The common cutworm (CCW; Spodoptera litura Fabricius) is a serious herbivorous insect pest of soybean (Glycine max) in Asia and Oceania. Previously, we identified quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for CCW-antibiosis-resistance, CCW-1 and CCW-2, and antixenosis-resistance, qRslx1 and qRslx2, in the cultivar 'Himeshirazu'. The effects of these QTLs are useful in the breeding of CCW-resistant cultiva...

Self-transferable plasmid pIP1100 confers to Escherichia coli an unusually high level of resistance (1 to 2 mg/ml) to erythromycin by production of an erythromycin esterase. The effect of pIP1100 on the destiny of E. coli strains in the intestines of gnotobiotic mice was studied. In germfree mice, pIP1100 was efficiently transferred to a plasmid-free E. coli recipient. Intestinal counts of the ...

The soybean aphid, Aphis glycines Matsumura (Hemiptera: Aphididae), is an invasive insect pest of soybean [Glycine max (L.)Merr. (Fabaceae)] in North America, and it has led to extensive insecticide use in northern soybean-growing regions there. Host plant resistance is one potential alternative strategy for managing soybean aphid. Several Rag genes that show antibiosis and antixenosis to soybe...

Forty-three bacteria were isolated from the phylloplane and (or) rhizosphere of potato and canola plants and tested for their ability to control the pathogen Phytophthora infestans (strain US-8) causing late blight on potato. This study revealed the benefit of using more than one system when searching for biocontrol activity. In this regard, the complementarity of the three systems chosen (in-v...

The relationships among the chemical, physical and biological aspects of compost and their role in suppression of turfgrass pathogens are reviewed. The composting process, mediated by microbial activity, is a€ected by physical and chemical characteristics which include temperature, aeration, moisture content, C:N ratio and pH. In the absence of parameter restrictions, the microbial community fo...

Experiments were conducted to identify and characterize host plant resistance to bird cherry-oat aphid, Rhopalosiphum padi (L.), in various wheat and wheat-grass hybrids. Initial tests screened for resistance to R. padi among 12 grass accessions (eight wheat [Triticum aestivum L.], three triticale [XTriticosecale Wittmack], and 1XElytricum [Elytrigia elongata [Host] Nevski x Triticum aestivum h...

Plant-microbe interactions are ubiquitous. Plants are threatened by pathogens, but they are even more commonly engaged in neutral or mutualistic interactions with microbes: belowground microbial plant associates are mycorrhizal fungi, Rhizobia, and plant-growth promoting rhizosphere bacteria, aboveground plant parts are colonized by internally living bacteria and fungi (endophytes) and by micro...

Isolates of Verticillium fungicola collected in 2002 in the Veracruz State, Mexico, and previously identified as V. fungicola var. fungicola, were compared to French isolates for genetic polymorphism and diversity in some physiological traits. Results were analysed based on studies of a larger group of European V. fungicola var. fungicola. RAPD analyses showed that Mexican isolates were genetic...

Recent emphasis on the prevention of surgical wound infection has highlighted the role of the anesthesiologist as the physician responsible for administering appropriate antibiotic prophylaxis. Patients often report a distant or unclear history of penicillin allergy. Administering an antibiotic to which the patient has a true allergy can provoke a life threatening reaction. The anesthesiologist...