PCR-based detection of Xanthomonas campestris pathovars in Brassica seed

Xanthomonas campestris is a seedborne bacterium that causes black rot of crucifers. Substantial crop losses may result from the rapid spread of the bacteria under favourable conditions, especially those occurring during seedling production. A PCR-based method has been developed for the rapid and sensitive detection of the pathovars of X. campestris that affect crucifers. Primers were designed to specifically amplify a 619 bp fragment of the hrpF gene from X. campestris . Amplification products were not detected from other Xanthomonas species, or from other pathogenic or epiphytic bacteria occurring on these plants. To avoid false-negative results arising from the presence of amplification inhibitors in plant extracts, primers targeting a 360 bp section of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region from Brassica spp. were included in a multiplex PCR. The assay readily detected X. campestris pv. campestris infections in diseased plants and from bacterial colonies isolated on growth media, and was more sensitive and specific than traditional plating methods and a commercially available ELISA. A seed-washing protocol was optimized to allow the detection of a single artificially infected seed among 10 000 healthy seeds using the multiplex PCR.     

The yam nematode (Scutellonema bradys), a potential threat to potato (Solanum tuberosum) production in West Africa

Potato (Solanum tuberosum) production in Africa is rapidly expanding and becoming increasingly important. As its geographical production range broadens, so does its potential to host new pests and diseases. Following the discovery that potato can be affected by Scutellonema bradys, further studies were undertaken to assess its potential pathogenicity on potato under screenhouse and field conditions, and on marketed tubers. Potato plants inoculated with S. bradys produced tubers with substantial cracking and evident tuber rot, compared with tubers from uninoculated plants. Symptoms of nematode infection on tubers included a scaly appearance, surface cracking as well as deeper tissue cracks, distortions, and darkened surface patches. In most cases these patches were related to sub‐surface rot. Nematodes were recovered from the soil, roots and tubers of inoculated plants. Eight weeks after inoculation, the reproduction factor of the nematode was greatest (2·0) at the lowest inoculation rate assessed (1000 nematodes per 2·5‐L pot) and least (0·4) at the highest inoculation rate (5000 nematodes per pot). In the screenhouse, potato tuber weights were low and mostly unaffected by nematode inoculation rate, except at 5000 nematodes per pot. In the field, non‐inoculated plants yielded over nine times more tubers than plants inoculated with 2000 S. bradys. Low densities of S. bradys were also recovered from 10 of 15 (67%) samples collected from market stalls, indicating field infection. This study confirms that potato can host and be damaged by S. bradys, raising its prospect as a likely significant biotic constraint to the crop.     

红掌细菌性疫病的病原菌初步鉴定

 在云南西双版纳的红掌上发现一种由细菌侵染引起的病害,从叶片的病组织上分离到具有致病性的杆状细菌,将分离的病原菌接种于健康的红掌上,表现出与田间一致的症状。感病初期在叶缘或叶脉间出现水渍状小点,后期病斑多呈棕褐色至黑色坏死,病健交界处多呈黄色。从接种发病的病斑与田间标样上分离的病原菌菌落形态完全相同。通过菌株的培养性状、常规生理生化特性及透射电镜下菌体形态观察结果,将病原菌初步鉴定为黄单胞菌属(Xanthomonas)。BIOLOG鉴定和致病性测定结果进一步鉴定病原菌为地毯草黄单胞菌花叶万年青致病变种Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. dieffenbachiae(Xad)(McCulloch & Pirone) Vauterin et al.     

Equine mammary gland disease with a focus on botryomycosis: A review and case study

Mammary gland problems occur incidentally in horses and one of the rarer conditions is botryomycosis (bacterial pseudomycosis, bacterial granuloma, staphylococcal pseudomycetoma). This article includes a short review of equine mammary gland problems inappropriate lactation, mastitis and neoplasia and botryomycosis, and additionally 2 clinical cases of botryomycosis of the udder resulting from Staphyloccocus aureus infection will be discussed. Both cases involved nonpregnant, nonlactating mares referred for chronic mammary inflammation with draining abcessation. In both mares, botryomycosis caused by S. aureus was confirmed by histopathology and a bacterial culture. Both mares recovered fully after surgical hemimastectomy under general anaesthesia.     

基于热致液晶弹性体的仿生心脏泵的设计

为设计一款仿生心脏功能较佳的心室泵,采用柔性、热致伸缩的热致形变弹性体代替心肌,根据螺旋心室心肌带理论,选择心肌带的左心室段,并选取了Hilbert平面填充曲线作为热致导体在热致形变弹性体中的走行方式,设计出与真实心脏类似的心室泵结构.通过试验测量了所设计的心室泵的射血分数与心率,结果显示该心室泵的搏出量高于自然心脏,而其心率远低于自然心脏.相对于机械泵,所设计的心室泵结构与真实心脏类似,具有收缩能力强,射血分数高的优点,且不易破坏血细胞,生物相容性较好.不足之处在于,热致动液晶弹性体变形响应慢,暂时还未能达到正常心脏的心率.论证了构建双稳态结构,提高仿生心室泵效率的可能性,以及对于心肌纤维走向较为复杂的其他心肌带段,双轴拉伸机械雕刻对其仿生的可能性.此研究可为容积心脏泵的研发提供新的思路,也可以对右心衰竭等心脏疾病起到辅助治疗的作用.     

自适应低振动步行轮仿生设计与性能分析

为提高具有高通过性的步行轮平顺性,基于鸵鸟足运动姿态与跖趾关节储能减振机理,运用工程仿生学原理与技术,设计了一种仿生自适应低振动步行轮。有限元数值模拟结果表明,轮上载荷30 N,角速度10(°)/s情况下,相比于传统步行轮,仿生步行轮轮心波动范围在软路面和硬路面分别降低了85.71%和93.33%。采用轻载荷月壤/车轮土槽测试系统验证了仿生步行轮的减振性能。当滑转率小于40%时,仿生步行轮的挂钩牵引力均大于传统步行轮;当滑转率大于40%,且仅在角速度为20(°)/s时,仿生步行轮的挂钩牵引力才小于传统步行轮,表明仿生步行轮在松软地面具有较好的牵引通过性。同时,相比于传统步行轮,当角速度为30(°)/s时,仿生步行轮在软路面和硬路面的加速度分别减少了6.3%和15.8%,振幅分别减小了14.6%和9.6%。在保证松软地面优越牵引通过性能前提下,仿生步行轮比传统步行轮的轮心波动更小,振动明显降低,有效解决了步行轮多边形效应引起的振动问题。     

油桃果实顶腐形成原因分析

[目的]探讨油桃果实顶腐形成的原因。[方法]以中油5号油桃果实为试材,分别测定正常油桃与顶腐油桃果实中Ca含量;从顶腐油桃上分离纯化得到致病菌,采用CTAB法提取菌丝DNA,对其进行rDNA-ITS鉴定,利用NCBI在线Blast工具进行致病菌rDNAITS同源性比较。[结果]病果果实中Ca元素含量显著低于对照;腐烂坏死部位分离出2种不同类型菌丝,分别为弱寄生菌黑变病与黑酵母菌。[结论]油桃顶腐主要是由缺钙诱发后弱寄生菌侵染造成的。     

黄瓜根际细菌J352对大豆根腐病菌的作用

J352是从黄瓜根际筛选到的一株对病原真菌具有拮抗作用的细菌。室内培养结果表明,该菌对大豆根腐镰刀病菌有较强的抑制效果。J352发酵液对2种病原真菌孢子萌发有较高的抑制率;细菌与病原菌共培养后发现真菌菌丝和孢子发生畸变,菌丝和孢子内部均发生原生质体凝聚并出现空洞。与其它供试病原真菌的对峙培养发现,对烟草赤星病菌抑制作用最明显,抑菌率达85.5%。     

沙棘植物柔性坝坝体变形初步分析

本文基于2005年在内蒙古准格尔旗西召沟小流域对已植的沙棘柔性坝进行野外调查,从植物生长角度对沙棘柔性坝坝体进行了纵向、横向、垂向(即沙棘柔性坝坝长、坝宽、坝高)的变形分析。对于沙棘柔性坝的坝长变化,主要从沙棘根系蘖苗萌生出发,分析得出其每年扩展约1m;柔性坝坝宽受沟宽限制,其发展趋势为扩展至满沟;柔性坝坝高变化采用三次函数和Logistic型函数两种具有“S”形特征的曲线进行拟合分析,经对比其变化过程服从Logistic型生长函数,并结合Logistic函数对沙棘植物柔性坝坝高的变化进行了具体意义的探讨。     

Development of Stem-base Pathogens on Different Cultivars of Winter Wheat Determined by Quantitative PCR

The progress of development of stem-base pathogens in crops of second winter wheat was plotted in nine experiments in three years. The amount of each pathogen present was determined by quantitative PCR. Where Tapesia yallundae was present in quantifiable amounts, it usually developed earlier than the other eyespot pathogen, T. acuformis. Both species were usually present in greater amounts on cultivars which are more susceptible to eyespot. The sharp eyespot pathogen, Rhizoctonia cerealis, developed more erratically than either of the Tapesia spp. and there were no consistent effects on different cultivars. Fusarium spp., the cause of brown foot rot, were rarely present in quantifiable amounts, but Microdochium nivale was usually present as one or both of the varieties nivale and majus. Late-season (after anthesis) decreases in M. nivale suggest that any brown foot rot symptoms attributable to this fungus would have fully developed earlier. Cultivar differences in amounts of M. nivale were most clear in stems during internode extension and when relatively large amounts of DNA were present. Such differences approximately reflected eyespot susceptibility, cv. Soissons containing most and cv. Lynx containing least DNA. The results emphasise the difficulty in relating diagnoses, by quantitative PCR or other means, at early growth stages when decisions to apply fungicides against stem-base disease are made, to later disease severity.