Potential For Economic Loss Research Articles

DETECTION OF XANTHOMONAS CITRI subsp. CITRI A* , AW AND X. FUSCANS subsp. AURANTIFOLII B, C USING PCR AND REAL-TIME PCR

Citrus bacterial canker (CBC) is an economically important disease in many citrus producing regions, and several canker-causing pathotypes have been characterized within the genus Xanthomonas pathogens. In view of the potential for economic losses and the quarantine significance of the pathogens, rapid and reliable pathogen diagnostic methods are needed for controlling this disease. In this study, we report novel molecular markers for Xanthomonas strain specific detection by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The primer sets XcAsF/XcAswR, XaBF/XaBR, and XaCF1/XaCR1 specifically differentiated Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri A* and Aw; X. fuscans subsp. aurantifolii B; and X. f. subsp. aurantifolii C strains, respectively. In addition, real-time PCR (qPCR) assays were conducted to analyze the specificity and efficiency of the designed primers and also their sensitivity by estimating the minimum quantity of bacterial cells required for detection. With qPCR analysis, it was possible to detect a range of one to 1 × 107 bacterial cell(s), which will be helpful to detect the species at pre-symptom development stage of quarantine period of the plant. PCR/primer efficiency was demonstrated also by using raw bacterial cells, which will reduce considerable time and cost needed for genomic DNA isolation. The identified molecular markers and qPCR method will be useful for routine diagnosis of Xanthomonas species, which will improve the citrus canker disease management.

Human-wildlife conflict: proximate predictors of aggression between humans and rhesus macaques in India.

Macaques live in close contact with humans across South and Southeast Asia, and direct interaction is frequent. Aggressive contact is a concern in many locations, particularly among populations of rhesus and longtail macaques that co-inhabit urbanized cities and towns with humans. We investigated the proximate factors influencing the occurrence of macaque aggression toward humans as well as human aggression toward macaques to determine the extent to which human behavior elicits macaque aggression and vice versa. We conducted a 3-month study of four free-ranging populations of rhesus macaques in Dehradun, India from October-December 2012, using event sampling to record all instances of human-macaque interaction (N = 3120). Our results show that while human aggression was predicted by the potential for economic losses or damage, macaque aggression was influenced by aggressive or intimidating behavior by humans as well as recent rates of conspecific aggression. Further, adult female macaques participated in aggression more frequently than expected, whereas adult and subadult males participated as frequently as expected. Our analyses demonstrate that neither human nor macaque aggression is unprovoked. Rather, both humans and macaques are responding to one another's behavior. Mitigation of human-primate conflict, and indeed other types of human-wildlife conflict in such coupled systems, will require a holistic investigation of the ways in which each participant is responding to, and consequently altering, the behavior of the other.

Washington State's Forest Regulations: Family Forest Owners' Understanding and Opinions

Abstract Washington State has one of the most restrictive sets of Forest Practice Rules (FPR) in the United States. In 1974, the Washington State legislature passed the Forest Practice Act, with the intent of improving environmental conditions by regulating forest practices such as road building, harvesting methods, and the use of chemicals. We found that a knowledge gap exists within the private forest landowner community in Washington State with regards to some state and federal environmental regulations. The larger-acreage landowners with longer ownership tenures were more familiar with forest regulations than were the newer smaller-acreage landowners, based on a survey conducted in 2002. Regardless of regulation familiarity, a substantial number of respondents expressed concern over the limits placed on their ability to manage their lands as they see fit. This sentiment does not seem to arise purely from the potential for economic loss, because timber does not appear to be an important component of respondent incomes. Rather, the loss of management control and government restrictions placed on private property rights may be more significant. Agencies responsible for enforcing these regulations need to recognize that changes are taking place in the greater forest landowner community, and that the approaches of the past may no longer be appropriate for the future. West. J. Appl. For. 20(3):192–198.