The use of separate root and shoot tests in the screening of herbicides for strawberries

The tolerance of strawberries to herbicides was tested by applications to the roots of plants growing in sand and by foliage applications to plants grown in compost, and compared with tolerance in the field. Dimefuron was safe as a foliar application but much more toxic than simazine when applied in sand or in the field. Metamitron caused slight injury as a foliar spray; in sand and in the field it was intermediate in toxicity between simazine and lenacil. At normal rates propachlor was safe as a foliar spray and much safer than lenacil when applied in sand. High rates had no adverse effect in the field. Ethofumesate and pendimethalin caused some temporary stunting when applied to foliage, but were less toxic than lenacil when applied to roots in sand. Field applications of both herbicides at 1–1.5 kg/ha were safe. Foliage sprays of bentazone, oxadiazon and oxyfluorfen severely damaged the sprayed leaves, but these herbicides were less active than lenacil when applied to the roots. In the field they caused severe leaf damage, but by the end of the growing season the plants had recovered. The experiments demonstrated the value of separate root and shoot activity tests for indicating which herbicides merit further field testing.     

Effect of fertilizers on Taenia saginata Goeze, 1782 egg viability in vitro

The effect of seven fertilizers on the viability of Taenia saginata eggs was tested in vitro. The most destructive effect was produced by lime-nitrogen, in which the eggs survived only for 24 hours in the substance and for two days in a saturated solution. In the limestone the eggs survived for three days.     

Immunocompetent cells of the turkey: age and organ distribution patterns of T and B lymphoid cells.

The percentage of lymphoid cells from the bursa of Fabricius, thymus, spleen, peripheral blood, and cecal tonsils reactin with chicken antisera to turkey bursa and thymus were evaluated, using 1-day-old to 5-week-old turkeys. For this, rabbit anti-chicken globulin fluorescein isothiocyanate conjugate was used. The percentage of lymphoid cells showing immunoglobulin surface determinants from these organs also was examined, using a direct immunofluorescence test with a rabbit anti-turkey globulin fluorescein isothiocyanate conjugate. This study suggests that the bursa-specific antigen and immunoglobulin surface determinants could be used as markers for bursa-derived cells in the turkey. It also was found that thymus-specific antigen could be used as a marker for thymus-derived cells.     

Lumbar spondylectomy in the subhuman primate.

Removal of the 2nd or 3rd lumbar vertebrae (or both) has been accomplished in the subhuman primate (Macaca mulatta). Variations between this animal and the dog in posture, vertebral column anatomy, and spinal cord blood supply made no apparent difference in the results when compared with those in previous experiments. All macaques were able to clinb and to use their hind legs in a normal manner within 3 days after surgical operation. Once hair had regrown over the surgical incision, persons not familiar with the animals were not able to identify the animals that had undergone surgical operation. If a single vertebra was removed, use of spinous process and a single vertebral body plate was sufficient to stabilize the vertebral column. Except for 1 rhesus macaque whose spinous process plates were removed 20 days after the operation, vertebral columns of macaques (n = 3) that underwent single spondylectomy healed in nearly normal alignment. With the removal of 2 lumbar vertebrae, the previously described stabilization procedure was not sufficient to prevent kyphotic deformity of the vertebral column. Spinous process plates from 1 macaque were removed after 64 days. However, all these macaques (n = 3) could climb and use their legs as well as others in the colony.     

An investigation into the basic virus-antibody neutralization reaction, with special regard to the reaction in the constant-virus/varying-serum neutralization test.

A study of the basic reaction in neutralization of virus (V) by virus-neutralizing antibody (VNA) was performed with infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus and serum collected from naturally and experimentally infected cattle after the primary immunization phase. In constant-virus/varying-serum neutralization tests a direct proportionality between VNA titer and length of preincubation was observed and found to be in accordance with basic laws of neutralization. A deviation from this direct proportionality, which was partly attributed to the presence of a dissociable V-VNA complex, was seen with relatively short preincubation. Expressing a relationship between VNA titer, length of preincubation, and virus dose under conditions where a dissociable V-VNA complex can be ignored, a log. VNA/log. V equivalence factor of neutralization was introduced. A linear relationship was found between VNA titer, taken logarithmically, and preincubation temperature. A rise in temperature by 10°C gave an increase in VNA titer of approx. 1.2 in log₂. Formulae are presented for the neutralization rate factor corrected for a demonstrated invalidity of the percentage law, and for the relation between the neutralization rate factor and VNA titer. It is concluded that the results presented have elucidated the possibilities of improving the sensitivity of neutralization tests.     

The redox potential of growing cultures of Streptococcus bovis Orla-Jensen compared with other facultative anaerobes.

The changes of redox potential were measured in growing cultures of three strains of Streptococcus bovis, together with three strains of Staphylococcus aureus and one strain of each of Lactobacillus plantaram, Lactobacillus casei, and Eschericia coli. It was found that both S. aureus and E. coli could reduce the redox potential of the growth medium to very low values (between —400 mv and —600 mv), whereas the streptococci and lactobacilli were able to cause only slight or insignificant changes of the redox potential. Respirometric measurements confirmed that the capacity of oxygen consumption of S. bovis was very small compared to that of E. coli and S. aureus. On this basis the authors conclude that S. bovis in all probability is unable to contribute significantly to maintenance of the low redox potential of its natural habitat, the rumen. This function must be carried out by other bacteria, such as enterobacteria or staphylococci, which are capable of performing a true, aerobic respiration.     

Arbovirus isolations from mosquitoes in South Slovakia.

In the years 1973 and 1975 mosquitoes and some other Diptera (Tabanidae, Simuliidae, Hippoboscidae) were tested for virus. 13,924 mosquitoes, 75 horseflies and 60 blackflies were processed in 1973. Five strains of Tahyna virus were isolated from mosquito species Aedes vexans. 3,378 mosquitoes and 12 sheep keds were tested for virus in 1975. Twelve strains of Calovo virus were isolated from Anopheles maculipennis and one strain of Tahyna virus was obtained from Aedes vexans mosquitoes.