An evaluation of the Olsen test as a measure of plant-available phosphorus in grassland soils derived from basalt parent material

Abstract. Anecdotal and circumstantial evidence have suggested that the Olsen test underestimates plant-available phosphorus (P) in basaltic soils in Northern Ireland. Therefore, the ability of this test to predict plant-available P in basaltic (and non-basaltic) soils was investigated by regressing Olsen-P data against herbage P indices calculated from plant tissue test data using the diagnosis and recommendation integrated system. The average Olsen-P concentration for a range of fields situated on basaltic soils was considerably lower than the average Olsen-P concentration for a range of fields situated on non-basaltic soils, and yet mean sward P status, as given by the herbage P indices, was similar for both groups of fields. Herbage P indices were also much better correlated with Olsen-P measurements in non-basaltic soils than in basaltic soils. Furthermore, at low Olsen-P values (≶9mgPL⁻¹) some swards on basaltic soils were genuinely deficient in P, while others were sufficient or even in surplus for this nutrient. The results confirm that Olsen-P is inadequate as a predictor of plant-available P in basaltic soils. It is concluded that an alternative soil test is needed to provide a reliable assessment of plant-available P in basaltic soils, to prevent overuse of fertilizer and manure P and to minimize the amounts of P entering local watercourses.     

棉花多亲本杂交F_2群体产量性状的效应分析

本文对棉花聚合杂交体系中９个不同亲人配制的８个单交、１０个４交、１１个８交的Ｆ＿２代群体的产量及产量组合性状进行综合分析。结果表明，随着率交亲本数的增加，聚合程度逐步提高，使产量及主要产量组分的遗传增益不断上升，并达到了显著或极显著水平的增加，其中尤以８交群体的聚合增效最为突出。说明多亲本聚合杂交在棉花丰产、优质、抗病和早熟目标的育种中，对产量性状的提高具有显著效果。     

Field evaluation of insect-resistant transgenic Populus nigra trees

The performance of insect-resistant transgenic poplar trees (Populusnigra) expressing a Cry1Ac gene from Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. Kurstaki HD-1 against poplar defoliators was evaluated in the field at the Manas Forest Station in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region during1994–1997. The results showed that the average percentage of highly damaged leaves on the transgenic trees was 10% while that on the control trees in nearby plantations reached 80–90%. The average number of pupae per m² of soil at 20cm depth in transgenic poplar plantation was 18 which was only 20% of that found in the non-transgenic control field. The number of pupae and the leaf-damage on transgenic trees described above are all far below the threshold set for chemical protection measures. The non-transformed poplar trees grown in the same plantation with the transgenic trees were also protected indicating that cross protection occurred between these two kinds of trees. Insect-resistant transgenic poplar trees have a potential application value in afforestation. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Analytical and Clinical Validation of a Time-resolved Immunofluorometric Assay (TR-IFMA) for Canine C-reactive Protein in Serum

A time-resolved immunofluorometric assay (TR-IFMA) was developed for the determination of C-reactive protein (CRP) in canine serum. CRP was isolated from canine acute-phase serum by affinity chromatography on agarose coupled with phosphorylethanolamine. This isolated dog CRP was used as standard to calibrate the assay. Intra-assay and inter-assay coefficients of variation were in the ranges 5.3–7.1% and 4.8–13.3%, respectively. Accuracy, evaluated by adding 2 and 10 μg/ml of CRP to serum samples, provided recoveries of 99.9% and 106.8%. High correlation was found between CRP measurements by TR-IFMA and a by commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (R² = 0.98). The limit of detection for the TR-IFMA method was 0.000067 μg/ml and the measurement of CRP in serial dilutions of acute-phase dog sera generated curves with the same slope as the one constructed with purified CRP. The TR-IFMA provides a precise, accurate and highly sensitive assay for CRP determination in dog samples. CRP levels in dogs with different diseases ranged between 10.2 and 210.7 μg/ml and were significantly higher than those observed in healthy dogs (< 7.1 μmg/ml).     

沙打旺与鹰咀紫云英种间杂交不亲和性研究

沙打旺抗逆性强,而鹰咀紫云英品质较好,是黄芪属中优良性状互补的草种。针对二者种间杂交不亲和性现象,从不同方面研究杂交不亲和的原因。结果表明,亲本花粉活力和育性均非杂交不亲和的主要原因,其主要障碍在于,父本花粉不能伸入母本柱头,表现出不亲和异常现象,如花粉管萌发后盘绕在柱头表面,花粉管尖端膨大等。即使父本花粉管进入母本柱头,因生长缓慢,沉积胼胝质,在花柱中受抑制而停止生长。沙打旺和鹰咀紫云英杂交不亲和的表达部位与亲本自交不亲和的表达部位相似。在此基础上提出克服二者杂交不亲和的措施,为沙打旺和鹰咀紫云英杂交育种提供理论基础和依据。     

Across-breed validation study confirms and identifies new loci associated with sexual precocity in Brahman and Nellore cattle

The aim of this study was to identify candidate regions associated with sexual precocity in Bos indicus. Nellore and Brahman were set as validation and discovery populations, respectively. SNP selected in Brahman to validate in Nellore were from gene regions affecting reproductive traits (G1) and significant SNP (p ≤ 10^–3) from a meta-analysis (G2). In the validation population, early pregnancy (EP) and scrotal circumference (SC) were evaluated. To perform GWAS in validation population, we used regression and Bayes C. SNP with p ≤ 10^–3 in regression and Bayes factor ≥3 in Bayes C were deemed significant. Significant SNP (for EP or SC) or SNP in their ±250 Kb vicinity region, which were in at least one discovery set (G1 or G2), were considered validated. SNP identified in both G1 and G2 were considered candidate. For EP, 145 SNP were validated in G1 and 41 in G2, and for SC, these numbers were 14 and 2. For EP, 21 candidate SNP were detected (G1 and G2). For SC, no candidate SNP were identified. Validated SNP and their vicinity region were located close to quantitative trait loci or genes related to reproductive traits and were enriched in gene ontology terms related to reproductive success. These are therefore strong candidate regions for sexual precocity in Nellore and Brahman.     

中蜂来源的微孢子虫对意蜂工蜂的侵染性研究

为探讨中蜂来源的微孢子虫对意蜂的侵染性,本试验将纯化自中蜂的微孢子虫,以每只蜂1×105个和5×105个孢子的接种量,分别给2日、5日、8日、11日龄无微孢子虫感染的意蜂成年工蜂接种,在30℃±0.5℃,65%～80%RH,黑暗中隔离饲养10日后,各日龄工蜂的平均感染率达86.3%～100%,每只蜂中肠的平均产孢量为5.60×105～3.39×106个。在两接种量下,2日、5日龄意蜂工蜂的产孢量均显著(P<0.05)高于8日、11日龄的产孢量。试验首次证实了中蜂来源的微孢子虫对意蜂成年工蜂具较强的侵染性。     

青脚白羽鸡测交羽色效应研究

青脚白羽鸡是近年来选育出的新品种,为了利用好该鸡种优良的种质特性,试验中用其他优良鸡种与其测交,以期使更多的优良性状组合在一起,甚至超过双亲,将杂交优势在生产中加以利用。目前的试验结果表明,以青脚白羽鸡作母本、川东大黑鸡作父本的测交组合经济性状效果最好,其测交的羽色遗传效应较复杂,认真研究该遗传效应,对于丰富遗传育种理论和指导育种实践有着重要的意义。     

Cross-sectional area of the tendons of the tarsal region in Standardbred trotter horses

Reasons for performing study: The assessment of a normal range for cross‐sectional area (CSA) of tendons in the tarsal region is important in order to use them as reference values in the identification of pathological changes of dimensions. Objectives: To provide normal reference values for the CSA of the tendons of the tarsus of Standardbred trotter horses (STH) by means of ultrasonography. Methods: Transverse echographic images of the tendons were obtained at different levels proximodistally; these images were digitised and CSA values (mean ± s.d.) were obtained for each structure. Results: The largest structure corresponded with the lateral digital flexor/caudal tibial tendon complex at Level 1 and the smallest was the medial digital flexor tendon at Level 4. Almost all tendons showed a slight decreasing in their CSA when crossing the tarsus. Conclusions: The normal CSA values of tendinous structures in the tarsal region of the STH are reported. These data could be used as anatomical references. Potential relevance: The establishment of reference values could serve as a tool to discriminate between normal and abnormal dimensions of tarsal tendons in STH. Other horse breeds should need their own reference values.     

Evaluation of the agreement of two oscillometric blood pressure devices with invasive blood pressure in anaesthetized chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)

ObjectiveTo evaluate the agreement of two noninvasive blood pressure devices: a human device with the cuff placed on the wrist (Omron R1) and a veterinary device with the cuff placed on the upper brachium (Surgivet Advisor Vital Signs Monitor) with invasive blood pressure (IBP) measurement in anaesthetized chimpanzees.Study designProspective clinical study.AnimalsA convenience sample of 11 adult chimpanzees undergoing anaesthesia for translocation and routine health checks.MethodsSystolic (SAP) and diastolic arterial pressures (DAP) were continuously recorded via a transducer connected to a femoral artery cannula, and at 5 minute intervals from the two oscillometric devices. Agreement was explored using Bland-Altman analysis and bias defined as the mean difference between the two measurement methods. Spearman correlation coefficients were calculated. Significance was set at p < 0.05.ResultsBias and standard deviation for the Surgivet compared with IBP were 8.6 ± 18 for SAP and 8.4 ± 9.9 for DAP, showing a significant underestimation of both variables. Limits of agreement (LOA) were from –27 to 44 for SAP and from –11 to 28 for DAP. Correlation coefficients between the Surgivet and IBP values were 0.86 for SAP and 0.85 for DAP (p < 0.0001). Bias and standard deviation for the Omron compared with the IBP were –21 ± 25 for SAP and –18 ± 15 for DAP, showing a significant overestimation of both variables. LOA were from –70 to –28 for SAP and from –47 to 11 for DAP. Spearman correlation coefficients between the Omron and IBP values were 0.64 for SAP and 0.72 for DAP (p < 0.0001).Conclusions and clinical relevanceAlthough neither device met all the criteria for device validation, the Surgivet presented better agreement with IBP values than the Omron in adult anaesthetized chimpanzees.