Calcium nutrition of the sugarbeet

Abstract

When sugarbeet seedlings are transferred from a complete nutrient solution to one from which Ca has been withheld, the rootlets and tops fail to develop. The same transfer at the eight‐leaf stage causes the rootlets to become stubby and swollen at the tips and blade expansion becomes modified; particularly the upper portions of the blades attaining nearly full development, which pucker and often develop a cupping or hooding effect; a unique symptom characteristic of Ca deficiency. As each new leaf develops, the blade area becomes smaller until only a black tip remains at the apex of the petiole, which is the symptom referred to as tip‐burn for this petiole and the successively . shorter petioles formed as Ca deficiency increases in severity. Strangely, these symptoms also appear during periods of rapid growth when the nutrient solution contains as much as 10 to 28 milliequivalents per liter of Ca or when soils are high in Ca. This implies that Ca absorption and possibly translocation limits the Ca supply at the growing point. Increasing Mg in the nutrient solution decreases Ca uptake and increases Ca deficiency. Potassium deficiency, unexpectedly, induces Ca deficiency apparently by decreasing the translocation of Ca to the growing point.

These phenomena suggest the hypothesis that when ion absorption takes place from the root exchange site that has the affinity for H > Ca > Mg > K > Na, then the H generated internally replaces, and the roots absorb, Na, K and Mg preferentially. Externally, Ca would be adsorbed preferentially from the nutrient solution by the exchange complex, and with the addition of Mg, it would compete for the common adsorption site of Ca and limit Ca absorption internally. Under these conditions potassium‐deficient nutrient solutions would not induce Ca deficiency by decreasing Ca absorption but rather by decreasing Ca translocation. Theoretically, Ba would replace H more readily than Ca on the exchange complex, and therefore, Ba would be adsorbed preferentially and Ca uptake would increase. This effect of Ba was verified experimentally.

Since the translocation of ⁴⁵Ca to the growing point was found to be unrestricted under Ca‐sufficient and Ca‐deficient conditions and since the formation of insoluble Ca compounds such as phosphate or oxalate did not account for the Ca deficiency at the growing point, the cause of the Ca deficiency at the growing point is most likely the higher priority of the storage root for Ca over tops when leaf blades and storage root are both expanding rapidly. However, Ca retransport from older to younger parts of the sugarbeet plant may be restricted by the formation of Ca phosphate under Ca‐deficient conditions and Ca oxalate under Ca‐sufficient conditions.

Calcium deficiency increases net photosynthesis per unit blade area initially, probably because of blade puckering, but not on a per unit chlorophyll basis.     

Factors affecting the virulence of Ralstonia solanacearum and its colonization on tobacco roots

Tobacco bacterial wilt caused by Ralstonia solanacearum is a serious disease affecting tobacco cultivation in southwest China. The response surface methodology was employed to evaluate the optimal conditions of tobacco bacterial wilt, and green fluorescent protein gene (gfp) labelling was applied to monitor the location and survival dynamics of R. solanacearum (Rs::gfp) on tobacco roots and in soil under these optimal conditions. The results showed that the highest wilt incidence was 91.13%, which occurred when the population reached 6.6 × 10⁶ CFU/g soil, the temperature was 30.55 °C, and the humidity was >81.42%. The Rs::gfp densely colonized the root tips and root hairs, and cells of Rs::gfp were observed intermittently in the elongation zone or at the point of the emerging lateral roots. The Rs::gfp number in the rhizosphere soil was 10.75‐, 73.13‐ and 74.86‐times higher than that in the bulk soil at 10, 15 and 20 days after transplantation, respectively. Increased colonization by Rs::gfp was related to the population of the pathogen, the environmental temperature and the humidity in the soil. These three conditions determined whether R. solanacearum would induce tobacco wilt. This is the first study to investigate factors affecting the virulence of a tobacco wilt bacterial pathogen, which is important for conducting field diagnosis and biocontrol of tobacco bacterial wilt.     

宁夏土壤侵蚀动态变化与原因分析

通过对 1990年和 1999年两次土壤侵蚀遥感普查数据的对比 ,从类型、面积、强度、分布等方面对宁夏土壤侵蚀的动态变化进行了较为详细的分析。结果表明 :宁夏回族自治区各类型区水土流失面积有所减小 ,土壤侵蚀的剧烈程度普遍减弱。初步分析认为 ,土壤侵蚀变化的原因 ,除两次普查存在方法上的系统误差外 ,水土保持的作用功不可没。针对不同类型区土壤侵蚀的特点 ,提出了今后应采取的相应防治方略。     

Hip dysplasia and dog breeding

Summary

Hip dysplasia is considered to be one of the most serious problems in dog breeding. In the past 20 years the studies of, and the attempts to control, this condition have been directed mainly to the overall picture of the abnormality of the hips. The various efforts have resulted in a decrease in the incidence of HD in several breeds of dogs. For other breeds the results have not been very convincing, however. In some instances they are even said to be conflicting with other aims of breeding. Based on these data some separate studies have recently been performded in respect of the details of the disorders in the hip joints and of the heritability of these elements.

The present study concerns itself with the roots of the disorders as they are observed in the various breeds. A great variety of data indicates that selection within the canine species for specific morphological traits must be considered as one of the most important roots of the occurrence of HD. The collected data strongly indicate that improvements in the HD status in the various breeds can be reached by selection against specific disorders of the hip joints in these breeds.     

Insecticidal potency of novel compounds on multiple insect species of medical and veterinary importance

BACKGROUND: Vector‐borne diseases continue to present significant threats to human, animal and plant health. Mosquitoes, houseflies, sand flies and stable flies are well‐known vectors of several human and animal pathogens. The toxicity of selected semiochemicals with molecular structures indicative of insecticidal activity was determined against these insect species with the aim of developing novel insecticides toxic to multiple insect species. RESULTS: Three semiochemicals, namely beta‐damascone, cyclemone A and melafleur, showed remarkable toxicity to three mosquitoes, Aedes aegypti L., Ae. albopictus (Skuse) and Anopheles quadrimaculatus Say, the housefly, Musca domestica L., the stable fly, Stomoxys calcitrans L., and the sand fly, Lutzomyia shannoni (Dyar). The chemicals were equally toxic to several field‐collected permethrin‐tolerant housefly strains. When formulated as 500 mL L^?1 emulsifiable concentrates, the chemicals demonstrated stability and toxicity on filter paper and camouflage military fabrics, with persistence up to 8 days under laboratory conditions. The chemicals were equally effective under field conditions when evaluated on unpainted plywood panels, although a higher dosage was required under field conditions to achieve similar efficacy. CONCLUSION: Laboratory quantification of LC₅₀ values and field efficacy of three semiochemicals as formulated compounds on mosquitoes, houseflies, stable flies and sand flies showed that these semiochemicals could serve as potent insecticides for multiple insect species. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry