An investigation of the effect of Meloidogyne hapla, M. arenaria, M. arenaria thamesi, M. incognita acrita, and M. incognita on Ligustrum ovalifolium, L. japonicum, and Abelia floribunda was conducted. With the exception of M. hapla on L. ovalifolium and M. arenaria thamesi on A. floribunda, all 5 species of nematodes were pathogenic on the 3 host species. Striking differences in growth of the L. ovalifolium plants inoculated with the 4 root-knot species that caused significant reduction could easily be seen. Reduction in weight of the plants inoculated with the 4 root-knot species varied from 39.8% to 63.6% of the controls, and the reduction in total length of stems of these plants varied from 37.2% to 58.5% of the controls at the termination of the experiment. Reduction in weight of the L. japonicum plants inoculated with root-knot species varied from 29.2% to 51.7% of the controls. All plants inoculated with root-knot were significantly reduced in weight compared to controls. There were no visual differences in growth among the A. floribunda treatments; however, omitting the M. arenaria thamesi treatment which was not significantly different from control, the reduction in weight of the inoculated plants varied from 26.81 to 41.71 of the controls. / M.S.

The twospotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch, is a serious pest of many ornamental plants (Johnson and Lyon, 1991). Pesticide resistance, the high cost of pesticides and loss of production time have raised interest by growers to introduce predatory phytoseiid mites to manage twospotted spider mites and reduce their need for acaricide applications (Sabelis, 1981). The predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot has been used successfully in integrated pest management programs for T. urticae suppression. Despite the success of P. persimilis in reducing populations of T. urticae, acaricide applications may still necessary due to limitations associated with the effectiveness of P. persimilis introductions. The objectives of this study were to; 1. Measure the effects of acaricides on the density and age structure of T. urticae populations. 2. Determine the compatibility of acaricides in an IPM program by measuring the toxicity of residues to P. persimilis and T. urticae adults. 3. Study the feeding behavior of P. persimilis on T. urticae. 4. Measure the effects of combinations of acaricides followed by release of P. persimilis on T. urticae populations using greenhouse trials. The effects of ten acaricides on T. urticae populations were measured on infested Buddleia x davidii 'White Profusion' cuttings. Acaricides did not alter age structure in predictable manner. Initial analysis of results demonstrates that cuttings treated with acaricides had age structures that were different from control treatments. However, these differences were not distinguishable from natural fluctuations in the age structure. Chlorfenapyr may have changed the age structure of T. urticae. Azadirachtin, pyridaben and spinosad did not suppress T. urticae populations at the rates and formulations tested in this trial. Abamectin, bifenthrin, chlorfenapyr, Gowan 1725,oil and neem oil suppressed T. urticae populations. Hexythiazox suppressed T. urticae populations but these results were not seen until two weeks after application. The effects of acaricide residues were tested on adult P. persimilis and T. urticae 1, 3, 7, and 14 days after application using a leaf disk system. Abamectin, Gowan 1725, hexythiazox, horticultural oil, neem oil, pyridaben and spionsad were not toxic to P. persimilis adults while bifenthrin and chlorfenapyr residues were toxic to P. persimilis. Tetranychus urticae mortality from chlorfenapyr residues was significantly greater than the control 1,3,7 and 14 days after application. Tetranychus urticae mortality from bifenthrin and abamectin residues was significantly greater than the control 3, 7, and 14 days after application. Tetranychus urticae mortality caused by Gowan 1725, horticultural oil, and neem oil residues was significantly greater than the control 1 day after application, while mortality from hexythiazox and spinosad residues was not significantly greater than the control at any of the times tested in this study. Phytoseiulus persimilis feeding behavior studies examining life stage preference tests and functional response studies were conducted on bean leaf disks. We found P. persimilis functional response to be a type II response for both eggs and adults with handling times of 0.079 hours for eggs and 3.399 hours for adults. The effects of a combination of acaricides followed by release of P. persimilis on T. urticae populations was tested using greenhouse studies conducted on infested Buddleia plants. In the first trial, severe plant damage occurred despite a reduction in the mean number of mites per leaf in treatments with oil+ predator treatments 7 days after release. Results from the second greenhouse trial produced plants with less visual damage compared to those in the first greenhouse trial. Treatments with predators alone and predators + acaricides produced similar results. However, treatments with predators had a mean numbers of mites per leaf that were significantly less than treatments with acaricides alone. The results demonstrate that the acaricides tested in the second greenhouse trial allowed the predators to provide suppression of T. urticae populations. A high release rate was used in the second greenhouse trial and lower release rates as well as different acaricide predator combinations need be tested to explore the possibility of new management techniques. Our results suggest that the number of pest mites present in the crop may be the most important factor affecting the success of biological control with predators. Combinations of oil applications followed by introduction of P. persimlis 3 days after release provided suppression of T. urticae populations in a meaningful time frame. I was not able to shape the age structure of T. urticae populations in a predictable manner with acaricide applications. Phytoseiulus persimilis does not have a prey-stage preference when feeding on T.urticae, but the shorter handling time for eggs may indicate that they are better able to suppress populations with higher proportions of eggs. However, we cannot determine if P. persimilis can keep T. urticae populations composed of predominately of eggs below threshold levels because our greenhouse trials did not test this hypothesis. Phytoseiulus persimilis feeding on adult T. urticae may suppress T. urticae populations below threshold levels because a reduction in the number of adults will lead to a reduction in the number of T. urticae eggs deposited on a plant. Our research suggests that abamectin and oil are two acaricides that would be less detrimental to the survival of P. persimilis. Additional greenhouse trials with compatible acaricides should be conducted as well as research on the threshold density of T. urticae that will allow P. persimilis to provide adequate control. / Master of Science

Labeling is a product differentiation mechanism which has increased in prevalence across many markets. This study investigated the potential for a labeling program applied in ornamental plant sales, given key ongoing issues affecting ornamental plant producers: irrigation water use and plant disease. Our research investigated how to better understand the market for plants certified as disease free and/or produced using water conservation techniques through segmenting the market by consumers' environmental preferences. Latent class analysis was conducted using choice modeling survey results and respondent scores on the New Environmental Paradigm scale. The results show that when accounting for environmental preferences, consumers can be grouped into two market segments. Relative to each other, these segments are considered: price sensitive and attribute sensitive. Our research also investigated market segments' preferences for multiple certifying authorities. The results strongly suggest that consumers of either segment do not have a preference for any particular certifying authority. / Master of Science

Most staple food crops were domesticated thousands of years ago through independent processes across different regions of the world. Studies of the history of such crops have been essential to our understanding of plant domestication as a process that started with the collection of wild material and continued with subsequent propagation, cultivation, and selection under human care. Domestication often involves a complex genetic structure with contributions from multiple founder populations, interspecific hybridization, chromosomal introgressions, and polyploidization events that occurred hundreds to thousands of years earlier. Such intricate origins complicate the systematic study of the sources of phenotypic variation. The analysis of recently domesticated, non-traditional, non-model species, such as Sinningia speciosa (Gesneriaceae), can expand the knowledge that we have on phenotypic variation under domestication, and help us to comprehend modern patterns of plant domestication and to broaden our understanding of the general trends. S. speciosa is commonly known as the 'florist's gloxinia', and it has been cultivated for 200 years as an ornamental houseplant. In our genomic study of S. speciosa, we examined an extensive diversity panel consisting of 115 individuals that included different species in the genus, wild representatives, and cultivated accessions, as well as 150 individuals from an F2 segregating population. Our analyses revealed that all of the domesticated varieties are derived from a single founder population that originated in or near the city of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. We identified two loci associated with domesticated traits (flower symmetry and color) and did not detect any major hybridization or polyploidization events that could have contributed to the rapid increase in phenotypic diversity. Our findings, in conjunction with other features such as a small, low-complexity genome, ease of cultivation, and rapid generation time, makes this species an attractive model for the study of genomic variation under domestication. Basic research on non-model organisms with low economic importance is uncommon but necessary to understand the world from a broader perspective. In such cases, reduced representation approaches like Genotyping-by-Sequencing (GBS) are efficient low-cost alternatives to whole genome resequencing. However, most of these technologies are subject to patent protection, licensing processes, and fees that constrain genomic research for small non-profit research organizations. We have designed a protocol to construct reduced representation libraries from genomic DNA. Our approach, called Targeted Amplification of Scattered Sites (TASS), deviates from the traditional digestion-ligation-amplification process that is the subject of intellectual property that protects most current methods. Instead, TASS relies on 1) targeting and duplicating scattered regions in the genome by annealing and expanding long tail primers with short annealing sites, and 2) amplifying these regions using primers that are complementary to the added overhangs. At the moment GBS is more consistent and delivers more variants than TASS. However, we have established a foundation on which further optimization can produce an accessible, easy to implement, high-throughput genotyping approach. / Doctor of Philosophy / Most staple food crops were domesticated thousands of years ago through unrelated processes that were initiated across different regions of the world. Studies of the history of such crops have been essential to our understanding of plant domestication, a process that started with the collection of wild material and continued with subsequent propagation and cultivation under human care. Plant domestication has often involved a complex combination of ancestral lineages that encompass multiple populations, crosses with other species, and large DNA reorganizations that occurred hundreds to thousands of years earlier. Such intricate origins make the systematic study of plant domestication very challenging. The analysis of recently domesticated plants such as the 'florist's gloxinia' (Sinningia speciosa), can help us to better understand some of the changes that have occurred during domestication, as well as to comprehend modern patterns of plant domestication and to broaden our understanding of general trends. Florist's gloxinias are ornamental plants that have been cultivated during the last 200 years. In this study we examined 115 specimens, including wild and cultivated types of florist's gloxinias, as well as closely related species in Sinningia. We also constructed and evaluated an artificial population of 150 individuals from the cross of a wild and a cultivated form. Our analyses revealed that all of the domesticated varieties are descendants from a single wild population that originated in or near the city of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. We also identified two regions of DNA that are responsible for the changes in flower shape and color, and crosses with other species did not introduce such alterations. Our findings, in conjunction with other features such as its small nuclear DNA content, the ease of cultivation indoors, and a rapid generation time, makes the florists' gloxinia an attractive crop to the study the effects of plant domestication. Research on organisms with low economic importance is uncommon but necessary to understand the world from a broader perspective. In such cases, analyzing the entire genetic information that is stored as DNA may be cost-prohibitive. Instead, approaches that sample small portions of DNA from each individual can be utilized. Most of these technologies are currently patented and subject to licensing processes and fees that limit their implementation by small non-profit research organizations. In this study we designed a protocol to sample small portions of DNA, similarly to existing techniques. However, our approach, called Targeted Amplification of Scattered Sites (TASS), employs a sampling process that deviates from the traditional patented procedure that is used in most current methods. At present, TASS is not as consistent and delivers less information than traditional approaches. However, we have established a foundation on which further optimization can produce an accessible and easy to implement technique.

This text is about the phenomenon of ornaments and colour, how I relate to them and how this relationship has developed through time. I contextualise these two subjects by taking a few examples on how they have been discussed and perceived throughout history. I find these subjects interesting because I have experienced a difficulty to include these two expressions in my practice before, although I have wanted to. In this research, I came to realise, I am just a result of my own environment. An environment embossed by ideas that ornaments are unnecessary and colours are out of fashion. I also describe how I, in my practice make ornaments in porcelain and aim for a spatial and spiritual expression, resulting in a setting reminiscent of a temple, which also is where the ornaments have their origin.

Esta dissertação visa a discutir a noção e os limites da originalidade como requisito material para obtenção de registros de desenhos industriais. Começando com a originalidade no texto da Lei n. 9.279/96 e fazendo algumas distinções adotadas pela doutrina e jurisprudência, passa-se para a fundamentação da originalidade no texto constitucional. Aborda-se em seguida os diversos aspectos relativos direta e indiretamente à originalidade no exame de mérito e validade dos registros de desenho industrial, bem como nas ações de infração. Por fim, são identificados os critérios fundamentais para averiguação da distinguibilidade dos desenhos e busca-se aplicar algumas das conclusões parciais a casos práticos. / This dissertation aims at discussing the notion and boundaries of originality as a material requisite for the validity of industrial design registration. By starting with the originality in the text of Federal Law No. n. 9.279/96 and making some distinctions adopted by doctrine and case law, the work moves to the concept of originality in the constitutional text. In sequence, the diverse aspects related directly and indirectly to the originality in the exam of merits and validity of industrial design registrations are viewed, as well as in the infringement lawsuits. Ultimately, this work searches the fundamental criteria for evaluating the distinctiveness of the designs and aims at applying some of the conclusions reached to practical scenarios.

Esta dissertação visa a discutir a noção e os limites da originalidade como requisito material para obtenção de registros de desenhos industriais. Começando com a originalidade no texto da Lei n. 9.279/96 e fazendo algumas distinções adotadas pela doutrina e jurisprudência, passa-se para a fundamentação da originalidade no texto constitucional. Aborda-se em seguida os diversos aspectos relativos direta e indiretamente à originalidade no exame de mérito e validade dos registros de desenho industrial, bem como nas ações de infração. Por fim, são identificados os critérios fundamentais para averiguação da distinguibilidade dos desenhos e busca-se aplicar algumas das conclusões parciais a casos práticos. / This dissertation aims at discussing the notion and boundaries of originality as a material requisite for the validity of industrial design registration. By starting with the originality in the text of Federal Law No. n. 9.279/96 and making some distinctions adopted by doctrine and case law, the work moves to the concept of originality in the constitutional text. In sequence, the diverse aspects related directly and indirectly to the originality in the exam of merits and validity of industrial design registrations are viewed, as well as in the infringement lawsuits. Ultimately, this work searches the fundamental criteria for evaluating the distinctiveness of the designs and aims at applying some of the conclusions reached to practical scenarios.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-07-29T15:13:51Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese_Wallace_Oliveira.pdf: 492446 bytes, checksum: fe7d8543a910f45c0ceb93e5a9c93bb8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-05-29 / In order to increase the knowledge on the production of angelfish ornamental cichlids (Pterophyllum scalare), two experiments were conducted at the School of Veterinary Medicine and Zootecnia of the UFT, Araguaína /TO, between october 2008 and january 2009, using 400 angelfish juveniles. Each experiment had a duration of 42 days, with fish divided into 16 aquariums, fed ad libitum, room temperature, 20% daily water renewal. The work was organized in a factorial scheme 2x2, with: two levels of crude protein (CP, 29 and 32%) and two angelfish strains (gold and marmorate), with 160 juveniles from 350+4.0 mg in design randomized blocks, in the first experiment; two levels of digestible energy (DE, 2.9 and 3.4 Mcal / kg) and two stocking rate (10 or 20 fish/aquarium), with 240 fishes of 260+4.2 mg in a completely randomized design in the second. Means were compared by Tukey test at 5%. Weight gain (WG), apparent feed intake (AFI), food conversion rate (FCR), protein efficiency rate (PER), specific growth rate in weight (WSGR) and length (LSGR), Fulton condition factor and carcass composition were avaliated. It was found that the levels of CP did not differ in the parameters studied (P>0.05) and the marmorate strain was more efficient than gold strain by presenting best means of WG, AFI, FCR, PER, WSGR, LSGR (P<0.05). Also, fish fed 3.4 Mcal of DE/kg showed better means WG, AFI, FCR, PER, WSGR and LSGR (p<0.05). There was no significant difference in parameters of growth, consumption and conversion between the stocking rate (p>0.05). It was concluded that angelfish juveniles have similar performance when fed with 29 or 32% CP and better in the diets with 3.4 Mcal of DE/kg than with 2.9 Mcal/kg. Also, marmorate strain was better than gold strain and at this stage of development, can be created in stocking rate of one fish for every three liters of water, with 20% of daily water renewal / Com o objetivo de se ampliar o conhecimento sobre a produção do ciclídeo ornamental acará-bandeira (Pterophyllum scalare), dois experimentos foram realizados na Escola de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia da UFT, Araguaína/TO, entre outubro de 2008 e janeiro de 2009, utilizando-se 400 juvenis de acará-bandeira. Cada experimento teve a duração de 42 dias, com peixes divididos em 16 aquários, alimentados à vontade, temperatura ambiente, renovando-se 20% da água/dia. Os trabalhos foram organizados em esquema fatorial 2x2, sendo: dois níveis de proteína bruta (PB; 29 e 32%) e duas linhagens de acará-bandeira (ouro e marmorato), com 160 juvenis de 350+4,0 mg, em delineamento de blocos casualizados no primeiro experimento; dois níveis de energia digestível (ED; 2,9 e 3,4 Mcal/kg) e duas densidades de estocagem (10 ou 20 peixes/aquário), com 240 peixes de 260+4,2 mg, em delineamento inteiramente casualizado, no segundo experimento. Em ambos, as médias foram comparadas pelo teste de Tukey, a 5%. Avaliou-se ganho de peso (GP), consumo aparente de ração (CAR), conversão alimentar aparente (CAA), taxa de eficiência protéica (TEP), taxa de crescimento específico em peso (TCEP) e em comprimento (TCEC), fator de condição de Fulton e composição da carcaça. Verificou-se que os níveis de PB não diferiram nos parâmetros estudados (P>0,05) e que a linhagem marmorato foi mais eficiente do que a linhagem ouro por apresentar melhores médias de GP, CAR, CAA, TEP, TCEP, TCEC (P<0,05). Também, que os peixes alimentados com 3,4 Mcal de ED/kg apresentaram melhores médias de GP, CAR, CAA, TEP, TCEP e TCEC (p<0,05). Não houve diferença significativa nos parâmetros de crescimento, consumo e conversão de alimento entre as densidades de estocagem (p>0,05). Concluiu-se que juvenis de acará-bandeira apresentam desempenho semelhante quando alimentados com 29 ou 32% de PB e melhor em dietas com 3,4 Mcal de ED/kg do que com 2,9 Mcal/kg. Também, que os da linhagem marmorato desenvolvem-se melhor, comparados aos da linhagem ouro e que, nesta fase de desenvolvimento, podem ser criados na densidade de um peixe para cada três litros de água, com 20% de renovação diária da água

This article studies the impact of some environmental conditions and the nutrition of culturing medium on the growth of bacteria and theirs capacity of toluene removal. The 5 bacterial strains isolated from leaf samples of three different common houseplants in Vietnam are Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacteria. The cells are single or arranged in chains. The cell size is relatively small and ranged from 0.7 to 2.5μm. These bacteria prefer the incubating temperature from 28°C to 32°C and a neutral pH 6.5 to 7.5. They are able to assimilate different nitrogen and carbon sources. In the liquid SH1 medium containing 200ppm toluene five selected strains have shown the ability to degrade toluene at a rate of 12.8 to 75.2% in comparison with the control at 30°C at a speed of 200rpm for over 120 hours. These 5 studied strains are potentially useful in bioremediation strategies to remove airborne toluene. / 5 chủng vi khuẩn có khả năng phân giải toluene được phân lập từ lá một số cây cảnh phổ biến ở Việt Nam là vi khuẩn G (-), dạng trực khuẩn và kích thước tế bào từ 0,7 – 2,5μm. Một số điều kiện môi trường nuôi cấy thích hợp cho 5 chủng vi khuẩn nghiên cứ gồm nhiệt độ 28°C-32°C, pH 6,5- 7,5, có khả năng đồng hoá nhiều nguồn nitơ và ba nguồn carbon khác nhau. Trong điều kiện môi trường dịch SH1 chứa 200ppm toluene, 5 chủng vi khuẩn này cho thấy khả năng phân giải toluene từ 12,8 – 75,2%. Đây là các chủng vi khuẩn có tiềm năng ứng dụng để loại bỏ toluene từ không khí ô nhiễm.

Rapid blight is a new disease of cool season turf grasses that has occurred on over a dozen golf courses in Arizona. It is now known to be caused by Labyrinthula terrestris, an organism in a group referred to as the marine slime molds. A trial was conducted in fall 2003 and winter 2004 to evaluate efficacy of selected fungicides for control of rapid blight at a golf course in central Arizona with a previous history of disease. Plots were established in late October2003 on a practice green on which Bermuda was overseeded with Poa trivialis. Treatments included Compass, Insignia, Fore, Bordeaux, Kocide 2000, Microthiol Disperss, Ecoguard and Floradox in various combinations and application dates. Disease symptoms appeared about 6 weeks after the first mowing and were evaluated in mid January. Results indicate that applications of Fore, Insignia and tank mixes of Insignia and Compass with Fore gave excellent control. Bordeaux, Compass alone, Compass alternated with Fore, Insignia alone, and Kocide gave good control. Microthiol Disperss, Floradox and Ecoguard gave poor control.