Field Screening of Lesotho and South African Wheat Cultivars for Russian Wheat Aphid Resistance

Russian wheat aphid (Diuraphis noxia) is an international wheat pest and was first recorded in South Africa in 1978 in the Bethlehem area in the Eastern Free State. Le-sotho lies adjacent to one of the largest wheat producing areas in South Africa, the Eastern Free State, where winter wheat and facultative types are cultivated under dry land conditions. Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is an important crop adapted to all agro-ecological zones of Lesotho. Russian wheat aphid may have a significant impact on wheat yield. No monitoring or pest control is being done in Lesotho and at this stage there is very little information on the Russian wheat aphid resistance of wheat culti-vars cultivated in Lesotho. In view of this it is important to monitor the distribution of Russian wheat aphid biotypes in Lesotho and determine the level of Russian wheat aphid resistance in local Lesotho wheat cultivars. Two local Lesotho wheat cultivars, Bolane and Makalaote were screened together with South African cultivars Elands, Matlabas, Senqu, PAN3379, PAN3118 and SST387, in the glasshouse against all four known biotypes that occur in South Africa. All these cultivars were also planted in 5 m plots in the field at two localities Leribe and Roma in the lowlands of Lesotho. These cultivars were screened in the field for Russian wheat aphid resistance. The predomi-nant Russian wheat aphid biotypes in these areas were also determined. The Lesotho cultivar, Bolane had resistance against RWASA2 in the glasshouse, while Makalaote did not have any Russian wheat aphid resistance in either the glasshouse or field screenings. To contribute to food security an increasing wheat yield potential is a high priority. Russian wheat aphid has been included in the list of important international cereal pests. Russian wheat aphid adapts to changing environments and taking their ecology, distribution, virulence patterns, and variability into account is important in minimizing the gap between actual and attainable yields. Current management prac-tices for winter wheat in South Africa include the use of resistant cultivars, which is the most economical management strategy for Russian wheat aphid. Introducing Russian wheat aphid resistant cultivars in Lesotho will improve overall yield and as a result food security. This will also result in lower Russian wheat aphid pest pressure in the adjacent wheat production areas in the Eastern Free State, South Africa.

Time behavior of field screening effects in small-size GaAs photoconductive terahertz antenna

The field screening effects in small-size GaAs photoconductive （PC） antenna are investigated via the well-known pump and probe terahertz （THz） generation technique. The peak amplitude of the THz pulses excited by the probe laser pulse as a function of the pump-probe time delay was measured. An equivalent-circuit model was used to simulate the experimental data. Based on the good agreement between the results of simulation and experiment, the time behavior of the radiation and space-charge fields was simulated. The results show that the spacecharge screening dominantly determines the device response in the whole time, while the radiation filed screening plays a key role in initial time which strongly affects the peak THz field. The parameter analysis was performed, which may be valuable on the optimum design for the antenna as a THz emitter.

Characterization and screening of cotton(Gossypium hirsutum L.)germplasm for leafhopper(Amrasca biguttula biguttula(Ishida))resistance

Background Cotton(Gossypium hirsutum L.)is one of the most significant fibre and cash crops and plays an important role in Indian industrial and agricultural economies.However,over the years quantity and quality have been hampered by the pest leafhopper.Leafhopper alone has been shown to cause yield losses of up to 40%.In this study,screening and evaluation were performed to identify and categorize 100 cotton genotypes along with 5 checks as resistant,moderately resistant,sensitive and highly sensitive to leafhoppers.Results A total of hundred genotypes were evaluated along with five checks for leafhopper resistance.Based on the screening results,a total of 19 genotypes were resistant to leafhoppers,which was on par with the findings of the check KC 3.The contents of total soluble sugar,total soluble protein,and total free amino acids were significantly positively correlated with the mean grade,whereas total phenols content and trichome density were significantly negatively correlated with the susceptibility grade.However,based on screening and biochemical analysis,the genotypes KC 2,JR-23,Samaru-26-T,D 4,TCH 1728,RS 253,and B-61-1862 exhibited high resistance to leafhopper.Conclusion According to the findings of this study,choosing genotypes with high total phenolics content together with high trichome density and low contents of total soluble sugar,total soluble protein,and free amino acids may aid in the development of resistant genotypes.

Veken Group: Expanding in the Field of Mid/High Silk Screen Industry

On September 10th, 2007, the Ningbo Veken Group signed a cooperation contract with Japan KB Tsuzuki Co., Ltd on silk screen program, signing a big step into the top-class silk

Screening-current-induced magnetic fields and strains in a compact REBCO coil in self field and background field

REBa_(2)Cu_(3)O_(7−x)(REBCO)coated conductors,owing to its high tensile strength and current‐carrying ability in a background field,are widely regarded a promising candidate in high‐field applications.Despite the great potentials,recent studies have highlighted the challenges posed by screening currents,which are featured by a highly nonuniform current distribution in the superconducting layer.In this paper,we report a comprehensive study on the behaviors of screening currents in a compact REBCO coil,specifically the screeningcurrent‐induced magnetic fields and strains.Experiments were carried out in the self‐generated magnetic field and a background field,respectively.In the self‐field condition,the full hysteresis of the magnetic field was obtained by applying current sweeps with repeatedly reversed polarity,as the nominal center field reached 9.17 T with a maximum peak current of 350 A.In a background field of 23.15 T,the insert coil generated a center field of 4.17 T with an applied current of 170 A.Ultimately,a total center field of 32.58 T was achieved before quench.Both the sequential model and the coupled model considering the perpendicular field modification due to conductor deformation are applied.The comparative study shows that,for this coil,the electromagnetic–mechanical coupling plays a trivial role in self‐field conditions up to 9 T.In contrast,with a high axial field dominated by the background field,the coupling effect has a stronger influence on the predicted current and strain distributions.Further discussions regarding the role of background field on the strains in the insert suggest potential design strategies to maximize the total center field.

Stable large-area monodomain in as-grown bulk ferroelectric single crystal Sn_(2)P_(2)S_(6)

Driven by the minimization of total energy,the multi-domain morphology is preferred in as-grown ferroelectrics to reduce the depolarization and strain energy during the paraelectric to ferroelectric phase transition.However,the complicated multi-domain is not desirable for certain high-performance ferroelectric electro-optic devices.In this work,we achieve a reproducible and stable large-area monodomain in as-grown bulk ferroelectric single crystal Sn_(2)P_(2)S_(6).The monodomain dominates the entire single crystal,which is attributed to the internal charge carriers from the photoexcited disproportionation reaction of Sn ions.The charge carriers effectively screen the depolarization field and therefore decrease the depolarization energy and facilitate the formation of monodomain.This work offers a potential approach for engineering bulk ferroelectrics with a stable monodomain,which is desirable for the high-performance ferroelectric electro-optic devices.

Evaluation of fall armyworm resistance in maize germplasm lines using visual leaf injury rating and predator survey

After examining ear-colonizing pest resistance, 20 maize lines from the USDA- ARS Germplasm Enhancement of Maize （GEM） Program were evaluated for whorl-feeding fall armyworm （FAW） （Spodopterafrugiperda） resistance using 4 maize inbred lines as the resistant and susceptible controls. Both FAW injury ratings at 7- and 14-d after infestation, and predator abundance and diversity at whorl stage （V6-V8） were recorded in 2009 and 2010. The survey of the diversity and abundance of predators in each experimental plot were conducted 7 d after the FAW infestation. Of the 20 germplasm lines examined, 3 of them （i.e., entries 9, 15, and 19 that were derived from tropical maize germplasm lines were originated from Uruguay, Cuba, and Thailand, respectively） were identified as the best FAW-resistant germplasm lines using the leaf injury ratings and predator survey data. In addition, the abundance and diversity of the predators were greater in 2010 than in 2009, which might have caused the low level of the FAW injury ratings on all lines examined in 2010. The 2-year data showed that the FAW injury ratings were negatively correlated to the predator abundance and diversity, which is also influence by genotype × environment interactions. The findings suggested that tropical germplasm is an important source of native resistance to the FAW and the corn earworm. At the same time, the maize genotype x environment interaction （e.g., predator attractiveness, and varying weather conditions） should be included in the multiple-year evaluations of insect and disease resistance of maize germplasm lines under field conditions.