Windbreaks: An Important Component in a Plasticulture System

Strawberry Growth and Development in an Annual Plasticulture System

The growth and development of three strawberry cultivars commonly grown in a plasticulture system were documented. Strawberry plants were harvested monthly and divided by roots, crown, leaves, flowers, and fruit and then dried in an oven. The dry matter production and resource allocation proceeded along a predictable pattern of development. The establishment phase was characterized by an active...

The serum complement system: a simplified laboratory exercise to measure the activity of an important component of the immune system.

The immune system is a vital physiological component that affords animals protection from disease and is composed of innate and adaptive mechanisms that rely on cellular and dissolved components. The serum complement system is a series of dissolved proteins that protect against a variety of pathogens. The activity of complement in serum can be determined by its ability to lyse red blood cells i...

Windbreaks, Hedgerows, Woodland Corridors

The concentration of animals in hedgerows also attracts predators from the surroundings 43’ (Fig. 6.10), just as hunters are attracted to wooded strips.299 Where large woods are scarce, certain owls and other predators require two or more smaller woods for their home range. So in a corridor connecting the woods, not much escapes the eyes and silent wing-beat of an owl. Nevertheless, compared wi...

Polysaccharide-Specific Isoperoxidases as an Important Component of the Plant Defence System

A two-component system plays an important role in the root-colonizing ability of Pseudomonas fluorescens strain WCS365.

We describe the characterization of a novel Tn5lacZ colonization mutant of the efficiently colonizing Pseudomonas fluorescens strain WCS365, mutant strain PCL1210, which is at least 300- to 1,000-fold impaired in colonization of the potato root tip after co-inoculation of potato stem cuttings with a 1:1 mixture of mutant and parental cells. Similarly, the mutant is also impaired in colonization...