Research Notes: United States Department of Agriculture and Plant Disease Research Laboratory

Almost all of the soybeans grown in Australia are found in Queensland and New South Wales, with very minor acreages in northern Victoria . The area sown to soybean in 1973 was about 28,350 hectares in Queensland and about 8,100 hectares in New South Wales. Important growing areas in Queensland include The Darling Downs; the South Burnett region (Kingaroy, Nanango, Wondai, Murgon); the Lockyer, Fassifern and Brisbane River Valleys; the Atherton Tablelands; and the region around Bundaberg

The deposition of sulphur in the rainwater in Northern Nigeria

The concentrations and amounts of SO4-S were measured at eleven sites, situated between 350 and 880 kilometres from the sea, during two rainy seasons in Northern Nigeria. In both years, concentration showed a similar pattern at each site, being greatest at the beginning and end and smallest at the peak of the rains. The presence of anthropogenic atmospheric-S at the start of the rains, and of harmattan dust and lower precipitation at the beginning and end of the rains account for the concentration pattern observed. Amounts of S deposited ranged from 0.49–1.89, mean 1.14 kg S/ha. An estimate of dry deposition of S was made from the intercept on the y axis of a plot of amount deposited against rainfall. The dry deposition rates were 0.26 and 0.43 × 10-12 g S/cm2/s respectively. The agricultural importance of the deposition is briefly discussed. RESP-701

Reduction of ferric compounds by soil bacteria

Reduction of ferric lactate by washed cell suspensions of Bacillus circulans, B. megaterium and Aerobacter aerogenes takes place in the presence of suitable hydrogen donors. Ferric hydroxide is reduced when αα'-dipyridyl is present in the cell+ substrate system. The reduction of ferric compounds by washed cells+ substrate is similar to the reduction of methylene blue. Culture fluids of B. circulans do not reduce ferric iron in the absence of normal cells. RESP-335

Data on the concentrations of etoposide, PSC833, BAPTA-AM, and cycloheximide that do not compromise the vitality of mature mouse oocytes, parthenogenetically activated and fertilized embryos

AbstractThese data document the vitality of mature mouse oocytes (Metaphase II (MII)) and early stage embryos (zygotes) following exposure to the genotoxic chemotherapeutic agent, etoposide, in combination with PSC833, a selective inhibitor of permeability glycoprotein. They also illustrate the vitality of parthenogenetically activated and fertilized embryos following incubation with the calcium chelator BAPTA-AM (1,2-Bis(2-aminophenoxy)ethane- N,N,N′,N′-tetraacetic acid tetrakis (acetoxymethyl ester)), cycloheximide (an antibiotic that is capable of inhibiting protein synthesis), and hydrogen peroxide (a potent reactive oxygen species). Finally, they present evidence that permeability glycoprotein is not represented in the proteome of mouse spermatozoa. Our interpretation and discussion of these data feature in the article “Identification of a key role for permeability glycoprotein in enhancing the cellular defense mechanisms of fertilized oocytes” (Martin et al., in press) [1]

Registration of Tifrust-14 Peanut Germplasm1 (Reg. No. GP31)

THE peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) line Tifrust-14 was developed cooperatively by ARS-USDAt,h e Univ. of Georgia Coastal Plain Stn., and the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). It has moderate resistance rust (caused by Puccinia arachidis Speg.) but lacks several ...

Registration of tifrust-13 peanut germplasm

TII~RUST3- pI eanut (Arachis hypogaeaL . ssp. hypogaeav ar. hypogaea) was named and released as a germplasm line 7 Dec. 1981 by the ARS, USDAt,h e Univ. of Georgia Coastal Plain Exp. Stn., the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, and the Agricultural Res. Organization, Israel. The genotype has resistance to peanut rust caused by Puccinia arachidis Speg. in greenhouse and field tests conducted in Georgia, Puerto Rico, and India. It has a larger seed and greater productivity than most other sources of rust resistance

Strength, Multijoint Coordination, and Sensorimotor Processing Are Independent Contributors to Overall Balance Ability

For young adults, balance is essential for participation in physical activities but is often disrupted following lower extremity injury. Clinical outcome measures such as single limb balance (SLB), Y-balance (YBT), and the single limb hop and balance (SLHB) tests are commonly used to quantify balance ability following injury. Given the varying demands across tasks, it is likely that such outcome measures provide useful, although task-specific, information. But the extent to which they are independent and contribute to understanding the multiple contributors to balance is not clear. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the associations among these measures as they relate to the different contributors to balance. Thirty-seven recreationally active young adults completed measures including Vertical Jump, YBT, SLB, SLHB, and the new Lower Extremity Dexterity test. Principal components analysis revealed that these outcome measures could be thought of as quantifying the strength, multijoint coordination, and sensorimotor processing contributors to balance. Our results challenge the practice of using a single outcome measure to quantify the naturally multidimensional mechanisms for everyday functions such as balance. This multidimensional approach to, and interpretation of, multiple contributors to balance may lead to more effective, specialized training and rehabilitation regimens

Antimicrobial activity of two South African honeys produced from indigenous Leucospermum cordifolium and Erica species on selected micro-organisms

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Honey has been shown to have wound healing properties which can be ascribed to its antimicrobial activity. The antimicrobial activity can be effective against a broad spectrum of bacterial species especially those of medical importance. It has also been shown that there is considerable variation in the antimicrobial potency of different types of honey, which is impossible to predict. With this in mind we tested the antimicrobial activity of honeys produced from plants grown in South Africa for their antibacterial properties on selected standard strains of oral micro-organisms.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The honeys used were produced from the blossoms of <it>Eucalyptus cladocalyx </it>(Bluegum) trees, an indigenous South African plant <it>Leucospermum cordifolium </it>(Pincushion), a mixture of wild heather shrubs, mainly <it>Erica </it>species (Fynbos) and a <it>Leptospermum scoparium </it>(Manuka) honey. Only pure honey which had not been heated was used. The honeys were tested for their antimicrobial properties with a broth dilution method.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Although the honeys produced some inhibitory effect on the growth of the micro-organisms, no exceptionally high activity occurred in the South African honeys. The carbohydrate concentration plays a key role in the antimicrobial activity of the honeys above 25%. However, these honeys do contain other antimicrobial properties that are effective against certain bacterial species at concentrations well below the hypertonic sugar concentration. The yeast <it>C. albicans </it>was more resistant to the honeys than the bacteria. The species <it>S. anginosus </it>and <it>S. oralis </it>were more sensitive to the honeys than the other test bacteria.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The honeys produced from indigenous wild flowers from South Africa had no exceptionally high activity that could afford medical grade status.</p