Research Notes : United States : Genotype-race interactions in relation to phytophthora rot of soybean

Many of the widely grown soybean cultivars in the Mid-Atlautic region are susceptible to phytophthora rot caused by Phytophthora megasperma f. sp. glycinea Kuan and E?: Win (Pmg). There is limited information available on tolerance to Pmg in these popular soybean cultivars. Tolerance or field resistance to Pmg in soybean is characterized as race nonspecific resistance involving root resistance to Pmg infection, whereas resistance to Pmg in soybeans is characterized as race specific resistance (Schmitthenner, 1985

Delivering Timely Extension Information with the Agronomic Crops Team in Ohio

The Agronomic Crops Team was formed in 1995 to provide an Extension program that linked all disciplines together in an attempt to provide an integrated delivery mechanism designed to address all producer needs in a timely fashion. The team provides a newsletter, Web site, agronomy meetings and workshops, and a satellite broadcast to better serve state clientele. To date, the impact of the Agronomic Crops Team has been substantial, reaching managers of over 2.6 million acres of production ground in the state with an economic impact of over $11 million

Agronomic responses of corn to stand reducation at vegetative growth stages

Yield loss charts for hail associated with stand reduction assume that remaining plants lose the ability to compensate for lost plants by mid-vegetative growth. Yield losses and stand losses after V8 – leaf collar system – and throughout the remaining vegetative stages are 1:1 according to the current standards. We conducted field experiments from 2006 to 2009 at twelve site-years in Illinois, Iowa, and Ohio to determine responses of corn to stand reduction at the fifth, eighth, eleventh, and fifteenth leaf collar stages (V5, V8, V11, and V15, respectively). We also wanted to know whether these responses varied between uniform and random patterns of stand reduction with differences in within-row interplant spacing. When compared to a control of 36,000 plants per acre, grain yield decreased linearly as stand reduction increased from 16.7 to 50% (Table 3), but was not affected by the pattern of stand reduction. This rate of yield loss was greatest when stand reduction occurred at V11 or V15, and least when it occurred at V5. With 50% stand loss, yield was 83 and 69% of the control when stand loss occurred at V5 and V15, respectively. With 16.7% stand loss at V5, V8, or V11, yield averaged 96% of the control. Per-plant grain yield increased when stand loss occurred earlier and was more severe. With 50% stand loss at V11 or V15, per-plant grain yield increased by 37 to 46% compared to the control. Corn retains the ability to compensate for lost plants through the late vegetative stages, indicating that current standards for assessing the effect of stand loss in corn should be reevaluated

Seed Tape Effects on Corn Emergence under Greenhouse Conditions

Seed tape has recently received attention as an alternative planting system for smallholder farmers in underdeveloped regions of South America, Africa, China, and India (Mateus, 2014). Seed companies are also developing seed-tape planting systems for germplasm evaluations (Deppermann et al., 2013). Although seed tape has been promoted as a method for ensuring uniform seed spacing and plant density of small-seeded flowers, herbs, and vegetables (Chancellor, 1969), little or no information is available on the use of seed tape for larger-seeded row crops and its effect on crop emergence. The objective of this study was to compare the emergence of corn seed embedded in tape to seeds planted by hand and to determine seed tape effects on rate of corn emergence

Koilocytes indicate a role for human papilloma virus in breast cancer

Background: High-risk human papilloma viruses (HPVs) are candidates as causal viruses in breast cancer. The scientific challenge is to determine whether HPVs are causal and not merely passengers or parasites. Studies of HPV-related koilocytes in breast cancer offer an opportunity to address this crucial issue. Koilocytes are epithelial cells characterised by perinuclear haloes surrounding condensed nuclei and are commonly present in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. Koilocytosis is accepted as pathognomonic (characteristic of a particular disease) of HPV infection. The aim of this investigation is to determine whether putative koilocytes in normal and malignant breast tissues are because of HPV infection. Methods: Archival formalin-fixed normal and malignant breast specimens were investigated by histology, in situ PCR with confirmation of the findings by standard PCR and sequencing of the products, plus immunohistochemistry to identify HPV E6 oncoproteins. Results: human papilloma virus-associated koilocytes were present in normal breast skin and lobules and in the breast skin and cancer tissue of patients with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and invasive ductal carcinomas (IDCs). Interpretation: As koilocytes are known to be the precursors of some HPV-associated cervical cancer, it follows that HPVs may be causally associated with breast cancer.6 page(s

MicroRNA Expression Variability in Human Cervical Tissues

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short (∼22 nt) non-coding regulatory RNAs that control gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. Deregulation of miRNA expression has been discovered in a wide variety of tumours and it is now clear that they contribute to cancer development and progression. Cervical cancer is one of the most common cancers in women worldwide and there is a strong need for a non-invasive, fast and efficient method to diagnose the disease. We investigated miRNA expression profiles in cervical cancer using a microarray platform containing probes for mature miRNAs. We have evaluated miRNA expression profiles of a heterogeneous set of cervical tissues from 25 different patients. This set included 19 normal cervical tissues, 4 squamous cell carcinoma, 5 high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) and 9 low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL) samples. We observed high variability in miRNA expression especially among normal cervical samples, which prevented us from obtaining a unique miRNA expression signature for this tumour type. However, deregulated miRNAs were identified in malignant and pre-malignant cervical tissues after tackling the high expression variability observed. We were also able to identify putative target genes of relevant candidate miRNAs. Our results show that miRNA expression shows natural variability among human samples, which complicates miRNA data profiling analysis. However, such expression noise can be filtered and does not prevent the identification of deregulated miRNAs that play a role in the malignant transformation of cervical squamous cells. Deregulated miRNAs highlight new candidate gene targets allowing for a better understanding of the molecular mechanism underlying the development of this tumour type

Maize Genomes to Fields: 2014 and 2015 field season genotype, phenotype, environment, and inbred ear image datasets

Objectives: Crop improvement relies on analysis of phenotypic, genotypic, and environmental data. Given large, well-integrated, multi-year datasets, diverse queries can be made: Which lines perform best in hot, dry environments? Which alleles of specific genes are required for optimal performance in each environment? Such datasets also can be leveraged to predict cultivar performance, even in uncharacterized environments. The maize Genomes to Fields (G2F) Initiative is a multi-institutional organization of scientists working to generate and analyze such datasets from existing, publicly available inbred lines and hybrids. G2F’s genotype by environment project has released 2014 and 2015 datasets to the public, with 2016 and 2017 collected and soon to be made available. Data description: Datasets include DNA sequences; traditional phenotype descriptions, as well as detailed ear, cob, and kernel phenotypes quantified by image analysis; weather station measurements; and soil characterizations by site. Data are released as comma separated value spreadsheets accompanied by extensive README text descriptions. For genotypic and phenotypic data, both raw data and a version with outliers removed are reported. For weather data, two versions are reported: a full dataset calibrated against nearby National Weather Service sites and a second calibrated set with outliers and apparent artifacts removed