Survey of soil fungi from the Sudan Gezira

One hundred and twenty sites, from six localities from the Sudan Gezira were examined for soil mycoflora. The lower fungi were mostly represented by mucoraceous genera, such as Rhizopus, Mucor and Cunninghamella. Oomycetes were rare. Ascomycetes, other than the perfect states of Aspergillus, were not common. Only Chaetomium globosum was isolated from the six localities. Monascus, Thermoascus, Neocosmospora and Pyronema were recorded for the first time from Sudanese soils. The majority of the isolates were Hyphomycetes. The bulk of the fungal population were species of Aspergillus, of which A. niger was the most common, followed by A. terreus, A. flavus, A. nidulans and A. fumigatus. Other Aspergilli were sporadic. A. niveus and A. sejunctus were not previously reported from Sudanese soil.     

Measuring the ecological preference for growth of 150 of the most influential weeds in weed community structure associated with agronomic and horticultural crops

The phytosociological researches which intent for studying the performance of weeds and the structure of weed assemblages associated with different crops derives their importance mainly from the adverse effect of weeds on crop productivity. Consequently, it is worth questioning about the ecological preferences of the weed growth in response to three main drivers for weed community structure associated with agronomic, and horticultural crops: crop diversification, crop seasonality, and soil type. A study area was selected comprising farmland of Nile Delta and its adjoining east and west territories, Egypt. A total of 555 species were recorded in 30 agroecosystems monitored and depending on species frequency/abundance values, 150 species were designated as the most influential weeds in weed community structure associated with agronomic and horticultural crops. The ecological preference of species for crop seasonality was evident through the results of Agglomerative hierarchical clustering. Three weed assemblage groups (WAG) identified: WAG A associated with winter agronomic crops, WAG B associated with summer agronomic crops, and WAG C associated with perennial agronomic crops and horticultural crops (orchards). Their diversity evaluated at different levels. The growth preference of the 150 species which were assigned as most influential weeds was gauged in response to the three environmental variables. 61 species were faithful to WAG A, 45 to WAG B, and 44 to WAG C. Concerning crop diversification, 34-species were significantly affected and scored coefficient of variation ≥ 100%. As for soil type, indicator species analysis revealed that 66-species show growth preference in fine grained soil while 84-species prefer coarse grained soil. In the three vegetation units (WAG A – C), 12 within-group associations (alliances) were specified of less-common (differential) species. The record of these alliances match to a specific environmental condition (ecological niche) and in them 29 strong indicators are identified. Redundancy analysis was used to extract and summarize the variation in species records in the response matrix (species vs. sites) that can be explained by the three different types of growth preference (explanatory variables), and the partial linear effect of them was evaluated by variation partitioning.     

Crude honey bee venom and Bacillus thuringiensis L. Cry1c toxin in controlling wax moth Achroia grisella F. (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

Achroia grisella, is a noxious pest of honey bee hives. In this study the toxicity of honey bee venom and bacterial Cry1C toxin of Bacillus thuringiensis on A. grisella were assessed. In addition, the synergistic interaction between BT Cry1c and crude honey bee venom was determined. The combination of HBV and Cry1C increased the activity for both toxins. Therefore, further analysis was carried out to assess the synergistic interaction of each compound assay separately and in mixture. The results showed LC₅₀ value of 1.105 μg/μl for HBV and LC₅₀ value of 0.201 μg/μl for Cry1C. The combination bioassay result showed an LC₅₀ value of 0.549 μg/μl. The combined calculated LC₅₀ is containing lower concentration of the component toxins, this result proved that the toxicity was enhanced due to the combination. A chi square value of 39.93and relative synergistic factor ratio of 1.14 confirmed that a synergic interaction was achieved in combination.     

Disclosing the origin and diversity of Omani cattle

Among all livestock species, cattle have a prominent status as they have contributed greatly to the economy, nutrition and culture from the beginning of farming societies until the present time. The origins and diversity of local cattle breeds have been widely assessed. However, there are still some regions for which very little of their local genetic resources is known. The present work aimed to estimate the genetic diversity and the origins of Omani cattle. Located in the south‐eastern corner of the Arabian Peninsula, close to the Near East, East Africa and the Indian subcontinent, the Sultanate of Oman occupies a key position, which may enable understanding cattle dispersal around the Indian Ocean. To disclose the origin of this cattle population, we used a set of 11 polymorphic microsatellites and 113 samples representing the European, African and Indian ancestry to compare with cattle from Oman. This study found a very heterogenic population with a markedly Bos indicus ancestry and with some degree of admixture with Bos taurus of African and Near East origin.     

Merits and Pitfalls of Currently Used Diagnostic Tools in Mycetoma

Treatment of mycetoma depends on the causative organism and since many organisms, both actinomycetes (actinomycetoma) and fungi (eumycetoma), are capable of producing mycetoma, an accurate diagnosis is crucial. Currently, multiple diagnostic tools are used to determine the extent of infections and to identify the causative agents of mycetoma. These include various imaging, cytological, histopathological, serological, and culture techniques; phenotypic characterisation; and molecular diagnostics. In this review, we summarize these techniques and identify their merits and pitfalls in the identification of the causative agents of mycetoma and the extent of the disease. We also emphasize the fact that there is no ideal diagnostic tool available to identify the causative agents and that future research should focus on the development of new and reliable diagnostic tools.     

Utility of novel 2-furanones in synthesis of other heterocyclic compounds having anti-inflammatory activity with dual COX2/LOX inhibition

Inflammation is associated with the development of several diseases comprising cancer and cardiovascular disease. Agents that suppress cyclooxygenase (COX) and lipoxygenase (LOX) enzymes, besides chemokines have been suggested to minimise inflammation. Here, a variety of novel heterocyclic and non-heterocyclic compounds were prepared from novel three furanone derivatives. The structures of all synthesised compounds were confirmed by elemental and spectral analysis including mass, IR, and ¹H-NMR spectroscopy. Anti-inflammatory activities of these synthesised compounds were examined in vitro against COX enzymes, 15-LOX, and tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), using inhibition screening assays. The majority of these derivatives showed significant to high activities, with three pyridazinone derivatives (5b, 8b, and 8c) being the most promising anti-inflammatory agents with dual COX-2/15-LOX inhibition activities along with high TNF-α inhibition activity.     

The incidence of yeasts in cases of vaginitis and children with oral thrush in the Sudan

Summary A fresh specimen ofGloeotulasnella pinicola was allowed to discharge basidiospores on agar. Germination of the basidiospores was by production of a germination hypha, and subsequent production of asexual spores took place. These spores were produced on simple sporophores in a manner somewhat reminiscent of the method of spore production inTrichothecium roseum. The cells of the germination mycelium and sporophores were described as monokaryotic, with the assumption that these nuclei were haploid. The possible use of asexual spore type and production as taxonomic tools in the Heterobasidiomycetes is discussed, as well as a conjecture on phylogeny within the group.Contribution no. 300 from the Department of Botany, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee. The author wishes to acknowledge, with thanks, the technical assistance of MissEmily Shanks.