Evaluating the competitive ability of semi-leafless field pea cultivars

Non-Peer ReviewedField pea (Pisum sativum L.) is an important grain legume in Western Canada. Growers can, however, be reluctant to include pulse crops in their rotation because they are poor competitors with weeds. Developing more competitive field pea cultivars is important to mitigate weed competition. The identification of competitive cultivars and the traits conferring competitive ability should lead to the development of more competitive field pea cultivars. The objective of this research was to evaluate the ability of semi-leafless field pea cultivars to suppress and withstand weed competition and to identify traits that may confer competitive ability in field pea. Field experiments were conducted in 2012 and 2013 at Floral, Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and St. Albert, Alberta. Fourteen semi-leafless field pea cultivars were seeded at a target density of 75 plants m-2 under weedy and weed-free conditions. Imidazolinone-tolerant wheat (c.v. CDC Imagine) and canola (c.v. 45H73) were planted as pseudo weeds in the weedy plots. There was no cultivar by treatment interaction for all of the measured variables thus, cultivars did not differ in the presence or absence of weed competition. CDC Dakota produced the greatest pea yield and Reward produced the poorest pea yield at Saskatchewan. CDC Dakota and CDC Striker were among the best for pea biomass production at Saskatchewan, compared to Reward, which was among the worst. CDC Centennial and CDC Mozart were significantly better at Saskatchewan for their ability to withstand competition, while CDC Dakota, CDC Patrick, and CDC Meadow were statistically the best in their ability to compete with the pseudo weeds. At Alberta, CDC Striker and CDC Dakota were statistically best in their ability to compete with the pseudo weeds, versus Cooper and Stratus, who were among the poorest. At both Saskatchewan and Alberta, no correlations were strong enough to show which traits are conferring competitiveness in semi-leafless field pea cultivars

Evaluating the competitive ability of semi-leafless field pea cultivars

Non-Peer ReviewedField pea (Pisum sativum L.) is an important grain legume in Western Canada. Growers can, however, be reluctant to include pulse crops in their rotation because they are poor competitors with weeds. Developing more competitive field pea cultivars is important to ameliorate weed competition. The identification of competitive cultivars and the traits conferring competitive ability should lead to the development of more competitive field pea cultivars. The objective of this research was to evaluate the ability of semi-leafless field pea cultivars to suppress and withstand weed competition and to identify traits that may confer competitive ability in field pea. Field experiments were conducted in 2012 at Floral, Saskatchewan and St. Albert, Alberta. Fourteen semi-leafless field pea cultivars with divergent pedigree, vine length, seed size, and market classes were seeded at a target density of 75 plants m-2 under weedy and weed-free conditions. Imidazolinone-tolerant wheat (c.v. CDC Imagine) and canola (c.v. 45H73) were planted as pseudo weeds at a target density of 20 plants m-2 in the weedy plots. Variables measured were leaf area index, plant height, pea biomass, weed biomass, pea yield, and weed seed production. Data were subjected to ANOVA using the mixed model procedure in SAS. There was no cultivar by treatment interaction for pea yield at Floral, so cultivars did not differ under treatments. CDC Dakota produced the greatest pea yield and Reward produced the poorest pea yield. CDC Dakota was among the best for pea biomass production at both sites, compared to CDC Leroy, which was among the worst at both sites. CDC Dakota was also among the best for the low weed seed production at Floral. CDC Mozart, CDC Patrick, and Cutlass were among the best at Floral for ability to withstand competition at Floral. While, CDC Dakota, CDC Meadow, and CDC Patrick were among the best for their ability to compete at Floral. At both sites, no correlations were strong enough to show which traits are conferring competitiveness in semi-leafless field pea cultivars

Surgical Site Infection after Surgical Stabilization of Rib Fractures: Rare but Morbid

Background: Although surgical stabilization for rib fractures (SSRF) has been adopted widely over the past decade, little information is available regarding the prevalence and outcomes of post-operative surgical site infection (SSI). We hypothesized that SSI after SSRF is uncommon but morbid. Patients and Methods: Patients undergoing SSRF at a level 1 trauma center from 2010-2020 were reviewed. The primary outcome was the prevalence of SSI, documented by clinical examination, radiography, systemic markers of infection, and microbiology. Results: Of 228 patients undergoing SSRF, 167 (73.2%) were male, the median age was 53 years (P25-P75; 41-63 years), injury severity score (ISS) was 19 (P25-P75, 13-26), with a median of eight fractured ribs (P25-P75, 6-11). All stabilization plates were titanium. SSRF was typically performed on post-injury day one (P25-P75, 0-2 days) after trauma. All patients received antibiotic agents within 30 minutes of incision, and a median of four ribs (P25-P75, 3-6) were repaired. Four (1.8%) patients developed an SSI and all underwent implant removal. Two patients required implant removal within 30 days (on post-operative day seven and 17) and two for chronic infection at seven and 17 months after SSRF. The causative organism was methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) bacteria in all patients. After implant removal, three patients received intravenous and oral antibiotic agents, ranging from two to six weeks, without recurrent infection. No patient required additional SSRF. Conclusions: Surgical site infection after SSRF is rare but morbid and can become symptomatic within one week to 17 months. Implant removal results in complete recovery