Chronology of permethrin resistance in a southern Illinois population of the horn fly (Diptera: Muscidae) during and after selection by pyrethroid use

From 1985 through 1988, horn flies (Haematobia irritans (L)) collected at the Dixon Springs Agricultural Center (DSAC) in southern Illinois were tested in 22 h bioassays for permethrin resistance with residues on cotton cloths. The LC90 for a susceptible field population collected in June 1985 was 0.19 micrograms/cm2. In comparison, flies collected from pyrethroid-tagged cattle in 1985 and 1986 exhibited 25- to 116-fold resistance to permethrin. A 25-fold level of resistance allowed survival on treated cattle 8 wk after pyrethroid tag application. Flies representing the local background population were collected periodically from an untreated herd 2.4 km from the nearest cattle treated with a pyrethroid; these flies exhibited up to 18-fold resistance. Although pyrethroids were not used on DSAC animals after October 1986, all bioassays done in 1987 and 1988 indicated resistance levels of greater than or equal to 7-fold. The 95% confidence intervals for LC90s from all 1987 bioassays overlapped the confidence interval from the corresponding July 1986 estimate for resistant flies collected from pyrethroid-tagged cattle. Although some decline in resistance was evident in 1988, bioassays done at the end of the season produced resistance ratios of 7.4 and 15.3. Survivorship at a diagnostic dose indicated that resistance frequencies remained at 4-8% throughout 1988. Two years' abstinence from pyrethroid use was insufficient to allow an adequate decline in resistance levels.     

Reduction of molecular gas diffusion through gaskets in leaf gas exchange cuvettes by leaf‐mediated pores

There is an ongoing debate on how to correct leaf gas exchange measurements for the unavoidable diffusion leakage that occurs when measurements are done in non‐ambient CO₂ concentrations. In this study, we present a theory on how the CO₂ diffusion gradient over the gasket is affected by leaf‐mediated pores (LMP) and how LMP reduce diffusive exchange across the gaskets. Recent discussions have so far neglected the processes in the quasi‐laminar boundary layer around the gasket. Counter intuitively, LMP reduce the leakage through gaskets, which can be explained by assuming that the boundary layer at the exterior of the cuvette is enriched with air from the inside of the cuvette. The effect can thus be reduced by reducing the boundary layer thickness. The theory clarifies conflicting results from earlier studies. We developed leaf adaptor frames that eliminate LMP during measurements on delicate plant material such as grass leaves with circular cross section, and the effectiveness is shown with respiration measurements on a harp of Deschampsia flexuosa leaves. We conclude that the best solution for measurements with portable photosynthesis systems is to avoid LMP rather than trying to correct for the effects.     

Regulation of cell separation in the dimorphic fungus Ustilago maydis

During its haploid phase the dimorphic fungus Ustilago maydis grows vegetatively by budding. We have identified two genes, don1 and don3, which control the separation of mother and daughter cells. Mutant cells form tree-like clusters in liquid culture and grow as ring-like (donut-shaped) colonies on solid medium. In wild-type U. maydis cells, two distinct septa are formed during cytokinesis and delimit a fragmentation zone. Cells defective for either don1 or don3 display only a single septum and fail to complete cell separation. don1 encodes a guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) of the Dbl family specific for Rho/Rac GTPases. Don3 belongs to the germinal-centre-kinase (GC) subfamily of Ste20-like protein kinases. We have isolated the U. maydis homologues of the small GTP binding proteins Rho2, Rho3, Rac1 and Cdc42. Out of these, only Cdc42 interacts specifically with Don1 and Don3 in the yeast two-hybrid system. We propose that Don1 and Don3 regulate the initiation of the secondary septum, which is required for proper cell separation.