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An experiment was directed to assess the effect of integrated weed management practices on weed density and dry biomass in rose cv. Gruss-en-Tepltiz by using treatments paddy straw mulch 0.6 kg/m², paddy straw mulch 1.2 kg/m², oxyfluorfen 0.025 g/m², oxyfluorfen 0.025 g/m² + paddy straw mulch 0.6 kg/m², oxyfluorfen 0.025 g/m² + paddy straw mulch 1.2 kg/m², hand weeding (at monthly interval) and unweeded control. The least value of weed count of diverse species was recorded in hand weeding closely followed by oxyfluorfen 0.025 g/m² + paddy straw mulch 1.2 kg/m². Dry biomass of weeds and weed control efficiency was also marked to be lowest in hand weeding followed by oxyfluorfen 0.025 g/m² + paddy straw mulch 1.2 kg/m². Since hand weeding is costly, tedious, laborious, and if not done legitimately, harms the plant and root system, the result of the study advocated using oxyfluorfen in combination with paddy straw mulch at a rate of 1.2 kg/m² for effectively reducing weed growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Labour scarcity, increasing labour costs and declining ground water table have forced farmers in Indian Punjab to find an alternative to resource intensive puddled transplanted rice (PTR). Dry-seeded rice (DSR) was introduced in 2009-10 to address these problems. The impact analysis of this new technology was undertaken by using a comprehensive questionnaire during 2013 through a field survey of farmers who had adopted DSR during 2009 to 2012 in 21 villages in three districts (Bathinda, Faridkot, Sri Muktsar Sahib). The number of farmers who had adopted DSR increased from 10 in 2009 to 211 in 2012; over this time, 11% of these farmers had shifted completely to DSR. The adoption rate of DSR was higher for coarse rice than basmati rice, and adoption was the highest among farmers with medium and large landholding. DSR saved 14 person-days/ha and 18 to 20% irrigation water compared to PTR. To begin with DSR had 2 to 5% yield penalty as compared to PTR. However, as farmers became knowledgeable about DSR especially in sowing and weed control techniques, yield penalty was overcome within one to two years. The productivity of succeeding wheat crop was 5% higher when it was sequenced with DSR than after PTR, thereby increasing higher net returns. The total net returns from DSR-wheat system exceeded PTR-wheat system by INR 5050 to 8100/ha. The results of this survey are consistent with experimental data. Further improvements in planting machinery, weed management practices, and enhancement of grower skills through training programs were identified as the key areas for accelerating the adoption of this new production technology at scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study was planned to evaluate effectiveness of new pre-mix herbicide metsulfuron methyl+chlorimuron ethyl for management of sedges and broadleaf weeds in transplanted rice at research farm of Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana for three years. The treatments comprised of metsulfuron methyl+chlorimuron ethyl 3, 4 and 5g/ha, azimsulfuron 20g/ha and metsulfuron 4 g/ha as post emergence and unsprayed control, replicated four times. The results indicated that the density and biomass of sedges and broadleaf weeds was significantly less in metsulfuron methyl+chlorimuron ethyl 4 and 5g/ha than 3g/ha, azimsulfuron 20g/ha, metsulfuron 4g/ha and unsprayed control. Application of metsulfuron methyl+chlorimuron ethyl 4g/ha applied in rice recorded significantly highest average grain yield of 7.31t/ha. There was a negative linear relationship between weed biomass and grain yield (r=-24.08). Correlation matrix revealed that all the yield attributes showed higher correlation with metsulfuron methyl+chlorimuron ethyl 4g/ha. Post emergence application of metsulfuron methyl+chlorimuron ethyl at 4g/ha resulted in effective control of broadleaf weeds and sedges in transplanted rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nutrient uptake by direct seeded rice and associated weeds was studied in a field experiment during kharif 2008. Twenty four treatment combinations viz. six sowing dates (direct seeding on 0 (June 5), 7, 14, 21 and 28 days after nursery sowing (DANS); transplanting 28 DANS); two varieties (short duration PR 115 and medium duration PAU 201) and two weed control treatments (3 hand weedings at 20, 40, 60 days and pendimethalin 0.75 kg ha-1 pre-emergence followed by bispyribacsodium 0.030 kg ha-1 as post emergence) were evaluated in a split plot design with three replications. Among sowing dates and establishment methods, rice grains in manual transplanting utilized significantly higher amount of nitrogen and phosphorus than all the direct seeding dates 0, 7, 14, 21 and 28 DANS; potassium uptake was at par to direct seeding on 0 DANS. The rice straw utilized the highest amount of potassium in transplanted treatment and was at par to direct seeding 0 DANS; nitrogen and phosphorous uptake did not show any specific trend. The nitrogen and potassium removal by the weeds was the lowest in transplanted check which was at par to direct seeding on 0- 7 DANS and for phosphorous removal it was at par to 0-14 DANS. Nitrogen and potassium uptake by rice grain and straw did not vary among varieties, however, phosphorous uptake by grain and straw was significantly higher in case of PR 115 than PAU 201; weeds also removed significantly higher amount of potassium in PR 115 as compared to PAU 201. Among weed control treatments, rice grains in the three hand weeding treatment utilized significantly higher amount of nitrogen as compared to sequential application of herbicides; nitrogen uptake by straw was non-significant. The weeds in herbicidal plot removed significantly higher amount of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium as compared to three hand weedings. The nutrient uptake by crop was directly related to crop dry matter accumulation and grain yield while nutrient removal by weeds was directly related to the weed dry matter accumulation under different treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effect of planting methods and weed control on productivity and oil quality of Japanese mint (Mentha arvensis L.) were evaluated in a field trial at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, India, during 2009 and 2010. Three planting methods (flat, bed and ridge planting) and six weed control treatments (oxyfluorfen at 0.20 kg/ha was applied as pre-emergence, post-emergence at 10, 15 and 20 days after planting; two hand hoeings and unweeded control) were evaluated. Planting methods did not influence weed dynamics and Japanese mint herb yield. Oxyflourfen as preemergence recorded the lowest density and dry matter of grass and broadleaf weeds and gave the highest Japanese mint herb yield during both the years. Oxyflourfen applied at 10 days was at par to its pre-emergence application with respect to weed control and Japanese mint herb yield. Further delay in oxyflourfen application recorded poor weed control and herb yield was significantly reduced. Mint oil and menthol content did not vary among planting methods and weed control treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated the efficacy of five commercially available sanitizers to reduce Salmonella (sessile and biofilm forms) count on experimentally inoculated materials representative of harvesting bins and picking bags in the fresh produce industry. Sessile Salmonella cells were grown onto tryptic soy agar to create a bacterial lawn, while multistrain Salmonella biofilms were grown in a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reactor at 22 ± 2 °C for 96 h. Samples were exposed to 500 ppm free chlorine, 500 ppm peroxyacetic acid (PAA), 75 psi steam, and 5% silver dihydrogen citrate (SDC) for 30 sec, 1, or 2 min or 100 ppm chlorine dioxide gas for 24 h. Sanitizer, surface type, and application time significantly affected the viability of Salmonella in both sessile and biofilm forms (P < 0.05). All treatments resulted in a significant reduction of Salmonella when compared to the control (P < 0.05). Chlorine dioxide gas was the most effective treatment in both sessile and biofilm forms regardless of the type of surface, and it achieved a 5-log reduction. PAA at 500 ppm applied for 2 min was the only liquid sanitizer that resulted in a greater than 3-log reduction in all surfaces. Scanning electronic microscopy demonstrated the porous surface nature of nylon and wood, compared to HDPE, impacted sanitizer antimicrobial activity. Understanding the efficacy of sanitizers to control Salmonella on harvesting bins and picking bags may improve the safety of fresh produce by increasing available sanitizing treatment., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Ultraviolet-C (UV-C) light-assisted water treatment systems are an increasingly investigated alternative to chemical sanitizers for agricultural surface water decontamination. However, the relatively high concentration of particulate matter in surface water is a major challenge to expanding its application in the production of fresh produce. The objective of this project was to test the efficacy of two commercial UV-C devices to reduce the microbial risk of agricultural water in order to develop a web application to assist growers in decision-making related to the on-farm implementation of UV-C technologies for agricultural water treatment. An on-farm study using three agricultural water sources was performed to determine the microbial reduction efficacy of a low power, low flow (LP/LF; 1-9 gallons per minute (GPM), 1.34-gallon capacity) and a high powered, high flow (HP/HF; 1-110 GPM, 4.75-gallon capacity) device at flow rates of 6, 7, and 9 GPM. A threshold of 30% UVT for the HP/HF device was observed, wherein lower water transmissibility significantly impacted microbial inactivation. Although less effective at lower %UVT, the LP/LF device costs less to install, maintain, and operate. The observations were used to design an online tool for growers to calculate the predicted reduction of generic Escherichia coli using either device based on the %UVT of their water source. However, because this study utilized an exploratory and proof-of-concept approach, the experimental flow rates were limited to reflect the capacities of the smaller unit (9 GPM) for direct comparison to the larger unit. Thus, the preliminary model and tool are largely limited to the experimental conditions. Yet, these results of this study demonstrate the utility of UV-C light in reducing the microbial risk of agricultural water, and future studies using different UV-C devices and higher flow rates will expand the use of the decision-making tool., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Cover crops are plants seeded before or after cash crops to improve soil health, reduce weed pressure, and prevent erosion. Cover crops also produce various antimicrobial secondary metabolites (i.e., glucosinolates, quercetin), yet the role of cover crops in moderating the population of human pathogens in the soil has rarely been investigated. This study aims to determine the antimicrobial capacity of three cover crop species to reduce the population of generic Escherichia coli (E. coli) in contaminated agricultural soil. Four-week-old mustard greens (Brassicajuncea), sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea), and buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) were mixed into autoclaved soil and inoculated with rifampicin-resistant generic E. coli to achieve a starting concentration of 5 log CFU/g. The surviving microbial populations on days 0, 4, 10, 15, 20, 30, and 40 were enumerated. All three cover crops significantly reduced the population of generic E. coli compared to the control (p < 0.0001), particularly between days 10 and to 30. Buckwheat resulted in the highest reduction (3.92 log CFU/g). An inhibitory effect (p < 0.0001) on microbial growth was also observed in soils containing mustard greens and sunn hemp. This study provides evidence for the bacteriostatic and bactericidal effect of particular cover crops. More research regarding the secondary metabolites produced by certain cover crops and their potential as a bio mitigation strategy to improve on-farm produce safety is warranted., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: There is paucity of data on outcomes of acute severe ulcerative colitis (ASUC) in older adults (≥ 60 years of age)., Aim: To assess steroid non-response rates during the index admission for ASUC in older adults. Secondary outcomes were response to medical rescue therapy and colectomy rates; at index admission, 3 and 12 mo., Methods: This retrospective multicentre cohort study included ASUC admissions who received intravenous steroids between January 2013 and July 2020 at two tertiary hospitals. Electronic medical records were reviewed to collect clinical, biochemical, and endoscopic data. A modified Poisson regression model was used for analysis., Results: Of 226 ASUC episodes, 45 (19.9%) occurred in patients ≥ 60 years of age. Steroid non-response rates were comparable in older adults and patients < 60 years of age [19 (42.2%) vs 85 (47%), P = 0.618, crude risk ratio (RR) = 0.89 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.61-1.30], adjusted RR = 0.99 (0.44-2.21). Rates of response to medical rescue therapy in older adults was comparable to the younger cohort [76.5% vs 85.7%, P = 0.46, crude RR = 0.89 (0.67-1.17)]. Index admission colectomy [13.3% vs 10.5%, P = 0.598, crude RR = 1.27 (0.53-2.99), adjusted RR = 1.43 (0.34-6.06)], colectomy at 3 mo [20% vs 16.6%, P = 0.66, crude RR = 1.18 (0.61-2.3), adjusted RR = 1.31 (0.32-0.53)] and colectomy at 12 mo [20% vs 23.2%, P = 0.682, crude RR = 0.85 (0.45-1.57), adjusted RR = 1.21 (0.29-4.97)], were similar between the two groups., Conclusion: In older adults with ASUC, the steroid non-response rate, response to medical rescue therapy, and colectomy rate at index admission, 3 and 12 mo is similar to patients less than 60 years of age., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article., (©The Author(s) 2023. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

Ultraviolet-C (UV-C) irradiation is a well-recognized technology for improving blueberry postharvest quality, and previous literature indicates that it has the potential for dual-use as an antimicrobial intervention for this industry. However, the practicality and feasibility of deploying this technology in fresh blueberry fruit are significantly hindered by the shadowing effect occurring at the blossom-end scar of the fruit. The purpose of this study was to determine if treating the blueberry fruit within a chamber fitted with UV-Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) emitting a peak UV-C at 275 nm could minimize this shadowing and result in improved treatment efficacy. Ten blueberry fruits were dip-inoculated with E. coli at a concentration of 10 5  CFU/mL and irradiated within the system at doses of 0, 1.617, 3.234, 9.702, and 16.17 mJ/cm 2 (0, 30, 60, 180, and 300 s). Statistical analysis was performed to characterize the extent of microbial survival as well as the UV-C inactivation kinetics. A maximum of 0.91-0.95 log reduction was observed, which attenuated after 60 s of treatment. The microbial inactivation and survival were thus modeled using the Geeraerd-tail model in Microsoft Excel with the GInaFIt add-in (RMSE = 0.2862). Temperatures fluctuated between 23 ± 0.5°C and 39.5°C ± 0.5°C during treatment but did not statistically impact the treatment efficacy (P = 0.0823). The data indicate that the design of a UV-LED system may improve the antimicrobial efficacy of UV-C technology for the surface decontamination of irregularly shaped fruits, and that further optimization could facilitate its use in the industry., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interests The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Postpartum depression and anxiety (PPDA) is experienced by up to 20% of families in the first year. The condition impacts not only parents but also their developing child. While mindfulness-based interventions (MBI) have shown to be beneficial for this population, many parents do not have access to treatment or find it challenging to commit or complete the treatment. The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened some of the challenges that parents face. The ability to find time for needed self-care and health interventions is also affected by limited childcare support. The opportunity to attend a group online may significantly improve the accessibility to group MBI but may also bring challenges. This study aims to examine the feasibility and acceptability of online MBI groups for parents in families affected with PPDA., Methods and Analysis: In this feasibility study, participants will include mothers diagnosed with PPDA and their partners. Two online MBI groups will run simultaneously for 8 weeks: one for mothers with PPDA and another one for their partners. The primary outcome will be feasibility of conducting the online groups, assessed from the facilitators' perspective, participants' perspective and attrition throughout the study. The participants' perspectives on feasibility will be assessed by questions including how difficult it was for them to make it to the sessions, specific obstacles encountered and their scheduling preferences. The facilitators' perspective will be assessed by frequency of technical difficulties encountered, of disruptions in the online sessions and of episodes where parents leave the screen (eg, to calm their child). Secondary outcomes will include mental health, couple relationship, satisfaction and acceptability which will also be evaluated through participant questionnaires., Ethics and Dissemination: The study has received ethics approval from the University of British Columbia Children's and Women's Research Ethics Board. Study results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals and conferences., Trial Registration Number: NCT04617132., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2022. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

With the plethora of commercially available UV-C devices exhibiting different intensity and lifespans, it is critical to consumer safety that companies verify and clearly communicate the efficacy of their devices as per the intended use. The purpose of this study was to define a low-cost protocol for investigating the antimicrobial efficacy of commercial UV devices for industry use. The tested devices included: a wall-mounted unit (Device A), a troffer unit (Device B), and an induction lamp unit (Device C). The devices were installed within an enclosed tower to prevent the transmission of UV-C radiation outside of the testing area. The procedure details determining the devices' antimicrobial efficacy using plastic coupons inoculated with Escherichia coli or Staphylococcus aureus. The protocol includes suggested time-distance treatments according to the potential application of each device type and reports the results as log CFU/mL reduction or percent reduction.

Non-typhoidal Salmonella enterica is a pathogen of global importance, particularly in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). The presence of antimicrobial resistant (AMR) strains in market environments poses a serious health threat to consumers. In this study we identified and characterized the genotypic and phenotypic AMR profiles of 81 environmental S. enterica strains isolated from samples from informal markets in Cambodia in 2018-2019. AMR genotypes were retrieved from the NCBI Pathogen Detection website (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pathogens/) and using ResFinder (https://cge.cbs.dtu.dk/services/) Salmonella pathogenicity islands (SPIs) were identified with SPIFinder (https://cge.cbs.dtu.dk/services/). Susceptibility testing was performed by broth microdilution according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) standard guidelines M100-S22 using the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) Sensititre Gram Negative plate. A total of 17 unique AMR genes were detected in 53% (43/81) of the isolates, including those encoding tetracycline, beta-lactam, sulfonamide, quinolone, aminoglycoside, phenicol, and trimethoprim resistance. A total of 10 SPIs (SPI-1, 3-5, 8, 9, 12-14, and centisome 63 [C63PI]) were detected in 59 isolates. C63PI, an iron transport system in SPI-1, was observed in 56% of the isolates ( n = 46). SPI-1, SPI-4, and SPI-9 were present in 13, 2, and 5% of the isolates, respectively. The most common phenotypic resistances were observed to tetracycline (47%; n = 38), ampicillin (37%; n = 30), streptomycin (20%; n = 16), chloramphenicol (17%; n = 14), and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (16%; n = 13). This study contributes to understanding the AMR genes present in S. enterica isolates from informal markets in Cambodia, as well as support domestic epidemiological investigations of multidrug resistance (MDR) profiles., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Schwan, Lomonaco, Bastos, Cook, Maher, Trinetta, Bhullar, Phebus, Gragg, Kastner and Vipham.)

A number of foodborne outbreaks have occurred in the past decade, with higher incidences associated with romaine lettuce and strawberries. Contaminated agricultural water has been reported as the source of microbial contamination in most of these outbreaks. Maintaining the adequate and sanitary quality (0 E. coli /100 mL) of agricultural water can be challenging during post-harvest operations such as washing. The study focused on the attachment of generic E. coli (Rifampicin resistant) onto romaine lettuce and strawberries, mimicking the produce wash step. The produce was washed with contaminated water, air-dried, and stored in display units for 7 days. The produce was sampled randomly each day and analyzed for the surviving E. coli count. The results indicated that E. coli can survive in both lettuce and strawberries over extended periods. A survival population of 2.3 log CFU/cm 2 (day 8) was observed on lettuce with an initial population of 2.8 log CFU/cm 2 (day 0). On strawberries, the population reduced from 3.0 (day 0) to 1.7 log CFU/cm 2 (day 7), with an initial E. coli concentration of approx. 6 log CFU/mL in the wash water. Strawberry leaves had a higher attachment of E. coli than the fruit ( p < 0.05). In conclusion, romaine lettuce and strawberries washed with contaminated water can cause an outbreak affecting consumers and public health.

Aim: To investigate the association between mutations in oligomerisation domain 2/caspase recruitment domains 15 (NOD2/CARD15) and the natural history of Crohn's disease (CD) to identify patients who would benefit from early aggressive medical intervention., Methods: We recruited thirty consecutive unrelated CD patients with a history of ileo-caecal or small bowel resection during the period 1980-2000; Fifteen patients of these had post-operative relapse that required further surgery and fifteen did not. Full sequencing of the NOD2/CARD15 gene using dHPLC for exons 3, 5, 7, 10 and 12 and direct sequencing for exons 2, 4, 6, 8, 9 and 11 was conducted. CD patients categorized as carrying variants were anyone with at least 1 variant of the NOD2/CARD15 gene., Results: About 13.3% of the cohort (four patients) carried at least one mutant allele of 3020insC of the NOD2/CARD15 gene. There were 20 males and 10 females with a mean age of 43.3 years (range 25-69 years). The mean follow up was 199.6 mo and a median of 189.5 mo. Sixteen sequence variations within the NOD2/CARD15 gene were identified, with 9 of them occurring with an allele frequency of greater than 10 %. In this study, there was a trend to suggest that patients with the 3020insC mutation have a higher frequency of operations compared to those without the mutation. Patients with the 3020insC mutation had a significantly shorter time between the diagnosis of CD and initial surgery. This study included Australian patients of ethnically heterogenous background unlike previous studies conducted in different countries., Conclusion: These findings suggest that patients carrying NOD2/CARD15 mutations follow a rapid and more aggressive form of Crohn's disease showing a trend for multiple surgical interventions and significantly shorter time to early surgery.