Differential cytotoxicity of the isolated protein fraction of Escumite bean (Phaseolus acutifolius)

The Escumite bean (Phaseolus acutifolius) is an edible legume which in raw form is highly toxic to rats. Proteins were separated by DEAE cellulose and affinity chromatography. Hemagglutinating activity, trypsin inhibitory effect, cytotoxicity on human peripheral lymphocytes and on intestinal epithelial cells of rats, and mitogenic activity were assayed with each protein fraction. Hemagglutinins and trypsin inhibitory fractions showed differential toxicity with lymphocytes as compared to intestinal epithelial cells. A protein fraction without the previous activities was cytotoxic mainly to intestinal epithelial cells.     

Differential diagnosis ofVerticillium dahliae in potato with antisera to partially purified pathogen-produced extracellular antigens

Summary An extracellular protein-lipopolysaccaride antigen (PLP) was purified from culture fluids ofVerticillium dahliae. Antiserum produced in rabbits to the PLP detected the antigen in homogenates of tubers, stems and leaves ofV. dahliae-infected potato plants but not in extracts of healthy potato tissue or extracts of potato plants infected by other fungal pathogens. The antigen was not detectable in extracts of potato isolates ofV. tricorpus, V. nigrescens andV. nubilum or various other fungi. The antigen was shown to be different from cross-reactive antigens detected by antisera to mycelial antigens. When used as a tool for specific diagnosis ofV. dahliae infection in potato, antiserum to PLP was more reliable than that prepared against fungal body antigens. Publication of the Agricultural Research Organization No 245-E.     

Topographical surveying for improved assessment of sediment retention in check dams applied to a Mediterranean badlands restoration site (Central Spain)

Purpose

The effects of check dams used in restoration projects have been discussed in a number of papers in recent years. This paper studies the effectiveness of retaining sediments from check dams constructed in the badlands restoration site of Tórtoles, located in the Corneja River basin (Spain), using a new topographical method.

Materials and methods

In order to assess the sediment-retaining capacity of the check dams, we measured the volume of sediment trapped by 15 of the 123 check dams built in 1965. We carried out a detailed topographical survey using a Total Station, with an accuracy of ±1 cm, to measure cross sections of the sediment trapped by each check dam. The results were then compared with those of two simplified methods which consider the volume of retained sediment as a simple geometric figure.

Results and discussion

According to our results, 258 m³ of sediment has been retained by the check dams. These results show a significant discrepancy between the topographical method and the two other methods, whose values are consistently lower (14 to 20 %). According to our survey, the mean value for the volume of sediment retained by each check dam is 17.23 m³, versus 13.86 and 14.74 m³ when applying the other methods. Although there is a strong correlation between the volume of retained sediment computed by the topographical method and the other two methods (r ² from 0.96 to 0.94), the differences between them increase with the increasing size of the check dams. Therefore, total differences are expected to be more significant with larger check dams. The erosion rates, calculated on the basis of the retained sediment in the Tórtoles check dams, are 16–21 % lower when using the simpler methods. The bed slopes of the streams were reduced 12.44 % because of the presence of the check dams.

Conclusions

After having completed a more detailed topographical survey of the sediment trapped in the check dams, our results are more likely to estimate erosion rates and sediment yield correctly, thus leading to a better understanding of the effects of check dams on badlands restoration.     

An Extracellular Protease of Pseudomonas fluorescens Inactivates Antibiotics of Pantoea agglomerans

ABSTRACT Pseudomonas fluorescens A506 and Pantoea agglomerans strains Eh252 and C9-1 are biological control agents that suppress fire blight, an important disease of pear and apple caused by the bacterium Erwinia amylovora. Pseudomonas fluorescens strain A506 suppresses disease largely through competitive exclusion of E. amylovora on surfaces of blossoms, the primary infection court, whereas Pantoea agglomerans strains Eh252 and C9-1 produce antibiotics that are toxic to E. amylovora. In this study, an extracellular protease produced by A506 is characterized and evaluated for its capacity to inactivate the antibiotics produced by the strains of Pantoea agglomerans. Activity of the extracellular protease was optimal at pH 9 and inhibited by zinc- or calcium-chelators, indicating that the protease is an alkaline metalloprotease. In an agar plate bioassay, partially purified extracellular protease inactivated the antibiotics mccEh252 and herbicolin O, which are produced by Pantoea agglomerans strains Eh252 and C9-1, respectively. Derivatives of A506 deficient in extracellular protease production were obtained by transposon mutagenesis, and the aprX gene encoding the protease was cloned and sequenced. Strain A506 inactivated mccEh252 and herbicolin O in agar plate bioassays, whereas the aprX mutant did not inactivate the antibiotics. Both A506 and the aprX mutant were insensitive to antibiosis by C9-1 and Eh252; thus, the protease was not required to protect A506 from antibiosis. These data highlight a previously unknown role of the extracellular protease produced by Pseudomonas fluorescens A506 in interactions among plant-associated microbes.     

Evaluating the effect of drier and warmer conditions on water use by Quercus pyrenaica

Under climate change, severe and recurrent droughts can reduce forest production and cause widespread tree dieback. The response of different vegetation types to climate change can vary greatly and, therefore, must be individually assessed. This study was carried out in a Mediterranean oak forest (Quercus pyrenaica) subject to seasonal summer drought. To examine the response of the forest to the climate conditions predicted under climate change, a Soil–Vegetation–Atmosphere Transfer model [SPA, Williams, M., Rastetter, E.B., Fernandes, D.N., Goulden, M.L., Wofsy, S.C., Shaver, G.R., Melillo, J.M., Munger, J.W., Fan, S.M., Nadelhoffer, K.J. 1996. Modelling the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum in a Quercus–Acer stand at Harvard Forest: the regulation of stomatal conductance by light, nitrogen and soil/plant hydraulic properties. Plant, Cell, Environment 19, 911–927] was used. The model was parameterized using mostly local measurements (independent of the verification data) and tested against in situ sap flow measurements obtained during year 2007. The predictions of the model were broadly consistent with the observed dynamics of sap flow (the model explained 71% of the variance in daily transpiration and 75% of half-hourly sap flow), leaf water potentials and soil water content. Once the model had been validated, simulations were carried out under warmer and dryer conditions. Predicted warmer conditions (4 °C) caused a moderate increase in total simulated transpiration. Less frequent precipitation (40% longer dry periods between rainfall events) had very little effect on transpiration. In contrast, transpiration was reduced by 17% when the soil water reserves at the beginning of the summer were lower than in 2007, corresponding to those measured in a very dry year (2005). The reduction was exacerbated when changes in temperature and rainfall were also considered (up to 28% decline in transpiration). The higher atmospheric CO₂ concentrations (712 ppm) simulated together with climate change, did not prevent the decline in tree water use or soil water storage at the end of the summer. All scenarios caused the soil water storage to reach extremely low values at the end of the dry season (a minimum of 25 mm). It is concluded that climate change is likely to have a negative impact on tree water use and soil water resources in the study area, increasing the water deficit by as much as 30%.     

Using Pseudomonas spp. for Integrated Biological Control

ABSTRACT Pseudomonas spp. have been studied for decades as model organisms for biological control of plant disease. Currently, there are three commercial formulations of pseudomonads registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for plant disease suppression, Bio-Save 10 LP, Bio-Save 11 LP, and BlightBan A506. Bio-Save 10 LP and Bio-Save 11 LP, products of Jet Harvest Solutions, Longwood, FL, contain Pseudomonas syringae strains ESC-10 and ESC-11, respectively. These products are applied in packinghouses to prevent postharvest fungal diseases during storage of citrus, pome, stone fruits, and potatoes. BlightBan A506, produced by NuFarm Americas, Burr Ridge, IL, contains P. fluorescens strain A506. BlightBan A506 is applied primarily to pear and apple trees during bloom to suppress the bacterial disease fire blight. Combining BlightBan A506 with the antibiotic streptomycin improves control of fire blight, even in areas with streptomycin-resistant populations of the pathogen. BlightBan A506 also may reduce fruit russet and mild frost injury. These biocontrol products consisting of Pseudomonas spp. provide moderate to excellent efficacy against multiple production constraints, are relatively easy to apply, and they can be integrated with conventional products for disease control. These characteristics will contribute to the adoption of these products by growers and packinghouses.     

Effects of sedation on echocardiographic variables of left atrial and left ventricular function in healthy cats

Although sedation is frequently used to facilitate patient compliance in feline echocardiography, the effects of sedative drugs on echocardiographic variables have been poorly documented. This study investigated the effects of two sedation protocols on echocardiographic indices in healthy cats, with special emphasis on the assessment of left atrial size and function, as well as left ventricular diastolic performance. Seven cats underwent echocardiography (transthoracic two-dimensional, spectral Doppler, color flow Doppler and tissue Doppler imaging) before and after sedation with both acepromazine (0.1 mg/kg IM) and butorphanol (0.25 mg/kg IM), or acepromazine (0.1 mg/kg IM), butorphanol (0.25 mg/kg IM) and ketamine (1.5 mg/kg IV). Heart rate increased significantly following acepromazine/butorphanol/ketamine (mean ± SD of increase, 40 ± 26 beats/min) and non-invasive systolic blood pressure decreased significantly following acepromazine/butorphanol (mean ± SD of decrease, 12 ± 19 mmHg). The majority of echocardiographic variables were not significantly different after sedation compared with baseline values. Both sedation protocols resulted in mildly decreased left ventricular end-diastolic dimension and mildly increased left ventricular end-diastolic wall thickness. This study therefore failed to demonstrate clinically meaningful effects of these sedation protocols on echocardiographic measurements, suggesting that sedation with acepromazine, butorphanol and/or ketamine can be used to facilitate echocardiography in healthy cats.