Effect of road density on abundance of white-footed mice

While several studies have demonstrated that roads can act as barriers to small mammal movement, the relationship between road density and small mammal abundance has not yet been investigated. In southeastern Ontario, Peromyscus leucopus (white-footed mice) suffer high over-winter mortality rates, resulting in small springtime populations and frequent local extinctions. Peromyscus leucopus movement is known to be inhibited by roads, which should result in lower rates of immigration into and recolonization of habitats in landscapes with high road density. We tested two predictions: (1) Forest sites situated in landscapes with high road densities have a higher chance of P. leucopus being absent during the early spring than forest sites situated in landscapes with low road densities and (2) P. leucopus populations during the summer are smaller in forest sites situated in landscapes with high road densities than in landscapes with low road densities. We sampled P. leucopus in focal patches within nineteen landscapes (7 rural, low-road-density landscapes; 7 rural, high-road-density landscapes; 5 urban landscapes). There was no significant relationship between road density and the presence/absence of P. leucopus during the early spring. We found a significant positive effect of road density on P. leucopus relative abundance during the summer, even when we excluded the urban landscapes and based the analysis on only the 14 rural landscapes. Our results suggest that any negative effect of roads on P. leucopus populations, created by their inhibition to moving across roads, is far outweighed by some positive effect of roads on P. leucopus abundance. We suggest that the two most likely explanations are that roads are positively correlated with an important as-yet-undetermined component of habitat quality, or that roads positively affect P. leucopus by negatively affecting their predators.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Stenotrophomonas maltophilia</Emphasis>: a new potential biocontrol agent of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ralstonia solanacearum</Emphasis>, causal agent of potato brown rot

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia was isolated from the rhizosphere of eggplant in the Nile Delta of Egypt, and its antagonistic potential against Ralstonia solanacearum race 3 biovar 2, the causal agent of potato brown rot, was in vitro evaluated on KB agar medium and in vivo on potato plants. In vitro, four isolates of S. maltophilia (PD3531, PD3532, PD3533, and PD3534) appeared antagonistic. The isolate (PD3533) was screened as the most promising antagonist for the in vivo tests. In the greenhouse, the antagonist was applied directly to soil or by bacterization of potato eyepieces. Stenotrophomonas maltophilia significantly suppressed potato brown rot in Egyptian clay soil but not in Dutch clay soil. Survival of a rifampicin and chloramphenicol-resistant S. maltophilia strain PD4560 was investigated in two pairs of clay soils, conventionally and organically managed, from Egypt and the Netherlands. The survival of S. maltophilia was significantly less in Dutch than in Egyptian soils, while the converse occurred for R. solanacearum. These results are in agreement with those obtained in the in vivo biocontrol tests. In conclusion, S. maltophilia may be useful for control of brown rot in the area where it was originally isolated, the Nile Delta in Egypt.     

Root and stem rot of chrysanthemum caused by five <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pythium</Emphasis> species in Japan

Root and stem rot with wilt of above ground parts of cultivated chrysanthemums was first found in Ibaraki, Toyama and Kagawa prefectures, Japan in 2002 and 2003. Pythium species were isolated from the diseased tissues and identified as P. dissotocum, P. oedochilum, P. sylvaticum, P. ultimum var. ultimum and asexual strains of P. helicoides based on their morphologies and sequences of rDNA-ITS region. All the Pythium species were strongly pathogenic to chrysanthemums in pot conditions and were reisolated from the inoculated plants. Because Pythium root and stem rot of chrysanthemum has never been reported in Japan, we propose that this is a new disease that can be caused by the five Pythium species.     

Sympatric ascochyta complex of wild Cicer judaicum and domesticated chickpea

The aim of this study was to isolate, identify and characterize ascochyta blight pathogens from Cicer judaicum , a wild annual Cicer species which grows in Israel and other Mediterranean countries in sympatric distribution with legume crops, and determine their virulence and aggressiveness to other wild and domesticated legumes. Native C. judaicum plants exhibited symptoms resembling ascochyta diseases of grain legume crops. Two distinct pathogens were isolated and identified as Phoma pinodella and Didymella rabiei using morphological and molecular tools; their infectivity was verified using Koch's postulates. The virulence of these pathogens was examined on 13 legume species, of which P. pinodella was virulent to Pisum sativum , P. fulvum , C. judaicum , C. arietinum , C. reticulatum , C. pinnatifidum and C. bijugum . Didymella rabiei infected all these Cicer species, but not the other legume species tested. Aggressiveness of the pathogens was tested on wild and domesticated chickpea and pea. Didymella rabiei isolated from C. judaicum had significantly higher ( P  < 0·001) aggressiveness than P. pinodella from C. judaicum on both wild and domesticated chickpea. Disease severity on the former species ranged from 62·5% to 70% and on the latter from 41% to 56%. Phoma pinodella isolates from C. judaicum were more aggressive on C. arietinum and P. sativum than on C. judaicum and P. fulvum . Results of the current study suggest that C. judaicum may serve as an alternative host to ascochyta pathogens that endanger chickpea and possibly other crops and wild species growing in close proximity.     

淹水、干旱条件下北空越桔生理反应的研究

采用盆栽试验,研究了'北空'越桔在连续淹水、干旱条件下的生理反应。结果表明,在淹水和干旱条件下,越桔叶片的光合强度、叶绿素含量（Chla、Chlb、Chla＋b、Chla／Chlb）、光量子通量密度降低,而呼吸强度、气孔导度、蒸腾速率升高,随逆境时间加长,变化幅度增大。     

密植桃园的主干形修剪栽培试验

连续五年密植桃园的主干形修剪试验表明：主干形修剪技术用于密植栽培桃树早结果早丰产效果显著。‘春花’成苗定植后第二年产量达1300kg·666．7m-2,第三年为1500kg·666．7m-2,第四年为2250kg·666,7m-2,第五年为1750kg·666．7m-2;‘湖景蜜露’定植后第二年和第三年产量为1021kg·666．7m-2和1019kg·666．7m-2;‘锦绣’定植后第二年产量为120km·666．7m-2,第三年为1204km·666．7m-2,第四年为1876km·666．7m-2;‘沪463’定植后第三年产量为47．5kg·666．7m-2,第四年为2125kg·666．7m-2。主干形修剪夏季摘心可促进早期副梢的萌发,利用副梢坐果,均衡树势。主干形修剪对桃果实的品质有一定的影响,使果实相对变小,单果重减轻,要注意疏花疏果,加强肥水管理。     

小麦根际pH,细菌数量,有机质变化研究

通过研究灰漠上和碱化灰漠上中小麦根际、非根际pH、细菌数量和有机质含量变化,发现两种土壤小麦根际上中细菌数量和有机质含量比非根际上中高。由于较低的pH值,因而灰漠土中小麦根际、非极际土中的有机质含量和细菌数量均高于碱化灰漠土中。     

塔里木盆地沙漠化防治措施及其效益

土地沙漠化是干旱,半干旱地区普遍存在的一个重大环境问题。塔里木盆地是我国沙漠化危害最严重的地区之一,但干旱多风的自然条件引起的沙漠化,仅占现代沙漠化面积的１５．１３％,说明沙漠化土地是可以治理的,本文概述了农田林网,林网内农林复合经营,防沙林带,灌草带,造林固沙等沙漠化防治措施及其效果。     

杆状病毒非必需基因的结构与功能

本文主要以苜蓿丫纹夜蛾核型多角体病毒（ＡｃＭＮＰＶ）为例,概述了迄今展报道的杆状病毒非必需基因的结构与功能,为杆状病毒的基因工程研究提供参考。     

浙江省发展新蚕区的起伏及其成因研究

通过对浙江省建国以来发展新蚕区历程的回顾,总结出历史上曾有过新蚕区发展的3次大起伏,同时分析了每次起伏发生的原因以及从中可吸取的经验和教训。