Simple test methods to determine the onset temperatures of viscous flow and caking of spray‐dried amorphous lactose are described. The extent of viscous flow was measured as an increase in the density of lactose plugs within a cylindrical aluminium compaction apparatus after incubation for 3h at a specified temperature. Caking was characterized by an increase in the hardness of the lactose plugs formed. The onset temperature of viscous flow decreased with increasing water activity, Aw, and corresponded to the onset temperature of glass transition, Tg1. Glass transition temperatures were determined using both differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spin relaxation. The results suggest that elevation of the powder temperature above Tg1 promotes viscous flow and increases the potential for caking of amorphous food powders.

A dipeptidyl aminopeptidase catalysing hydrolysis of X-prolyl amidomethylcoumarin (AMC) substrates has been purified from Lactococcus factis subsp. Zactis H1. The active enzyme has a molecular mass of approximately 150 kDa, a subunit molecular mass of 82 to 83 kDa and is inhibited by the serine protease inhibitor phenylmethylsulphonyl fluoride. The K, and k,,, values for five different dipeptidyl AMC substrates (Gly-Pro-; Leu-Pro-; Lys-Pro-; Phe-Pro-and Glu-Pro-AMC) are similar except for the K , value for Glu-Pro-AMC, which is about threefold higher than that for the other substrates. The enzyme also catalyses hydrolysis of X-Ala-AMC substrates but with much lower k,,, and higher K, values than the corresponding X-Pro-AMC substrates. The pcasein-derived heptapeptides Lys-Ala-Val-Pro-Tyr-Pro-Gln and Tyr-Pro-Phe-Pro-Gly-Pro-Ile were hydrolysed, but bradykinins with N-terminal sequences Arg-Pro-Pro-and Lys-Pro-Pro-were not. Dipeptidyl aminopeptidase specific activity is the same in a plasmid-free strain of L. factis subsp. factis H1 and in the wild-type, indicating that the enzyme is chromosomally encoded.

Summary:The functional properties of whole milk powder (performance during reconstitution in water and coffee) are routinely measured to determine powder quality. An examination of the microstructure of milk powder and of the insoluble material collected after applying a series of functional tests provided insight into why the insoluble material formed during reconstitution.The microstructures (transmission electron microscopy and confocal microscopy) of four commercial whole milk powder samples and of the insoluble material produced during functional testing were assessed. The microstructure of the whole milk powder could be related to features observed in the microstructure of some of the insolubles collected after powder functional testing. It is likely that heating conditions throughout the powder manufacturing process resulted in the denaturation of β-lactoglobulin and its interaction with other proteins and fat globule membrane components, thus influencing the solubility of the milk powder. The application of shear during processing resulted in the greatest change to powder solubility in this study. Increasing homogenisation pressure during processing resulted in fat globule size reduction, adsorption of casein micelles to the fat globule membrane, and the formation of clusters of fat globules caused by the sharing of adsorbed casein micelles. The presence of large numbers of these clusters in the milk powder increased the formation of insoluble material during powder reconstitution in water and coffee.

Predatory insects and spiders are key elements of integrated pest management (IPM) programmes in agricultural crops such as cotton. Management decisions in IPM programmes should to be based on a reliable and efficient method for counting both predators and pests. Knowledge of the temporal constraints that influence sampling is required because arthropod abundance estimates are likely to vary over a growing season and within a day. Few studies have adequately quantified this effect using the beat sheet, a potentially important sampling method. We compared the commonly used methods of suction and visual sampling to the beat sheet, with reference to an absolute cage clamp method for determining the abundance of various arthropod taxa over 5 weeks. There were significantly more entomophagous arthropods recorded using the beat sheet and cage clamp methods than by using suction or visual sampling, and these differences were more pronounced as the plants grew. In a second trial, relative estimates of entomophagous and phytophagous arthropod abundance were made using beat sheet samples collected over a day. Beat sheet estimates of the abundance of only eight of the 43 taxa examined were found to vary significantly over a day. Beat sheet sampling is recommended in further studies of arthropod abundance in cotton, but researchers and pest management advisors should bear in mind the time of season and time of day effects.

Insecticide resistance in Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) has led to the reduced efficacy of some older insecticide groups (pyrethroids and carbamates) and serious crop losses. Eight small-plot experiments were conducted to evaluate new insecticides for the management of H. armigera in grain crops. Several products showed efficacy equivalent to or better than the commercial standard, thiodicarb. Indoxacarb and spinosad at rates 50% or less of the registered rates for cotton were consistently superior to other tested products across the range of crops treated and provided residual protection for up to 14 d. The insect growth regulator compound, methoxyfenozide, was slower acting than other products tested, but demonstrated potential for H. armigera management. Pyridalyl performed well and warrants further evaluation in grain crops. We discuss the positioning of new compounds in an Insecticide Resistance Management Strategy (IRMS) in relation to a farming system that incorporates both grain and cotton crops. Use guidelines are recommended for indoxacarb, the first new compound to be registered in selected grain crops and cotton in Australia. These guidelines include restricted-use periods and limits on the number of applications per crop. It is anticipated that additional new compounds will be registered in grain crops, leading to the reduced selection pressure on the limited number of efficacious products. Coordinated insecticide use across farming systems and compatibility with developing integrated pest management programs should be fundamental considerations for the future IRMS.

Surveys were conducted between 1997 and 2001 to investigate the incidence of overwintering Helicoverpa spp. pupae under summer crop residues on the Darling Downs, Queensland. Only Helicoverpa armigera was represented in collections of overwintering pupae. The results indicated that late-season crops of cotton, sorghum, maize, soybean, mungbean and sunflower were equally likely to have overwintering pupae under them. In the absence of tillage practices, these crops had the potential to produce similar numbers of moths/ha in the spring. There were expected differences between years in the densities of overwintering pupae and the number of emerged moths/ha. Irrigated crops produced 2.5 times more moths/ha than dryland crops. Overall survival from autumn-formed pupae to emerged moths averaged 44%, with a higher proportion of pupae under maize surviving to produce moths than each of the other crops. Parasitoids killed 44.1% of pupae, with Heteropelma scaposum representing 83.3% of all parasitoids reared from pupae. Percentage parasitism levels were lower in irrigated crops (27.6%) compared with dryland crops (40.5%). Recent changes to Helicoverpa spp. management in cotton/grain-farming systems in south-eastern Queensland, including widespread adoption of Bt cotton, and use of more effective and more selective insecticides, could lead to lower densities of overwintering pupae under late summer crops.

While pest management tends to focus on pests that are already present in crops, non-crop hosts may play a crucial role in supporting pest populations outside the crop growing season. Non-crop hosts may allow pest populations to persist throughout the year, build-up and colonise crops after emergence. Here, we assess the hosts of the Rutherglen bug, Nysius vinitor Bergroth, which is a polyphagous native insect pest of growing economic importance in Australia. We conducted a literature review on the occurrence of N. vinitor on crop and non-crop hosts and analysed field survey data on N. vinitor abundance from two independent field studies in three agricultural regions of Australia. We differentiated between juvenile (nymph) and adult stages to consider the function of plants as reproduction sites. The literature review resulted in reports of N. vinitor on 44 crop species from 18 plant families. Pigweed Portulaca oleracea and capeweed Arctotheca calendula were the most cited weed hosts. In the field study, N. vinitor was primarily found on exotic weeds and grasses within pastures, Lucerne and degraded native vegetation remnants. While N. vinitor was found on a total of 16 weed plant families, juvenile stages of N. vinitor were most often observed on fleabane (Conyza spp.), goosefoot Chenopodium pumilio (Amaranthaceae) and plants of the Asteraceae family, indicating that these are important host plants for N. vinitor reproduction. Grasses appear to be an important but understudied host plant group; citations in the literature do not reflect the extent to which N. vinitor was found on grasses in the field. In contrast, the field survey indicated that very few native plant species supported N. vinitor, which was consistent across regions and confirms findings from the literature review. Our findings suggest that exotic weeds and grasses (but not native plants) play a key role in supporting N. vinitor populations in Australian agricultural landscapes. Reducing exotic weeds in pastures and non-crop habitats may limit breeding opportunities of N. vinitor and may be an important component in the area-wide management of this polyphagous pest.

To quantify the role of Johnson grass, Sorghum halepense, in the population dynamics of the sorghum midge, Stenodiplosis sorghicola, patterns of flowering of Johnson grass and infestation by sorghum midge were studied in two different climatic environments in the Lockyer Valley and on the Darling Downs in south-eastern Queensland for 3 years. Parasitism levels of S. sorghicola were also recorded. In the Lockyer Valley, Johnson grass panicles were produced throughout the year but on the Darling Downs none were produced between June and September. In both areas, most panicle production occurred between November and March and infestation by S. sorghicola was the greatest during this period. The parasitism levels were between 20% and 50%. After emergence from winter diapause, one to two generations of S. sorghicola developed on S. halepense before commercial grain sorghum crops were available for infestation. Parasitoids recorded were: Aprostocetus diplosidis, Eupelmus australiensis and two species of Tetrastichus. Relationships between sorghum midge population growth rate and various environmental and population variables were investigated. Population size had a significant negative effect (P < 0.0001) on population growth rate. Mortality due to parasitism showed a significant positive density response (P < 0.0001). Temperature, rainfall, open pan evaporation, degree-days and host availability showed no significant effect on population growth rate. Given the phenology of sorghum production in south-eastern Queensland, Johnson grass provides an important bridging host, sustaining one to two generations of sorghum midge. Critical studies relating population change and build-up in sorghum to sorghum midge populations in Johnson grass are yet to be performed.