1 1680-7073 Tarbiat Modares University 3378 Investigation on Host Finding Behavior of the Two Parasitoids of Potato Tuber Moth in a Flight Tunnel Salehi L. b Keller M. A. c b Department of Crop Protection, College of Agriculture, P.O.Box: 3179, The University of Guilan, Rasht, Islamic Republic of Iran. c Department of Applied and Molecular Ecology, The University of Adelaide, Waite Campus, Glen Osmond, South Australia, 5064. 1 7 2002 4 3 95 102 10 02 2010 10 02 2010 Laboratory experiments were conducted to understand the influence of host-finding behaviour of Apanteles subandinus Blanchard and Orgilus lepidus Muesebeck, two endoparasitoids of the potato tuber moth (PTM) Phthorimaea operculella Zeller (Lepidop-tera: Gelechiidae), in a successful biological control of the pest. Responses of the two parasitoids to their host and to three host plants of the PTM were investigated in a wind tunnel individually. The results suggested that host-finding by both parasitoids is stimu-lated by a combination of chemicals. Females of both species discriminate between the volatiles of a mechanically damaged plant and those of PTM larvae-damaged plant. The combination of odours originating from plant host on which the host is feeding play a cru-cial role in the foraging behavior of these parasitoids. Developmental experience during larval stages and experience of adults to host plant influence their foraging for host. The implications of parasitoid response towards plant volatiles and their importance in bio-logical control are discussed. Additional experiments are necessary to isolate and identify the nature of the volatile chemicals released from the host-plant complex and use them to improve the biological control of the pest.
5861 Assessing Farmers' Sustainable Agricultural Practice Needs: The Case of Corn Growers in Fars, Iran Sadighi H. d Roosta K. e d Department of Agricultural Extension and Education, College of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modarres University, P. O. Box: 14115-336, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran. e Department of Agricultural Extention and Education College of Agriculture, Islamic Azad University, Birjand, Islamic Republic of Iran. 1 7 2002 4 3 103 110 10 02 2010 10 02 2010 The primary purpose of this study was to assess farmers' Sustainable Agricultural Practice Needs (SAPN) as determined conversely by their level of technical knowledge and understanding of sustainable corn farming practices. The population of this study consisted of all corn growers in Fars, a southern province of Iran. A questionnaire was developed to gather the information required from 159 randomly selected farmers. Farmer’s demographic and professional characteristics, including their level of technical knowledge, access to information sources, and level of mechanization were considered to be independent variables of the study. The SAPN was the dependent variable of the study. The result showed that a considerable numbers of farmers (46%) have a "high" level of needs concerning sustainable agricultural practice. The farmers' level of technical knowledge showed to have a substantial (r= -0.64) and negative association with their SAPNs. Multivariate linear regression analysis indicated that 49.3% (R2=0.493) of the variance in SAPNs could be explained by the farmers' age, their access to information sources, and their level of technical knowledge. This implied that a substantial amount of variability (about 51%) in SAPNs are explained by other variables that were not studied in this research. Further study is needed to determine factors affecting SAPNs and ex-tend of the impact. 12118 Digestible Lysine Requirement of Arian Male and Female Broiler Chicks During Six to Twenty-one Days of Age Zaghari M. f Shivazad M. g Kamyab A. h Nikkhah A. i f Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture, Tehran University, Islamic Republic of Iran. g Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture, Tehran University, Islamic Republic of Iran. h Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture, Tehran University, Islamic Republic of Iran. i Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture, Tehran University, Islamic Republic of Iran. 1 7 2002 4 3 111 117 10 02 2010 10 02 2010 An experiment was conducted to determine the dietary digestible lysine requirement of male and female broiler chickens (Arian) during the period from 6 to 21 days post-hatching. An amino acid-fortified basal diet containing corn and soybean meal as intact protein sources provided 20 % CP, and 3200 kcal AMEn / kg. In this experiment 150 male and 150 female chicks were allocated on the basis of BW to 12 treatments in a factorial arrangement (two sexes at six digestible lysine levels) with five replications of five chicks each in a completely randomized design (CRD). The digestible lysine levels fed were 0.85, 0.95, 1.05, 1.15, 1.25 and 1.35%. The growth rate and feed efficiency of birds fed the basal diet fortified with a surfeit level of l-Lysine-HCl were equal to those of birds fed a corn-soybean meal positive control diet. Average body-weight gain (ABWG) and gain: feed (GF) responded quadratically (P<0.05) to incremental dietary lysine addition. Subjecting the growth data to broken-line analysis indicated that the digestible lysine requirement for maximum body weight gain was 1.075% for males and 1.049% for females. The lysine requirement for maximum feed efficiency was 1.179% for males and 1.149% for females. Male chicks required a higher level of dietary lysine than females for both maximal ABWG and GF. Regardless of sex, 8.8% more digestible lysine (percentage of diet) was required for maximal GF than that needed for maximal ABWG. 1862 Production of Citric Acid from Date Pulp By Solid State Fermentation Mazaheri Asadi M. j Nikkhah M. k j Biotechnology Center, Iranian Research Organization for Science and Technology, No. 71 Forsat St., Enghelab Ave., Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran. k Biotechnology Center, Iranian Research Organization for Science and Technology, No. 71 Forsat St., Enghelab Ave., Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran. 1 7 2002 4 3 119 125 10 02 2010 10 02 2010 A solid state fermentation method was developed for the production of citric acid from date pulp (obtained of date syrup production from the process) by Aspergillus niger PTCC 5010. Poor yield was obtained when potassium ferrocyanide treated date pulp were used as substrate, but methanol at a 3-4% concentration markedly increased the forma-tion of citric acid from the waste. The optimum range of pH and moisture for citric acid production were 3.5-4.5, and 70-80% respectively. This method produced about 168g cit-ric acid per kg of date pulp under optimum conditions. On the basis of reducing sugar consumed, the yield was 87% within eight days. 388 Susceptibility of Microorganisms to Myrtus Communis L. Essential Oil and its Chemical Composition Rasooli I. l Moosavi M. L. m Rezaee M. B. n Jaimand K. o l Department of Biology, College of Basic Sciences, Shahed University, Vali Asr-Talegani Cross, Tehran- 15987, Islamic Republic of Iran. m Department of Biology, Imam Husain University, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran. n Institute for Research in Forests and Rangelands Km 15, Tehran-Karaj Highway, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran. o Institute for Research in Forests and Rangelands, Km 15, Tehran-Karaj Highway, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran. 1 7 2002 4 3 127 133 10 02 2010 10 02 2010 The antimicrobial effects of essential oil isolated from Myrtus communis L. against Es-cherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus faecalis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniaee, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus licheniformis, Candida albicans and Sac-charomyces cerevisiae were studied. The disc diffusion method was used to evaluate the zone of microbial growth inhibition at various concentrations of the oil. The minimal In-hibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimal Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) of the oil were determined. The oil was found to have an antimicrobial effect. Kinetics of microbial destruction exhibited that the oil could kill microorganisms within 45 minutes of expo-sure. GC and GC/MS analysis of the oil revealed 32 components. The major components were α-Pinene (29.4%), Limonene (21.2%), 1,8-Cineole (18%), Linalool (10.6%), Linalyl acetate (4.6%) and α-Terpineole (3.1%). The high monoterpenes hydrocarbons such as α-Pinene and Limonene seem to contribute to the strong antimicrobial activity of Myrtus communis L. Further research on antimicrobial effects of essential oils with a view to sub-stituting the common chemical compounds is promising. 11362 Inheritance of Resistance to Powdery Mildew (Erysiphe graminis f. sp. hordei) in Barley Naghavi M. R. p Bihamta M. R. Yazdi-Samadi B. B. Jelodar N. Davey M. R. Cocking E. C. p Plant Breeding Department , Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tehran, Karaj, Islamic Republic of Iran. Plant Breeding Department , Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tehran, Karaj, Islamic Republic of Iran. Plant Breeding Department , Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tehran, Karaj, Islamic Republic of Iran. Department of Plant Breeding, College of Agriculture, University of Mazandaran, Sari, Mazandaran, Islamic Republic of Iran Plant Genetic Manipulation Group, Department of Life Science, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK. Plant Genetic Manipulation Group, Department of Life Science, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK. 1 7 2002 4 3 135 139 10 02 2010 10 02 2010 Two barley (Hordeun vulgare L.) genotypes, Radical and Cwb, with good to moderate levels of resistance to powdery mildew were crossed with a highly susceptible cultivar (Afzal) to determine the genetics of resistance. The parents, Fl, F2 and F3 generations of each of the two crosses, were evaluated for powdery mildew resistance in the glasshouse and field at the College of Agriculture in Karaj during 2000. The x2 analysis of the segre-gating ratios in the F3 generations indicated that the resistance was controlled by one gene at seedling stage and by two or three genes at adult plant stage in Cwb and Radical, respectively. Radical showed a higher level of resistance than the Cwb, therefore, it is a better source of resistance to powdery mildew. 2630 Plant Regeneration from Cell Suspension Protoplasts of Two Iranian Japonica Rice Cultivars and Ploidy Level of Regenerated Plants 1 7 2002 4 3 141 149 10 02 2010 10 02 2010 An efficient system has been developed for the reproducible regeneration of plants from cell suspension-derived protoplasts of the two commercial Iranian Japonica rice cultivars Tarom and Khazer. Friable embryogenic calli were used for cell suspension initiation and protoplasts were isolated from both varieties. When embedded in agarose, proto-plasts failed to divide. However, sustained divisions were obtained by using nurse cells of Lolium moltiflorum. Plant regeneration was 21.1% and 10.5% for Tarom and Khazer, re-spectively. Somaclonal variation was observed amongst regenerated plants, 16.2% of re-generants were tetraploid, and the rest were diploid. 3523 Regeneration and Transformation of Oilseed (Brassica napus) Using CaMV 35S Promoter- β-glucuronidase Gene Haddad R. Morris K. Buchanan-Wollaston V. Agricultural Biotechnology Department, Imam Khomeiny International University, P. O. Box: 34194- 288, Qazvin, Islamic Republic of Iran. Department of Plant Genetics and Biotechnology, Horticulture Research International, Wellesbourne, Warwick, CV34 9EF, U.K. Department of Plant Genetics and Biotechnology, Horticulture Research International, Wellesbourne, Warwick, CV34 9EF, U.K. 1 7 2002 4 3 151 160 10 02 2010 10 02 2010 CaMV 35S promoter activity has not been analysed in different stages of growth in oil-seed (B. napus). Higher plants lack intrinsic β-glucuronidase activity, thus enhancing the sensitivity with which measurements can be made. The binary transformation vector pVW432 (Buchanan-Wollaston, unpublished), carrying the GUS gene fused to the CaMV 35S promoter, was used to test transformation efficiencies and promoter activity in B. napus. The effect of different components of culture media was tested. Having studied different antibiotics, two selectable markers, and Agrobacterium strains, the combination of 500 mg/l carbenicillin with 25 mg/l kanamycin was the optimum level for inhibition of Agrobacterium strain C58pGV3101 and the selection of transformants, respectively. Dif-ferent developmental stages of plants were analysed by protein assay. DNA extraction and PCR amplification confirmed the presence of the gene. High level of β-glucuronidase activity, hence CaMV 35S promoter activity, was observed for one of the transgenic plants. The β-glucuronidase activity altered from maturity to senescence indicating that the CaMV 35S promoter has different activity at different developmental stages in B. napus. Therefore, the growth stage of B. napus may influence the CaMV 35S promoter activity.