Leaf chlorophyll content as a possible diagnostic mean for the evaluation of plant nitrogen uptake from the soil

The influence of temperature, irradiance, and soil humidity on the nitrogen (N) concentration in some organs, chlorophyll in the leaves, N uptake and accumulation of dry matter in plants of winter wheat was investigated. In the plants grown under equal initial N supplement but in contrasting conditions of the evironment, the correlation between concentration of total N and chlorophyll in the leaves was absent. No interrelationship was found between concentration of total N in the leaves and accumulation of N and dry matter in the whole plants. There is a close correlation between chlorophyll in the leaves, accumulation of total N, and dry matter of the whole plant. It was concluded that chlorophyll is a more stable informative parameter for the estimation of the N uptake from the soil under different growth conditions than leaf N concentration.     

Dispersal and tributary immigration by juvenile coho salmon contribute to spatial expansion during colonisation

Anadromous fishes are frequently restricted by artificial barriers to movement such as dams and culverts, so measuring dispersal helps identify sites where improved connectivity could promote range expansion and population viability. We used a combination of DNA‐based parentage analysis and mark–recapture techniques to evaluate dispersal by juvenile coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) in a population in the initial stages of colonisation following installation of fish passage structures at a previously impassable dam on the Cedar River, WA, USA. The spatial distribution of individuals within maternal families revealed that dispersal was common. Among the offspring of radio‐tagged mothers, 28% were collected outside the spawning reach and dispersed up to 6.3 km (median = 1.5 km). Most juveniles captured in a tributary (Rock Creek, where few adults spawned) had immigrated from the Cedar River and represented many different families. Juvenile dispersal therefore provided a secondary phase of spatial expansion following initial colonisation by adults. Consistent with the condition‐dependent dispersal hypothesis, juveniles that dispersed farther upstream in the tributary were larger than fish collected near the tributary mouth. Overall, the results demonstrated widespread dispersal in a system with low coho salmon densities, and this might increase the rate of population growth if it reduces the effects of local density dependence. By implication, juveniles can take advantage of rearing habitats reconnected through barrier removal, even when such areas are located several kilometres from adult breeding grounds.     

Effect of tillage and crop on arbuscular mycorrhiza colonization of winter wheat and triticale under Mediterranean conditions

Large‐scale inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) is generally impractical in most regions and we have little understanding of the factors that determine inoculation success. Nevertheless, the ability to take full advantage of indigenous AMF for sustainable production needs to be developed within cropping systems. We used part of a long‐term field experiment to understand the influence of tillage and the preceding crop on AMF colonization over the growing season. Arbuscular mycorrhiza colonization rate was more affected by treatment (tillage or the combination of crop and preceding crop) than by the total number of AMF spores in the soil. Conventional tillage (CT) had a statistically significant negative effect (P ≤ 0.05) on spore numbers isolated from the soil, but only in the first year of study. However, the AMF colonization rate was significantly reduced by CT, and the roots of wheat, Triticum aestivum, L, cv. Coa after sunflower, Helianthus annuus L., were less well colonized than were those of triticale, X Triticosecale Wittmack, cv. Alter after wheat, but the affect of tillage was more pronounced than was the effect of crop combination. Under no‐till there was a significant increase in AMF colonization rate throughout the sampling period in both wheat and triticale, indicating that the extraradical mycelium previously produced acted as a source of inoculum. In general, triticale showed greater AMF colonization than wheat, despite the preceding crop being less mycotrophic. Under these experimental conditions, typical of Mediterranean agricultural systems, AMF colonization responded more strongly to tillage practices than to the combination of crop and preceding crop.     

Polyarthritis in Hereford bulls associated with BVD-MD infection

A severe and persistent polyarthritis and synovitis occurred in a group of rising two-year-old Hereford bulls associated with a transient BVD-MD-like infection.     

Two cases of suspected Brucella abortus abortion in mares

Painful foot horn lesions of breeding sows fed rations of low biotin content responded to a biotin supplement, and a herd lameness problem was overcome.     

The toxic effect of massive doses of calciferol on dairy cows

Extract

Evidence that feeding massive doses, of calciferol prior to calving may be a useful method of preventing milk fever was obtained by Hibbs and co-workers (1950, 1951) at Ohio State University. The treatment causes a rise in serum calcium and if dosing is suitably timed the post-partum fall in serum calcium may be countered, thus making up for the presumed parathyroid failure which occurs at this lime and which is believed by many to be the underlying cause of milk fever.     

A comparison of the incidence of tuberculosis in forty-six town supply herds in the manawatu district in 1950–51 and 1951–52

Extract

The forty-six herds concerned were tuberculintested in 1950–51 under the provisions of the appropriate section of the Stock Amendment Act, 1945. The same herds were retested in the season 1951–52 at an interval of approximately one year from the date of the first test.     

Worm infestation after phenothiazine

Extract

Your readers may be interested in the rather unexpected results of a trial I carried out earlier this year.