Sustainable intensification of agriculture in Africa

Sustainable intensification is a key component of agricultural development in Africa, urgently needed to wean the continent off foreign food supply and to limit agricultural farmland expansion. It is expected that a relatively small fraction of farmers will adopt fertilizer technology, as profits in current economic settings are relatively small while risks are considerable with varying prices and uncertain yield responses. Many smallholders depend on off-farm income and local markets for food supply. Structural adjustments are therefore needed to allow management of larger units of land by trained farmers willing to take this opportunity, while recognizing land right sensitivities. There are large opportunities for African commodity crops to improve food security, including cassava and East African highland banana that strongly respond to fertilizer with limited environmental risks under good management. This requires investments in better functioning markets, local fertilizer production facilities that can produce regional crop blends and cost-efficient distribution networks, providing balanced fertilizers for African farmers.     

Photochemistry of vinclozolin in water and methanol–water solution

The photolysis of the fungicide vinclozolin in aqueous and methanol–water (50 + 50 by volume) solution has been examined. Irradiation at λ = 254 nm for 10 minutes resulted in <90% and ≤95% substrate transformation respectively. The dissipation of vinclozolin both in water and methanol + water was linear and the calculated half-lives were 1.01 and 2.0 min respectively. Irradiation (8 h) with UV light (λ ≥ 290 nm) resulted in 10% degradation of the chemical, which is of the same magnitude as that of the control (not irradiated). Irradiation (8 h) under artificial sunlight (Suntest) in the presence of commercially available humic acid (K-salt) resulted in 55% degradation of the chemical. Photolysis leads to the opening of the 2,4-oxazolidine-dione ring, forming 3,5-dichlorophenyl isocyanate and 3,5-dichloroaniline. In addition, dechlorination and elimination of the  CHCH₂ moiety takes place, and one or both the chlorine atoms are replaced by a methoxy group. © 1999 Society of Chemical Industry     

Effect of fenpropimorph and imazalil on sterol biosynthesis in penicillium italicum

Fenpropimorph was found to be highly active against Penicillium italicum (EC₅₀ 0.01/μg ml^?1). Conidia of P. italicum, treated with low concentrations of fenpropimorph, swelled in size and showed distorted germ tubes. During the initial stages of mycelial growth, fenpropimorph had little or no effect on the dry weight increase, which became strongly inhibited within 24 h after addition of the toxicant (0.05, 0.1 and 0.2 μg ml^?1). Irregular deposition of β–1,3 and β–1, 4 polysaccharides, probably chitin, was observed after treatment with fenpropimorph or imazalil. Fenpropimorph (0.05 and 0.2 μ ml^?1) caused the accumulation of a major demethyl-sterol that was different from ergosterol. It was identified as ergosta-8, 14, 24(28)-trien-3β-ol by mass, infrared, ultraviolet and proton nuclear magnetic resonance, spectrometric procedures. At both concentrations, the accumulation was already detected after incubation for 2 h. In contrast, imazalil (0.1 μg ml^?1) caused the accumulation of several methyl- and dimethyl-sterols which were tentatively identified as eburicol (24-methylene-24, 25-dihydrolanosterol), 4, 14α-dimethylergosta-8, 24(28)-dien-3-one, 14α-methylergosta-8, 24(28)-dien-3-one and obtusifoliol (4, 14α-dimethylergosta-8, 24(28)-dien-3α-ol). The accumulation of ergosta-8, 14,24(28)-trien-3β-ol indicates inhibition of the Δ¹⁴-reductase in P. italicum in a similar manner to that found previously in Ustilago maydis.     

High frequency, cell type-specific visualization of fluorescent-tagged genomic sites in interphase and mitotic cells of living Arabidopsis plants

Background  

Interphase chromosome organization and dynamics can be studied in living cells using fluorescent tagging techniques that exploit bacterial operator/repressor systems and auto-fluorescent proteins. A nuclear-localized Repressor Protein-Fluorescent Protein (RP-FP) fusion protein binds to operator repeats integrated as transgene arrays at defined locations in the genome. Under a fluorescence microscope, the tagged sites appear as bright fluorescent dots in living cells. This technique has been used successfully in plants, but is often hampered by low expression of genes encoding RP-FP fusion proteins, perhaps owing to one or more gene silencing mechanisms that are prevalent in plant cells.