Evaluation of Sulfentrazone Alone or in Combination with Other PRE and POST Herbicides for Weed Control in Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and Strawberry (Fragaria ×ananassa)

Sulfentrazone was recently registered for use in tomato and strawberry in Florida. Field experiments were conducted at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center in Wimauma, FL, to evaluate PRE sulfentrazone applications when applied on flat soil 30 days before bed formation (PRE-f), on the bed top immediately before laying plastic mulch (PRE-t), applied PRE-t as a tank mix with other PRE herbicides, or PRE-t followed by POST halosulfuron or rimusulfuron (POST). Sulfentrazone did not damage the tomato and strawberry crop and had no effect on strawberry and tomato fruit yield. It was as effective as the industry standards but none of the evaluated herbicide treatments provided adequate weed control. POST halosulfuron in tomato resulted in significantly greater nutsedge control at 11 (14%) and 13 (27%) weeks after initial treatment (WAIT) compared with other treatments in Fall 2019 and Spring 2020, respectively. However, in tomato, tank-mixing sulfentrazone with S-metolachlor or metribuzin did not enhance nutsedge control. Weed control did not improve with increased rates or with the use of PRE-f followed by (fb) PRE-t applications in tomato. PRE-t sulfentrazone fb POST halosulfuron was an efficient nutsedge management option in tomato. Sulfentrazone alone did not effectively control weeds in tomato or strawberry. Increased rates of sulfentrazone with the use of PRE-f fb PRE-t sulfentrazone applications did reduce (34%) total weed density in strawberry.

Assessment of Fruit Drop in Different Cultivars of Litchi

Individual panicles produce hundreds of pistillate flowers but only a small proportion of these bear fruit and reach maturity. There are some stages of fruit drop during growth and development caused by different factors. An experimental trial was conducted in National Active Germplasm Site (NAGS) at ICAR-NRC on Litchi, Muzaffarpur, to assess the fruit drop due to different factors during 2014–2015. The result revealed that four factors viz., improper pollination and fertilization, embryo abortion, seed and fruit borer, and normal fruit abscission were associated with fruit drop in litchi and fruit drop varied from 23.53–77.54% with a maximum in Shahi and lowest in Elaichi during the first week of flowering. Fruit drop increased to 92.65–97.86% during the third week of flowering because of improper pollination and fertilization, and it reached a maximum level of 98.51–99.70% at the time of ripening stage with the lowest in Deshi. Embryo abortion was one primary cause of fruit drop during the 4th week whereas infestation of seed and fruit borer was the major factor for fruit drop during the 5–7th week. Such fruit drop can be controlled by managing the infestation of borer. Abscission due to ethylene production and heat stress during the maturity of fruit was yet another cause of fruit drop. This study will help to researcher to find out the time of infestation of seed and fruit borer which causes heavy fruit drop and it can be controlled with pest management option.

Ppe.XapF: High Throughput KASP Assays to Identify Fruit Response to Xanthomonas arboricola pv. pruni (Xap) in Peach

Bacterial spot, caused by Xanthomonas arboricola pv. pruni (Xap), is a serious peach disease with symptoms that traverse severe defoliation and black surface pitting, cracking or blemishes on peach fruit with global economic impacts. A management option for control and meeting consumer demand for chemical-free, environmentally friendly fruit production is the development of resistant or tolerant cultivars. We developed simple, accurate, and efficient DNA assays (Ppe.XapF) based on SNP genotyping with KASP technology to quickly test for bacterial spot resistance alleles in peach fruit that allows breeders to cull seedlings at the greenhouse stage. The objective of this research was to validate newly developed DNA tests that target the two major QTLs for fruit resistance in peach with diagnostic utility in predicting fruit response to bacterial spot infection. Our study confirms that only two Ppe.XapF DNA tests, Ppe.XapF1-1 and Ppe.XapF6-2, are needed to distinguish between susceptible and resistant alleles. Use of these efficient and accurate Ppe.XapF KASP tests resulted in 44% reduction in seedling planting rate in the Clemson University peach breeding program.

Assessing the Capability of Chemical Ameliorants to Reduce the Bioavailability of Heavy Metals in Bulk Fly Ash Contaminated Soil

In-situ rehabilitation of fly ash at dumping sites has rarely been addressed for crop production due to growth-related constraints, largely of heavy metal (HM) contamination in soils and crops. Current communication deals with a novel approach to identify a suitable management option for rejuvenating the contaminated soils. In this background, a 60-days incubation experiment was conducted with different fly ash-soil mixtures (50 + 50%, A1; 75 + 25%, A2; 100 + 0%, A3) along with four ameliorants, namely, lime (T1), sodium sulphide (T2), di-ammonium phosphate (T3), and humic acid (T4) at 30 ± 2 °C to assess the ability of different fly ash-soil-ameliorant mixtures in reducing bio-availability of HMs. Diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA)-extractable bio-available HM contents for lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), and chromium (Cr) and their respective ratios to total HM contents under the influence of different treatments were estimated at 0, 15, 30, 45, and 60 days of incubation. Further, the eco-toxicological impact of different treatments on soil microbial properties was studied after 60 days of experimentation. A1T1 significantly recorded the lowest bio-availability of HMs (~49–233% lower) followed by A2T1 (~35–133%) among the treatments. The principal component analysis also confirmed the superiority of A1T1 and A2T1 in this regard. Further, A1T1 achieved low contamination factor and ecological risk with substantial microbial biomass carbon load and dehydrogenase activity. Thus, liming to fly ash-soil mixture at 50:50 may be considered as the best management option for ameliorating metal toxicity. This technology may guide thermal power plants to provide the necessary package of practices for the stakeholders to revive their contaminated lands for better environmental sustainability.

Use of muscular flaps for the treatment of hip prosthetic joint infection: a systematic review

Background Deep periprosthetic infection after total hip arthroplasty (THA) is a serious and challenging complication for the orthopedic surgeon. Muscular flaps may represent a valid management option for the treatment of this condition. We present a systematic literature review about the use of muscular flaps for the treatment of hip prosthetic joint infection. Methods The review is reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Seventy-seven articles, out of 279 titles, were considered eligible for the full-text analysis. Finally 15 studies that met inclusion criteria were included in this review. Results Overall, 210 patients (49% males, 48.6% females and 2.4% not reported) suffering from THA infection treated with muscular flaps were collected. The mean age was 69.6 years. Mean follow-up, reported in all studies, was 3.3 years. The results presented by the different authors, highlight the effectiveness of muscular flaps for the treatment of periprosthetic infection, in terms of function, limb salvage, prevention of the recurrences, cost-effectiveness, and quality of life postoperatively. Conclusions Muscle flaps provide an excellent management option for patients with persistent infection after total hip arthroplasty.

Legal hunting for conservation of highly threatened species: The case of African rhinos

Legal hunting of highly threatened species – and especially the recreational practice of ‘trophy hunting’ – is controversial with selected ethical objections being increasingly voiced. Less attention has been paid to how hunting (even of threatened species) can be useful as a conservation tool, and likely outcomes if this was stopped. As case studies, we examine the regulated legal hunting in South Africa and Namibia of two African rhino species. Counter-intuitively, removing a small number of specific males can enhance population demography and genetic diversity, encourage range expansion, and generate meaningful socio-economic benefits to help fund effective conservation (facilitated by appropriate local institutional arrangements). Legal hunting of these species has been sustainable, as very small proportions of the populations of both species are hunted each year, and numbers of both today are higher in these countries than when controlled recreational hunting began. Terminating this management option and funding source could have negative consequences at a time when rhinos are being increasingly viewed as liabilities and COVID-19 has significantly impacted revenue generation for wildlife areas. Provided that there is appropriate governance and management, conservation of certain highly threatened species can be supported by cautiously selective and limited legal hunting.

Assessing the suitability of chemical ameliorants for reducing bio-availability of heavy metals in bulk fly ash contaminated soil

In-situ rehabilitation of fly ash at dumping sites has been rarely addressed for crop production due to growth-related constraints, largely of heavy metal (HM) contamination in soils and crops. Current communication deals with a novel approach to identify a suitable management option for rejuvenating the contaminated soils. In this background, a 60-days incubation experiment was conducted with different fly ash-soil mixtures (50 + 50%, A1; 75 + 25%, A2; 100 + 0%, A3) along with four ameliorants, namely, lime (T1), sodium sulphide (T2), di-ammonium phosphate (T3), and humic acid (T4) at 30 ± 2 0 C to assess the ability of different fly ash-soil-ameliorant mixtures in reducing bio-availability of HMs. DTPA-extractable bio-available HM contents for lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), and chromium (Cr) and their respective ratios to total HM contents under the influence of different treatments were estimated at different stages of incubation. Further, the ecotoxicological impact of different treatments on soil microbial properties was studied. A1T1 significantly recorded the lowest bio-availability of HMs (~ 49–233% lower) followed by A2T1 (~ 35–133%) among the treatments. The principle component analysis also confirmed the superiority of A1T1 and A2T1 in this regard. Further, A1T1 achieved low contamination factor and ecological risk with substantial microbial biomass carbon load and dehydrogenase activity. Thus, liming to fly ash-soil mixture at 50:50 may be considered as the best management option for ameliorating metal toxicity. This technology may guide thermal power plants to provide the necessary package of practices for the stakeholders to revive their contaminated lands for better environmental sustainability.