ABSTRACT. Blackbirds (Icterinae) in North America, and dickcissels (Spiza americana Gmelin), eared doves (Zenaida auriculata Des Murs), and monk parakeets (Myiopsitta monachus Boddaert) in South America can cause serious economic damage to grain crops. Farmers frequently advocate lethal bird damage abatement measures based on the perceived need to take immediate action to avoid serious economic losses.

ABSTRACT. Stem and sheath diseases caused by Sclerotium oryzae Cattaneo (SCL) and Rhizoctonia oryzaesativae Sawada Mordue (ROS) can severely reduce rice (Oryza sativa L.) yield and grain quality. Genetic resistance is the best strategy to control them. Phenotypic selection for resistance is hampered due to a heterogeneous distribution of the inoculum in the soil that generates high environmental variability and decreases genetic gain. To have higher selection accuracy it is necessary to develop phenotyping methods with high repeatability and discriminative power.

ABSTRACT. Sustained abscisic acid (ABA) accumulation in dehydrated citrus roots depends on the transport from aerial organs. Under this condition, the role of the β,β-carotenoids (ABA precursors) to the de novo synthesis of ABA in roots needs to be clarified since their low availability in this organ restricts its accumulation. To accomplish that, detached citrus roots were exposed to light (to increase their carotenoid content) and subsequently dehydrated (to trigger ABA accumulation).

Teratosphaeria nubilosa severely affects young plantations of Eucalyptus globulus and Eucalyptus maidenii in Uruguay. This work analyzes the effect of the damage caused by T. nubilosa on tree growth and survival of E. globulus and E. maidenii, based on data from a trial naturally infected by this pathogen. The effect of defoliation and proportion of adult foliage on tree growth and mortality was evaluated at 50 months of age. Defoliation in E. globulus was higher than in E. maidenii, reaching average values of 52.5 and 28.8 %, respectively, at 21 months of age. By contrast, E.