Short communication: Increased somatic cell count is associated with milk loss and reduced feed efficiency in lactating dairy cows.

The objective was to evaluate the relationship of somatic cell count (SCC; cells/mL) with milk yield, energy-corrected milk yield (ECM; kg/d), dry matter intake (DMI; kg/d), feed efficiency for milk (FEMY; kg of milk/kg of DMI), and feed efficiency for ECM (FEECM; kg of ECM/kg of DMI) in lactating dairy cows. We analyzed an SCC database consisting of 7 experiments, which were conducted at The Pennsylvania State University's Dairy Teaching and Research Center between 2009 and 2015. The experiments included in the SCC database were randomized block designs and investigated dietary effects on cow performance over 6 to 11 wk. Each experiment took repeated measurements of SCC, milk yield, milk composition, and DMI. After exclusion of records from cows without lactation number, days in milk, and only 1 measurement, the database comprised 1,094 observations of 254 cows for estimating the effect of SCC on milk yield, DMI, and FEMY and 1,079 observations of 250 cows for estimating the effect of SCC on ECM and FEECM. Data were analyzed in R using a linear mixed model with natural logarithm of SCC, lactation number (1, 2, and ≥3), days in milk, and the interactions of the linear predictors as fixed effects and cow within block and experiment as random effect. Natural logarithm of SCC was negatively correlated with milk yield, ECM, DMI, FEMY, and FEECM. Our results suggest that a cow with relatively high SCC (250,000 cells/mL) compared with a cow with a relatively low SCC (50,000 cells/mL) produces, on average, 1.6 kg/d less milk, consumes 0.3 kg/d less DMI, produces 0.04 kg less milk per kg of DMI, and produces 0.03 less ECM per kg of DMI. The observed decrease of feed efficiency with increased SCC adds to previously known economic losses and environmental impacts associated with mastitis, which should provide a further incentive to control mastitis in dairy cows.

Variable rainfall intensity and tillage effects on runoff, sediment, and carbon losses from a loamy sand under simulated rainfall.

The low-carbon, intensively cropped Coastal Plain soils of Georgia are susceptible to runoff, soil loss, and drought. Reduced tillage systems offer the best management tool for sustained row crop production. Understanding runoff, sediment, and chemical losses from conventional and reduced tillage systems is expected to improve if the effect of a variable rainfall intensity storm was quantified. Our objective was to quantify and compare effects of a constant (Ic) intensity pattern and a more realistic, observed, variable (Iv) rainfall intensity pattern on runoff (R), sediment (E), and carbon losses (C) from a Tifton loamy sand cropped to conventional-till (CT) and strip-till (ST) cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). Four treatments were evaluated: CT-Ic, CT-Iv, ST-Ic, and ST-Iv, each replicated three times. Field plots (n=12), each 2 by 3 m, were established on each treatment. Each 6-m2 field plot received simulated rainfall at a constant (57 mm h(-1)) or variable rainfall intensity pattern for 70 min (12-run ave.=1402 mL; CV=3%). The Iv pattern represented the most frequent occurring intensity pattern for spring storms in the region. Compared with CT, ST decreased R by 2.5-fold, E by 3.5-fold, and C by 7-fold. Maximum runoff values for Iv events were 1.6-fold higher than those for Ic events and occurred 38 min earlier. Values for Etot and Ctot for Iv events were 19-36% and 1.5-fold higher than corresponding values for Ic events. Values for Emax and Cmax for Iv events were 3-fold and 4-fold higher than corresponding values for Ic events. Carbon enrichment ratios (CER) were or=1.0 for CT plots (except for first 20 min). Maximum CER for CT-Ic, CT-Iv, ST-Ic, and ST-Iv were 2.0, 2.2, 1.0, and 1.2, respectively. Transport of sediment, carbon, and agrichemicals would be better understood if variable rainfall intensity patterns derived from natural rainfall were used in rainfall simulations to evaluate their fate and transport from CT and ST systems.

Host-specific variation in infection by toxigenic fungi and contamination by mycotoxins in pearl millet and corn.

Pearl millet is widely consumed in regions of Africa and Asia, and is increasingly being grown as an alternative grain in drought-prone regions of the United States. Pearl millet and corn were grown in dryland conditions at Tifton, Georgia, USA and grains were compared for pre-harvest infection by potentially toxigenic fungi and contamination by mycotoxins. Corn hybrids Agripro 9909 and Pioneer 3146, and pearl millet Tifgrain 102 were grown in 2000 and 2001; pearl millet HGM 100 was included in the test in 2001. Hybrids were sown on multiple planting dates in each year to induce variation in flowering time. Host species differed in the frequency of isolation of potentially toxigenic fungal species in both years. Across years, corn hybrids were more prone to infection by Aspergillus flavus Link (maximum isolation frequency = 8.8%) and Fusarium moniliforme Sheldon sensu lato (maximum isolation frequency = 72.8%), with corresponding greater concentrations of aflatoxins (maximum concentration = 204.9 microg kg(-1)) and fumonisins (maximum concentration = 34,039 microg kg(-1)). Pearl millet was more prone to infection by F. semitectum Berk. & Ravenel (maximum isolation = 74.2%) and F. chlamydosporum Wollenweb & Reinking (maximum isolation = 33.0%), and contamination by moniliformin (maximum contamination = 92.1 microg kg(-1)). Beauvericin (maximum concentration = 414.6 microg kg(-1)) was present in both hosts. Planting date of corn affected aflatoxin and beauvericin contamination in 2000, and fumonisin concentration in 2001. The observed differences in mycotoxin contamination of the grains, which are likely due to host-specific differences in susceptibility to pre-harvest mycoflora, may affect food safety when the crops are grown under stress conditions.

Accumulation and decay of chlorothalonil and selected metabolites in surface soil following foliar application to peanuts.

One of the principal uses of the fungicide, chlorothalonil, is control of foliar peanut diseases. Recent assessments indicate its runoff from treated fields in southeastern states presents risks to aquatic life. Two factors that control its runoff are how much reaches soil surfaces and degradation rates. To address these questions and to evaluate accumulation and decay of key metabolites, soil samples (0-2 cm) were collected after seven chlorothalonil applications on experimental peanut plots in south central Georgia during the 1999 growing season. At the start of and during laboratory incubations, samples were analyzed for the parent and degradates by HPLC-PDA-APCI-MS. The maximum observed residue levels were after the second application, after which canopy closure reduced soil deposition from later applications to 5-10% of applied amounts. After the last spray, < 5% of the cumulative chlorothalonil applied was detected in the soil. Foliar interception and dissipation and rapid soil degradation contributed to low residue levels. Soil half-lives were < 1-3.5 days for chlorothalonil and 10-22 days for its principal degradate, 4-hydroxychlorothalonil. Other daughter and granddaughter products were detected, some of which accumulated during the growing season. Results emphasize the plant canopy role in controlling the amount of fungicide sprays that reach soil surfaces and suggest concentration-dependent chlorothalonil degradation with degradation rates increasing as soil loading decreases. The study indicates that the 30-day field half-life often used for risk assessments of this pesticide is too long for one of its most important agronomic uses, i.e., in southeastern peanut production. It also indicates that the principal metabolites are more persistent than the parent, and more study is needed to identify and quantify their fate pathways.

Cerro Negro bitumen degradation by a consortium of marine benthic microorganisms.

Cerro Negro bitumen, separated from an Orimulsion sample, was incubated for up to 120 days with sediments collected at a petroleum-impacted site in Tampa Bay, Florida. Biodegradation conditions were optimized by increasing bitumen surface area, continuous agitation on a shaker apparatus, use of a complete growth medium, and maintenance at 37 degrees C. Aerobic degradation conditions were promoted by maintaining sediment contact with the laboratory atmosphere. Bitumen recovered in solvent extracts when compared to autoclaved controls decreased by up to 40% during the first 56 days. There was no detectable change after this. Molasses addition and use of a culture enriched from the sediments did not change the extent or rate of decrease in bitumen recovery. Chemical fractionation of bitumen control and degraded bitumen showed that aromatic and aliphatic fractions were depleted by approximately equals 50%. Accumulation of polars was observed; however, the apparent increase was relatively small when compared to the mass loss of the other fractions. Selected biomarker ratios were not affected by incubation indicating their utility for fingerprinting the source bitumen in environmental samples. PAH distribution in the aromatic fraction favored the higher alkyl-homologues with the relative degree of alkylation increasing as the mass of bitumen recovered decreased with degradation. The study showed that up to 40% of the bitumen was bioaccessible and that bioremediation may be a treatment option for sediments contaminated with bitumen by an Orimulsion spill.

Multiresidue analysis of cotton defoliant, herbicide, and insecticide residues in water by solid-phase extraction and GC-NPD, GC-MS, and HPLC-diode array detection.

A multiresidue procedure was developed for analysis of cotton pesticide and harvest-aid chemicals in water using solid-phase extraction and analysis by GC-NPD, GC-MS, and HPLC-DAD. Target compounds included the defoliants tribufos, dimethipin, thidiazuron; the herbicide diuron; and the insecticide methyl parathion. Three solid-phase extraction (SPE) media, octadecylsilyl (ODS), graphitized carbon black (GCB), and a divinylbenzene-N-vinyl pyrollidine copolymer (DVBVP), were evaluated. On GCB and ODS, recoveries varied depending on compound type. Recoveries were quantitative for all compounds on DVBVP, ranging from 87 to 115% in spiked deionized water and surface runoff. The method detection limit was less than 0.1 microg L(-)(1). SPE with DVBVP was applied to post-defoliation samples of surface runoff and tile drainage from a cotton research plot and surface runoff from a commercial field. The research plot was defoliated with a tank mixture of dimethipin and thidiazuron, and the commercial field, with tribufos. Dimethipin was detected (1.9-9.6 microg L(-)(1)) in all research plot samples. In the commercial field samples, tribufos concentration ranged from 0.1 to 135 microg L(-)(1). An exponentially decreasing concentration trend was observed with each successive storm event.

A toxicologically based weight-of-evidence methodology for the relative ranking of chemicals of endocrine disruption potential.

A toxicologically based predictive scheme is presented for quantitatively ranking chemical agents with respect to their capacity to ensure endocrine disruption in target species based on short-term bioassays. Criteria providing the predictive framework include: (1) endocrine disruption as a multistage process, (2) phylogenetic considerations, (3) model system, and (4) estrogenic potency. Relative rankings were calculated for 15 environmentally relevant agents reported to have endocrine-disrupting effects. The relative ranking process offers a procedure for assessing the potential of endocrine disruption and for identifying data gaps for specific chemical agents. Although the current scheme is limited to "estrogenic" agents, it is anticipated that future refinements (e.g., incorporation of antiestrogenic potency data) will improve the system.

Streptomyces costaricanus sp. nov., isolated from nematode-suppressive soil.

A new bacterial strain, strain CR-43T (T = type strain), which was isolated from tropical soil and was previously shown to have antinematodal and antibiotic properties, is described. The name Streptomyces costaricanus is proposed for this organism. The generic placement of strain CR-43T was based on its typical morphology, its production of LL-diaminopimelic acid, and its fatty acid composition. To clarify the taxonomic position of strain CR-43T, it was compared with the type strains of similar Streptomyces species. The results of a number of biochemical tests and a profile analysis of the hydrolyzable fatty acids indicated that CR-43T differs from previously described species. Strain CR-43 (= ATCC 55274 = NRRL B-16897) is the type strain of S. costaricanus sp. nov.

Cuticular lipid differences between the malaria vector and non-vector forms of the Anopheles maculatus complex.

Two chromosomal forms (E and F) of the Anopheles maculatus Theobald complex were distinguished by gas-liquid chromatographic (GC) analysis of cuticular lipids in association with a multivariate principal component analysis. The GC chromatogram obtained from n-hexane extracts of individual specimens showed no consistent qualitative differences in normalized peak areas between forms. Of the seventeen consistent peaks, five were found to be quantitatively different between forms at a high (99.5-99.95%) level of statistical confidence. Relative ratios of these five quantitatively different GC peaks were used as criteria to distinguish single specimens as either form E or form F. Chemical structures of the five GC peaks were assigned by both electron impact and chemical ionization gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis. The first three peaks, which were always doublets, were partially resolved saturated and mono-unsaturated free fatty acids; the other two peaks were n-alkanes. Principal component analysis substantiated that the vector form E has very similar cuticular lipid profiles and is well separated from the non-vector form F.