Comparative study of Kenaf varieties and growing conditions and their effect on kraft pulp quality

Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) is an annual plant which produces a very high fiber yield per hectare and has demonstrated to be a suitable material for pulping. The crop conditions influence fiber production, but there is no information about their effect on pulp quality. The aim of this work was to study the effect of kenaf varieties and crop conditions (watering dose and harvesting time) on sulfate pulp quality. The study has been made on bast fiber sulfate pulps due to their high added value. The quality criteria were fiber dimensions, chemical composition and pulp quality. Kenaf variety or crop conditions have significant effect on fiber dimensions, holocellulose content, kappa number and breaking strength. To obtain high fiber yield and good delignified pulps it is recommended to grow the Salvador variety and to employ advance harvesting. Received: 20 January 1999     

Radioimmunoassay of Bovine,Ovine and Porcine Luteinizing Hormone with a Monoclonal Antibody and a Human Tracer

Forsberg, M., R. Tagle, A. Madej, J.R. Molina and M.-A. Carlsson. Radioimmunoassay of bovine, ovine and porcine luteinizing hormone with a monoclonal antibody and a human tracer. Acta vet. scand. 1993, 255-262.– A radioimmunoassay for bovine (bLH), ovine (oLH) and porcine (pLH) luteinizing hormone was developed using a human ¹²⁵ ILH tracer from a commercial kit and a monoclonal antibody (518B7) specific for LH but with low species specificity. Standard curves demonstrated similar binding kinetics when bLH, oLH and pLH were incubated with tracer and antibody for 2 h at room temperature. A 30-min delay in the addition of the tracer gave sufficient sensitivity when analysing pLH. Separation of antibody-bound LH from free hormone was achieved by using second antibody-coated micro Sepharose beads. The assay was validated and the performance compared with that of an RIA currently in use for determination of bLH and oLH (coefficient of correlation: 0.99 and 0.98). Regardless of the standards used, intra-assay coefficients of variation were <10% for LH concentrations exceeding 1 µg/L. The inter-assay coefficients of variation were <15%. The assay was used for clinical evaluation demonstrating the pre-ovulatory LH surge in two cyclic cows, LH pulsatility in an oophorectomized ewe and LH response to GnRH injection in a boar.     

Characterization of near-isogenic lines carrying QTL for high spikelet number with the genetic background of an indica rice variety IR64 (Oryza sativa L.)

Total spikelet number per panicle (TSN) is one of the most important traits associated with rice yield potential. This trait was assessed in a set of 334 chromosomal segment introgression lines (ILs: BC₃-derived lines), developed from new plant type (NPT) varieties as donor parents and having the genetic background of an indica-type rice variety IR64. Among the 334 ILs, five lines which had different donor parents and showed significantly higher TSN than IR64 were used for genetic analysis. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis was conducted using F₂ populations derived from crosses between IR64 and these ILs. As a result, a QTL for high TSN (one from each NPT donor variety) was detected on common region of the long arm of chromosome 4. The effect of the QTL was confirmed by an increase in TSN of five near-isogenic lines (NILs) developed in the present study. The variation in TSN was found among these NILs, attributing to the panicle architecture in the numbers of primary, secondary and tertiary branches. The NILs for TSN and the SSR markers linked to the TSN QTLs are expected to be useful materials for research and breeding to enhance the yield potential of rice varieties.     

Characterization of field‐evolved resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis‐derived Cry1F δ‐endotoxin in Spodoptera frugiperda populations from Argentina

BACKGROUND

Transgenic maize (Zea mays L.) event TC1507 (Herculex^® I insect protection), expressing Cry1F δ‐endotoxin derived from Bacillus thuringiensis var. aizawai, was commercialized in 2003 in the Americas. Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) susceptibility to Cry1F was monitored annually across several regions in Argentina using diagnostic concentration bioassays. Reduced performance of TC1507 maize against S. frugiperda was reported in 2013. A resistant population was established in the laboratory and the dominance of Cry1F resistance was characterized.

RESULTS

During 2012–2015, high‐survivorship of several populations was observed in the resistance monitoring program. Reciprocal crosses of a Cry1F‐resistant population with a Cry1F‐susceptible population were evaluated to calculate effective dominance (D_ML) based on mortality levels observed at 100 µg/ml Cry1F. Two additional dominance levels (D_LC and D_EC) were calculated using lethal (LC₅₀) or effective concentration (EC₅₀) derived from concentration–response bioassays. Estimates indicated that Cry1F resistance in S. frugiperda in Argentina was either highly recessive (D_ML = 0.005) or incompletely recessive (D_LC < 0.26 and D_EC < 0.19).

CONCLUSION

This study is the first documented confirmation and characterization of S. frugiperda Cry1F field‐evolved resistance in Argentina. The resistance to Cry1F in S. frugiperda populations collected in Argentina, is autosomal and incompletely recessive similar to the resistance reported in Brazil. © 2017 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley © Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.     

QTL for spikelet number from a high-yielding rice variety, Hoshiaoba, detected in an introgression line with the genetic background of an indica rice variety, IR64

Total spikelet number per panicle (TSN) is thought to be one of the most important agronomic traits associated with grain production in rice (Oryza sativa L.). We previously reported the development of 334 introgression lines (ILs) with variations in agronomic traits in the genetic background of indica rice variety IR64. Among these, an IL derived from high-yielding rice variety Hoshiaoba showed significantly higher TSN than IR64. We therefore have conducted a quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis for TSN in an F₂ population of IL × IR64 to ascertain the genetic basis for the high TSN of the IL. The analysis revealed the presence of a QTL for TSN on chromosome 7, where several QTLs for grain number have been previously reported. We developed a near-isogenic line (NIL) for this QTL by using DNA marker-assisted selection and characterized its effect. The NIL showed significantly higher TSN than IR64. These results suggest that the QTL and the NIL will be useful materials in breeding programs aimed at increasing TSN.     

Comet or asteroid shower in the late Eocene?

The passage of a comet shower approximately 35 million years ago is generally advocated to explain the coincidence during Earth's late Eocene of an unusually high flux of interplanetary dust particles and the formation of the two largest craters in the Cenozoic, Popigai and the Chesapeake Bay. However, new platinum-group element analyses indicate that Popigai was formed by the impact of an L-chondrite meteorite. Such an asteroidal projectile is difficult to reconcile with a cometary origin. Perhaps instead the higher delivery rate of extraterrestrial matter, dust, and large objects was caused by a major collision in the asteroid belt.     

Effects of the synergist S,S,S-tributyl phosphorotrithioate on indoxacarb toxicity and metabolism in the European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis (Hübner)

The toxicity of the oxadiazine insecticide indoxacarb to the European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), was evaluated in the presence and absence of S,S,S-tributyl phosphorotrithioate (DEF), an inhibitor of hydrolytic metabolism. Bioassays involving topical application of different concentrations of indoxacarb to third instars of a susceptible O. nubilalis laboratory strain were performed, and in vitro metabolism experiments involving [¹⁴C] indoxacarb were examined to determine the role of hydrolytic metabolism in indoxacarb activation. Indoxacarb toxicity decreased in the presence of DEF indicating antagonism of toxicity. Results of in vivo and in vitro inhibition experiments indicated a reduction of indoxacarb activation and formation of the hydrolytic metabolite. These results are consistent with the proposed mechanism of hydrolytic activation for this compound.