Studies were conducted between November 1999 and April 2003 to evaluate the effectiveness of compounds applied preharvest for reducing postharvest decay on many types of fresh citrus (Citrus spp.) fruit. Commercially mature fruit were harvested two different times after the compounds were applied, degreened when necessary, washed, waxed (without fungicide), and then stored at 50 °F (10.0 °C) with 90% relative humidity. Compared to control (unsprayed) fruit, preharvest application of benomyl or thiophanate-methyl resulted in significantly (P < 0.05) less decay of citrus fruit after storage in nine out of ten experiments, often reducing decay by about half. In one experiment, pyraclostrobin and phosphorous acid also significantly decreased total decay by 29% and 36%, respectively, after storage compared to the control. Only benomyl and thiophanate-methyl significantly reduced stem-end rot (SER; primarily Diplodia natalensis or Phomopsis citri) after storage, with an average of 65% less decay compared to the control. Though benomyl significantly reduced anthracnose (Colletotrichum gloeosporioides) in two of four tests with substantial (>20%) infection and phosphorous acid significantly reduced it once, thiophanate-methyl did not significantly reduce the incidence of anthracnose postharvest. The data suggests that preharvest application of thiophanate-methyl may reduce postharvest SER and total decay similar to preharvest benomyl treatments.

Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama, populations were monitored in a ‘Valencia’ sweet orange on sour orange rootstock plot planted in 1997. The plot was scouted weekly and the number of psyllids, percent trees infested, and the percentage of flush infested per tree were recorded over a 3-year period. The plot was treated with 7 insect control treatments: Admire (imidacloprid) applied at 12-, 6-, 3-, or 2-month intervals; Temik applied annually; Meta-Systox R applied annually; or no insecticide control using a randomized complete block design. Psyllid infestations persisted throughout the year. The lowest populations occurred during the winter (November-January) with peaks in the spring and fall. Annual applications of Temik, Meta-Systox R, or Admire did not reduce psyllid populations. Biannual or more frequent applications of Admire significantly reduced psyllid numbers, percentage of trees with psyllid infestations, and the percentage of flushes infested with psyllids. Accepted for publication 29 August 2007. Published 1 November 2007.

The objective of this project was to determine if modifications of methods of estrous synchronization, superovulation, embryo recovery, and transfer used successfully in other ungulates, both domestic and nondomestic, could be applied to scimitar-horned oryx (Oryx dammah). Donors were two parous females and recipients were one parous and two nulliparous females that were given a total of two cloprostenol injections at an interval of 0 and 13 or 12 days, respectively. Donors were treated with follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH-P, Schering, Kenilworth, NJ) b.i.d. for 4 days and placed with a fertile male. Seven days after the last FSH-P injection, nonsurgical uterine lavages were performed on both donors. One good-quality embryo at the morula stage was recovered and nonsurgically transferred into the right uterine horn of the parous recipient. A healthy female calf born at 247 days post-transfer represents the first known live birth of scimitarhorned oryx following embryo transfer. These results provide additional evidence that estrous synchronization and embryo transfer techniques used in other ungulates can be applied to endangered antelopes such as the scimitar-horned oryx.

Our objective was to compare the onset and duration of a single dose of pantoprazole or omeprazole on maximally stimulated gastric acid secretion. This double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study involved 36 healthy adults and utilized continuous pentagastrin infusion to stimulate acid secretion after administration of pantoprazole, 40 mg, omeprazole, 20 mg, or placebo. Gastric aspirates were collected over 24 hr and analyzed for volume, pH, and hydrogen ion concentration, and gastric acid outputs (GAO) were calculated. Comparison between GAO and intragastric pH was performed. Pantoprazole resulted in significantly greater inhibition of GAO than omeprazole. Mean cumulative 24-hr GAO was 164 +/- 130 mEq for pantoprazole versus 283 +/- 159 mEq for omeprazole (P = 0.031). Pantoprazole patients reached and maintained GAO levels below the 10-mEq/hr threshold at 5.7 hr, whereas omeprazole patients never reached this threshold. We conclude that pantoprazole significantly suppressed gastric acid secretion compared to omeprazole. Comparisons between pH and GAO showed that GAO was a more appropriate measure of gastric acid secretion than intragastric pH.

The population densities of the brown citrus aphid (BrCA) (Toxoptera citricidus Kirkaldy) and the spirea aphid (SA) Aphis spiraecola Patch were monitored by scouting weekly for 6 years in a replicated citrus plot treated with 7 insect control regimes: Admire (imidacloprid) applied at 12, 6, 3, or 2 month intervals; Temik applied annually; Meta-Systox-R applied annually; or no insect control. The numbers of both aphid species varied greatly from month to month and year to year. The brown citrus aphid was normally only detected in the fall (August through December) with populations peaking in September, October, or December depending on the year. The spirea aphid could be detected throughout the year during years when overall populations were high. Spirea aphid populations often peaked both in the spring and fall. Annual applications of Temik or Metasystox were ineffective in reducing aphid populations. Generally, all four Admire treatment regimes controlled aphids, although at least 2 annual Admire treatments per year were required to control the spirea aphid during some years.