Call number: LD2668 .T4 1961 B79

Erwinia strains from several geographic regions and several hosts were evaluated for virulence, sensitivity to siderophores produced by Pseudomonas fluorescens (Pf) and bacteriocins produced by Erwinia, and for the presence of plasmids. Selection of virulent strains of Erwinia for use in plant breeding programs for resistance to disease might be based upon quantitative characters which are correlated with disease severity rather than the biochemical reactions used to distinguish Erwinia carotovora subspecies. Quantitative assays for motility, polygalacturonate degradation, potato tuber infection, and tuber decay revealed that motility was correlated with infection (r = 0.83, p = 0.01) and polygalacturonate degradation with decay (r = 0.84, p = 0.01) of potato tubers. Siderophores produced by Pf and bacteriocins produced by Erwinia yielded variable results in bioassays against the Erwinia strains studied. Six of the 12 strains of Erwinia tested were resistant to Pf siderophores. The growth inhibition of sensitive strains was bacteriostatic and reversible by addition of iron (Fe II or Fe III) to the culture medium. Additionally, only one strain of Erwinia was sensitive to the bacteriocins produced by the other 12 strains. The resistance of Erwinia strains to Pf siderophores and Erwinia bacteriocins severely limits the potential for widespread application of these agents in biological control of Erwinia. Bacteriocin-like structures were detected in culture extracts of all 12 Erwinia strains studied. The presence of bacteriocins is indirect evidence that these strains harbor plasmids. Bacteriocin-coding plasmids may be the source of genetic and phenotypic variability demonstrated by the erwinias. The status and value of subspecific classification of Erwinia carotovora may therefore require re-evaluation.

The ecology of mangrove forests on Potential Acid Sulphate soils at Bintuni Bay (132° 55' - 134° 02' E, and 2° 02' - 2° 97' S), Irian Jaya, Indonesia was studied. The annual rainfall is 3000mm and there is mixed semi-diurnal tide of 1-5.6m amplitude. The water has a varying salinity of 0-27%. Forest structure was studied in plots of 10m x 10m along three transects across Sikoroti Island and in three 50m x 50m plots in mixed Rhizophora - Bruguiera forest. All trees > 10cm trunk diameter were enumerated, measured and identified. Of the nine tree species, Rhizophora apiculata was the most dominant, followed by Bruguiera gymnorrhiza and Ceriops decandra. There was good regeneration seven years after clear-felling in plots on Amutu Besar and Amutu Kecil Islands. Small litterfall production, measured using ten 1m x 1m litter traps in each of the three 50m x 50m plots, was 11.09 t ha-1 y-1, and greatest during the wet season (December, 1.29 t ha-1 ) and least during the dry season (July, 0.61 t ha-1). The annual litterfall mineral element accession was (kg ha-1 y-1): N 240.4, P 6.1, K 43.2, Na 136.2, Ca 204.4 and Mg 48.7. Leaf decomposition of five species was studied in litterbags on the forest floor under trees of the same species. Sonneratia alba decomposed quickly with a half-life of 24 days, and Bruguiera parviflora was the slowest with a halflife of 124 days. Decomposition rates of all species followed a single exponential decay model. Leaf herbivory of young stands of Rhizophora apiculata and Bruguiera gymnorrhiza was significantly different among sites, species, plant height and leaf-age. Seed predation on six species was studied in three different sites. Twenty propagules of each species were secured by string in each of six 10m x 10m sub-plots within each of five 10m x 60m plots. On average 62.1% of the seeds were dead after 36 d. Predation was higher in the lower intertidal zone, and Avicennia alba and Bruguiera parviflora were the most predated. The results suggested that the Bintuni Bay mangroves can be sustainably managed but the best silvicultural system needs to be determined.

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This item was digitized as part of the Million Books Project led by Carnegie Mellon University and supported by grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Cornell University coordinated the participation of land-grant and agricultural libraries in providing historical agricultural information for the digitization project; the University of Arizona Libraries, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and the Office of Arid Lands Studies collaborated in the selection and provision of material for the digitization project.

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Please read the abstract in the section 00front of this document / Dissertation (MSc (Genetics))--University of Pretoria, 2002. / Genetics / unrestricted

Indian ricegrass at the Desert Range Experiment Station forty-seven miles west of Milford, Utah, is damaged by the larvae of Coenchroa illibella, Diatrae sp. and Typoceris ceraticornis, the latter being the most destructive. The biology of the insects and the extent of damage inflicted are discussed. Uninfested plants produced more new stems than infested plants. Plants having a basal diameter of 4 to 6.9 cm and 7 to 9.9 cm were the most frequently infested and, consequently, the most severely damaged.