Processed kaolin as an alternative insecticide against the European pear sucker, Cacopsylla pyri (L.)

Abstract:  Application of processed kaolin particle film (Surround^® WP; Engelhard Corporation, Iselin, NJ, USA) repels insects without lethal effects; hence side effects on beneficial arthropods are low. Processed kaolin may be an alternative to broad-spectrum insecticides used against European pear sucker, Cacopsylla pyri (L.), in organic and conventional pear production. A small-plot field trial was conducted in spring 2003 to assess this hypothesis. Multiple applications of processed kaolin during the first flying period of C. pyri significantly reduced the number of nymphs compared to the untreated control. Processed kaolin protected pear trees at least as good as the standard organic insecticide rotenone. Since the effects on the summer population could not be assessed in this small-plot trial due to the high mobility of the adult C. pyri , a large-plot trial was conducted in 2004. Thereby, the processed kaolin showed a very high efficacy and the population of C. pyri was kept under a damaging level over the whole season. At the end of June the population density of C. pyri in the processed kaolin treated area was lower than in the IPM treated plot. In conclusion, kaolin shows promise as an alternative control for C. pyri in organic and IPM orchards.     

SEASONAL PERFORMANCE AFFECTING POPULATION DYNAMICS OF CITRUS RED MITE, FANONYCHUS CITRI (MCGREGOR) (ACARI: TETRANYCHIDAE), ON PEAR

Abstract The population of the citrus red mite, Panonychus citri (McGregor), does not increase on pear from spring to mid-summer but thereafter increases abruptly. To elucidate this phenomenon, we compared the performance of the mites on pear leaves with that on citrus leaves, at different time throughout the pear-growing season. No significant difference was detected between the oviposition rate on pear and that on citrus throughout the season. However, the survival rate of ovipositing females that had fed on pear and the hatch rate of eggs laid by those females were significantly lower than those for females that had fed on citrus, until August. However, no significant difference was observed thereafter. The results showed that the decline of the population of citrus red mite before autumn is due to the high mortality of adult females that had fed on pear leaves and the low hatch rate of the eggs produced by those females.     

Polymorphism of <Emphasis Type="Italic">SFBB</Emphasis><Superscript>−γ</Superscript> and its use for <Emphasis Type="Italic">S</Emphasis> genotyping in Japanese pear (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Pyrus pyrifolia</Emphasis>)

Japanese pear (Pyrus pyrifolia) exhibits the S-RNase-based gametophytic self-incompatibility where the pollen-part determinant, pollen S, had long remained elusive. Recent identification of S locus F-box brothers (SFBB) in Japanese pear and apple suggested that the multiple F-box genes are the pollen S candidates as they exhibited pollen specific expression, S haplotype-specific polymorphisms and linkage to the S locus. In Japanese pear, three SFBBs were identified from a single S haplotype, and they were more homologous to other haplotype genes of the same group (i.e., α-, β- and γ-groups). In this study, we isolated new seven PpSFBB ^−γ genes from different S genotypes of Japanese pear. These genes showed S haplotype-specific polymorphisms, however, sequence similarities among them were very high. Based on the sequence polymorphisms of the PpSFBB ^−γ genes, we developed a CAPS/dCAPS system for S genotyping of the Japanese pear cultivars. This new S genotyping system was found to not only be able to discriminate the S ¹–S ⁹, but also be suitable for identification of the mutant S ^4sm haplotype for the breeding of self-compatible cultivars, and detection of new S haplotypes such as S ^k.     

梨树叶片蒸腾特性研究

采用CIRAS-1红外气体分析仪研究梨树不同时期蒸腾速率及水分利用效率变化特征。结果表明:梨树蒸腾速率日变化为单峰型,峰值出现在11:00～P15:00;蒸腾速率的季节变化呈"V"字形,其中5～P8月份逐渐降低,8～P9月份迅速升至最高,生长季平均蒸腾速率为2.66mmol.m-2.s-1;决定蒸腾速率日变化的主要因子为空气温度、叶面温度和水汽压差,且各因子对蒸腾速率日变化的贡献率分别为85%～P96%、76%～P86%和98%。水分利用效率日变化峰值出现在早上7:00～P9:00,然后逐渐降低;水分利用效率的季节变化峰值(5.38μmolCO2/mmolH2O)出现在8月份,5、6、7、9月份的水分利用效率相当,其值在2.86～P3.05μmolCO2/mmolH2O之间,生长季平均为3.44μmolCO2/mmolH2O;相关分析结果表明,水分利用效率受光合有效辐射、空气温度、叶片温度、空气湿度、以及叶片-大气水气压差等各因子的综合作用。     

Incidence and detection of negative-stranded RNA viruses infecting apple and pear trees in California

Novel negative-stranded RNA (nsRNA) viruses have been recently identified in multiple agronomic crops, including pome fruit trees. Citrus concave gum-associated virus (CCGaV), citrus virus A (CiVA) and apple rubbery wood viruses 1 and 2 (ARWV1 and 2) are examples of such viruses. Given the novelty and lack of information about these pathogens in Californian orchards, in this study, real-time RT-PCR assays for CCGaV, CiVA, ARWV1 and 2 were developed and employed in a field survey. Initially, the new assays were challenged against a comprehensive set of positive and negative samples, previously analysed by high-throughput sequencing (HTS), to determine specificity. Aiming to investigate the presence of nsRNA viruses in California apple and pear orchards, 186 samples were collected from 21 different locations. As a result, 79 (42%) samples were found to be infected by these viruses in single or mixed infections. The incidence of each virus in relation to the total number of samples was 36%, 15%, 11% and 0% for ARWV2, CCGaV, ARWV1 and CiVA respectively. Overall, not considering the no detected CiVA, the other three nsRNA viruses were widely distributed among sampled orchards. To further validate the reliability of the new real-time RT-PCR assays, six samples tested positive during the survey were screened by previously described detection assays and HTS. This is the first detection of these nsRNA viruses in California, which may represent an issue in apple and pear production.     

cAMP介导的梨果表皮物化信号对链格孢侵染的调控

采用药理学方法,用cAMP抑制剂阿托品（atropine）处理链格孢Alternaria alternata孢子悬浮液,通过体外试验分析cAMP信号级联通路在链格孢响应梨果皮蜡质疏水性、化学组分和外源乙烯利等刺激后启动孢子萌发、附着胞形成的调控作用,并通过体内试验研究其对链格孢致病性的调控。结果表明,高疏水性表面和梨果蜡涂膜表面及1μmol/L的乙烯利均可显著促进链格孢的孢子萌发和附着胞形成。cAMP信号级联通路抑制剂atropine处理后显著抑制了表皮疏水性、蜡质和外源乙烯介导的链格孢的孢子萌发和附着胞形成,其中抑制剂处理后4h,链格孢在疏水性、果蜡涂膜表面和乙烯等处理中附着胞形成率分别较对照降低了75.3%、63.7%和74.3%,同时抑制剂处理还可抑制损伤接种链格孢早酥梨黑斑病的扩展。外源cAMP可以部分恢复抑制剂的作用,外源cAMP+atropine处理后4h,在高疏水性（108°）和果蜡涂膜表面,链格孢附着胞形成率为抑制剂atropine单独处理的2.4倍和1.6倍,表明cAMP信号级联通路可通过调控侵染结构的形成而影响链格孢对梨果表皮物理化学信号的识别和应答。     

PbrmiR397a regulates lignification during stone cell development in pear fruit

Lignified stone cells substantially reduce fruit quality. Therefore, it is desirable to inhibit stone cell development using genetic technologies. However, the molecular mechanisms regulating lignification are poorly understood in fruit stone cells. In this study, we have shown that microRNA (miR) miR397a regulates fruit cell lignification by inhibiting laccase (LAC) genes that encode key lignin biosynthesis enzymes. Transient overexpression of PbrmiR397a, which is the miR397a of Chinese pear (Pyrus bretschneideri), and simultaneous silencing of three LAC genes reduced the lignin content and stone cell number in pear fruit. A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) identified in the promoter of the PbrmiR397a gene was found to associate with low levels of fruit lignin, after analysis of the genome sequences of sixty pear varieties. This SNP created a TCA element that responded to salicylic acid to induce gene expression as confirmed using a cell‐based assay system. Furthermore, stable overexpression of PbrmiR397a in transgenic tobacco plants reduced the expression of target LAC genes and decreased the content of lignin but did not change the ratio of syringyl‐ and guaiacyl‐lignin monomers. Consistent with reduction in lignin content, the transgenic plants showed fewer numbers of vessel elements and thinner secondary walls in the remaining elements compared to wild‐type control plants. This study has advanced our understanding of the regulation of lignin biosynthesis and provided useful molecular genetic information for improving pear fruit quality.     

梨树腐烂病抗性种质筛选及相关生理生化特性研究

以46份不同类型梨树种质资源的休眠期枝条为试材,连续2年分析枝条的腐烂病抗病性,并测定枝条韧皮部组织POD、SOD活性,以及总酚含量和组织疏松度;采用酶联免疫分析法(ELISA)测定抗病品种‘秋白’和感病品种‘茌梨’枝干中内源水杨酸(SA)和茉莉酸(JA)的含量;并依据转录组文库中SA和JA合成相关基因(PAL、ICS、AOS和AOC)片段的序列信息,通过实时荧光定量(qRT-PCR)技术分析基因的相对表达量。结果表明:(1)不同类型的梨树种质资源之间腐烂病发病程度表现出较大的差异和多样性,并以秋子梨种类抗性最强,西洋梨抗性最弱。(2)梨树种质资源种类腐烂病发病程度与其枝条韧皮部POD、SOD活性和组织疏松度无显著相关性,与枝条韧皮部总酚含量呈显著正相关关系。(3)在病菌接种情况下,抗病品种‘秋白’枝干中SA和JA含量显著上升,同时其相关合成酶基因PAL和AOS表达量也显著升高,而感病品种‘茌梨’枝干中SA和JA含量变化不明显,相关合成酶基因PAL、ICS、AOS和AOC的表达量则显著下降。研究发现,梨树不同类型种质的腐烂病抗性有明显差异,其发病程度与枝条韧皮部总酚含量呈显著正相关关系;内源SA和JA可能参与抗病梨树种质资源对腐烂病的抵御过程。     

Minority cytotypes in European populations of the Gymnadenia conopsea complex (Orchidaceae) greatly increase intraspecific and intrapopulation diversity

Background and Aims

Patterns of ploidy variation among and within populations can provide valuable insights into the evolutionary mechanisms shaping the dynamics of plant systems showing ploidy diversity. Whereas data on majority ploidies are, by definition, often sufficiently extensive, much less is known about the incidence and evolutionary role of minority cytotypes.

Methods

Ploidy and proportions of endoreplicated genome were determined using DAPI (4'',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole) flow cytometry in 6150 Gymnadenia plants (fragrant orchids) collected from 141 populations in 17 European countries. All widely recognized European species, and several taxa of less certain taxonomic status were sampled within Gymnadenia conopsea sensu lato.

Key Results

Most Gymnadenia populations were taxonomically and/or ploidy heterogeneous. Two majority (2x and 4x) and three minority (3x, 5x and 6x) cytotypes were identified. Evolution largely proceeded at the diploid level, whereas tetraploids were much more geographically and taxonomically restricted. Although minority ploidies constituted <2 % of the individuals sampled, they were found in 35 % of populations across the entire area investigated. The amount of nuclear DNA, together with the level of progressively partial endoreplication, separated all Gymnadenia species currently widely recognized in Europe.

Conclusions

Despite their low frequency, minority cytotypes substantially increase intraspecific and intrapopulation ploidy diversity estimates for fragrant orchids. The cytogenetic structure of Gymnadenia populations is remarkably dynamic and shaped by multiple evolutionary mechanisms, including both the ongoing production of unreduced gametes and heteroploid hybridization. Overall, it is likely that the level of ploidy heterogeneity experienced by most plant species/populations is currently underestimated; intensive sampling is necessary to obtain a holistic picture.