’, all derived from adult budwood, were identified following the growth of severely-pruned hedge plants grafted onto juvenile seedling rootstocks. Only explants from the form displaying the juvenile-like characteristic of over-winter leaf retention were capable of establishing sustainable cultures in vitro, although growth was not as rapid as those from a two year old seedling source. Pruning to release correlative inhibition of buds low on the scion framework produced vigorous shoot growth, but explants from these failed to show sustained growth in vitro. Withholding light from stockplants reduced excessive phenolic oxidation in explants taken from flushing unripe shoots, however, despite a beneficial effect on culture initiation, later growth was dependent upon the juvenile- or adult-like physiology of the original explant. A new medium was devised for this subject, which in addition to promoting growth generally, also stimulated the flushing of shoot apices. The relevance to in vitro culture of expression of juvenile habit in the stockplant is discussed.     

Inter- and Intra-specific Differences in the Response of Chinese Leafy Vegetables to Ozone

The response to ozone (O₃) of a range of Chinese leafy vegetables was investigated with respect to both inter- and intra-specific differences in sensitivity. In the interspecific experiment local Chinese cultivars of pak choi, rape, leaf mustard, leaf lettuce and coriander were fumigated with 90?ppb O₃ for 9?h daily for 22?C30?days. A similar fumigation was carried out using four different cultivars of pak choi. Sequential measurements were made of leaf injury, photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance and chlorophyll fluorescence, together with dry weights at a final harvest. O₃ injury appeared as white or yellow blemishes on the leaf surface of all species. The first signs of injury were seen following only 3-days?? O₃ exposure (pak choi); the extent of injured leaf area increased over time for all species and cultivars, with 44.6% of the leaf area visibly injured for leaf mustard, the species with the greatest extent of injury, following 30-days?? exposure. Significant reductions in photosynthetic rate (22.7?C40.7%) and stomatal conductance (19.1?C33.1%) were found for all species and cultivars following O₃ exposure. Plant productivity was also reduced in O₃ compared to filtered air, with significant yield reductions for all species (11.1?C50.8% above-ground dry weight) as well as for all cultivars of pak choi (15.8?C28.1% above-ground dry weight). The mechanisms for observed impacts are discussed, together with the implications for current and future production of vegetables in the southern China province of Guangdong.     

Large granular lymphocytosis in a cynomolgus macaque (Macaca fascicularis) with a subclinical Trypanosoma cruzi infection

A 5.25-year-old cynomolgus macaque (Macaca fascicularis) was found to have a marked leukocytosis due to a lymphocytosis on routine quarantine laboratory data prior to inclusion in a preclinical research study. The majority of lymphocytes were characterized as intermediate to large with round to convoluted nuclei, coarse to clumped chromatin, rare prominent nucleoli, and moderate amounts of lightly basophilic cytoplasm that frequently contained small magenta granules and/or clear vacuoles. The animal had tested negative for several viruses and other etiologic agents found in nonhuman primates 1 week prior to shipment to the research facility. However, further evaluation of the blood smear revealed rare hemoflagellates, and later testing using real-time PCR and ELISA was confirmatory for Trypanosoma cruzi (T cruzi). Trypanosoma cruzi is a zoonotic pathogen responsible for Chagas disease in people and can have negative consequences on study results when positive animals are inadvertently used for preclinical research. This case report describes a marked large granular lymphocytosis in an otherwise healthy macaque as the only indication of infection with T cruzi in an animal believed to be negative for the infection. Additionally, it highlights the diagnostic limitations of screening tests to rule out diseases in animals intended to be used in preclinical studies.     

Multicenter case-control study of risk factors associated with development of vaccine-associated sarcomas in cats

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether particular vaccine brands, other injectable medications, customary vaccination practices, or various host factors were associated with the formation of vaccine-associated sarcomas in cats. DESIGN: Prospective multicenter case-control study. ANIMALS: Cats in the United States and Canada with soft tissue sarcomas or basal cell tumors. PROCEDURE: Veterinarians submitting biopsy specimens from cats with a confirmed diagnosis of soft tissue sarcoma or basal cell tumor were contacted for patient medical history. Time window statistical analyses were used in conjunction with various assumptions about case definitions. RESULTS: No single vaccine brand or manufacturer within antigen class was found to be associated with sarcoma formation. Factors related to vaccine administration were also not associated with sarcoma development, with the possible exception of vaccine temperature prior to injection. Two injectable medications (long-acting penicillin and methyl prednisolone acetate) were administered to case cats more frequently than to control cats. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Findings do not support the hypotheses that specific brands or types of vaccine within antigen class, vaccine practices such as reuse of syringes, concomitant viral infection, history of trauma, or residence either increase or decrease the risk of vaccine-associated sarcoma formation in cats. There was evidence to suggest that certain long-acting injectable medications may also be associated with sarcoma formation.     

Identifying the optimum thinning time for red ‘Fuji’ apples

Two trials assessed the relationship between time of spray application and the effectiveness of naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) or ethephon on thinning of red ‘Fuji’ apples. In particular the effectiveness of sprays at, before, or just after full bloom (FB) were assessed. Both NAA and ethephon were effective thinners at FB. The thinners differed in efficacy with time; NAA was less effective before and after FB, ethephon was efficient before FB but this thinning power declined over time linearly, becoming ineffective 5-6 d after full bloom (DAFB) Thinning effectiveness was reflected in improved mean fruit weight and size. With NAA, increasing the concentration from 10 to 20 mg P1 did not improve fruit thinning. Whereas NAA sprays 5-10 DAFB reduced pip numbers to fewer than the controls, ethephon sprays did not result in such large reductions. It was concluded that the most effective time to thin red ‘Fuji’ was at or near FB. This recommendation is firm for ethephon but further clarification is needed for NAA. This conclusion supports some work for other cultivars. However, the problem of the preoccupation with fruit set by many orchardists in countries with climates cooler than Australia is recognized as a continuing problem for the recommendation for such general early use of thinners.     

Food and nutrient availability in New Zealand: an analysis of supermarket sales data

OBJECTIVE: To examine food and nutrient availability in New Zealand using supermarket sales data in conjunction with a brand-specific supermarket food composition database (SFD). DESIGN: The SFD was developed by selecting the top-selling supermarket food products and linking them to food composition data from a variety of sources, before merging with individualised sales data. Supermarket food and nutrient data were then compared with data from national nutrition and household budget/economic surveys. SETTING: A supermarket in Wellington, New Zealand. SUBJECTS: Eight hundred and eighty-two customers (73% female; mean age 38 years) who shopped regularly at the participating supermarket store and for whom electronic sales data were available for the period February 2004-January 2005. RESULTS: Top-selling supermarket food products included full-fat milk, white bread, sugary soft drinks and butter. Key food sources of macronutrients were similar between the supermarket sales database and national nutrition surveys. For example, bread was the major source of energy and contributed 12-13% of energy in all three data sources. Proportional expenditure on fruit, vegetables, meat, poultry, fish, farm products and oils, and cereal products recorded in the Household Economic Survey and supermarket sales data were within 2% of each other. CONCLUSIONS: Electronic supermarket sales data can be used to evaluate a number of important aspects of food and nutrient availability. Many of our findings were broadly comparable with national nutrition and food expenditure survey data, and supermarket sales have the advantage of being an objective, convenient, up-to-date and cost-effective measure of household food purchases.