Bacterial canker of cherry trees, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Prunus avium,</Emphasis> in South Africa

Laboratory and nursery experiments were conducted to identify the causal agent of a needle blight of Pinus wallichiana, a species native to the Western Himalayas. The pathogen was identified as Myrothecium verrucaria, on the basis of morphological, cultural and molecular characterization. BLAST analysis of ITS sequences of the pathogen revealed maximum sequence identity of 99% with M. verrucaria. The sequence is the first of this fungus from P. wallichiana. Phylogenetic analysis grouped all M. verrucaria isolates in a single clade; M. roridum and M. inundatum clustered in separate clades. The pathogen grew optimally at 25 ± 1 °C on oat meal agar, pH 5.5. Inoculation experiments with M. verrucaria demonstrated pathogenicity on Pinus halepensis, Cedrus deodara and Cryptomeria japonica, in addition to Pinus wallichiana.     

Evaluation of the antibacterial residue surveillance programme in Danish pigs using Bayesian methods

Residues of pharmacological active substances or their metabolites might be found in food products from food-producing animals. Maximum Residue Limits for pharmacological active substances in foodstuffs of animal origin are established to assure high food safety standards. Each year, more than 20,000 samples are analysed for the presence of antibacterial residues in Danish pigs. This corresponds to 0.1% of the size of the slaughter pig population and more than 1% of the sows slaughtered. In this study, a Bayesian model was used to evaluate the Danish surveillance system accuracy and to investigate the impact of a potential risk-based sampling approach to the residue surveillance programme in Danish slaughter pigs. Danish surveillance data from 2005 to 2009 and limited knowledge about true prevalence and test sensitivity and specificity were included in the model. According to the model, the true antibacterial residue prevalence in Danish pigs is very low in both sows (～0.20%) and slaughter pigs (～0.01%). Despite data constraints, the results suggest that the current screening test used in Denmark presents high sensitivity (85-99%) and very high specificity (>99%) for the most relevant antibacterial classes used in Danish pigs. If high-risk slaughter pigs could be identified by taking into account antibacterial use or meat inspection risk factors, a potential risk-based sampling approach to antibacterial residue surveillance in slaughter pigs would allow reducing the sample size substantially, while increasing or maintaining the probability of detection. Hence, the antibacterial residue surveillance programme in Danish pigs would be more cost-effective than today.     

Incorporating free-flowing rivers into global biodiversity targets: Prioritization and targeted interventions to maintain ecological integrity

1. Free-flowing rivers (FFRs) are important surrogates for freshwater biodiversity as there are increasingly fewer rivers that reflect intact habitat and species diversity from source to sea. The status and changes in the ecological condition or protection of FFRs is not explicitly reported on in global biodiversity targets. Indices are proposed for reporting such changes to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 6 and 15, Aichi Target 11, and the post-2020 global biodiversity framework.
2. FFRs were identified at a countrywide scale in South Africa for protection, planning, monitoring, and assessing changes in their ecological condition and protection status. They were selected and prioritized using criteria co-produced with national, provincial, and local river managers and policy makers. Given the high competition for water resources and the unlikely possibility for strictly protecting all FFRs, a subset of FFRs, termed ‘flagship FFRs’, was identified.
3. Methods for reporting changes in the protection levels of prioritized FFRs at a countrywide scale were developed, which included indices of FFRs related to global targets: the loss of the extent of FFRs in a natural and largely natural ecological condition for SDG 6; changes in the connectivity of FFRs included in the post-2020 global biodiversity framework targets; and changes in protection levels of FFRs for Aichi Target 11 and SDG 15.1.2.
4. Flagship FFRs attracted targeted management initiatives and thus maintained their connectivity and ecological condition. This was not true when all FFRs were considered; in the broader set of FFRs, longitudinal fragmentation increased and ecological condition declined from 2011 to 2018.
5. Considering the increasing pressures rivers are likely to experience from human and climate change impacts, particularly in semi-arid to temperate environments, urgent prioritization and monitoring of FFRs is called for so that a targeted set of protection and management strategies can be applied.