First Report of Curly Top of Coriandrum sativum Caused by Beet curly top virus in the Columbia Basin of Washington State.

Two fields of coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) seed crops of proprietary cultivars were observed in the Columbia Basin of Washington in July 2020 with 40 and 90% incidence of plants showing stunting and leaf and stem discoloration, sometimes with mild leaf curl. Foliar discoloration ranged from yellow to red and purple. Sweep-netting along the field edges collected one beet leafhopper (Circulifer tenellus Baker; BLH), the known vector of Beet curly top virus (BCTV), Beet leafhopper transmitted virescence agent (BLTVA) phytoplasma, and Spiroplasma citri, all of which affect Solanaceae and Apiaceae crops in Washington (Crosslin et al. 2006; Johnson and Martin 1998; Lee et al. 2006). Nucleic acids extracted from leaves and petioles of 12 coriander plants (8 from Field 1 and 4 from Field 2) using the Dellaporta method, and from the BLH using the CTAB method (Crosslin et al. 2006) were subjected to PCR assays to detect the BLH-transmitted pathogens which cause yellow and purple discoloration in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) and carrot (Daucus carota subsp. sativus (Hoffm.) Arc.) in this region. BLTVA was targeted using a species-specific nested PCR assay with primers P1 and P7, followed by primers FU5 and BLTVA-int (Crosslin et al. 2006); S. citri was targeted using primers P89-F and P89-R (Yokomi et al. 2008); and BCTV was targeted using curtovirus primers BCTV2-F and BCTV2-R (Strausbaugh et al. 2008). BLTVA and S. citri were not detected in the plants, but curtovirus was detected in 10 of the 12 plants. All three pathogens were detected from the single BLH. A 519 bp region of the curtovirus capsid protein gene was amplified from seven plants (5 from Field 1 and 2 from Field 2) and the BLH, and cloned into TOP10 Escherichia coli cells using the pCR-2.1 TOPO vector (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA). Three clones were sequenced from each sample. For each of six plant samples and the BLH, the three clones were identical and consensus sequences were generated (GenBank Accessions MW234419 to MW234425). For the seventh plant, two clones were identical in sequence (MW234426) and the third contained 12 single nucleotide polymorphisms (MW234427). All sequences were subjected to an NCBI BLASTn analysis and showed 98.3 to 99.8% identity with BCTV sequences. Additional PCR assays with primers BMCTV-C1 2213F and BMCTV-C1 2609R (Strausbaugh et al. 2008), targeting the C1 gene of the Worland strain of BCTV, detected BCTV-Worland-like strains in all plants and the BLH, confirming that BCTV was present and indicating that the strain-specific primer pair was more sensitive than the universal curtovirus primers. Yield losses in the two fields were approximately 60%, with reduced seed size but not seed quality. BCTV infections in coriander crops have been observed in the Columbia Basin in 2002, 2005, 2008, and 2013, with yield losses ranging from 10 to 100% per field, though official reports were not made following the diagnoses (Crosslin, du Toit, and Frost, unpublished data). BCTV has caused millions of dollars of losses in the U.S. in crops such as sugar beet (Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris L.), tomato (S. lycopersicum L.), and pepper (S. annuum L.) (Johnson and Martin 1998). This is the first publication of BCTV affecting seed production of the specialty crop C. sativum. The observation of 90% incidence of symptoms in one field suggests that resistant cultivars and/or insect pest management practices are needed to prevent significant impacts of BCTV on coriander seed production in this semi-arid region.

Host Plant Signal Persistence in the Gut of the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae).

Determining the host range of an invasive insect in a new environment is a key step in the development of management strategies. As the brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys Stål, expands into agricultural regions of North America, efforts to elucidate its dietary habits on a landscape scale rely on intensive sampling of potential host plants. Although this approach yields useful information, results can be biased toward common and easily sampled plant species; important hosts can be missed if sampling them is impractical or limited in scope. Here we lay the groundwork for the application of gut content analysis to the feeding ecology of H. halys by investigating the persistence of host plant DNA in the digestive tracts of insects with known feeding histories. Adult H. halys were fed bean seedlings (Phaseolus lunatus L.) for 7 d, followed by a forced host switch to carrot (Daucus carota L.). Insect guts were dissected out at 0, 1, 3, 7, and 14 d following the switch, and host plant chloroplast genes (trnF and trnL) were amplified via polymerase chain reaction. Amplicons were identified using high-throughput sequencing and analyzed for Phaseolus DNA. The original host remained detectable at 3 d (trnF) and 14 d (trnL) in substantial quantities. The proportion of total reads identified as Phaseolus rapidly decreased with time; a concomitant increase in Daucus reads was observed. Our results indicate that high-throughput sequencing of gut contents has great potential for exploring the dietary histories of field-caught H. halys and other phytophagous insects.

A multidisciplinary model of rural allied health clinical-academic practice: a case study.

The provision of high-quality health care to rural and remote populations requires recruitment and retention initiatives that target the allied health professions as well as medicine and nursing. This report describes a model of discipline-specific rural allied health practice that has been established in the Northern New South Wales University Department of Rural Health in Tamworth, Australia. Allied health academic staff members have been appointed in nutrition and dietetics, occupational therapy, diagnostic radiography, physiotherapy, and pharmacy. The appointees are required to teach in programs managed by the University of Newcastle Faculty of Health, develop and support continuing education opportunities for their professional colleagues, conduct and supervise research, and perform clinical practice in their field. The positions thus integrate both clinical and academic roles. The integration of roles has been successful in increasing the number and quality of student placements by close collaboration with local clinicians. Overlapping of the clinical, research, and education roles has also encouraged clinicians involvement in research and further education and generally promoted collaboration across the health service and tertiary education sectors in the region. The integrated model of allied health clinical-academic practice has been effective in helping the University Department of Rural Health achieve its objectives. The model has great potential to promote collaboration and partnership between health service and academic institutions. Extending the model to other allied health disciplines and other regions could help to improve recruitment and retention.

Investigation and optimization of a passively operated compost-based system for remediation of acidic, highly iron- and sulfate-rich industrial waste water.

A passively operated multi-stage bioremediation system utilizing composted agricultural waste products and an artificial wetland system was found to be effective for purification of acidic, iron- and sulfate-rich waste water derived from titanium mineral processing. The main microbial players involved in the remediation system processes and the dynamics were investigated; mineral processing waste water-filled sludge dams possessed stable microbial communities that included Acidithiobacillus, Desulfurella, and acidophilic, anaerobic fermenters of the order Bacteroidales. These groups were enriched in a subsequent potato waste-based iron mobilization pre-treatment stage. Within downstream reduction treatment stages ("reduction cells"), compost/straw decomposition and associated sulfur/sulfate and iron reduction were carried out by a complex mix of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. The efficaciousness of the system without replacement of the compost was found to steadily decline following 2 years of operation and corresponded with the reduction cell communities becoming simultaneously more diverse and homogenous. Microcosm-based experiments demonstrated that operational declines were due to unsustained supply of suitable labile carbon sources combined with spatial heterogeneity within the layered design of the reduction stage of the system resulting in inadequate redox conditions. Temperature was not found to be a critical performance factor in the range of 10-25 degrees C. Application of a combined emulsified oil/molasses amendment was found to be highly effective in promoting a microbial community capable of remediating waste water with high iron and sulfate levels. Acidophilic members of the order Bacteroidales were found to be critical in the investigated remediation system, providing organic donors for subsequent metal and sulfur transformations and could have a broader ecological significance than previously suspected.

Integrated models or mayhem? Lessons learnt from three integrated primary health care entities in regional New South Wales.

While "integration" may be a policy imperative at present, the reality of integrating services whilst managing the business of service delivery and best patient outcomes is both challenging and unfamiliar territory for most general practitioners. Recent policy changes in general practice have challenged traditional financial and governance models. This paper reviews three integrated general practice entities, all under the auspice of the University of Newcastle, for commonalities and concerns. A model was conceptualised and key factors identified and discussed. These factors included careful selection of partners, elucidation of the level of integration and the need for a lead champion to promote the changed environment. The financial and clinical governance systems needed to be clearly delineated, including the type and priority of service delivery intended. Integration is not a blanket solution but may be useful for patients with chronic and complex health problems. Being resource-intense, it may not be available or appropriate for all. The practical realities of workforce however, and the political and funding environment are likely to dictate how GP practices in the future embrace integration.

GP perceptions of workforce shortage in a rural setting.

INTRODUCTION: Currently Australia is experiencing a rural medical workforce shortage, especially among GPs. Strategies aimed at improving this shortage have generally been directed at small and remote rural communities (RRMA 4-7); however, longstanding GP shortages also continue in large (RRMA 3) rural communities. The key to the understanding the rural workforce is the perceptions of GPs themselves. This article compared GP perceptions of workforce shortages in Tamworth, New South Wales, Australia (an RRMA 3 town) with actual levels of workforce participation. METHODS: A survey of 31/33 GPs working in the New South Wales town of Tamworth was conducted in 2005. Participating GPs were individually interviewed and were asked to estimate local GP workforce needs, calculate their weekly consulting time sessions and advise if they were accepting new patients. The survey was repeated 12 months later with the same cohort to track workforce change. RESULTS: In May 2005 there were 27.8 full time equivalent (FTE) GPs working in Tamworth (population 42 000). In May 2006 this had risen to 31.5 FTE practitioners. Initially, all practitioners surveyed believed there was a workforce shortage, with no practice accepting new patients. This shortage was perceived to be >10 FTE GPs (6.5%), between 5-9 GPs (64.5%) and between 1-4 GPs by 29% of surveyed GPs. In June 2006 there were 31.5 FTE GPs working in Tamworth. The follow-up survey of 29 GPs revealed a significant shift in their perceptions with only 41.4% of GPs perceiving the shortage as 1-4 FTE GPs (p = 0.2), 17.2% between 5-9 GPs and 41.4% nil. No GPs in the follow-up survey perceived the shortage as >10. At the end of the 12 month study period, 8 of 17 practices were accepting new patients. CONCLUSION: GP perceptions of shortage largely reflected concurrent workforce changes that occurred during the study period where there was a 12% improvement after a prolonged period of workforce stagnation. This change drove improvements in patient access and in many GPs' minds ameliorated much of the perceived shortage. Many factors may be involved, including the increased use of practice nurses, private billing and start-up capacity. General practitioner perceptions appear to be sensitive to workforce changes, with sampled GPs working with higher patient ratios than those seen as acceptable in metropolitan areas.