The Accumulation of Volatile Compounds and the Change in the Morphology of the Leaf Wax Cover Accompanied the "Anti-Aging" Effect in Anethum graveolens L. Plants Sprayed with 6-Benzylaminopurine

Essential oils (EOs) are of commercial importance for medicine, food, cosmetics, the perfume industry, and agriculture. In plants, EOs, like the wax cover, serve as protection against abiotic stresses, such as high temperatures and water deficiency. The use of spraying with exogenous hormones of aromatic plants affects the accumulation and composition of volatile compounds, as well as tolerance to abiotic stress. As a result of cytokinin treatment with 6-BAP (6-benzylaminopurine) (200 mg L-l) of Anetum graveolens L. "Uzory" and "Rusich" varieties, several responses to its action were revealed: a change in the division of leaf blades, inhibition of flowering, an increase in the content of EO and its main components α-phellandrene and p-cymene in leaves, and limonene in umbels and fruits. It was revealed that the increased accumulation of EO in dill leaves was longer with sufficient moisture. In contrast, under conditions of heat and water deficiency, the effect of 6-BAP treatment on accumulations of the EO in leaves was short-lived and did not appear on umbels and fruits. The study of the cytokinin effect on a fine structure of a wax cover on the adaxial side of leaves by scanning electron microscopy revealed a change in its elements (from amorphous layers with scales to thin tubules), which probably increased the sensitivity of leaves to water deficiency and, consequently, led to a decrease in the biosynthetic activity of leaf tissue. Thus, 6-BAP had an impact on the adaptive properties of dill plants, prolonging the "youth" of vegetative organs and the ability to EO biosynthesis under conditions of sufficient moisture.

Field study on the survival, migration and overwintering of infective larvae of horse strongyles on pasture in central Ukraine

Experimental studies on the survival of infective stage larvae of horse strongyles and their ability to overwinter on pasture were carried out in central Ukraine (Poltavska oblast). Faecal pats (1.5 kg each) of naturally infected horses were placed on pasture, and samples of faeces and surrounding vegetation (10 g each) were collected each month, excluding the winter months, from November 2002 until April 2004. The number of infective third stage larvae was calculated in each sample and compared with that from the control faecal samples cultivated in the laboratory. In the control samples, the ratio of infective third stage larvae to the initial number of eggs was from 54.7% in June up to 84.2% in November. This ratio depended on the presence of nematophagous fungi growing in the faeces. On pasture, the development of larvae to the infective third stage took approximately 4 weeks in the warm season, from April until September. In October, a percentage of the eggs (25% to EPG value) did not hatch. No larval development was observed in faeces in November. A minute quantity of larvae, about 0.03% of their initial number, was observed to survive on pasture for the 12 months. Migration of infective larvae from the faeces to vegetation was not intensive, between 71% and 89% of larvae remained in the faeces 4 weeks after deposition of the faecal pats, the percentage related to soil humidity in each month. The proportion of larvae successfully surviving during winter appeared to be maximal in faecal pats deposited on pasture in September of the previous year (up to 42.0% of the initial number of larvae). Some larvae were observed surviving winter in soil beneath the faecal pats. The results of the study demonstrated that horse pastures in the central part of Ukraine are never free from the infective third stage larvae of strongyles.

Analysis of the strongylid nematodes (Nematoda: Strongylidae) community after deworming of brood horses in Ukraine

Communities of intestinal helminths in horses are commonly studied post mortem. The study objectives were here to examine the species composition of the strongylid community in brood horses in Ukraine after deworming with an aversectin drug Univerm. The site distribution of the strongylid species was analysed according to dynamics of their expulsion in faeces. Forty-four horses of different ages from Poltavska oblast (22 horses), Kyivska oblast (17 horses) and Sumska oblast (5 horses) of Ukraine were included in the study. Horses were treated with Univerm anthelmintic (0.2% aversectin) at a dose rate of 0.5mg aversectin preparation per kg body weight. Faecal sampling (200 g each) was performed at 24, 36, 48 and 60 h post treatment, and all nematodes expelled were collected and identified. The largest numbers of strongylids were expelled at 24--36 h after treatment. Twenty-five nematode species from the subfamilies Strongylinae and Cyathostominae were identified. The number of strongylid species found per horse ranged from 7 to 20, on an average 11+/-3.6 (S.D.). The number of cyathostomin species found per horse ranged from 7 to 16, on an average 10+/-2.3 (S.D.). Cylicocyclus nassatus and Cyathostomum catinatum were the most dominant species were found in 100% of horses, amounting to 36.3% and 17.6% of the total number of strongylids collected, respectively. C. longibursatus, C. ashworthi, Cylicostephanus calicatus, C. leptostomus and C. minutus were identified in more than 80% horses and represented 39.9% of the total number of strongylids collected. The dynamics of the different strongylid species expelled was irregular. Correlation between the time of cyathostomin species expulsion in faeces and their predicted localisation inside the horse intestine was found. Species mainly localised in the caecum were found in faeces later than those species localised in the dorsal and ventral colons. Larvae and adult Parascaris equorum, Oxyuris equi and botfly larvae from the genus Gasterophilus were also found in horse faeces. This investigation shows that is possible to study the horse strongylid community after deworming with aid of an aversectin drug. The results obtained here correspond to those recorded in previous autopsy surveys in other countries.

An annotated checklist by genus and species of 93 species level names for 51 recognized species of small strongyles (Nematoda: Strongyloidea: Cyathostominea) of horses, asses and zebras of the world

The results of an international collaborative effort to prepare a recommended list of scientific names for the small strongyles (Nematoda: Strongyloidea: Cyathostominea) of horses, donkeys and zebras are reported. Fifty-one valid species are recognized in 13 genera, including Cyathostomum, Coronocyclus, Cylicodontophorus, Cylicocyclus, Cylicostephanus, Skrjabinodentus, Tridentoinfundibulum, Petrovinema, Poteriostomum, Parapoteriostomum, Hsiungia, Cylindropharynx and Caballonema. In addition, 42 other species level names are listed as synonyms of the 51 recognized species or as species inquirendae (10 species) or nomen nudum (one species). Numerous annotations provide information on the nomenclatural and systematics history, current status and additional studies needed.

A redescription of Cylicocyclus triramosus (Nematoda: Strongyloidea): a parasite of the zebra, Equus burchelli antiquorum

Cylicocyclus triramosus, a rare species of Cyathostominae from the southern African Burchell's zebra (Equus burchelli antiquorum) is redescribed, and a neotype is proposed. The external leaf-crown of the species consists of 30 elements and the internal leaf-crown numerous small and clear elements. The buccal capsule is cylindrical, oval in cross section, and approximately 3 times as wide as deep. The thin walls of the buccal capsule taper anteriorly from a large ringlike, hoop-shaped thickening around the posterior margin. The dorsal gutter is nipple-shaped. The mouth collar is notched dorsally and ventrally. The dorsal ray of the copulatory bursa is slightly elongate and distinctly set off from the lateral lobes. The branches of the dorsal ray have auxiliary branches. Appendages of the genital cone consist of 2 separated, large, semilunar plates with finger-shaped processes on the margins. The vulva-to-anus distance is greater than the tail length. The species is most similar to Cylicocyclus radiatus. Cylicocyclus triramosus differs from all similar species in the presence of dorsal and ventral notches in its mouth collar. In addition, C. triramosus also has a distinctive form of male genital cone appendage. Cylicocyclus radiatus differs further from C. triramosus in lacking a dorsal gutter and having a more elongate dorsal ray and a female tail nearly equal in length to the vulva-to-anus distance.

Benzimidazole resistance in cyathostomes in horses in the Ukraine

The efficacy of treatment with cambendazole was tested in 1-year-old horses on a farm in Dubrovka, Ukraine. Thirty-five horses were treated. Their egg output was compared on the day of treatment and 14 days later with that of 33 untreated horses. Before treatment the mean number of eggs g-1 faeces was 614 in the controls and 766 in horses that had been treated. After 14 days the mean egg output in the controls was 580 and in the treated horses 369. This means a reduction of 54.5%. Only cyathostome larvae could be cultured from faeces collected after treatment. It can be concluded that benzimidazole resistance in cyathostomes is present in the Ukraine.

Coronocyclus ulambajari n. sp. (Nematoda: Strongyloidea) from horses of Mongolia

Coronocyclus ulambajari n. sp. (Strongyloidea: Cyathostominae) from horses of Mongolia is described. The external leaf-crown (ELC) of the new species consists of 28 elements and the internal leaf-crown (ILC) of approximately 80 elements. A spindle-shaped (in optical section) mouth collar support is separated anteriorly from the buccal capsule and connected to it and elements of leaf-crowns by bundles of connective tissue. The buccal capsule is cylindrical, circular in cross-section, and approximately 3 times as wide as deep. A large, tongue-like dorsal cone protrudes from the floor of the buccal capsule overlying the large dorsal esophageal tooth. The duct of the dorsal esophageal gland opens at the tip of the dorsal cone. The tail and vagina of females are short, and the vulva is close to the anus. The buccal capsule and dorsal cone are most similar to Coronocyclus labratus, but differ significantly in size of dorsal cone and relative width and depth of the buccal capsule as well as characteristics of the leaf-crowns and female reproductive systems.

[The characteristics of the helminth community in the Turkmen kulan (Equus hemionus)]

The helminth fauna of 24 kulans from Askaniya-Nova and Badkhyz was studied. 42 species of helminths were found, 34 of which belong to strongylids. The helminth species composition of kulan is similar to that of other species of horses. This is a result of an intensive parasite exchange in the historical past when numerous populations of different Equidae species made long seasonal migrations over steppe inter-river lands of Asia and grazed for some time on common pastures.

[Little-studied parasitic strongylid larvae (Nematoda: Strongylidae) in horses]

Parasitic larvae of 30 strongylid species of horses out of 53 species known for the fauna of the USSR are identified. The paper presents descriptions of 7 earlier unknown phenons of parasitic late 4th-stage larvae, the specific belonging of which in not yet ascertained. The possibility of their identification is discussed.

[The morphology and differential diagnosis of parasitic larvae of Triodontophorus (Nematoda, Strongylidae)]

356 parasitic larvae of the genus Triodontophorus from Equidae (two Equus hemionus and one E. grevyi) have been investigated. They belong to three phenons, which differ from each other by the shape and dimensions of a stoma, the structure of teeth and other signs. That phenons belong to three different species: T. serratus, T. tenuicollis and T. brevicauda. The differential diagnosis of L4 of that species of Triodontophorus are given.