Components of resistance to late blight (Phytophthora infestans) in eight South AmericanSolanum species

Four components of partial resistance toPhytophthora infestans were measured after inoculation in the greenhouse and in the field ofSolanum arnezii x hondelmannii, S. berthaultii, S. circaeifolium, S. leptophyes, S. microdontum, S. sparsipilum, S. sucrense andS. vernei, and four hybrid progenies ofS. microdontum withS. tuberosum. The four components were infection efficiency, lesion growth rate, generation time and sporulation capacity. The results were compared with resistance ratings derived from field experiments, and with observations made on the potato cultivars Bintje, Bildstar, Libertas and Pimpernel. Genetic variation for all components was found, while the relative importance of the components of partial resistance appeared to vary between the species. InS. microdontum, generation time, infection efficiency and lesion growth rate, and inS. tuberosum infection efficiency, lesion growth rate and sporulation capacity appeared positively associated, but in other species no such association was found. A strong hypersensitive reaction, the expression of which appeared to depend on environmental conditions, was found inS. microdontum. ForS. berthaultii, infection efficiency appeared to be the main resistance component.Abbreviations ADPC area under the disease progress curve - IE infection efficiency - LGR lesion growth rate - GT generation time - SC sporulation capacity     

葡萄叶片光合速率日间降低内外因调控的研究

土壤水分充足时,葡萄日间光合速率的下降主要归因于CO2叶肉阻力的升高;光照、叶温和大气湿度可以影响气孔对CO2的阻力,但主要通过影响叶肉阻力来影响光合速率。‘巨峰’和‘长相思’葡萄具有不同的光合作用光响应曲线及其特征参数。     

高寒地区一年生人工草地地上生物量动态及光能转化效率

对燕麦单播草地、燕麦+箭舌豌豆混播草地牧草组成及地上生物量动态,光能转化效率进行了观测和分析。试验结果表明,混播草地的两组分在生长发育节律和牧草产量积累过程方面均存在着较大的差异,箭舌豌豆与燕麦干物质之比随牧草生长发育的进展而逐渐增大。2种草地的干草产量在牧草生长期间差异不显著。8月中旬,单、混播草地干物质分别可达10.19、11.74t/hm2,地上净初级生产力分别为18874.69、21204.79kJ/(m2·a),光能转化率分别达0.3502%、0.3922%。     

速效肥和缓释肥对草坪蒸散量的影响

2002年5～11月在田间条件下就速效肥和缓释肥对草坪蒸散量的影响进行了研究.结果表明 施肥后草坪的蒸散量增大,其中,速效肥处理超过对照96.1mm,多耗水17.1%;速效肥+缓释肥和缓释肥处理分别增加了60.7mm和52.0mm,多耗水10.8%和9.2%;速效肥处理草坪蒸散量明显高于速效肥+缓释肥和缓释肥处理(P<0.05).施肥提高蒸散量的原因是增大了草坪草的生长速度及分蘖密度.缓释肥处理生长速度的增加幅度较小,株丛密度较高,且各月份比较稳定,速效肥处理则波动很大;此外,施用缓释肥更有利于地下生物量的积累.综合比较,在草坪管理中应减少速效肥的使用量,适当增加缓释肥的应用比例.     

Resistance to early blight of tomato with respect to various parameters of disease epidemics

Resistance to early blight in the tomato was assessed by examining various parameters of the progress of the disease. Artificial inoculation and the scoring technique were standardized. Test plants were inoculated with 125cfu/ml of a 12-day-old culture of a pathogenic isolate of Alternaria solani. Screening under artificial conditions was more informative than that under natural epidemic conditions. Tomato cultivars CLN-2071-C, CLN-2070-A, BSS-174, and DTH-7 with resistance expressed as slow blighting against four pathogenic isolates of A. solani, were selected for cultivation in disease-prone areas. Disease intensity increased with the age of plants under the same inoculum load. The area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC) was positively correlated with the percentage disease index and negatively with resistance. Calculation of the apparent infection rate (r) was more informative for natural epidemics than for artificial conditions. The sequential apparent infection rate between observation periods was better correlated with disease progress than was the total apparent infection rate between the first and last observations. A double sigmoidal disease progress curve during the same cropping season was characteristic of some varieties when fungal infection took place during the vegetative phase of crop growth.     

Studies on the Epidemiology of Tropical Theileriosis (Theileria annulata Infection) in Cattle in Central Anatolia,Turkey

An epidemiological survey for Theileria annulata infection was conducted in 12 selected villages around Ankara in Central Anatolia, Turkey, during the period April 1990 to January 1993. During the survey, 198 cattle of 30 local breeds, 84 Holstein-Friesian×local breeds and 84 Holstein-Friesian breed were examined for antibodies to T. annulata and the presence of the vector ticks. Four species of Hyalomma ticks were identified: Hyalomma anatolicum anatolicum, Hyalomma anatolicum excavtum, Hyalomma detritum and Hyalomma marginatum marginatum. Salivary gland staining indicated that infected adult ticks of all four species were present and, therefore, were implicated in the transmission of tropical theileriosis in the field. Generally, the Hyalomma infestation rate was low, with the heaviest infestations occurring on the older animals. Young adults and calves had very low infestation rates. Most ticks seen on cattle were adults, very few nymphs were found. The blood smear and serological examination of the 198 cattle conducted in March, before the start of the first disease season, showed that the prevalence of piroplasmosis was 11.1% (22 out of 198) and the seroprevalence of T. annulata was 10.6% (21 out of 198). Forty-three animals were then excluded from the study because they were seropositive and/or harboured piroplasms. Ninety-two seronegative animals showed piroplasmosis (92 out of 155) and 34 seronegative animals became seropositive for T. annulata (34 out of 155) during the three disease seasons. One animal became clinically ill with tropical theileriosis and required treatment. The incidence of cattle showing piroplasmosis and disease in the total study sample was 50.7% and 0.5% per disease season, respectively. The seroconversion rate of new infection with T. annulata in the total study was 14.3% per animal season. The number of cattle showing piroplasmosis was much greater than the number of seropositive cattle, which may indicate the presence of another species of Theileria. The two different management systems encountered in the study were considered to have influenced the tick infestation levels.     

Pregnancy Rate in Zebu Cows with Two Different Postpartum Intervals Exposed to a Two-Bull Rotational System

In order to evaluate the reproductive effect of a rotational breeding system, the pregnancy rate of 69 Zebu cows was assessed, 32 late postpartum (211±93 days postpartum, LP) and 37 early postpartum (averaging 63±8 days after calving, EP). In the LP group, 60% (19/32) were cycling before exposure to the bulls but only 38% (14/37) in the EP group. The two groups were dissimilar from the start (p<0.05). The cows were exposed in a rotational breeding system, with six Brahman bulls with previous sexual experience paired off in three groups (A–B, C–D and E–F). The cows were exposed to each pair of bulls for a period of 3 weeks, with one week in between each period, when the females were without the presence of a male. In the LP group, the pair of bulls A–B obtained a pregnancy rate of 72% (23/32), whereas for bulls C–D the pregnancy rate was 33% (3/9) and for bulls E–F the pregnancy rate was 67% (4/6). In contrast, for the EP cows, bulls A–B obtained a pregnancy rate of 32% (12/37), bulls C–D a pregnancy rate of 67% (12/18) and for bulls E–F a pregnancy rate of 55% (6/11). The percentage pregnancy obtained using the pair of bulls A–B differed (p<0.05) between LP and EP, whereas for bulls C–D and E–F it was similar. The pregnancy rate was different (p<0.05) in the first 3 weeks of mating for the LP group, the highest number of cows becoming pregnant during the first 3 weeks of the study. In contrast, the highest number of pregnancies in EP occurred evenly during the last 6 weeks. This study suggests that the reproductive performance of pairs of bulls in a 9-week rotational programme with the overall pregnancy rate is similar (94% in the LP and 81% in the EP). However, the time taken for the females to become pregnant, and hence the performance of the bulls, is related to the average number of days postpartum for the cows.     

Effects of Supplementing a Basal Diet of Chloris gayana Hay with One of Three Protein-rich Legume Hays of Cassia rotundifolia,Lablab purpureus and Macroptilium atropurpureum Forage on Some Nutritional Parameters in Goats

Growth and digestibility experiments were conducted on growing East African type goats offered Chloris gayana hay supplemented with one of three high-protein (119–128 g CP/kg DM) legume hays, Cassia rotundifolia (cassia), Lablab purpureus (lablab) or Macroptilium atropurpureum (siratro), and crushed maize to investigate the feed intake, digestibility, growth and urinary excretion of purine derivatives. Goats in the supplemented groups had higher total dry matter and nitrogen intakes and higher N retention and body mass gains than unsupplemented counterparts. The digestibility of dry matter, organic matter and neutral detergent fibre were increased by protein supplementation. Animals on supplemented diets had higher fractional outflow rates of particulate matter from the rumen. The production of protein by ruminal microbes and the efficiency of microbial N production were increased by supplementation. It was concluded that a mixture of low-quality grass hay (61.9 CP/kg DM) and either cassia, lablab or siratro hay, and maize grain can provide a productive balanced diet for growing goats.     

EFFECT OF OBSERVER VARIABILITY ON GLOMERULAR FILTRATION RATE MEASUREMENT BY RENAL SCINTIGRAPHY IN DOGS

Observer variation in kidney depth measurement for correction of soft-tissue attenuation and kidney region of interest (ROI) drawing was evaluated using 60 clinical dogs with a wide range of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) for their effect on the calculated percentage uptake of 99mTc-diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA) and individual kidney GFR by scintigraphy. Kidney depth was measured separately on the lateral image using two color tables: a threshold and a continuous red-green-blue. Within-observer variability of the semi-automatic ROI drawing of the estimated total GFR was up to 10% for the right kidney (RK) and 9% for the left kidney (LK). The variability was lower between observers, 6% for RK and 8% for LK. Manual ROI drawing caused more within observer variation than semi-automatic: up to 14% for RK and 11% for LK. Continuous red-green-blue table caused more variation within and between observers than threshold table. Average within-observer variability from both observers of kidney depth measurement on different color tables could vary up to 5.5% and 6.5% variation of the GFR of RK and LK, respectively. Most variation affecting the DTPA percentage uptake came from the ROI drawing technique. Variations of the method because of the effects of both kidney depth and kidney ROI drawing were up to 8% and 10% for RK and LK, respectively. To minimize these variations a threshold scale should be used for the kidney depth measurement and an automatic or semi-automatic ROI should be used whenever possible. In sequential examinations the same person should make all the measurements.     

Heat stress risk factors of feedlot heifers

Heat stress in cattle results in millions of dollars in lost revenue each year due to production losses, and in extreme cases, death. Death losses are more likely to result from animals vulnerable to heat stress. A study was conducted to determine risk factors for heat stress in feedlot heifers. Over two consecutive summers, a total of 256 feedlot heifers (32/ breed/ year) of four breeds were observed. As a measure of stress, respiration rates and panting scores were taken twice daily (morning and afternoon) on a random sample of 10 heifers/ breed. Weights, condition scores, and temperament scores were taken on 28-day intervals during the experiment. Health history from birth to slaughter was available for every animal used in this study. It was found that at temperatures above 25 °C, dark-hided animals were 25% more stressed than light-colored; a history of respiratory pneumonia increased stress level by 10.5%; each level of fatness increased stress level by approximately 10%; and excitable animals had a 3.2% higher stress level than calm animals. Not only did the stress level increase with these risk factors, but average daily gain was reduced. The Charolais cattle gained significantly more than all other breeds of cattle tested. Calm cattle gained 5% more than excitable cattle. Finally, cattle treated for pneumonia gained approximately 8% slower than non-treated cattle. The results of this study have not only revealed heat stress risk factors of breed (color), condition score (fatness), temperament, and health history (treated or not treated for pneumonia), but have also shown the effectiveness of using respiration rate as an indicator of heat stress.