Isolation and identification of bacterial glum blotch and leaf blight on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in Iran

Basal glume blotch and leaf blight of wheat caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. atrofaciens and P. syringae pv. syringae respectively are the bacterial diseases of wheat in Iran. The disease causes damage on wheat which leads to lots of yield and crop losses in the host plants. During the spring and summer of 2005-2006 different wheat fields in Guilan province (Roodsar, Langrud, Rostamabad, loshan, and Roodbar) were surveyed. Samples were collected from infected wheats with glumes blotch and leafblight. Infected tissues were washed with sterile distilled water and crushed in peptone water. Then 50 ìl of the extract were cultured on King’s B and NA media containing cyclohexamide (50 ìg/ml). After 48 to 72 h, bacterial colonies were selected and purified. On the basis of morphological, physiological and biochemical characteristics, pathogenicity and PCR with specific primers, the isolated were placed in two groups. The first group consists of 20 isolates that caused leaf blight, identified as P. syringae pv.Syringae, while the second group is made up of 18 isolates that caused basal glumes blotch identified as P. syringae pv. atrofaciens. This is the first report of the existence of P. syringae pv. atrofaciens on wheat in Iran

Some New Species of Plant Parasitic Nematodes from Tea Plantation in Iran

In order to identify of plant parasitic nematodes of Tea plantation, 340 samples of soil around the roots of Tea were collected from different parts of the provinces of Guilan and Mazandaran during different season of 2010-2011. After extraction, killing, fixing and transferring to anhydrous glycerol, the nematodes were mounted on permanent microscopic slides and nematodes identified by using light microscope equipped with digital camera, based on morphological and morphometric characters using valid keys. In this study, 24 species belonging 12 genera were identified. Aphelenchoides asteromucronatus and Paratylenchus holdmani are reported for the first time from Iran, Paratylenchus elachistus, described

The prevalence of visual problems in school children, Shiraz, Iran

Background & Objective: Refractive errors (myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism) could lead to an impaired quality of life affect a large proportion of the population worldwide, irrespective of age, sex and ethnic group. Such refractive errors can be easily diagnosed, measured and corrected with spectacles or other refractive corrections to attain normal vision. Since there is paucity of information in school children in Iran we aimed to investigate the distribution pattern of refractive status and prevalence of refractive errors in school-age children in Shiraz Methods: A random sampling strategy in geographically defined clusters was used to identify children aged 6-15 years in Shiraz between 2008-2209. We carried out a school survey and actual eye examinations, including visual acuity measurements, stereopsis examination, anterior segment and eyeball movements, fundus examinations, and cycloplegic retinoscopy with 1 cyclopentolate. Results: Of 3065 selected individuals, 2683 were participated in the study (response rate 86.6). According to cycloplegic refraction, 4.85 (95 (Cl), 3.52 to 6.16) of the primary and middle school students were myopic and 4.64 (95 Cl, 3.52 to 6.19) were hyperopic. For high school students, these rates were 22.19 and 11.4 respectively. Myopia and hyperopia were shown to be correlated with age. Prevalence of anisometropia, amblyopia and strabismus were 2.51, 2.31(95CI 1.51-3.11) and 1.83 (95CI 1.15-2.50). Conclusion: Compared to other published reports, the rate of myopia in the school children of Shiraz seems relatively high