Susceptibility to aflatoxin contamination among maize landraces from Mexico.

Maize, the critical staple food for billions of people, was domesticated in Mexico about 9,000 YBP. Today, a great array of maize landraces (MLRs) across rural Mexico is harbored in a living library that has been passed among generations since before the establishment of the modern state. MLRs have been selected over hundreds of generations by ethnic groups for adaptation to diverse environmental settings.

Spread of Aspergillus flavus by Navel Orangeworm (Amyelois transitella) on Almond.

Navel orangeworm (NOW) damage to almond is correlated with increased incidence of aflatoxin contamination caused by Aspergillus flavus. However, no reports demonstrate a causative relationship between NOW feeding and A. flavus infection.

Contrasting metabolism in perenniating structures of upland and lowland switchgrass plants late in the growing season.

Background: Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is being developed as a bioenergy crop for many temperate regions of the world. One way to increase biomass yields is to move southern adapted lowland cultivars to more northern latitudes.

Evaluation of the Atoxigenic Aspergillus flavus Strain AF36 in Pistachio Orchards.

The atoxigenic strain Aspergillus flavus AF36, which has been extensively used as a biocontrol agent in commercial corn and cotton fields to reduce aflatoxin contamination, was applied in research pistachio orchards from 2002 to 2005 and in commercial pistachio orchards from 2008 to 2011. AF36 was applied as hyphae-colonized steam-sterilized wheat seed (the same product and same application rate as used in cotton fields). In all orchards, applying the wheat-AF36 product substantially increased the proportion of vegetative compatibility group (VCG) YV36, the VCG to which AF36 belongs, within A.

Evaluation of respiratory symptoms and respiratory protection behavior among poultry workers in small farming operations.

Agricultural workers who work in enclosed poultry operations are at increased risk of respiratory exposure to atmospheric contaminants, including dusts, endotoxins, particulate from feathers, ammonia, and hydrogen sulfide from animal excrement. Given the relatively large number of small, family-run poultry farms in North Carolina, there has been relatively little research in the area documenting human lung function and perception of using respiratory protection among poultry workers. This study assesses respiratory health, knowledge, and perception of wearing respiratory protection among a sample of poultry workers attending a regional farm show in North Carolina.

Phylogeny, Morphology, Distribution, and Pathogenicity of Botryosphaeriaceae and Diaporthaceae from English Walnut in California.

Species of family Botryosphaeriaceae and genus Diaporthe (anamorph: genus Phomopsis, family Diaporthaceae) were reported and caused diseases on various fruit and nut trees in California. In the last several years, diseases on English walnut (Juglans regia) caused by species of Botryosphaeriaceae and Diaporthe were observed frequently in California. Disease symptoms include stem canker; shoot canker and blight; twig, leaf, and fruit blight; and necrotic leaf lesions.

Sensitivities of Baseline Isolates and Boscalid-Resistant Mutants of Alternaria alternata from Pistachio to Fluopyram, Penthiopyrad, and Fluxapyroxad.

Resistance of Alternaria alternata to boscalid, the first succinate dehydrogenase inhibitor (SDHI) fungicide labeled on pistachio, has become a common occurrence in California pistachio orchards and affects the performance of this fungicide. In this study, we established the baseline sensitivities of A. alternata to the new SDHIs fluopyram, fluxapyroxad, and penthiopyrad and assessed their cross resistance patterns with boscalid.

Global changes in mineral transporters in tetraploid switchgrasses (Panicum virgatum L.).

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L) is perennial, C4 grass with great potential as a biofuel crop. An in-depth understanding of the mechanisms that control mineral uptake, distribution and remobilization will benefit sustainable production. Nutrients are mobilized from aerial portions to below-ground crowns and rhizomes as a natural accompaniment to above-ground senescence post seed-set.

Turnip crinkle virus coat protein inhibits the basal immune response to virus invasion in Arabidopsis by binding to the NAC transcription factor TIP.

Turnip crinkle virus (TCV) has been shown to interact with a NAC transcription factor, TIP, of Arabidopsis thaliana, via its coat protein (CP). This interaction correlates with the resistance response manifested in TCV-resistant Arabidopsis ecotype Di-17. We report that failure of a mutated CP to interact with TIP triggered the corresponding TCV mutant (R6A) to cause more severe symptoms in the TCV-susceptible ecotype Col-0.

Loss of plant biodiversity over a seven-year period in two constructed wetlands in Central New York.

Since wetland construction projects are becoming more commonplace, meaningful follow-up studies are needed to evaluate how these systems change over time. To that end, the objective of our study was to examine the temporal changes in plant community composition and water chemistry in two constructed wetlands. We investigated two wetland sites that were constructed in 2003 in northern Otsego County, NY, a county that is largely dominated by agriculture.

Epidemiology of Diseases Caused by Xylella fastidiosa in California: Evaluation of Alfalfa as a Source of Vectors and Inocula.

Pierce's disease and almond leaf scorch disease have been chronic problems for California grape and almond growers, respectively. Both diseases are caused by the xylem-limited, bacterial pathogen Xylella fastidiosa, which is transmitted by xylem-feeding insects. We evaluated the potential for alfalfa to serve as a source of vectors and inocula in California.

Fifty years of the integrated control concept: the role of landscape ecology in IPM in San Joaquin valley cotton.

In defining the integrated control concept, Stern, Smith, van den Bosch and Hagan described 'understanding the ecosystem' as a key underpinning of the concept. In following years, Stern and van den Bosch continued to refine and expand the role of the ecological landscape. They and their colleagues developed cultural practices that took advantage of this understanding to limit the need of pesticide intervention in cotton in the San Joaquin Valley during the 1960s and 1970s.

Genetic map construction and QTL mapping of resistance to blackleg (Leptosphaeria maculans) disease in Australian canola (Brassica napus L.) cultivars.

Genetic map construction and identification of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for blackleg resistance were performed for four mapping populations derived from five different canola source cultivars. Three of the populations were generated from crosses between single genotypes from the blackleg-resistant cultivars Caiman, Camberra and (AV)Sapphire and the blackleg-susceptible cultivar Westar(10). The fourth population was derived from a cross between genotypes from two blackleg resistant varieties (Rainbow and (AV)Sapphire).

Quantification of conidial density of Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus in soil from almond orchards using real-time PCR.

Aims: To design the Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus-specific primers and a real-time PCR assay for quantification of the conidial density in soil.

Methods And Results: Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus-specific DNA primers were designed based on internal transcribed spacer sequences to distinguish these two species and from other Aspergillus and other fungal species.

Quantification of allele E198A in beta-tubulin conferring benzimidazole resistance in Monilinia fructicola using real-time PCR.

Background: Thiophanate-methyl, a member of the benzimidazole class of fungicides, is used in California to control brown rot of stone fruit caused by Monilinia fructicola (G. Wint.) Honey.

Effect of dips in a 1-methylcyclopropene-generating solution on 'Harrow Sun' plums stored under different temperature regimes.

The effect of postharvest dips in a 1-methylcyclopropene-generating solution of the formulation AFxRD-038 (Rohm & Haas) on plum fruit (Prunus salicina Lindell cv. 'Harrow Sun') quality and ripening during storage was determined. Fruit weight loss, tissue firmness, soluble solids content (SSC), titratable acidity (TA), ethylene production, respiration, and the activities of the cell wall modifying enzymes polygalacturonase (PG), 1,4-beta-D-glucanase/glucosidase (EGase), beta-galactosidase (beta-gal), and pectin methylesterase (PME) were measured.

O3 impacts on plant development: a meta-analysis of root/shoot allocation and growth.

The mechanism of O3 action on plants remains poorly characterized. Symptoms include visible lesions on the leaf surface, reduced growth and a hypothesized reduction in allocation of carbohydrate to roots. The generality of this latter phenomenon has not been demonstrated.

Individual and multi-environment combined analyses identify QTLs for morphogenetic and reproductive development traits in white clover (Trifolium repens L.).

White clover (Trifolium repens L.) is a key component legume of temperate pasture agriculture and an important target for molecular marker-assisted plant breeding. A genetic map of white clover has been used to assess genetic control of agronomically important traits that vary in the F2(I.

Cumulative discounted expressions of sire genotypes for the complex vertebral malformation and beta-casein loci in commercial dairy herds.

Based on discounted gene-flow principles, a set of recursive equations was developed to quantify the value of using sires with a specific genotype for an identified gene in a commercial dairy herd. Two examples were used to demonstrate the usefulness of the method. The first example deals with the implications of using sires that are known carriers of the lethal recessive genetic defect, complex vertebral malformation (CVM).

Georelational analysis of soil type, soil salt content, landform, and land use in the Yellow River Delta, China.

The Yellow River Delta, one of China's three major river deltas, is becoming a major region for the development of agriculture and fisheries. Protecting the delicate ecology of newly formed aquatic systems as well as the evolution of soils, natural vegetation, and fauna on older upland environments in the delta is a priority in planning for the wise use of the delta's resources for future agricultural development. In this article, we use a Geographic Information System (GIS) to analyze relationships between land-use/ land-cover characteristics in the Dongying municipality, one of the most intensely developed areas of the delta, and spatial variations in soil salinity and landforms.

Characterization and PCR-based detection of benzimidazole-resistant isolates of Monilinia laxa in California.

Monilinia laxa is a pathogen of brown rot of stone fruit and almond in California, causing blossom blights and fruit rots. In this study, low-level resistance to the benzimidazole fungicides benomyl and thiophanate-methyl was detected in field isolates of M laxa collected from stone fruits and almonds in California. Low-resistant (LR) isolates grew in potato dextrose agar (PDA) plates amended with benomyl and thiophanate-methyl at 1 and 5 microg ml(-1), respectively, but not in plates amended with benomyl at 5 microg ml(-1) or thiophanate-methyl at 50 microg ml(-1).

Impact of nonadditive genetic effects in the estimation of breeding values for fertility and correlated traits.

The effects of inbreeding, heterosis, recombination loss, and percentage Holstein on the estimation of predicted transmitting abilities for fertility traits (calving interval, number of days from calving to first insemination, nonreturn rate, number of inseminations) and correlated traits (milk yield at test nearest d 110 and body condition score) were examined in a mixed population of Holstein and Friesian cattle. An unfavorable effect of percentage Holstein on calving interval was observed, resulting in a 12-d increase for pure Holsteins compared with pure Friesians. Insemination traits were less affected by percentage Holstein, with 3% more animals returning to first service within 56 d and 0.

Inbreeding trends and application of optimized selection in the UK Holstein population.

Important increases in the rates of inbreeding have recently been observed in dairy cattle populations, and methods have been proposed to address these increases. The aims of this study were to estimate the current level and rates of inbreeding in the UK Holstein population and to investigate the potential of applying optimized selection to manage the rates of inbreeding. Inbreeding coefficients were calculated for the entire UK Holstein population using 1940 as the base year.

Identification and characterization of benzimidazole resistance in Monilinia fructicola from stone fruit orchards in California.

Low and high levels of resistance to the benzimidazole fungicides benomyl and thiophanate-methyl were observed in field isolates of Monilinia fructicola, which is the causative agent of brown rot of stone fruit. Isolates that had low levels of resistance (hereafter referred to as LR isolates) and high levels of resistance (hereafter referred to as HR isolates) were also cold and heat sensitive, respectively. Results from microsatellite DNA fingerprints showed that genetic identities among the populations of sensitive (S), LR, and HR isolates were very high (>0.

Ozone impacts on cotton: towards an integrated mechanism.

Vegetation removes tropospheric ozone (O(3)) mainly through uptake by stomata. O(3) reduces growth, photosynthesis, and carbohydrate allocation. Effects on mesophyll photosynthesis, may reducing carbohydrate source strength and, indirectly, carbohydrate translocation.