ALBERT

Notes: Four silages were prepared from grass treated with additives designed to produce different extents of fermentation in the silo. The additive treatments were: formic acid at 5 l t−1; a bacterial inoculant (Ecosyl, ICI plc); the inoculant plus molasses at 20 kg t−1; and a noadditive control. All silages were well preserved. Formic acid severely restricted the extent of fermentation, the concentration of lactic acid being only 50% of that seen for the other treatments, all of which were similar in lactic acid concentrations.The silages were offered ad libitum, either as the sole component of the diet or together with three supplement treatments to 16 British Friesian cows, in four 4 treatment × 4 period Latin squares with periods of 28 d duration. The supplements were: a barley-based mixture at 5 kg d−1 (B); a high-fat, high-protein product at 2 kg d−1 (FPI) and at 3 kg d −1 (FP2); both FP treatments were given with 1 kg d−1 of molassed sugarbeet pulp. A preliminary experiment, using three lactating, rumen-cannulated cows in a 3×3 Latin square design with 28-d periods, provided information on rumen digestion when the supplements were given with a separate, non-experimental silage.In the preliminary experiment, neither of the FP treatments influenced the molar proportion of the major rumen volatile fatty acids compared with treatment B; nor were there any depressive effects of the FP treatments on silage intake compared with treatment B.In the main experiment, the intake of silage with the inoculant treatment was less than that with the other treatments, the effect being generally significant (at least P〈0·05) for all three supplements. When the silages were given unsupplemented, there were differences in the concentration (P〈0·001) and yield (P〈0·01) of milk fat, both of which were lowest for the no-additive control and highest for the formic acid silage. When supplement B was given, the concentration and yield of milk fat were lowest for the no-additive control and the concentration and yield of milk protein were highest for the formic acid silage. For all silages both FP treatments tended to depress silage intake and reduce the concentration of fat and protein in milk compared with treatment B.Although there were clear indications of differences in nutritional characteristics between the silages, there was little evidence that the differences between silages influenced the responses to changes in the composition of the supplements.

Notes: To test for the association of the eyespot of wheat cv. ‘Cappelle-Desprez’ with the structural gene encoding the isozyme Ep-A1, F3, families from the cross ‘Cappelle-Desprez’ (resistant) X ‘Chinese Spring’ (susceptible) were selected on the basis of endopeptidase phenotype. Analysis of eyespot reaction showed that Ep-Alb homozygotes were associated with a higher level of resistance than Ep-Al a homozygotes. Thus selection of the Ep-Alb allelc should assure concurrent selection of at least a part of the eyespot resistance of ‘Cappelle-Desprez’.

Notes: The amphiploid between bread wheat cv. ‘Chinese Spring’ and sand couch grass Thinopyrum bessarabicum is tolerant of salinity stress under long daylengths, but is extremely late-flowering and grows poorly under short daylength conditions. A newly synthesized amphiploid between the inter-varietal single chromosome substitution line carrying chromosome 2D of the photoinsensitive cultivar ‘Ciano 67’ in a ‘Chinese Spring’ background and the same accession of Th. bessarabicum is photoinsensitive and is more tolerant of salinity stress under short daylengths, both in terms of decreased ionic uptake and in showing less damage to a range of agronomic characters. The genetic basis of this difference is probably due to the presence in this genotype of both Ppdl and to allelic differences between the Thinopyrum gametes involved in the two amphiploids.

Notes: The larvae of Cepola rubescens Linnaeus, 1766 were collected from May to October with a surface temperature of 17.5°C at the beginning of the spawning. They were widely distributed over the continental shelf and the greatest concentrations were found at stations with depth around 100 m. During all months, most of the larvae were of small size, between 2.0 and 3.0 mm s.l. The juveniles and adults were caught in a wide range of depths, from less than 25 m to about 200 m, and the highest abundance was also found at depths of about 100 m, but no large individuals were found at depths less than 50 m. The catches of the trawling fleet showed a marked seasonality, with maximum values at the end of spring and minimum at the end of autumn and the beginning of winter. This seasonality seems to be related to reproduction since the highest catches were obtained during the spawning period.

Notes: The present study was carried out on the Catalan coast, the northern limit of the geographic distribution of Pomatomus saltatrix (Linnaeus, 1766) in the Mediterranean. Within the area studied, both larvae and adults were more abundant in the southern part, where surface temperature was slightly higher than in the north. Spawning of P. saltatrix was limited to the warmest months, from July to September, when the surface temperature was about 25° C, The most common larval sizes, between 2.25 and 2.75 mm s.l., were distributed over the continental shelf, and the greatest concentrations were found between 20 and 100 m, suggesting an inshore spawning. Larvae, including the smallest sizes, were found in the most superficial layers and no evidence of vertical migration was observed. The species was regularly fished in the southern zone, maximum monthly catches ranging between 10–20 tonnes. The presence of adults in the coastal zone showed a marked seasonality closely related to temperatur, the lowest catches corresponding to the coldest months.

Notes: King's Lynn is a typical English port and market town, located at the edge of the very flat fenland area in East Anglia. The town doubled in size to its present population of 40000 from the end of the Second World War. Although the sewerage system expanded with the growth of the town, the prevailing flat gradients gave rise to much sedimentation and loss of capacity, while tide-locked outfalls restricted freedom of flow from the storm-overflow facilities. The result was widespread flooding in many areas of the town during relatively minor storms. This paper describes the studies which were carried out using computer simulation methods to identify the weaknesses and deficiencies of the complex sewerage system, and the innovative tunnelling solution which was adopted to overcome the problems. An indication is also given of the benefits of good public relations when working across the urban environment.

Notes: Mechanically separated pork (MSP) was washed using water or 1.5% salt solution, each at pH 5.5 and 6.5 to produce a surimi-like product for further processing. Composition and functionality of the washed product was evaluated and use in processed meat formulations was assessed. Washing treatments reduced fat content to less than 1% but did not reduce calcium content of MSP. The salt solution resulted in removal of heme pigments. Frankfurters manufactured with washed MSP ishowed little improvement over those with unwashed MSP for texture or water binding; therefore, applications may be limited. HOW-ever, lipid oxidation of frankfurters containing washed MSP, as meassured by TBA, was suppressed during storage.