Semi-dwarf bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L., Durum Group) are often grown on saline soils in the western United States. Because of the lack of information on salinity effects on vegetative growth and seed yield of these two species, a 2-yr field plot study was conducted. Six salinity treatments were imposed on a Holtville silty clay (clayey over loamy, montmorillonitic (calcareous), hyperthermic Typic Torrifluvent) by irrigating with waters salinized with NaCI and CaCI, (1:1 by wt). Electrical conductivities of the irrigation waters were 1.5, 2.5, 5.0, 7.4, 9.9, and 12.4 dS/m the first year, and 1.5, 4.0, 8.0, 12.0, 16.1, and 20.5 dS/m the second year. Grain yield, vegetative growth, and germination were measured. Relative grain yields of one semi-dwarf wheat cultivar and two durum cultivars were unaffected by soil salinity up to 8.6 and 5.9 dS/m (electrical conductivity of the saturatedsoil extract), respectively. Each unit increase in salinity above the th~esholds reduced yield of the semi-dwarf cultivar by 3.0% and the two durum cultivars by 3.8%. These results place both species in the salt-tolerant category. Salinity increased the protein content of both grains but only the quality of the durum grain was improved. Vegetative growth of both species was decreased more by soil salinity than was grain yield. Both species were less salt tolerant at germination than they were after the three-leaf stage of growth.

Between 1976 and 1979 several surveys were carried out in Kent, England, to establish the incidence of Vibrio cholerae in the aquatic environment. Vibrio cholerae occurred sporadically in all types of water during the summer but only in very low numbers in water containing <5 mmol Na+/litre. Highest numbers of up to 700 colony‐forming units/ml appeared regularly in static brackish water containing 25–200 mmol Na+/litre. They were not introduced by sewage contamination of the water and there was no correlation between the counts of Escherichia coli and V. cholerae. A wide range of serovars including O1 was isolated. Vibrio cholerae was not isolated from sheep faeces but was detected in 6% of cloacal swabs taken from gulls caught at times when V. cholerae could not be isolated from water. It was concluded that: the presence of these organisms in the environment in Kent does not present any significant risk to health; aquatic birds may be vectors of V. cholerae; V. cholerae occurs naturally in static brackish water.

A numerical taxonomic study was carried out to establish: (i) the relationship of freshly isolated, oxidase-negative, vibrio-like organisms to strains listed in certain culture collections as Vibrio metschnikovii and V. proteus; (ii) the relationship of all these oxidase-negative organisms to the genus Vibrio and related organisms. Eighty-three strains were tested for their abilities to grow on 49 compounds as the sole organic source of carbon, their fermentation of carbohydrates, and their production of extracellular enzymes; various physiological tests were also carried out. In all, 130 characters were determined for each strain. The collection of strains were of Vibrio and Aeromonas species, certain other possibly related organisms, and 40 oxidase-negative organisms from a wide range of habitats. It was concluded that all of the oxidase-negative, vibrio-like strains except one belong to the species Vibrio metschnikovii Gamaleia 1888 (synonyms V. proteus Buchner 1885; V. cholerae biotype proteus Shewan and Veron 1974). The lectotype is NCTC 8443.Certain culture collections contain strains listed as Vibrioproteus (Buchner) and V. metschnikovii (Gamaleia). V. proteus was originally isolated in 1884 from feces of patients suffering from cholera, and V. metschnikovii was isolated from a fowl that had died of a choleraic disease. It has been suggested that these two species be considered synonyms of V. cholerae biotype proteus (23). These organisms are unusual for vibrios since they are negative in the Kovacs oxidase test (14).In recent years we have frequently isolated, both from the marine environment and from freshwater, organisms that a~ vibrio-like and grow on thiosulfate-citrate-bile-salt-sucrose agar (TCBS) but are oxidase negative. We have also received many similar strains for identification from workers throughout the world. These strains are widely distributed both geographically and in their habitat.The Subcommittee on the Taxonomy of Vibrios of the International Committee on Systematic Bacteriology has pointed out that very little is known about the relationship of these oxidase-negative organisms to the oxidase-positive Vibrio species and that their classification has not been studied in detail (12). To our knowledge no previous taxonomic study has included freshly isolated oxidase-negative strains similar to those described here. We have, therefore, examined the relationships between the wild strains and the culture collection strains. We have also studied the relationships between this oxidase-negative group, the genus Vibrio, and other possibly related organisms. We selected our wild oxidase-negative strains to be as representative as possible of the isolates available to us at the time. MATERLALS AND METHODSBacterial strains. The cultures used are listed in Table 1. Four strains, NCTC 8443, ATCC 7708, NCTC 8563, and NCTC 8564, were tested in duplicate since we had received separate cultures of them direct from the appropriate culture collection and via R. Hugh. These duplicate cultures did not beh...

Grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) is grown on saline soils in the western United States. Because of the lack of information on salinity effects on seed yield, a field plot study was conducted. Six saline treatments were imposed on a Holtville silty clay (clayey over loamy montmorillonitic (calcareous), hyperthermic Typic Torrifluvents) by irrigating with waters that were salinized with NaCl and CaC1 2 (1:1 by wt). The electrical conductivities of the irrigation waters were 1.5, 2.7, 5.0, 7.4, 9.8, and 12.1 dS/m. Germination, vegetative growth, and grain yield were measured. Relative grain yield of two cultivars, Double TX and NK-265, was unaffected up to a soil salinity of 6.8 dS/m (electrical conductivity of the saturation extract: «.). Each unit increase in salinity above 6.8 dS/m reduced yield by 16o/o. This indicated that grain sorghum is moderately tolerant to salinity. Yield reduction was due primarily to lower weight per head rather than a reduced num!Jer of heads. Vegetative growth was affected less by increasing soil salinity than was grain yield. Grain sorghum was significantly more salt tolerant at germination than at later stages of growth.------------------A.dditwlllll indu words: Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench, Salt tolerance, Sodium chloride, Calcium chloride.

Performance of `Kerman' pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) trees on three rootstocks (P. atlantica Desf., P. integerrima Stewart and `UCB-1', a P. atlantica × P. integerrima hybrid) was evaluated with 2-year-old trees grown in sand-tank lysimeters under combined SO42- and Cl- salinity and boron (B) stress for 6 months. Four salinity treatments were imposed by irrigating the plants with water at electrical conductivity (ECiw) of 3.5, 8.7,12, or 16 dS·m-1 each containing B at 10 mg·L-1. Growth of `Kerman' was evaluated based on increase in total leaf area, increase in trunk diameter, and total above-ground biomass production. All growth parameters decreased as salinity increased, but were not significant until ECiw exceeded 12 dS·m-1. However, growth of `Kerman' on P. atlantica and `UCB-1' was considerably better than on P. integerrima at 16 dS·m-1. The onset and severity of foliar injury differed among scions and treatments and was attributed primarily to B toxicity, rather than the effects of salinity. Concentrations of B in injured leaf tissue ranged from 1000 to 2500 mg·kg-1. Leaf injury decreased with increasing salinity, although leaf B was not significantly reduced suggesting an internal synergistic interaction between B and other mineral nutrients. However for P. vera on P. integerrima, the highest level of salinity produced the greatest injury, possibly as a combination of B plus Cl- and/or Na+ toxicity. Leaf transpiration, stomatal conductance, and chlorophyll concentration of P. vera, determined by steady-state porometry, were also reduced to a greater degree by combined salinity and B when budded on P. integerrima than on the other two rootstocks.