prediction and segregation analysis of putative virus defense genes based on SSR markers in sweet potato F1 progenies of cultivars 'New Kawogo' and 'Resisto'.

In sweet potato, an anti-virus defense mechanism termed reversion has been postulated to lead to virus freedom from once infected plants. The objectives of this study were to identify anti-virus defense genes and evaluate their segregation in progenies. Reference genes from different plant species were used to assemble transcript sequences of each sweet potato defense gene .

Factors influencing reversion from virus infection in sweetpotato.

Viruses limit sweetpotato () production worldwide. Many sweetpotato landraces in East Africa are, however, largely virus-free. Moreover, some plants infected by the prevalent Sweet (SPFMV) may be able to revert to virus-free status.

Review: The compositional variation of the rumen microbiome and its effect on host performance and methane emission.

The rumen microbiome has the important task of supplying ruminants with most of their dietary requirements and is responsible for up to 90% of their metabolic needs. This tremendous feat is possible due to the large diversity of microorganisms in the rumen. The rumen is considered one of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet in terms of species diversity and functional richness.

Multifunctional Roles of Plant Cuticle During Plant-Pathogen Interactions.

In land plants the cuticle is the outermost layer interacting with the environment. This lipophilic layer comprises the polyester cutin embedded in cuticular wax; and it forms a physical barrier to protect plants from desiccation as well as from diverse biotic and abiotic stresses. However, the cuticle is not merely a passive, mechanical shield.

Cadmium-mediated morphological, biochemical and physiological tuning in three different Anabaena species.

Cyanobacteria are a natural inhabitant of paddy field and enhance the crop productivity in an eco-friendly manner. Cadmium (Cd) is a perilous trace metal element which not only limits the crop productivity but also inhibits the growth and nitrogen-fixing ability of these diazotrophs as well as the biodiversity of rice field semiaquatic agroecosystems. However, the impact of Cd toxicity in diazotrophic cyanobacteria is yet not adequately addressed.

Digital Photography as a Tool of Research and Documentation in Plant Tissue Culture.

Scientific photography is an important and indispensable tool in plant tissue culture research: photographs should be taken throughout a project for documentation. The aim of photography in plant tissue culture should be to illustrate clearly the differentiation, growth, and developmental stages occurring in vitro. Poor-quality scientific photography in tissue culture research and professional reports results in poor documentation.

A flexible control system designed for lab-scale simulations and optimization of composting processes.

Understanding and optimization of composting processes can benefit from the use of controlled simulators of various scales. The Agricultural Research Organization Composting Simulator (ARO-CS) was recently built and it is flexibly automated by means of a programmable logic controller (PLC). Temperature, carbon dioxide, oxygen and airflow are monitored and controlled in seven 9-l reactors that are mounted into separate 80-l water baths.

Molecular Approaches for Manipulating Male Sterility and Strategies for Fertility Restoration in Plants.

Usable pollination control systems have proven to be effective system for the development of hybrid crop varieties, which are important for optimal performance over varied environments and years. They also act as a biocontainment to check horizontal transgene flow. In the last two decades, many genetic manipulations involving genes controlling the production of cytotoxic products, conditional male sterility, altering metabolic processes, post-transcriptional gene silencing, RNA editing and chloroplast engineering methods have been used to develop a proper pollination control system.

Characterization of the regulation of a plant polysaccharide utilization operon and its role in biofilm formation in Bacillus subtilis.

The soil bacterium Bacillus subtilis is often found in association with plants in the rhizosphere. Previously, plant polysaccharides have been shown to stimulate formation of root-associated multicellular communities, or biofilms, in this bacterium, yet the underlying mechanism is not fully understood. A five-gene gan operon (ganSPQAB) in B.

Evaluation of the IceTag leg sensor and its derivative models to predict behaviour, using beef cattle on rangeland.

Background: There is interest in using animal-mounted sensors to provide the detailed timeline of domesticated ruminant behaviour on rangelands.

New Method: Working with beef cattle, we evaluated the pedometer-like IceTag device (IceRobotics, Edinburgh, Scotland) that records step events, leg movement and body position (upright versus lying). We used partition analysis to compare behaviour as inferred from the device data with true behaviour as coded at high resolution from carefully synchronized video observations of 5-min duration.

The effect of temperature on proliferation and differentiation of chicken skeletal muscle satellite cells isolated from different muscle types.

Skeletal muscle satellite cells are a muscle stem cell population that mediate posthatch muscle growth and repair. Satellite cells respond differentially to environmental stimuli based upon their fiber-type of origin. The objective of this study was to determine how temperatures below and above the in vitro control of 38°C affected the proliferation and differentiation of satellite cells isolated from the chicken anaerobic pectoralis major (p.

Intraspecific variation in defense against a generalist lepidopteran herbivore in populations of Eruca sativa (Mill.).

Populations of Eruca sativa (Brassicaceae) from desert and Mediterranean (Med) habitats in Israel differ in their defense against larvae of the generalist Spodoptera littoralis but not the specialist Pieris brassicae. Larvae of the generalist insect feeding on plants of the Med population gained significantly less weight than those feeding on the desert plants, and exogenous application of methyl jasmonate (MJ) on leaves of the Med plants significantly reduced the level of damage created by the generalist larvae. However, MJ treatment significantly induced resistance in plants of the desert population, whereas the generalist larvae caused similar damage to MJ-induced and noninduced plants.

Description of a new species of Odonaspis Leonardi (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Diaspididae) from Australia.

The adult female of Odonaspis bouldersensis Ben-Dov, new species, collected in the Boulders National Park, Queensland, Australia, off a species of Poaceae, is described.

Draft Genome Sequence of Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris Strain ATCC 49025.

Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris is a spore-forming Gram-positive, thermo-acidophilic, nonpathogenic bacterium which contaminates commercial pasteurized fruit juices. The draft genome sequence for A. acidoterrestris strain ATCC 49025 is reported here, providing genetic data relevant to the successful adaptation and survival of this strain in its ecological niche.

Reduced O2 concentration during CAM development--its effect on physiological parameters of broiler embryos.

Embryo development is a dynamic process, determined by both the genetic background of the organism and the environment in which it develops. Environmental alterations during an organism's embryogenesis may induce changes in the development of some physiological regulatory systems, thereby causing permanent phenotypic changes in the embryo. The present study aimed to assess the effect of 17% O(2) concentration during chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) development on a) CAM development, b) cardiovascular parameters, and c) embryo development postexposure and up to hatch.

Microbial activity and organic matter dynamics during 4 years of irrigation with treated wastewater.

The global changes in rainfall frequency and quantity have subjected arid and semi-arid regions to long periods of drought. As this phenomenon corresponds to increasing trend of water shortage, the use of treated wastewater (TWW) has been suggested as an alternative for irrigation of agricultural crops in these areas. The aim of the study was to investigate the short- and middle-term effects of TWW irrigation on the soil microbial activities and organic carbon content.

A fecal near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy-aided methodology to determine goat dietary composition in a Mediterranean shrubland.

An ecologically sound approach to the problem of brush encroachment onto Israeli rangeland might be their utilization by goats, but better knowledge of the feeding selectivity and ability of goats to thrive in encroached areas is required to devise viable production systems. Direct observation of bites could provide precise and accurate estimates of diet selection, but construction of a sufficiently large database would require too much time. The present study describes the first attempt to construct fecal near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) calibrations of the botanical and nutritional composition of the diet, and of the total intake of free-ranging goats, based on reference values determined with bite-count procedures.

Sucrose Phosphate Synthase, Sucrose Synthase, and Invertase Activities in Developing Fruit of Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. and the Sucrose Accumulating Lycopersicon hirsutum Humb. and Bonpl.

The green-fruited Lycopersicon hirsutum Humb. and Bonpl. accumulated sucrose to concentrations of about 118 micromoles per gram fresh weight during the final stages of development.

Sexual behavior ofMatsucoccus josephi (Homoptera: Margarodidae) : Asynchronous adult male emergence and release of female sex pheromone.

The daily emergence patterns ofMatsucoccus josephi adults and third-instar male larvae raised on artificially infested saplings ofPinus halepensis were determined. A single peak of emergence was found for adult males between 0300 and 0500 hr. Adult females emerged throughout the day, with maximum emergence between 0500 and 0700 hr.