Preventing hot beverage scald injuries to young children

The focus of the research proposal was two-fold: to analyse the emphasis placed on hot beverage scald injuries to under five year olds in current public education material for parents and caregivers; and to make practical recommendations in regard to more effective educational messages and preventative behaviour. We anticipated that there would be a lack of emphasis on hot beverage scald prevention in public education material when compared to the emphasis placed on preventing other scald hazards

Scald of barley

Scald is a common foliar disease in Victorian barley crops as the majority of current varieties are susceptible. Scald severity varies greatly from crop to crop depending on variety resistance, paddock history and local climate. Scald is more likely to be a problem when a susceptible barley variety is sown into infected stubble from a previous crop or when infected barley grass is present. Scald can be managed using an integrated approach that includes avoiding susceptible varieties, delaying early sowing, using seed dressings and not sowing into infected crop residues

Identification of pathogenicity factors in the xylem-invading pathogen Xanthomonas albilineans by Transposon Mutagenesis

Xanthomonas albilineans is a systemic, xylem-invading pathogen that causes sugarcane leaf scald. Leaf symptoms vary from a single, white, narrow, sharply defined stripe to complete wilting and necrosis of infected leaves, leading to plant death. X albilineans produces the toxin albicidin that blocks chloroplast differentiation, resulting in disease symptoms. Albicidin is the only previously known pathogenicity factor in X albilineans, yet albicidin-deficient mutant strains are still able to efficiently colon\ze sugarcane. We used TnS (transposome) mutagenesis in an attempt to identifY additional X albilineans pathogenicity factors. Sugarcane cultivar CP80-1743, moderately susceptible to leaf scald, was inoculated by the decapitation method with 1,216 independently derived TnS insertions in Florida strain XaFL07-1. Leaf scald symptoms were recorded on emerging leaves one month after inoculation, and stalk colonization by the pathogen was determined two months after inoculation. In addition to the previously identified albicidin biosynthesis gene ciuster mutations, 33 new loci were identified in which insertions were correlated with reduced pathogenicity. These insertions affected genes predicted to encode proteins involved in a variety of functions, inciuding exopolysaccharide and lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis, fatty acid biosynthesis, regulatory and cell signaling, and secretion systems. Several of these have been associated with virulence in other bacterial plant pathogens that invade the xylem. However, sorne loci were identified that are predicted to encode previously unrecognized and apparently essential pathogenicity factors, at least for sugarcane leaf scald, inciuding an OmpA family outer membrane protein. Five independent TnS insertions in OmpA locus XALc_0557 of X albilineans strain XaFL07-1 produced no or very few leaf symptoms. These mutants produced albicidin in vitro and were able to multiply in sugarcane leaf tissue to levels similar to the wild-type strain, but did not efficiently colonize the sugarcane stalk. These ompA mutants were also affected in growth rate, motility and biofilm formation in vitro. (Résumé d'auteur

The effect of nanocoatings enriched with essential oils on ‘Rocha’ pear long storage

The effect of coating 'Rocha' pears with alginate-based nanoemulsions enriched with lemongrass essential oil (LG) or citral (Cit) was investigated. Fruit were treated with the nanoemulsions: sodium alginate 2% (w/w) + citral 1% (w/w) (Cit1%); sodium alginate 2% (w/w) + citral 2% (w/w) (Cit2%); sodium alginate 2% (w/w) + lemongrass 1.25% (w/w) (LG1.25%); sodium alginate 2% (w/w) + lemongrass 2.5% (w/w) (LG2.5%). Then, fruit were stored at 0 °C and at 95% relative humidity, for six months. Fruit samples were taken after two, four and six months, and then placed at 22 °C. Upon removal and after 7 d shelf-life, fruit were evaluated for colour CIE (L*, h◦), firmness, soluble solids content (SSC), titratable acidity (TA), weight loss, electrolytic leakage, microbial growth, symptoms of superficial scald and internal browning. All nanoemulsions had droplets in the nano range <500 nm, showed uniformity of particle size and stable dispersion. Cit-nanoemulsions had lower droplet size and higher stability than LG. No nanoemulsion showed cytotoxicity. Coatings reduced fruit colour evolution and preserved better firmness than control. After shelf-life, better firmness was found in LG-coated fruit. Coatings did not affect SSC and TA. Microbial growth was below the safety limits in all treatments. Fruit treated with LG-nanoemulsions did not show scald symptoms and panelists preferred LG1.25% coated fruit. Cit2% treated fruit showed the highest scald and internal browning symptoms, while LG1.25% did not show any disorders. This study suggests that LG-nanocoatings have the potential for preserving the quality of 'Rocha' pear.FCT (SFRH/BPD/108831/2015); UID/BIA/04325/2019/ UID/Multi/00631/2019/ UID/AMB/50017/2019info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Superficial Scald versus Ethanol Vapours: A Dose Response

Early picked "Granny Smith" apples (Malus domestica Borkh.) were stored under air or CA (controlled atmosphere at 2 kPa O2 and <1 kPa CO2) at 1°C. During the first week of storage, fruit was subjected to ethanol vapours in doses from 0 to 8 g/kg of fruit. Ethanol at 4 g/kg protected fruit against superficial scald in CA storage for at least 5.5 months, plus two weeks in cold air storage, plus a week at ambient temperature. Ethanol at 6 g/kg protected fruit in cold air storage for 3 months, plus a week at ambient temperature. Effects of ethanol vapours and CA on headspace ethylene levels are discussed. Ethanol vapours did not cause significant off-flavours in "Granny Smith" apples (consumer panel, hedonic scale), or purpling of the skin of Red Delicious apples (visual assessment)

Ethylene production and quality in 1-Methylcyclopropene treated 'Abbé Fètel'pears after storage in Dynamically Controlled Atmosphere

This research studies the ethylene production rate (EP) and quality in 1-MCP treated ‘Abbé Fètel’ pears after storage in DCA compared to NA and CA. 1-MCP treated (300 ppb) and control fruit were stored at -0.5°C in NA, CA (2 kPa O2 + 0.7 kPa CO2) and DCA (0.7 kPa O2 + 0.3 kPa CO2). After 4 and 6 months storage, fruit were held up to 7 d at 20°C. Skin colour, firmness and EP were measured during shelf life and the incidence of disorders after 7 d. 1-MCP treatment drastically reduced EP, which began to recover after 7 d at 20°C, except for DCA stored pears. In control fruit, NA stored pears showed the highest EP. 1-MCP treated fruit were the greenest at the end of shelf-life, especially after CA and DCA. Control fruit stored in DCA and in CA were greener than NA both at 1 d and 7 d of shelf life. Pears treated with 1-MCP did not soften during shelf life, while in control fruit firmness decreased from about 40 N to about 15-20 N, whatever the storage atmosphere. 1-MCP treatment prevented soft and superficial scald and internal breakdown, independently of storage atmosphere. DCA prevented superficial scald in control fruit, while it increased internal browning and breakdown in control and 1-MCP treated pears. No differences were found for soft scald incidence between control DCA and CA stored fruit. The highest percentage of sound fruit was found in NA stored 1-MCP treated pears, and the lowest in control fruit stored in DC

Simultaneous epidemic development of scald and net blotch on single leaf layers of a spring barley crop

Background and objectives Two pathogens growing on the same leaf compete for the same resources, i.e. space and plant nutrients. This may lead to density dependent disease development. The pathogens may also influence each other directly such that the influence of one on the other is more complex than a simple function of the area of the other pathogen. Different interaction types are, for example, competition, mutualism and exploitation. The importance of such interactions for epidemics of simultaneously occurring pathogens has received little attention. The objective of this study is to investigate the simultaneous epidemic development of Rhynchosporium secalis (causing scald) and Drechslera teres (causing net blotch) on spring barley under field conditions. Materials and methods The field trial was performed with artificial inoculation of R. secalis and D. teres on three spring barley varieties differing in their susceptibility towards the pathogens. The pathogens were inoculated in three combinations: only one was inoculated, they were inoculated together, the second pathogen was inoculated 26 days after the first. A non-inoculated treatment was included. The trial had three replications. Nine plants were harvested from each plot five times during the season. Leaves were dried and disease severity and senescence observed. Only leaves with < 50 % senescence were included in the analysis. Whole-plant disease severity over time was calculated as average of disease severity on leaves weighted by leaf area. Disease development per leaf layer was evaluated by fitting an exponential model to severity data over time for each leaf layer per variety, treatment and replicate. Association between scald and net blotch severity on individual leaves was analysed using Kendall’s tau. Results and discussion Net blotch developed on all leaf layers and reached whole-plant disease severities up to 15%. Scald did not develop on upper leaf layers and whole-plant severity was less than 2%. Disease severity curves at whole-plant level showed no effect of inoculating the other pathogen. The analysis of the growth rate of each disease per leaf layer showed a significant effect of variety and leaf layer within variety but no effect of treatment. However, we observed significant negative associations between the diseases on individual leaves for several combinations of leaf layer and variety. These results show that the individual leaf approach can provide new information and underline the importance of considering interactions between pathogens in the field. Acknowledgement This work was funded by the DARCOF II project BAR-O

Predicting spring barley yield from variety-specific yield potential, disease resistance and straw length, and from environment-specific disease loads and weed pressure

Abstract For low-input crop production, well-characterised varieties increase the possibilities of managing diseases and weeds. This analysis aims at developing a framework for analyzing grain yield using external varietal information about disease resistance, weed competitiveness and yield potential and quantifying the impact of susceptibility grouping and straw length scores (as a measure for weed competitiveness) for predicting spring barley grain yield under variable biotic stress levels. The study comprised 52 spring barley varieties and 17 environments, i.e., combinations of location, growing system and year. Individual varieties and their interactions with environments were analysed by factorial regression of grain yield on external variety information combined with observed environmental disease loads and weed pressure. The external information was based on the official Danish VCU testing. The most parsimonious models explained about 50% of the yield variation among varieties including genotypeenvironment interactions. Disease resistance characteristics of varieties, weighted with disease loads of powdery mildew, leaf rust and net blotch, respectively, had a highly significant influence on grain yield. The extend to which increased susceptibility resulted in increased yield losses in environments with high disease loads of the respective diseases was predicted. The effect of externally determined straw length scores, weighted with weed pressure, was weaker although significant for weeds with creeping growth habit. Higher grain yield was thus predicted for taller plants under weed pressure. The results are discussed in relation to the model ramework, impact of the considered traits and use of information from conventional variety testing in organic cropping systems

Organic Livestock: Animal Health, Welfare and Husbandry Assessment of existing knowledge and production of an advisory resource compendium(OF0162)

1. A compendium of animal health and welfare information relevant to organic livestock production has been produced by the Organic Livestock Research Group (OLRG), Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics Research Unit (VEERU), Department of Agriculture, the University of Reading. The compendium is supported by full scientific abstracts taken from the CAB International information database. 2. The objective of the project was to: - Create a database and archive of information on animal health, welfare and husbandry relevant to livestock production under organic standards; - Assess the database and its relevance to organic livestock production; - Develop a series of compendia of advisory resource materials on CD-ROM and in printed format, in consultation with relevant sector bodies, the veterinary profession and organic livestock producers. 3. The compendium has been produced in a CD ROM format and is internet accessible (http://www.organic-vet.reading.ac.uk/). The compendium has been reviewed by specialist veterinarians, advisors and farmers. For copyright purposes, the internet accessible version has been produced without scientific abstracts 4. The aim of the compendia is to serve as a resource material for advisors, inspectors and veterinarians who work with organic or converting farmers in the UK. It is also envisaged that the compendia could be used as a training tool for advisors and veterinarians learning about the issues related to general and specific animal health and welfare aspects of organic livestock production. In addition, the material will provide a useful resource material for the sector bodies and policymakers in the development of organic livestock production standards and regulations. 5. Each compendium is divided into four sub-compendia: Cattle, Sheep, Pigs and Poultry. Each is further divided into two sections. An introductory section, Health and Welfare, outlines general health and welfare issues related to the specific organic production system. Emphasis is placed on the requirements of organic standards in the approach to health and welfare problems. A second section, accessible via the Disease Index, deals in detail with the specific conditions affecting the species in question. Each disease is indexed alphabetically, and by the veterinary and common terms normally applied. 6. The Disease Section describes a range of specific condition is divided further into sub-sections on causes, symptoms, treatment, control, prevention, welfare implications, good practice based on current knowledge and guidelines for the conversion period. The poultry compendium does not contain a sub-section on the conversion period as there is little technical information available to support this. 7. In total, the compendium covers 45 cattle, 44 sheep, 32 poultry and 27 pig diseases and conditions. 8. Each section is supported throughout by references to scientific literature and other publications. These references can be accessed directly from the text by using text links to scientific abstracts, scanned-in advisory materials and reference or reading lists. 9. The compendium has Help and Search facilities. 10. At the time of publication. the compendium contains over 1700 scientific references and more than 50 full advisory documents. It is intended that this particular feature of the compendia will prove useful when in-depth information is sought, or the compendia are used as a training tool. 11. It should be emphasised that the compendium is not intended as a diagnostic or self-help tool for animal health management on the farm. For this reason, diagnostics are not covered in any depth, and the treatment sections usually only suggest potential treatment categories and discuss the urgency and need for treatment from an animal welfare perspective. The authors wish it to be known that diagnosis should always be carried out by a veterinary surgeon, in response to problems seen on a farm. 12. The compendium have been reviewed by members of the advisory team at the Organic Advisory Service on Elm Farm Research Centre in Berkshire, by specialist veterinarians and by organic farmers. 13. In light of the rapid developments within organic farming and research, it is proposed that the information contained within the compendium will require frequent updating, probably on an annual basis. A proposal for the maintenance and expansion of the compendium has been included within the final proposal. The main component of this proposal is the development of a “stakeholder club” of interested parties, whose function would be to raise financial support, to supply technical information and to provide a practical link to the organic farming, advisory and administrative sectors

Circular, No. 42

This is the third publication in this form at on grain performance trials in the Tanana River Valley. The first, published two years ago, included the results of spring cereal variety tests conducted at Fairbanks and Delta Junction during the 1978 and 1979 growing seasons. The second, published one year ago, contained the test results from the 1980 growing season. Included in this report are a weather summary, the 1981 variety-test results, and a plant-disease section. Previous work with grain variety testing has shown that individual varieties do not perform the same when grown under different conditions. The yield a variety produces can be influenced by crop rotation, soil pH, fertilizer rate, tillage practices, rainfall distribution and amount, seeding rate, planting date, and many other factors. Each variety has its own particular set of growing conditions under which it best performs. For example, in the very same field, a variety that performs well on summer-fallow land may do poorly when planted on stubble land.Introduction -- Standard Bushel Weights and Conversion from English to Metric Units -- Tanana Valley Weather Summary: Table 1: Climatic Data for Delta Junction During the 1981 Growing Season; Table 2: Climatic Data for Fairbanks During the 1981 Growing Season -- Barley Performance Trials: Table 3: Long-Term Average and Range of Yields for Barley Standard Varieties Grown at Fairbanks and Delta Junction, 1971-1981; Table 4: Barley Variety Trials Conducted at Delta Junction and Fairbanks During the 1981 Growing Season; Variety Descriptions; Table 5: Barley Varieties Tested at Fairbanks and Delta Junction, 1971-1981 -- Oats Performance Trials: Table 6: Long-Term Average and Range in Yields for Oat Standard Varieties Grown at Fairbanks and Delta Junction, 1971 -1981; Table 7: Oat Variety Trials Conducted at Delta Junction and Fairbanks During the 1981 Growing Season; Variety Descriptions; Table 8: Oat Varieties Tested at Fairbanks and Delta Junction, 1971-1981 -- Spring Wheat Performance Trials: Table 9: Long-Term Average and Range in Yields for Wheat Standard Varieties Grown at Fairbanks and Delta Junction, 1971 -1981; Table 10: Wheat Variety Trials Conducted at Fairbanks and Delta Junction During the 1981 Growing Season; Variety Descriptions; Table 11: Wheat Varieties Tested at Fairbanks and Delta Junction, 1971-1981 -- Plant Disease Survey: Table 12: Summary of Diseases Observed on Barley Varieties under Field Conditions in Delta-Clearwater Area; Table 1 3: Vitavax Seed Treatment and its Effect on the Yield of Barley Varieties -- Diseases Observed on Crops During the 1981 Growing Seaso