Goat horns: Platforms for viroid transmission to fruit trees?     

Oded Cohen  Ozgur Batuman  Yoni Moskowits  Alexander Rozov  Elisha Gootwine  Munir Mawassi  Moshe Bar-Joseph 《Phytoparasitica》2005,33(2):141-148

Mechanical inoculations with contaminating tools and propagation of infected budwood were considered the main causes for the omnipresence of multiple viroid species among citrus and other Middle Eastern and Mediterranean fruit trees and grapevines. However, neither means could explain viroid infections of wild trees — scattered on terrains inaccessible to humans — nor the finding of similar viroids among graft-incompatible plants. Northern hybridization of RNA extracts made of scrapings from the surfaces of goat (Capra hircus) horns that were rubbed against etrog (Citrus medica) stems infected with a citrus viroids complex, revealed accumulation of considerable amounts ofCitrus exocortis viroids (CEVd) andHop stunt viroids (HSVd). Experimental transmission of both CEVd and HSVd was obtained by rubbing healthy citrus plants with goat horns that had been rubbed 24 h earlier on infected etrog stems. These results implicate goats as possible vectors of viroids. Transmissionvia goats could have facilitated the long-range spread of viroids among cultivated and wild plants andvice versa and also among graft-incompatible plants.  相似文献   

Towards developing resistance to chickpea chlorotic dwarf virus through CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing using multiplexed gRNAs     

Malik  Muniba Abid Munir  Haider  Muhammad Saleem  Zhai  Ying  Khan  Muhammad Azmat Ullah  Pappu  Hanu R. 《植物病害和植物保护杂志》2023,130(1):23-33

Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection - Mastreviruses are an emerging group of viruses transmitted by leafhoppers and infect both monocot and dicot plants. Chickpea chlorotic dwarf virus...  相似文献   

Acidulated activation of phosphate rock enhances release,lateral transport and uptake of phosphorus and trace metals upon direct-soil application     

Munir Ahmad  Adel Ghoneim  Saud S. Al-Oud  Khaled D. Alotaibi  Mahmoud Nadeem 《Soil Science and Plant Nutrition》2019,65(2):183-195

Phosphate rock (PR) was activated via acidulation with HCl, EDTA, and oxalic acid to enhance its reactivity. The release, lateral transport, and uptake of phosphorus (P) along with trace metals from pristine and activated PRs were investigated in a soil micro-block system over a period of 27 days, using wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) plants. Significantly (p < 0.05) higher amounts of available soil P, Fe, Mn, and Zn were released from all the PRs after application to soil within first 9 days of seedling transplantation, while the release of other trace metals (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, and Pb) was minimal (<1.2 mg kg^?1). On cumulative basis, APR-O (oxalic acid activated PR) was the most efficient amendment releasing 164% more available P, followed by APR-E (EDTA activated PR) releasing 130% more available P, compared to the pristine PR. Similar results were also observed in the release of available Fe, Mn, Zn, and other trace metals. The highest diffusive mass fluxes for available P, Mn, Fe, and Zn in soil were observed after 3 days of seedling transplantation, which reduced subsequently. The uptake of P, Fe, Mn, and Zn by wheat plants was increased by 394%, 715%, 92%, and 91%, respectively, in APR-O application compared to the pristine PR, while it was increased by 280%, 188%, 16%, and 27%, respectively, in APR-E application compared to the pristine PR. Subsequently, APR-O and APR-E amendments resulted in enhanced shoot lengths, root lengths, shoot dry matter, and root dry matter contents of wheat plants. Hence, it was concluded that activation of PR with oxalic acid and EDTA prior to direct soil application may enhance the reactivity of PR and could serve as a cost-effect fertilization strategy for higher wheat crop production.  相似文献   

Water management and crop production for food security in China: A review   总被引：5，自引：0，他引：5  

Shahbaz Khan  Munir A. Hanjra  Jianxin Mu 《Agricultural Water Management》2009,96(3):349-360

Food security is a high priority issue on the Chinese political agenda. China’s food security is challenged by several anthropogenic, sociopolitical and policy factors, including: population growth; urbanization and industrialization; land use changes and water scarcity; income growth and nutritional transition; and turbulence in global energy and food markets. Sustained growth in agricultural productivity and stable relations with global food suppliers are the twin anchors of food security. Shortfalls in domestic food production can take their toll on international food markets. Turbulence in global energy markets can affect food prices and supply costs, affecting food security and poverty. Policy safeguards are needed to shield food supply against such forces. China must make unremitting policy responses to address the loss of its fertile land for true progress towards the goal of national food security, by investing in infrastructure such as irrigation, drainage, storage, transport, and agricultural research and institutional reforms such as tenure security and land market liberalization. The links between water and other development-related sectors such as population, energy, food, and environment, and the interactions among them require reckoning, as they together will determine future food security and poverty reduction in China. Climate change is creating a new level of uncertainty in water governance, requiring accelerated research to avoid water-related stresses.  相似文献   

Bulk method of hardwood cutting propagation ofLarix olgensis     

Wang Qiuyu  Liu Erman  Zhang Rui  Xu Zhongzhi 《林业研究》1997,8(4):211-213

Larix olgensis is a major reforestation species in areas of the northeast part of China. Rooted cutting for vegetative propagation on this Larch has been carried out since 1990, and later the bulk method of hardwood cutting propagation also has been studied. The result is as follows: (1) Cuttings from physiologically juvenile trees are easy to root, and develop better roots. In addition, there are many methods to enhance the cuttings rooting. (2) The good time for seedling transplanting is in the middle of August. Treatments with plant hormones and rare-earth compounds can improve the seedling survival rate, and the survival rate of the seedlings soaked in chelate rare-earth molybdenum compound (300×10⁻⁶) for 3 hours reached 94.00%, 19.49% higher than that of the control. (3) Methods of maintaining juvenility such as hedging, is essential to further developments for operational planting of vegetative propagates. Hedges in 5 years old can produce 91.75 shoots per tree, exceeding the control to 152.2%. (Responsible Editor: Zhu Hong)  相似文献   

Genetics and mechanism of resistance to deltamethrin in a field population of Spodoptera litura (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)   总被引：2，自引：0，他引：2  

Ahmad M  Sayyed AH  Crickmore N  Saleem MA 《Pest management science》2007,63(10):1002-1010

BACKGROUND: Spodoptera litura (F.) causes enormous losses in many economically important crops. The genetics of insecticide resistance has been extensively studied in several insect pests, but there is a lack of information on S. litura. Therefore, the genetics and mechanisms of the resistance of S. litura to deltamethrin were investigated. RESULTS: Bioassays at generation G1 gave resistance ratios of 9, 5, 41, 52 and 49 for deltamethrin, cypermethrin, profenofos, chlorpyrifos and triazofos respectively, when compared with the susceptible Lab-PK strain. Bioassays at G4 with a deltamethrin-selected population (Delta-SEL) showed that selection gave resistance ratios of 63 and 7 for deltamethrin when compared with the Lab-PK and UNSEL strains respectively. Cross-resistance to other insecticides tested was observed in the selected population. A notable feature of the Delta-SEL strain was that resistance to deltamethrin, cypermethrin, profenofos and chlorpyrifos did not decline over the course of five generations. Synergism tests with microsomal oxidase (MO) and esterase-specific inhibitors indicated that the deltamethrin resistance was associated with MO and, possibly, esterase activity. Reciprocal crosses between the Delta-SEL and Lab-PK strains indicated that resistance was autosomal and incompletely dominant. A direct test of monogenic inheritance suggested that resistance to deltamethrin was controlled by more than one locus. CONCLUSION: Stability and dominance of resistance and cross-resistance suggest that insecticides with different modes of action should be recommended to reduce pyrethroid selection pressure.  相似文献   

Effects of Polyether Ionophores on the Protective Immune Responses of Broiler Chickens against Angara Disease and Newcastle Disease Viruses     

Munir K  Muneer MA  Tiwari A  Chaudhry RM  Muruganandan S 《Veterinary research communications》2007,31(7):909-929

Immunization against Angara disease virus (ADV), a serotype 4 avian adenovirus, and Newcastle disease virus (NDV), an avian paramyxovirus serotype 1, is the mainstay of a broiler vaccination programme, while polyether ionophores usually form an essential component of a broiler medication programme in most parts of India and Pakistan. The role of polyether ionophores in the protective immune responses of broiler chickens vaccinated and challenged with ADV and NDV was investigated. A total of 1600 birds were divided into eight groups of 200 birds each. First four groups were vaccinated against NDV and ADV, while the remaining four served as unvaccinated controls. The first 3 groups of birds were administered salinomycin, monensin and cyclophosphamide (CYP), respectively. The last group served as an untreated control. The same treatment schedule was also followed for the next four unvaccinated groups. The post-vaccination and post-challenge serological responses to NDV and ADV, body and lymphoid organ weight gains, post-challenge survival rate and detection of NDV and ADV in the tissues of infected birds were evaluated. Birds administered salinomycin showed a significant stimulation of protective immune responses against both NDV and ADV as compared to the untreated and CYP-treated birds. Monensin also enhanced the protective immune responses against both viruses but the effect was not statistically significant. Thus, it is concluded that monensin and salinomycin augment the anti-NDV and anti-ADV immune responses in broiler chickens, which supports their use in poultry flocks.  相似文献   

Major declines in the abundance of vultures and other scavenging raptors in and around the Masai Mara ecosystem, Kenya   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Munir Z. Virani  Corinne Kendall  Peter Njoroge  Simon Thomsett 《Biological conservation》2011,(2):746-752

Vulture population declines have been noted in West and Southern Africa, but have not been assessed in East Africa. Roadside transects conducted in 1976 and 1988 were compared with surveys done from 2003–2005 in and around Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya. Staggering declines in abundance were found for seven of eight scavenging raptors surveyed. No Egyptian vultures were seen during recent transects. We compared trends between the ungulate migration and non-migration season among three land use types (reserve, buffer, and grazed) and among the species surveyed to establish the causes of declines in scavenging raptors. Large declines during the ungulate migratory period suggest that most scavenging raptor species are declining well beyond the area of study. For all species, except Hooded vultures, substantial declines outside of the reserve indicate an important role of land use change in causing observed declines. In addition, significant declines of populations of Gyps species in the reserve itself, especially during the migration season, provide evidence that human activities occurring in other parts of the species’ range such as poisoning of carcasses may be causing their decline. Declines found in this study suggest that at a minimum African white-backed, Rüppell’s, and Hooded vultures should be relisted as Vulnerable. Management actions that limit land use change around the reserve combined with a countrywide ban on carbamate pesticides will be important for conserving keystone members of the scavenging guild. Future research should further examine possible causes of these declines and quantify the effect of reduced scavenging raptor abundance on scavenging efficiency.  相似文献   

Rates of decomposition of plant residues and available nitrogen in soil, related to residue composition through simulation of carbon and nitrogen turnover     

Aviva Hadas  Larissa Kautsky  Emine Erman Kara 《Soil biology & biochemistry》2004,36(2):255-266

The dynamics of inorganic N in soil following the application of plant residues depends on their composition. We assumed that all plant materials are composed of similar components, each decomposing at a specific rate, but differ in the proportions of the various components. The NCSOIL model that simulates C and N turnover in soil was used to link the rates of residue decomposition to their composition, defined as soluble, cellulose-like and lignin-like C and N, and thereby integrate short and long-term effects of residues on available N dynamics in soil. Five plant residues in a wide range of C:N ratios were incubated in soil for 24 weeks at 30 °C, during which C and N mineralization were measured. The materials with large C:N ratios (corn, rice hulls and wheat straw) were also incubated with NH₄⁺-N to avoid N deficiency. The residues were analyzed for total and soluble C and N. The partitioning of insoluble C and N between cellulose- and lignin-like pools was optimized by best fit of simulated C and N mineralization to measured results. The decomposition rate constants of the soluble and lignin-like pools were assumed to be 1.0 and 10⁻⁵ d⁻¹, respectively, and that of the cellulose-like pool, obtained by model optimization against mineralization of cellulose with NH₄⁺-N in soil, was 0.051 d⁻¹. The optimized, kinetically defined lignin-like pool of all residues was considerably larger than lignin contents normally found in plant residues by the Van Soest procedure. Gross N mineralization of tobacco and rape residues was similar, but N recovery from tobacco was larger, because a larger fraction of its C was in the lignin-like pool. N in rice hulls, corn and wheat residues was mostly recalcitrant, yet rice hulls did not cause N deficiency, because most of its C was recalcitrant too. The soluble components of the residues had strong short-term effects on available N in soil, but the cellulose-like pool was equally important for short and medium-term effects. Soluble and cellulose-like C were 29 and 42% of total C, respectively, in corn and 7 and 50% in wheat. Maximal net inorganic N losses, measured in both residue treatments after 2 weeks, were 42 mg g⁻¹ C applied as corn and 31 mg g⁻¹ C applied as wheat, or 84 and 110 mg g⁻¹ decomposed C of corn and wheat, respectively. Rice hulls immobilized N slowly, but by the end of 24 weeks all three residues immobilized 26-27 mg N kg⁻¹ C applied. The different dynamics of N immobilization demonstrated the need to determine the decomposability of C and N rather than their total contents in plant residues.  相似文献   

PCR-based detection of an emerging avian pneumovirus in US turkey flocks.     

A M Dar  K Tune  S Munir  B Panigrahy  S M Goyal  V Kapur 《Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation》2001,13(3):201-205

Avian pneumovirus (APV) or turkey rhinotracheitis virus (TRTV) is an important respiratory pathogen of domesticated poultry in many countries in Europe, Africa, and Asia. Until recently, the United States was considered free of APV. In late 1996, an atypical upper respiratory tract infection appeared in turkey flocks in Colorado and shortly thereafter in turkey flocks in Minnesota. An avian pneumovirus (APV-US) that was serologically distinct from the previously described TRTV was isolated as the primary cause of the new syndrome. The nucleotide sequence of a fragment of the APV-US fusion gene was determined and used to develop a polymerase chain reaction-based assay that specifically detects APV-US viral nucleic acid sequences in RNA extracts of tracheal swabs and turbinate homogenates. The assay is highly sensitive in that it can detect <0.01 TCID50 of APV. The availability of this assay enables the rapid and accurate determination of APV-US in infected poultry flocks.  相似文献