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During the period 1979–1985 a survey on the presence of grape vine moths was carried on by pheromone traps in a great viticultural aera of Piemonte. The research has proved that: Lobesia botrana is the vine moth mostly widespread while Eupoecilia ambiguella was found rare and in cooler environments mainly. Grape vine moths’ presence is greatly different according to viticultural zones’ features. Moth growth stages are changeable in the years according to climatic conditions, temperatures mainly, and vines development stages. The vine moth risk is rather different from one place to another and may be changeable as well in adjoining vineyards. Training systems as pergola are more suitable for moths development in comparison with trellis which, in the shade side, are normally more affected by the moths. High temperatures and low humidity conditions may affect larvae survival more than eggs hatching. Overwintering chrysalids parasitism is up to 12% and done by Hymenoptera Ichnemonidae and Braconidae. Efforts in order to improve the knowledge of grape moth risk in the different viticultural areas should continue.

Observations are presented regarding the presence, symptomatology and transmission of the soil-borne wheat mosaic virus in Italy.

A correlation between the incidence of breast cancer and an observed change in the X-ray diffraction pattern of hair from the afflicted individuals was first reported in 1999. Since that time, over 500 hair samples have been analyzed in double-blinded breast cancer studies with no false negatives being detected. To correlate this observed change with the presence of breast cancer, we examined whiskers removed from nude mice prior to and 8 weeks after subcutaneous implantation of a human breast cancer cell line. Here we show that the change observed in human hair was also evident in whiskers and that it appeared soon after cancer cell implantation.

Antipeptide antibodies have been evaluated for their abilities to predict the characteristics of the cleavage motifs of the fusion protein precursors (F0) of 25 isolates of Newcastle disease virus (NDV) with a range of virulences, grouped into 12 sets according to their monoclonal antibody reactivities. A Western blot format was used to show that antisera to synthetic peptides representing sequences at the C-termini of the F2-polypeptides of defined pathotypes of NDV usually distinguish between pathotypes on the basis of their Fo cleavage sequences. However, exceptions were found with three groups of virulent isolates. Protein sequencing and mass spectral analysis of the F2-polypeptide of isolate Texas GB from one of these groups, identified an anomalous cleavage/activation process which removed the amino acids required for recognition by the antisera. This probably also explained the lack of reactivity of the Roakin isolate and low reactivity of the Komarov isolate from this group. The other exceptions involved isolates in groups with cleavage region variations from the usual motif of virulent isolates or isolates with undefined cleavage motifs. Antipeptide antisera were also raised to sections of the 45 residue C-terminal extension the hemagglutinin-neuraminidase precursor (HN0) encoded by the genes of some avirulent isolates. Western blot analysis showed that positive reactions with antibodies to peptides based on sequences between residues 577 and 613 of the HN0 was evidence for the presence of an avirulent isolate but did not exclude the presence of other pathotypes. Antisera designed to target residues 569–577 detected HN0 extensions of 6 residues on isolates known to encode such extensions. These antisera also enabled differentiation of isolates with HN0 extensions of 6 residues from those with no extension, however, it was not possible to determine the virulence of isolates based on reaction with these antisera.

A recent Australian field isolate of Newcastle disease virus (NDV) was analyzed with antipeptide antibodies capable of differentiating between the sequences at the cleavage activation sites of fusion proteins of different NDV pathotypes. The isolate was found to have the same fusion protein cleavage activation signal as the V4 isolate of the Queensland strain of NDV. However, the isolate failed to react with an antibody specific for the carboxyl-terminal extension on the hemagglutinin/neuraminidase (HN)-protein precursor (HNo-protein) of the V4 isolate and other similar strains (e.g., Ulster and D26). Identity of the fusion protein cleavage activation motif of the isolate was confirmed by chemical analysis of purified fusion protein subunits of the isolate. The combination of a V4-like fusion protein cleavage activation motif but lack of an HNo-protein has not been described before, and the findings indicate that the isolate is a distinct strain of NDV. Analysis of a range of isolates from the state of Victoria, Australia, indicated that similar strains have been present in Australia since at least 1976. Other isolates examined appeared to have fusion protein cleavage activation motifs that could not be defined with the fusion-protein-targeted antibodies. These isolates also appeared to lack the HNo-protein characteristic of the Queensland strain.

In six vineyards of Piedmont, soil profiles were studied in order to determine root system distribution and endophyte presence in roots and soil. The presence of roots in upper layers was generally high and decreased at increasing depth. Spore numbers were significantly related to root quantity and were found to be higher in top layers of the soil and lower in deeper ones. The highest presence of spores was found in the soil profile where the vineyard was covered with grass and bark mulch. On the contrary the percent of mycorrhizal infection was relatively high even at considerable soil depth. The highest mycorrhizal incidence and the highest index of arbuscules were recorded in those vineyards where nutrients and organic matter contents were lowest.