Fate of diuron and terbuthylazine in soils amended with two-phase olive oil mill waste

The addition of organic amendments to soil increases soil organic matter content and stimulates soil microbial activity. Thus, processes affecting herbicide fate in the soil should be affected. The objective of this work was to investigate the effect of olive oil production industry organic waste (alperujo) on soil sorption-desorption, degradation, and leaching of diuron [3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea] and terbuthylazine [N2-tert-butyl-6-chloro-N4-ethyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine], two herbicides widely used in olive crops. The soils used in this study were a sandy soil and a silty clay soil from two different olive groves. The sandy soil was amended in the laboratory with fresh (uncomposted) alperujo at the rate of 10% w/w, and the silty clay soil was amended in the field with fresh alperujo at the rate of 256 kg per tree during 4 years and in the laboratory with fresh or composted alperujo. Sorption of both herbicides increased in laboratory-amended soils as compared to unamended or field-amended soils, and this process was less reversible in laboratory-amended soils, except for diuron in amended sandy soil. Addition of alperujo to soils increased half-lives of the herbicides in most of the soils. Diuron and terbuthylazine leached through unamended sandy soil, but no herbicide was detected in laboratory-amended soil. Diuron did not leach through amended or unamended silty clay soil, whereas small amounts of terbuthylazine were detected in leachates from unamended soil. Despite their higher sorption capacity, greater amounts of terbuthylazine were found in the leachates from amended silty clay soils. The amounts of dissolved organic matter from alperujo and the degree of humification can affect sorption, degradation, and leaching of these two classes of herbicides in soils. It appears that adding alperujo to soil would not have adverse impacts on the behavior of herbicides in olive production.     

Cropping systems for the management of phytonematodes

Damage caused by nematodes is one of the limiting factors in crop production. Traditional nematode management is based on the use of crop rotations, resistant cultivars, nematicides, or combinations of these methods. For a crop like peanut (Arachis hypogaea), cultivars resistant to root-knot nematodes are not available. There are soybean (Glycine max) cultivars resistant to some of the species of root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.); however, most fields have nematode infestations composed of mixtures of species. Research at Auburn has shown that tropical crops can be used effectively in rotation to manage nematode problems. Rotations with American jointvetch (Aeschynomene americana), castor (Ricinus communis), hairy indigo (Indigofera hirsuta), partridge pea (Cassia fasciculata), sesame (Sesamum indicum), and velvetbean (Mucuna deeringiana) have resulted in good nematode control and increased yields of peanut and soybean. Some crops (castor, sesame) are considered ‘active’ in that they produce compounds that are nematicidal, whereas others (e.g. corn, sorghum) are simply non-host, that is, ‘passive’.     

Maxillary dentigerous cyst in a cat

A dentigerous cyst was diagnosed in the right rostral maxilla of a 6-month-old Siamese cat affecting the maxillary right canine tooth. The deciduous maxillary right canine tooth was extracted and the dentigerous cyst wall was curetted. The permanent tooth was not removed, however it was mobile following the surgical procedure. Examination 6-months following surgery indicated appropriate development of the tooth with no mobility or periodontal pocket formation. The maxillary right canine tooth had an abnormal shape but was functional with an acceptable appearance.     

True hermaphroditism in a horned goat with 60XX/60XY chimerism

Anatomical, behavioral, histological, endocrinological, and cytogenetic characteristics were determined in a horned intersex goat. Histology of the gonads confirmed that the goat was a true hermaphrodite. Cytogenetic analysis showed that it was a chimera (60XX/60XY). Use of laparoscopy allowed determination of characteristics of the internal gonads.     

Marking and retention of harlequin bug,Murgantia histrionica (Hahn) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), on pheromone-baited and unbaited plants

Harlequin bug (Murgantia histrionica) is an important pest of cole crops in the USA. The adults and nymphs feed on aboveground plant tissues by sucking cell contents and can seriously damage the host. Current insect control measures on cole crops target mainly lepidopteran pests, and the insecticides generally used do not control harlequin bug, so alternative management practices need to be explored. Previous research has established the existence of a male-produced pheromone attractive to both sexes and nymphs of M. histrionica. In this work, two systems of marking bugs were tested to verify if the mark affected fitness traits such as survival and host location. In a second phase, marked individuals were placed on trap host plants baited with synthetic pheromone lures to test whether migration rates were related to M. histrionica density on the trap plants and the presence of the attractants. Neither marking system affected the survival or orientation of the subjects compared to unmarked individuals. The pheromone lures significantly increased the attractiveness of the trap plants, but did not increase the retention time of the plants compared to unbaited plants. Emigration from the trap plants showed a constant rate and seemed unrelated to bug density on the plants. However, a mean peak density of ca. 36 bugs/plant was calculated. Beyond this number, density tended to decrease. These successful marking methods and retention time models support development of M. histrionica management with trap crops, by providing tentative control thresholds and decision rules.     

Potential use of visible and near-infrared spectroscopy for pine species discrimination by examination of needles

The correct identification of pine species is necessary for proper application of wood in forest?based industries, since the quality of each species’ wood depends on factors intrinsic to the material. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential use of near?infrared and visible spectroscopy in the discrimination of pine species planted in southern Brazil. Needles of Pinus clausa, P. glabra, P. kesiya, P. oocarpa, P. palustris, P. pseudostrobus, P. rigida, P. roxburghii and P. serotina were collected from experimental plantations located in the region of Rio Negro, Paraná, Brazil. The needles were dried and milled for analysis. The evaluation was performed with a spectral range of 400–750?nm (visible) and 1 000–2 500?nm (near?infrared). Analysis using the visible spectra resulted in two principal components explaining 95% of the variation between the needle samples. In the near?infrared analysis, it was possible to discriminate between all nine pine species studied using only two principal components, where the first explained 99% of the variation between species. Spectroscopy based on needles can be used for pine species discrimination, using the original data without mathematical treatment, in southern Brazil.     

Comparison of pedigree selection and single seed descent for oil yield in linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.)

Summary Four populations of linseed derived from five parents were advanced from the F₂ to the F₆ generation by SSD and to the F₅ by pedigree selection. These populations were used to compare the efficiency of the two methods in order to provide superior genotypes with respect to grain yield and oil content, i.e. oil yield. The results showed minimum differences between pedigree and SSD lines for grain yield, where in only one cross the SSD lines were significantly superior to the pedigree lines. Since pedigree selection was carried out for both, seed yield and oil content, a positive response to selection was expected. However, early selection for yield, a character with low heritability, was not successful. On the contrary, significant differences for oil content were detected between the two groups of lines in three of the four crosses studied. In these cases the pedigree lines were superior to the SSD lines. These results demonstrate that strict selection in early generations for oil content, a character with comparatively high heritability, is feasible and successful in linseed. However, selection for seed yield should be postponed to later inbred generations. Consequently, in breeding for maximum oil yield of linseed a two-step selection procedure is recommended.Abbreviations PS pedigree selection - SSD single seed descent - TGW thousand grain weight     

Interleukin-6 and insulin incrase and nitric oxide and adiponectin decrease in blind dogs with pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism

In this study, two populations of dogs with pituitary dependent hypercortisolism (PDH) were compared over a 2-year period. One group had normal vision (Group A, n=27) and one group was blind (Group B, n=20). Group B was characterised by the rapid appearance of the clinical signs of PDH that precede blindness. We found increases in pre-adrenocorticotropic hormone cortisol (P=0.002), IL-6 (P=0.0001), insulin, and insulin sensitivity (detected with the Homeostatic Model Assessment, P<0.0001) in Group B but not in Group A. The nitric oxide (NO) and the total adiponectin concentrations decreased (P=0.0001 and P=0.02, respectively) in Group B versus Group A. The IL-6 and insulin concentrations and the HOMA-A index were positively correlated with the cortisol concentration and were negatively correlated with the NO concentration. With the exception of adiponectin, the other variables were associated with blindness. We concluded that blindness in PDH is a haemodynamic event associated with metabolic changes, with the increase in the IL-6 concentration and the decrease in the NO concentration affecting the retinal vasculature and producing a high risk of vision loss.     

Sub-arm location of prolamin and EST-SSR loci on chromosome 1H<Superscript>ch</Superscript> from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Hordeum chilense</Emphasis>

Hordeum chilense Roem. et Schult. is a diploid wild South American barley that contains genes of interest for cereal breeding, many of them located on chromosome 1H^ch. In the current study, two H. chilense-wheat addition lines with deletions in the 1H^ch chromosome were used for sub-arm localization of five prolamin (glutenin and gliadin) loci and 33 EST-SSR marker loci on chromosome 1H^ch. The two sets of markers were distributed across five sub-arm chromosome regions. Three glutenin loci (Glu-H ^ch 2, Glu-H ^ch 3, Glu-H ^ch 4) together with the gliadin locus Gli-H ^ch 1 were located on the distal 20% of the 1H^chS arm, whereas the glutenin locus Glu-H ^ch 1 was on the proximal 88% region of 1H^chL. Among 33 EST-SSR marker loci, 7 (21.2%) were on the 1H^chS arm and, of them, 3 (9.1%) were on the distal 20% end and 4 (12.1%) on the proximal 80% region. The 26 loci (78.8%) on 1H^chL were distributed across three different regions: 18 (78.8%) in the proximal 88%, 3 (9.1%) in the distal 12% and 5 (15.2%) in a region less than 12% from the distal end. The deletions in the 1H^ch chromosome added to the common wheat background were thus shown to be useful for determining the sub-arm location of EST-SSR and prolamin loci. This could facilitate the identification of molecular markers linked to genes of agronomic interest and the isolation of such genes for use in common wheat improvement.