Fungus-subsidized growth through the seedling stage is the most critical feature of the life history for the thousands of mycorrhizal plant species that propagate by means of 'dust seeds.' We investigated the extent of specificity towards fungi shown by orchids in the genera Cephalanthera and Epipactis at three stages of their life cycle: (i) initiation of germination, (ii) during seedling deve...

PREMISE OF THE STUDY Biotic resistance is often studied in the context of how interactions between native biota and invading species influence the success of those invaders. Seldom, however, is the strength of "resistance" compared biogeographically, where the ability of a species to impede invader establishment is contrasted between an invader's native and introduced recipient community. MET...

The demand for bigger, better, faster-growing seedlings has been ever-growing. As a result, forest seedling production is a continually evolving technology in reforestation. Evaluating seedling quality is crucial for understanding seedling development in the nursery, as well as subsequent field growth and survival. Stock quality, however, often is assessed inconsistently and on only a limited b...

Pear psylla, Cacopsylla pyricola (Foerster) (Homoptera: Psyllidae), is one of the key insect pests in North American pear production. In some growing areas, more than 50% of dollars spent to control arthropod pests in commercial pear are directed specifically at controlling this species. Control measures require accurate and timely information about dispersal, onset of egg-laying in spring, den...

BACKGROUND Cancer chemoprevention is a new approach in cancer prevention, in which chemical agents are used to prevent cancer in normal and/or high-risk populations. Although chemoprevention has shown promise in some epithelial cancers, currently available preventive agents are limited and the agents are costly, generally with side effects. Natural products, such as grape seed, green tea, and c...

Plant viral vectors are superior tools for genetic manipulation, allowing rapid induction or suppression of expression of a target gene in plants. This is a particularly effective technology for use in breeding fruit trees, which are difficult to manipulate using recombinant DNA technologies. We reported previously that if apple seed embryos (cotyledons) are infected with an Apple latent spheri...

A method is described for the simultaneous determination of diclobutrazol, flusilazole, flutriafol, hexaconazole, paclobutrazol, and tetraconazole in apple and pear pulps used in baby food at a limit of 0.01 mg/kg. Apple and pear pulp samples are subjected to selective solid-phase microdispersion (SPMD) with SPE-ED Matrix-38 and acetone-cyclohexane, and the extracts are cleaned up on a Florisil...