Designing the ideal habitat for entomopathogen use in nursery production

BACKGROUND: Greenhouse and nursery producers use entomopathogens (nematodes and fungi) to control soil pests. Although it is known that the physical and chemical properties of mineral soil significantly impact upon soil pathogens, the influence of soilless media used for plant production on entomopathogen performance is poorly understood. RESULTS: Survival and foraging distance were differently affected by sand:peat, bark and sawdust media for entomopathogenic nematodes, but not for the immobile fungus Metarhizium anisopliae. Redwood sawdust medium consistently had a negative impact upon entomopathogenic nematodes. Dividing media into individual components supported the hypothesis that redwood sawdust reduced foraging and infection abilities of S. riobrave and H. bacteriophora. Physically altering the components by adding sand significantly improved foraging and infection success for S. riobrave in media not optimum for foraging. CONCLUSION: This study is the first to highlight the importance of selecting the appropriate soilless media and pathogen species combinations to increase efficacy of biological control. H. bacteriophora was able to find hosts in a wider diversity of medium components than S. riobrave, although both nematode species performed well in peat moss and recycled plant material. These results suggest that peat moss, recycled plant material and hardwood bark are components amenable to EPN biological control programs. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry     

Phenotypic and genetic characterization of Pseudomonas syringae strains associated with the recent citrus bacterial blast and bacterial black pit epidemics in Tunisia

In the spring of 2012, symptoms of a disease resembling citrus blast and citrus black pit were observed in some orchards in Tunisia. The epidemic spread rapidly in the following years. Twenty‐four commercial citrus orchards from four Tunisian regions showing characteristic symptoms of bacterial diseases were surveyed during a 3‐year study. Eighty‐eight Pseudomonas‐like bacterial isolates were successfully obtained from the northeast and west of Tunisia. No isolates were recovered from the central region. Overall, 46 isolates were identified as Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae and most of them showed similar phenotypic and genetic profiles. The virulence of three selected isolates differed from one plant cultivar to another as well as from the type of plant organ used for the inoculation. In a bioassay test, all isolates produced syringomycin, which was confirmed by molecular detection based on the syrB and syrD genes. Only EC122 possessed syrD but not syrB. DNA fingerprints, based on repetitive sequence‐based polymerase chain reaction (rep‐PCR) and PCR melting profile (PCR MP), were used to determine the potential genetic diversity among strains. Clustering of PCR MP fingerprinting data matched with rep‐PCR fingerprinting data. The generated distribution tree showed that Tunisian isolates were closely related to the citrus reference strain LMG5496. In contrast, EC112, isolated from citrus, and the almond isolate EC122 were distantly related to the type strain LMG1247^T isolated from lilac. Such studies have not been reported until now for P. syringae from citrus.     

猪流行性腹泻病毒血清IgG间接ELISA检测方法的建立

以大肠杆菌表达系统制备的猪流行性腹泻病毒(porcine epidemic diarrhea virus,PEDV)中和抗原S1D(1μg/mL)每孔100μL进行包被,利用HRP-兔抗猪IgG(1∶20 000)建立了检测猪血清中抗PEDV IgG的间接ELISA方法。阴性判断临界值(M+2SD)为0.632,批内和批间检测的平均变异系数分别为2.3%和3.1%,该方法与商品化的PEDV抗体间接ELISA检测试剂盒同时检测50份临床血清样品,均为阳性,上述结果表明该方法可用于PEDV血清IgG的临床检测。     

水肥一体化结合植物篱对减缓果园土壤氮磷地表径流流失的效果

为了探究降低集约化果园氮、磷流失,减缓农业面源污染的技术措施.通过田间定位试验,比较分析了水肥一体化施肥方式结合田间植物篱对减少果园氮、磷地表径流流失影响,提升沟渠水质量的技术效果.结果表明:果园中构建植物篱提高了发生地表径流的最低日降雨量,减少了径流发生频次,地表径流水发生量比没有植物篱降低19.18％.与常规施肥相...     

Comparative effect of advanced soy products or corn protein concentrate with porcine meal on growth,body composition,and distal intestine histology of Florida pompano,Trachinotus carolinus

The present study was designed to investigate the effects of diets containing advanced soy products (enzyme‐treated soy and fermented soy) or corn protein concentrate (CPC) in combination with porcine meal (PM) to completely replace poultry byproduct meal (PBM) on growth performance, body composition, and distal intestine histology of Florida pompano, Trachinotus carolinus. Four experimental diets were formulated to be isonitrogenous and isolipidic, to contain 400 g/kg crude protein and 80 g/kg lipid. A reference diet (PBM diet [PBMD]) contained 150 g/kg PBM and 495 g/kg soybean meal (SBM), and three test diets were formulated replacing PBM with 15 g/kg of CPC (CPC diet [CPCD]) or replacing all SBM and PBM with 535 g/kg fermented soy (fermented soybean meal diet [FSBMD]) or 451.3 g/kg enzyme‐treated soy (enzyme‐treated soybean meal diet [ESBMD]). All three test diets were supplemented with 38 g/kg of PM. Diets were fed based on a percentage of bodyweight adjusted after sampling the fish every 2 weeks to triplicate groups of Florida pompano juveniles (mean weight 8.06 ± 0.22 g). After 8 weeks of feeding, fish fed CPCD and ESBMD performed equally well in terms of final body weight, thermal growth coefficient, and percentage weight gain in comparison to fish fed PBMD. In all cases, feeding FSBMD resulted in poor feed conversion and lower feed intake compared to other treatments. Protein retention efficiency, whole‐body proximate composition, phosphorus, sulfur, potassium, magnesium, calcium, sodium, and zinc contents were not significantly influenced by the dietary treatments. The results obtained in the present histological study showed no significant differences in the thickness of serous layer, muscular layer, and submucosal layer of the intestine among treatments. Fish fed CPCD showed a significant widening of the lamina propria with an increase of cellular infiltration and higher presence of goblet cells compared to other dietary treatment. Based on these results, 451 g/kg ESBM or combination of 150 g/kg of CPC and 495 g/kg SBM supplemented with 38 g/kg PM can be utilized to develop a practical diet for juvenile Florida pompano without impacting growth, nutritive parameters, and several distal intestine health parameters.     

引诱赤眼蜂产卵的他感化合物物质源研究及生物活性测定

 利用培养皿法和玻璃球法对棉叶 (幼嫩棉叶、虫伤棉叶 )和棉铃虫本身的物质源 (产出卵、剖腹卵、幼虫虫粪、雌蛾鳞片、雌蛾尾毛、雌蛾腹部末端、混合鳞片 )的提取液进行活性测定。结果表明 ,棉铃虫的雌蛾腹部鳞片的正己烷提取液及棉铃虫产出卵的水洗液对螟黄赤眼蜂和松毛虫赤眼蜂有较强的引诱和产卵刺激作用 ,其它物质的提取液效果不明显。轨迹法测定结果进一步表明 ,螟黄赤眼蜂在用棉铃虫卵水洗液和棉铃虫雌蛾腹部鳞片正己烷提取液处理的区域内有明显的刺探行为 ,并且滞留时间也明显比对照区长。米蛾卵寄生率法测定结果显示 ,棉铃虫雌蛾腹部鳞片正己烷提取液浓度为 1 .7mg/ml时 ,对螟黄赤眼蜂和松毛虫赤眼蜂的引诱作用均达到最强 ,寄生率分别为 82 .5%和 60 .9% ,而对照寄生率分别为 1 8.0 %和 2 8.3% ;提取液浓度过高或过低引诱作用都不明显。螟黄赤眼蜂对用蒸馏水洗过的新鲜棉铃虫卵和未洗过的虫卵在寄生率上差异极显著 ,前者的寄生率为 43.5% ,后者的寄生率仅为 1 3.3%。     

科技规划对中国农业技术现代化的 影响(1949—1985)

农业技术现代化是实现农业和整个国民经济长期快速、稳定发展的重要条件。从1949—1985年农业技术现代化起步、挫折和发展的历程可以看出,三次科技规划对农业科技发展重点项目的制定与实施产生重要作用。规划体制下农业技术现代化路径选择需要符合中国特定的资源禀赋,同时也需要制度创新的支持和加大投资力度。     

Detection of additive and additive×environment interaction effects of QTLs for yield‐component traits of rice using single‐segment substitution lines (SSSLs)

Additive effects (A) and additive‐by‐environment interactions (A×E) for five rice yield components were analysed using 20 SSSLs under mixed linear model methodology. Thirty‐one QTLs were detected. Different yield components have different QTL‐by‐environment (Q×E) interaction patterns. No A×E interaction effects were detected for the four QTLs for panicle number (PN). Four QTLs detected for spikelets per panicle (SPP) had A×E interactions. Five of seven QTLs detected for grains per panicle (GPP), two of 10 QTLs detected for 1000‐grains weight (GWT) and three of six QTLs detected for seed set ratio (SSR) showed significant A×E interaction. Most of these QTLs were distributed in clusters across the genome. The complexity of linkage and pleiotropy of these QTLs plus environmental effect may result in the diversity of the yield phenotype in the SSSLs. Only S19 exhibited a significant increase in yield with a predicted gain by 281.58 kg ha^?1. The results may be useful to design a better breeding strategy that takes advantage of QTL‐by‐environment interaction effects in each of the SSSLs.     

Purification and analyses of the specificity of two putative diagnostic antigens for larval cyathostomin infection in horses

Cyathostomins are important equine gastrointestinal parasites. Mass emergence of mucosal stage larvae causes a potentially fatal colitis. Mucosal stages are undetectable non-invasively. An assay that would estimate mucosal larval stage infection would greatly assist in treatment, control and prognosis. Previously, we identified two putative diagnostic antigens (20 and 25 kDa) in somatic larval preparations. Here, we describe their purification and antigen-specific IgG(T) responses to them. Western blots confirmed the purity of the antigens and showed that epitopes in the 20 kDa complex were specific to larval cyathostomins. No cross-reactive antigens appeared to be present in Parascaris equorum or Strongyloides westeri species. Low levels of cross-reactivity were observed in Strongylus edentatus and Strongylus vulgaris species. Use of purified antigens greatly reduced background binding in equine sera. These results indicate that both antigen complexes may be of use in a diagnostic assay.