Tolerance of septoria leaf blotch in winter wheat

For individual varieties, tolerance of septoria leaf blotch was quantified by the slope of the relationship between disease and yield. Variation in disease severity and the associated yield responses were provided across two sites and three seasons of field experiments. Slopes were fitted by residual maximum likelihood for two contrasting models: (i) a fixed-effects model, where no prior assumptions were made about the form of the variety slopes; and (ii) a random-effects model, where deviations in individual variety slopes away from the mean variety slope formed a normal random population with unknown variance. The analyses gave broadly similar results, but with some significant differences. The random model was considered more reliable for predicting variety performance. The effects of disease were quantified as symptom area and green canopy duration. Models of the relationship between symptom area and yield were site-specific. When site effects were not taken into account, these models had poor predictive precision. Models based on the canopy green area gave robust predictions of yield and were not site-specific. Differences in disease tolerance were detected in a comparison of 25 commercial winter wheat varieties. Tolerance was not detected directly through symptom measurements, but instead through measurements of canopy green area, which provides a measurement of the effects of disease that accounts for differences in canopy size across sites and seasons. The varieties showing greatest tolerance tended to have lower attainable yield than the intolerant varieties. Presence of the 1BL/1RS chromosome translocation, which has been reported to increase radiation use efficiency, appeared to be associated with intolerance

Effects of environmental factors on development of Pyrenopeziza brassicae (light leaf spot) apothecia on oilseed rape debris

Publication no. P-2001-0221-01R. This article is in the public domain and not copyrightable. It may be freely reprinted with customary crediting of the source. The American Phytopathological Society, 2001The development of Pyrenopeziza brassicae (light leaf spot) apothecia was studied on petiole debris from artificially infected oilseed rape leaves incubated at temperatures from 6 to 22 degreesC under different wetness regimes and in 16 h light/8 h dark or continuous darkness. There was no significant difference between light treatments in numbers of apothecia that developed. Mature apothecia developed at temperatures from 5 to 18 degreesC but not at 22 degreesC. The rate of apothecial development decreased as temperature decreased from 18 to 5 degreesC; mature apothecia were first observed after 5 days at 18 degreesC and after 15 days at 6 degreesC. Models were fitted to estimates of the time (days) for 50% of the maximum number of apothecia to develop (t(1); model 1, t(1) = 7.6 + 55.8(0.839)(T)) and the time for 50% of the maximum number of apothecia to decay (t(2); model 2, t(2) = 24.2 + 387(0.730)(T)) at temperatures (T) from 6 to 18 degreesC. An interruption in wetness of the petiole debris for 4 days after 4, 7, or 10 days of wetness delayed the time to observation of the first mature apothecia for approximate to4 days and decreased the number of apothecia produced (by comparison with continuous wetness). A relationship was found between water content of pod debris and electrical resistance measured by a debris-wetness sensor. The differences between values of tl predicted by model 1 and observed values of t(1) were 1 to 9 days. Model 2 did not predict t(2); apothecia decayed more quickly under natural conditions than predicted by model 2.Peer reviewe

Commentary - Better lung health for all: A British Thoracic Society and Pan African Thoracic Society initiative

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Care for the Future: Heritage Education in the Context of Rapa Nui (Easter Island) and Other Small Island Communities.

Education is accepted to be the principal means by which archaeological heritage can be both enjoyed and preserved. Links between research and education through outreach are an important part of archaeological projects on Rapa Nui, for example providing new information for site interpretation. Knowledge exchange between researchers and heritage managers can be another important outcome, or impact, of research. The preliminary findings from doctoral interview-based research with residents pertaining to archaeology, heritage management and heritage education programs that have taken place on Rapa Nui the island will be discussed here. We examine the role archaeological heritage is playing in Rapa Nui in education contexts, and make some observations as to the impact and legacy of this important work. One aspect of the education program is in developing links between researchers, heritage managers, museums and school pupils between Rapa Nui, and the islands of Orkney, Scotland. The benefits and potential of links between small island communities in heritage education and management are considered in this paper

Residual Energy Dispersal Fracturing: A newly proposed term for fractures propagating from sharp-force trauma

Objectives: The identification and interpretation of skeletal trauma is an important topic in osteoarchaeology, forensic anthropology and palaeosciences. Trauma analysis is a fast-moving sub-discipline with constantly evolving methodological approaches. This paper describes the process of a particular form of fracturing that propagates specifically from the floor of cut marks and proposes new terminology for this subset of fractures. Materials and Methods: This terminological gap was identified during the reexamination of remains from a minimum of 52 decapitated individuals (52 postcranial and 47 cranial remains) found in a mass grave from the 10th–11th century CE on Ridgeway Hill near Weymouth in Dorset (UK) in 2009. Originally analyzed by Oxford Archaeology Ltd., all individuals in this collection were re-appraised using digital technology to test new techniques for this study. Results: During this investigation, it has become apparent that the length of chop marks can be overestimated during some conventional analysis because the chop transitions into a fracture propagating from the floor of the chop mark. Discussion: To increase awareness of these fractures, the term residual energy dispersal (RED) fractures is proposed as these are distinct from other radiating fractures arising from sharp-blunt-force trauma. The ability to distinguish RED fractures from others has the potential to contribute to the identification of previously unidentified chop marks and to the interpretation of events surrounding an injury

Craig Rhos-y-felin: A Welsh bluestone megalith quarry for Stonehenge

The long-distance transport of the bluestones from south Wales to Stonehenge is one of the most remarkable achievements of Neolithic societies in north-west Europe. Where precisely these stones were quarried, when they were extracted and how they were transported has long been a subject of speculation, experiment and controversy. The discovery of a megalithic bluestone quarry at Craig Rhos-y-felin in 2011 marked a turning point in this research. Subsequent excavations have provided details of the quarrying process along with direct dating evidence for the extraction of bluestone monoliths at this location, demonstrating both Neolithic and Early Bronze Age activity

Transcriptome analysis of grain development in hexaploid wheat

Background: Hexaploid wheat is one of the most important cereal crops for human nutrition. Molecular understanding of the biology of the developing grain will assist the improvement of yield and quality traits for different environments. High quality transcriptomics is a powerful method to increase this understanding. Results: The transcriptome of developing caryopses from hexaploid wheat ( Triticum aestivum, cv. Hereward) was determined using Affymetrix wheat GeneChip (R) oligonucleotide arrays which have probes for 55,052 transcripts. Of these, 14,550 showed significant differential regulation in the period between 6 and 42 days after anthesis ( daa). Large changes in transcript abundance were observed which were categorised into distinct phases of differentiation ( 6 - 10 daa), grain fill ( 12 - 21 daa) and desiccation/maturation ( 28 - 42 daa) and were associated with specific tissues and processes. A similar experiment on developing caryopses grown with dry and/or hot environmental treatments was also analysed, using the profiles established in the first experiment to show that most environmental treatment effects on transcription were due to acceleration of development, but that a few transcripts were specifically affected. Transcript abundance profiles in both experiments for nine selected known and putative wheat transcription factors were independently confirmed by real time RT-PCR. These expression profiles confirm or extend our knowledge of the roles of the known transcription factors and suggest roles for the unknown ones. Conclusion: This transcriptome data will provide a valuable resource for molecular studies on wheat grain. It has been demonstrated how it can be used to distinguish general developmental shifts from specific effects of treatments on gene expression and to diagnose the probable tissue specificity and role of transcription factors

The age of Stonehenge

Stonehenge is the icon of British prehistory, and continues to inspire ingenious investigations and interpretations. A current campaign of research, being waged by probably the strongest archaeological team ever assembled, is focused not just on the monument, but on its landscape, its hinterland and the monuments within it. The campaign is still in progress, but the story so far is well worth reporting. Revisiting records of 100 years ago the authors demonstrate that the ambiguous dating of the trilithons, the grand centrepiece of Stonehenge, was based on samples taken from the wrong context, and can now be settled at 2600-2400 cal BC. This means that the trilithons are contemporary with Durrington Walls, near neighbour and Britain's largest henge monument. These two monuments, different but complementary, now predate the earliest Beaker burials in Britain – including the famous Amesbury Archer and Boscombe Bowmen, but may already have been receiving Beaker pottery. All this contributes to a new vision of massive monumental development in a period of high European intellectual mobility…

Drought effects on yield and its components in Indian mustard (Brassica juncea L.)

Effects of drought on yield and yield components were investigated during the spring season 2000-2001 by growing 14 Indian mustard genotypes under irrigated and rain-fed conditions at Bharatpur and Jobner. A disease and pest management schedule was followed when required. The drought susceptibility index (DSI) for seed yield and component characteristics was calculated to characterize the relative tolerance of genotypes. Plant height, primary branches, secondary branches per plant, 1000-seed weight and seed yield were reduced under rain-fed conditions. The top five genotypes at 13haratpur that showed tolerance to moisture stress for seed yield, as indicated by their lowest DSI, were, in descending order PSR-20, PRO-97024, JMMWR-941, IS-1787 and PCR-7, whereas at Jobner these were JMMWR-941, RC-1446, PSR-20, RH-819 and 'Varuna'. Of these, PSR-20 and JMMWR-941 were among the top six at both locations. These genotypes also showed relatively low DSI for one or more characteristics, such as primary branches per plant, secondary branches per plant, harvest index and seed : husk ratio. Genotypes with the lowest DSI, particularly for seed yield at both locations, would serve as useful donors in the breeding programme for improving the drought tolerance of existing Indian mustard cultivars

Nitrogen effect on zinc biofortification of maize and cowpea in Zimbabwean smallholder farms

Agronomic biofortification of crops with zinc (Zn) can be enhanced under increased nitrogen (N) supply. Here, the effects of N fertilizer on grain Zn concentration of maize (Zea mays L.) and cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) were determined at two contrasting sites in Zimbabwe over two seasons. All treatments received soil and foliar zinc‐sulphate fertilizer. Seven N treatments, with three N rates (0, 45, and 90 kg ha−1 for maize; 0, 15, and 30 kg ha−1 for cowpea), two N forms (mineral and organic), and combinations thereof were used for each crop in a randomized complete block design (n = 4). Maize grain Zn concentrations increased from 27.2 to 39.3 mg kg−1 across sites. At 45 kg N ha−1, mineral N fertilizer increased maize grain Zn concentration more than organic N from cattle manure or a combination of mineral and organic N fertilizers. At 90 kg N ha−1, the three N fertilizer application strategies had similar effects on maize grain Zn concentration. Co‐application of N and Zn fertilizer was more effective at increasing Zn concentration in maize grain than Zn fertilizer alone. Increases in cowpea grain Zn concentration were less consistent, although grain Zn concentration increased from 39.8 to 52.7 mg kg−1 under optimal co‐applications of N and Zn. Future cost/benefit analyses of agronomic biofortification need to include information on benefits of agro‐fortified grain, complex farmer management decisions (including cost and access to both N and Zn fertilizers), as well as understanding of the spatial and site‐specific variation in fertilizer responses