No impact of Bt soybean that express Cry1Ac protein on biological traits of Euschistus heros (Hemiptera, Pentatomidae) and its egg parasitoid Telenomus podisi (Hymenoptera, Platygastridae)

No impact of Bt soybean that express Cry1Ac protein on biological traits of Euschistus heros (Hemiptera, Pentatomidae) and its egg parasitoid Telenomus podisi (Hymenoptera, Platygastridae). Biological traits of the stink bug Euschistus heros and its main biological control agent Telenomus podisi were evaluated under controlled environmental conditions (25 ± 2ºC; 60 ± 10% RH; and 14/10 h photoperiod) by placing first instar nymphs into Petri dishes with pods originating from two soybean isolines (Bt-soybean MON 87701 × MON 89788, which expresses the Cry1Ac protein, and its near non-Bt isoline A5547) where they remained until the adult stage. Due to gregarious behavior exhibited by first instar nymphs, they were individualized only when at the second instar. Adults were separated by sex and weighed, and pronotum width of each individual was subsequently measured. They were placed into plastic boxes containing soybean grains of the same soybean isoline as food source. Egg viability and female fecundity were assessed in adult individuals. Adult females of T. podisi (up to 24h old) were placed with eggs of E. heros from mothers reared on both soybean isolines. Nymphal development time, insect weight, pronotum width, sex ratio, female fecundity, and egg viability (% emergence) of Euschistus heros did not differ between treatments. Eggto-adult development time, female longevity, sex ratio, and percentage of parasitized eggs were not impacted by the Bt-soybean (expressing Cry1Ac protein). Results indicate that the Bt-soybean, MON 87701 × MON 89788, has no direct significant impact on the two studied species.

Biology and reproductive capacity of Spodoptera eridania (Cramer) (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae) in different soybean cultivars

This study aimed to evaluate the development, survival and reproductive capacity of Spodoptera eridania in four soybean cultivars. The experiment was conducted in the laboratory, in a climatic chamber at 25 °C ± 1 °C, 70 ± 10% relative humidity and 12 h photophase. The cultivars used were: FMT Tabarana, BRS/MT Pintado, FMT Tucunaré and Monsoy 8757, all conventional cultivars with medium cycles. All cultivars tested allowed the development of S. eridania. However, Monsoy 8757 was the cultivar that most affected the prolonged in the duration larval, pupal and total cycle, showed lower pupal weight as well as reduction in the intrinsic rate increase. These results contribute to the management of this species in regions of outbreaks in soybean areas.

Maxillary advancement and transpalatal expansion using internal distraction in a patient with cleft lip and palate.

Correction of sagittal and transverse maxillary discrepancies in patients with cleft lip or palate remains a challenge for craniofacial surgeons. Distraction osteogenesis has revolutionized the conceptualization and approach to the craniofacial malformations and has become a reliable and irreplaceable part of the surgical armamentarium. We are reporting a case of sequential maxillary advancement and transpalatal expansion using internal distraction in a patient with unilateral cleft lip and palate presenting with severe maxillary sagittal and transverse deficiencies.

Iowa Crop and Weather Report, August 3, 2009

Report produced by the The Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Climatology Bureau. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey today commented on the Iowa Crops and Weather report released by the USDA National Agricultural Statistical Service. The report is released weekly from April through October.

Reconstruction fronto-orbitaire complexe avec prothèse en PEEK et expansion cutanée : à propos d'un cas [Complex fronto-orbital reconstruction with a PEEK prosthesis and skin expansion: about a case].

INTRODUCTION: Reconstructions of the fronto-orbital area remain a challenge to the reconstructive surgeon, due to the functional and esthetic impact. OBSERVATION: The authors present a case of a complex fronto-orbital reconstruction with a PEEK (PolyEtherEtherKetone) implant, associated with a skin expansion. DISCUSSION: With a follow-up of over three years, the cosmetic result is excellent. The authors believe that this technique is reliable, fast with long-term good results.

Managing Soybean Cyst Nematode, 2007

Soybean cyst nematode (SCN) causes the greatest yield loss of any single pathogen of soybean in Iowa. An estimated 50 million bushels were lost in Iowa to SCN in 2004. Damage from SCN is not limited to yield loss from root feeding; SCN also makes other diseases like sudden death syndrome, iron deficiency chlorosis, Pythium, Phytophthora root and stem rot and brown stem rot worse. Once established in a field, SCN cannot be eradicated. However, the use of multiple management tactics can help minimize yield loss.

Managing Soybean for High Yield, 2007

Producers continually strive for high yielding soybeans. The state-wide average yield for Iowa is now more than 50 bu./acre. The “yield plateau” reported by many producers does not exist, and is a perception largely brought on by misuse of an oversimplified management system. High yielding soybeans are achieved through improved and targeted management decisions. Improved agronomic decisions for soybeans are critical since soybean is very sensitive to stresses that influence soybean growth, development and yield.

Soybean Planting Date, 2007

The planting date for soybeans should be based on seedbed conditions and calendar date rather than soil temperature. The optimum time to plant soybeans in Iowa is the last week of April for the southern two thirds of Iowa and the first week of May for the northern one third of Iowa.

Soybean Planting Date, 2007

The planting date for soybeans should be based on seedbed conditions and calendar date rather than soil temperature. The optimum time to plant soybeans in Iowa is the last week of April for the southern two thirds of Iowa and the first week of May for the northern one third of Iowa.

Mobile gibberellin directly stimulates Arabidopsis hypocotyl xylem expansion.

Secondary growth of the vasculature results in the thickening of plant structures and continuously produces xylem tissue, the major biological carbon sink. Little is known about the developmental control of this quantitative trait, which displays two distinct phases in Arabidopsis thaliana hypocotyls. The later phase of accelerated xylem expansion resembles the secondary growth of trees and is triggered upon flowering by an unknown, shoot-derived signal. We found that flowering-dependent hypocotyl xylem expansion is a general feature of herbaceous plants with a rosette growth habit. Flowering induction is sufficient to trigger xylem expansion in Arabidopsis. By contrast, neither flower formation nor elongation of the main inflorescence is required. Xylem expansion also does not depend on any particular flowering time pathway or absolute age. Through analyses of natural genetic variation, we found that ERECTA acts locally to restrict xylem expansion downstream of the gibberellin (GA) pathway. Investigations of mutant and transgenic plants indicate that GA and its signaling pathway are both necessary and sufficient to directly trigger enhanced xylogenesis. Impaired GA signaling did not affect xylem expansion systemically, suggesting that it acts downstream of the mobile cue. By contrast, the GA effect was graft transmissible, suggesting that GA itself is the mobile shoot-derived signal.

Phosphate forms in plant and their internal buffering in five soybean cultivars

Differences among plants in their ability to support nutritional stress periods may be caused by a differential vacuole capacity of ion storage and release and may also depend on the intensity of nutrient re-translocation under such conditions. In five soybean cultivars, submitted to eight days of P deprivation, the dry matter production and the contents of three phosphorus (P) forms - inorganic (Pi), organic (Po), and acid-soluble total (Pts) of different plant organs were determined. Pi release velocity (RSPi) was estimated as the tangent to the equations obtained for Pi f(t) at the point t = 2 days (the mean point in the period of greatest Pi decrease), considering that -deltaPi/deltat expresses the rate of Pi release. The internal Pi buffering capacity (IBCPi) was calculated as the inverse of the RSPi. Cultivars' differences in size of the non-metabolic Pi pool, RSPi, and the ability to transport Pi from less to more actively metabolizing regions were evaluated. The preferential Pi source and sink compartments under limited P absorption conditions were also evaluated. The cultivar Santa Rosa showed the highest Pi storage ability when the external supply was high, and a more intensive release under low P supply conditions than IAC8 and UFV1. The cultivar Uberaba was superior to Doko in its ability to store and use Pi. In all cultivars, upper leaves and roots were the main sink of Pi stored in the middle and lower leaves. Roots and upper leaves showed larger RSPi and lower IBCPi values than middle and lower leaves.

Factors promoting the exposure to bioaerosols among crop workers

Introduction. Agricultural workers are among the professional groups most at risk of developing acute or chronic respiratory problems. Despite this fact, the etiology of these occupational diseases is poorly known, even in important sectors of agriculture such as the crops sector. Cereals can be colonized by a large number of fungal species throughout the plants' growth, but also during grain storage. Some of these fungi deliver toxins that can have a serious impact on human health when they are ingested via wheat products. Although International and European legislation on contaminants in food, including mycotoxins, include measures to ensure protection of public health by setting down the maximum levels for certain contaminants, the risks associated with the inhalation of such molecules during grain handling remains poorly documented. Goal of study. This project's objective was to characterize worker exposure to pathogenic, irritative or allergenic microorganisms and to identify the abiotic or biotic factors that reduce the growth of these microorganisms in crops. Indeed, the proliferation of microorganisms on wheat is dependent on temperature, rainfall and human disturbance (e.g. usage of tillage, addition of fungicides). A change in the concentration of these microorganisms in the substrate will directly result in a change in the concentration of aerosolized particles of the same microorganisms. Therefore, the exposure of worker to bioaérosols will also change. The Vaud region of Switzerland is a perfect region for conduct such a project as weather conditions vary and agricultural land management programs are divers at a small geographic scale. Methods. Bioaerosols and wheat dust have been sampled during wheat harvesting of summer 2010 at 100 sites uniformly distributed in the Vaud region that are representative of the different agriculture practices. Personal exposure has been evaluated for different wheat related activities: harvesting, grain unload, baling straw, the cleaning of harvesters and silos. Aerosols have been sampled at a rate of 2L/min between 15 min to 4 hours (t) on a 5m PVC filter for estimating the total dust inhaled, on gelatine filter for the identification and quantification of molds, and on a 0.45um polycarbonate filter for endotoxin quantification. Altitude, temperature and annual average rainfall were considered for each site. The physical and chemical characteristics of soils were determined using the methods in effect at Sol Council (Nyon). Total dust has been quantified following NIOSH 0500 method. Reactive endotoxine activity has been determined with Limulus Amebocyte Lysate Assay. All molds have been identified by the pyrosequencing of ITS2 amplicons generated from bioaerosol or wheat dust genomic DNA. Results & Conclusions. Our results confirm the previous quantitative data on the worker exposure to wheat dust. In addition, they show that crop workers are systematically exposed to complex mixtures of allergens, irritants or cytotoxic components. The novelty of our study is the systematic detection of molds such as Fusarium - that is a mycotoxins producer - in the bioaerosols. The results are interpreted by taking in account the agriculture practice, the Phosphorus : Carbon : Nitrogen ratio of the soil, the altitude and the average of rainy days per year.

Interactions between magnesium, calcium, and aluminum on soybean root elongation

Alleviation of Al rhizotoxicity by Ca and Mg can differ among species and genotypes. Root elongation of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] line N93-S-179 and cvs. Young and Ransom exposed to varying concentrations of Al, Ca and Mg were compared in two experiments using a vertically split root system. Roots extending from a surface compartment with limed soil grew for 12 days into a subsurface compartment with nutrient solution treatments maintained at pH 4.6 with either 0 or 15 µmol L-1 Al. Calcium and Mg concentrations in treatments ranging from 0 to 20 mmol L-1. Although an adequate supply of Mg was provided in the surface soil compartment for soybean top growth, an inclusion of Mg was necessary in the subsurface solutions to promote root elongation in both the presence and absence of Al. In the absence of Al in the subsurface solution, tap root length increased by 74 % and lateral root length tripled when Mg in the solutions was increased from 0 to either 2 or 10 mmol L-1. In the presence of 15 µmol L-1 Al, additions of 2 or 10 mmol L-1 Mg increased tap root length fourfold and lateral root length by a factor of 65. This high efficacy of Mg may have masked differences in Al tolerance between genotypes N93 and Young. Magnesium was more effective than Ca in alleviating Al rhizotoxicity, and its ameliorative properties could not be accounted for by estimated electrostatic changes in root membrane potential and Al3+ activity at the root surface. The physiological mechanisms of Mg alleviation of Al injury in roots, however, are not known.