Evaluation of the leaf juice of some higher plants for their toxicity against soil borne pathogens

Out of the leaf juices of eighteen plant species screened, only Eupatorium cannabinum exhibited complete toxicity against Pythium debaryanum, Fusarium oxysporum, Rhizoctonia solani and Sclerotium rolfsii. Shade drying of the leaves had no adverse effect, while oven drying produced an adverse effect on the fungitoxicity of the leaves of E. cannabinum. The crude leaf juice of E. cannabinum successfully inhibited damping-off (Fusarium oxysporum) infection of Pisum sativum seedlings.     

Harvest of Arthrospira platensis from Lake Kossorom (Chad) and its household usage among the Kanembu

In 1997 a survey was conducted among the Kanembu whoharvest Arthrospira (Spirulina) from LakeKossorom in the Prefecture of Lac (Chad). Informationon the amount of Arthrospira harvested and thepreparation and use of dihé was obtained byinterviewing the women who daily gather around thelake for the harvesting. Dihé is obtained byfiltering and sun drying the algal biomass on thesandy shores of the lake. The semi-dried dihé is then cut into small squares and taken tothe villages, where the drying is completed on mats inthe sun. Dihé is mainly used to prepare la souce, a kind of fish or meat and vegetable broth.Part of the harvest is sold to local consumers or towholesalers, who trade the product in the markets ofMassakori, Massaquet and N'Djamena and also across theborder of the country. The local trading valueof the dihé annually harvested from LakeKossorom (about 40 t) amounts to more than US$100,000, which represents an important contributionto the economy of the area.     

Abscisic-acid-induced drought tolerance in Funaria hygrometrica Hedw.

Three-week-old protonemata of Funaria hygrometrica Hedw. cultivated in Petri dishes tolerate slow drying (24 h to complete dryness) but not rapid drying (1h to complete dryness). Slowly dried mosses show, on a dry-weight basis, a sixfold increase in abscisic-acid (ABA) contents during the drying process. Rehydrated, slowly dried protonemata have the ability to tolerate subsequent rapid drying. When ABA is added to three-week-old protonemata at a concentration of 10 M for 16 h, tolerance to rapid drying is induced. These data indicate that the induction of drought tolerance in Funaria hygrometrica is mediated by ABA. Mosses treated with ABA loose their water as fast as controls do; therefore, ABA does not act via reduced water loss. However, induction of synthesis of new proteins by ABA may form an important part of the drought tolerance because 10 M cycloheximide inhibits the ABA-mediated tolerance to rapid drying.Abbreviations ABA abscisic acid - CHI cycloheximide - DW dry weight - FW fresh weight - RWL relative water loss This work was supported by grants from the Deutsche Forschungs-gemeinschaft and by a NATO fellowship awarded to R.M. Ros Espin.     

Microbiological and physicochemical factors affecting <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aspergillus</Emphasis> section <Emphasis Type="Italic">Flavi</Emphasis> incidence in Cavendish banana (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Musa cavendishii</Emphasis>) chips production in Southern Philippines

Microbiological and physicochemical factors affecting the incidence of Aspergillus section Flavi in dried Cavendish banana (Musa cavendishii) chips production in Southern Philippines were examined. The average counts of Aspergillus section Flavi (AFC) in fresh and dried Cavendish bananas from 10 production batches of the Philippine Agro-Industrial Development Cooperative in Davao del Norte, Southern Philippines were 1.2 × 10² and 1.6 × 10² cfu/g, respectively. Isolates from both samples were identified to be Aspergillus flavus based on spore type and conidial structure of isolates. An increasing trend in the AFC of Cavendish bananas was observed during dried banana chips processing. Variability in the AFC between production batches was attributed to differences in aerobic and fungal populations and physicochemical characteristics of the fruits, peel damage of the raw materials, concentration of AFC in the air and food-contact surfaces of the production area, and temperature and relative humidity (RH) conditions of the environment during production and storage. Physicochemical characteristics of Cavendish bananas from the receipt of raw materials up to the first day of drying were within the reported range of values allowing growth and toxin production by aflatoxigenic fungi. Air-borne AFC varied depending on the section of the production area examined. The close proximity of the waste disposal area from the production operation to the preparation, drying and storage areas suggests that cross-contamination, probably air-borne or insect-borne was a likely occurrence. The hands of workers were also identified as AFC sources. Results of this study highlight the need for the development of strategies to control aflatoxigenic fungi and aflatoxin contamination in Philippine dried Cavendish bananas.     

A fungal pathogen with potential for biocontrol ofStriga hermonthica (Scrophulariaceae)

Fusarium equiseti (Corda) Saccardo (IMI Number 311922b) was isolated from diseasedStriga hermonthica (Del.) Bentham parasitic on sorghum in the Nuba Mountains Rural Development Project, Kordofan, Sudan in November 1986. Symptoms of the disease consisted of progressive blackening and drying of the leaves and flowers. The disease caused 50% mortality ofS. hermonthica populations in two areas.     

The cryopreservation of shoot tips of Rosa multiflora

Shoot tips of in vitro grown plantlets of Rosa multiflora were cryopreserved using an encapsulation/dehydration procedure. The influence of sucrose and silica gel pretreatments on pre- and post-freeze shoot growth were examined. Shoot tips recovered from liquid nitrogen only grew after 24h pretreatment in medium containing 0.5 M sucrose, followed by 2 h drying with silica gel and rapid freezing.Abbreviations RSC1 modified Murashige and Skoog medium for Rosa multiflora shoot culture     

A method for the selective isolation ofMyxococcus directly from soil

A new method is described for the selective isolation of species ofMyxococcus directly from soil by dilution plating. The method involves suppression of competing microorganisms with antibiotics combined with air drying and wet heat treatment of soils. Fungi were eliminated by supplementing the plating medium with cycloheximide and nystatin. Non-sporulating bacteria were controlled by air drying soils and then heating aqueous soil dilutions for 10 min at 56°C. The predominant sporulating bacteria in soil,Streptomyces andBacillus, were suppressed by adding either tiacumicin B, ristocetin or vancomycin to the medium. Swarming ofMyxococcus colonies was controlled with a casein digest-yeast extract plating medium (CY-C10 agar). Ultrasound treatment of soil suspensions gave the highest number ofMyxococcus colonies in the soils studied, but these cultures could be recovered without ultrasound. Strains ofMyxococccus fulvus, M. xanthus, M. coralloides, M. stipitatus andM. virescens were isolated from soil using this technique. Soils examined yielded one or twoMyxococcus species per sample.     

Changes in quality of Phellinus gilvus mushroom by different drying methods

This study was conducted to investigate the changes in characteristics of the Phellinus gilvus mushroom as influenced by drying methods after harvest. The lowest weight loss rate of P. gilvus mushroom was 75.8% with drying in the shade and 80% by dryer (60°C). The size loss rate of pileus was 19.3% of that in a hot air dryer (60°C). The hardness of dried material context using a hot air dryer (60°C) was the lowest (20 kg/cm²), and that by a dry oven (60°C) was the highest (457 kg/m²). For ΔE value, 4.9 of context and 2.6 of tubes using drying in the shade (20°C) were found to be the lowest. The survival rate of sarcoma 180 treated with P. gilvus dried in the sun was the lowest (51.8%), and this was considered the most effective method for antitumor activity against sarcoma 180.     

Diurnal variation in photochemical dynamics and surface reflectance of the desiccation-tolerant moss,Tortula ruralis

Most desiccation-tolerant plants alter shoot structure during drying, making it possible to use changes in surface reflectance as a proxy measure of plant water status. Diurnal courses of surface reflectance (albedo) and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters of the ectohydric moss, Tortula ruralis (Hedw.) Gaertn, were measured to assess the coordination between anatomical and physiological features under field conditions. Albedo showed a sigmoidal relationship with relative humidity and the deviation of moss mat temperature from dew point. Maximum photosynthetic quantum yield (F _v/F _m) also displayed a sigmoidal relationship pooled across three days differing in light, temperature, and relative humidity. Depending on the light conditions and rapidity of drying during the morning, there were distinct differences in the ability of T. ruralis to establish thermal dissipation of excess light energy (NPQ) across a range of light levels following rehydration through the day. These findings suggest that there is a coordinated suite of architectural and physiological characteristics maintaining the photosynthetic integrity of these plants in highly variable arid and semi-arid environments.     

Effect of cyclic wetting and drying of a soil on root hair growth of maize roots

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of cyclic soil wetting and drying on maize (Zea mays L.) root hair growth. Three soils, Chalmers silty clay loam (Typic Haplaquolls), Raub silt loam (Aquic Argiudolls) and Aubbeenaubbee sandy loam (Aric Ochraqualfs) and two soil moisture contents, −175 (M₀) and −7.5 kPa (M₁), were used to study root hair growth in a controlled-climate chamber. Increasing soil moisture after 7d from M₀ and M₁ resulted in a cessation of root hair growth behind the root cap while drying the soil after 7d from M₁ and M₀ promoted root hair growth on new but not old or existing roots. By maintaining liquid continuity under cyclic wetting and drying of a soil, root hairs may be of far greater significance to the nutrition of the plant than originally thought. Journal Paper No. 11023, Purdue Univ. Agric. Exp. Stn., W. Lafayette, IN 47907. Contribution from the Dep. of Agron.     

Soybean genotypic differences in sensitivity of symbiotic nitrogen fixation to soil dehydration

Nitrogen fixation activity by soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) nodules has been shown to be especially sensitive to soil dehydration. Specifically, nitrogen fixation rates have been found to decrease in response to soil dehydration preceding alterations in plant gas exchange rates. The objective of this research was to investigate possible genetic variation in the sensitivity of soybean cultivars for nitrogen fixation rates in response to soil drying. Field tests showed substantial variation among cultivars with Jackson and CNS showing the least sensitivity in nitrogen accumulation to soil drying. Glasshouse experiments confirmed a large divergence among cultivars in the nitrogen fixation response to drought. Nitrogen fixation in Jackson was again found to be tolerant of soil drying, but the other five cultivars tested, including CNS, were found to be intolerant. Experiments with CNS which induced localized soil drying around the nodules did not result in decreases in nitrogen fixation rates, but rather nitrogen fixation responded to drying of the entire rooting volume. The osmotic potential of nodules was found to decrease markedly upon soil drying. However, the decrease in nodule osmotic potential occurred after significant decreases in nitrogen fixation rates had already been observed. Overall, the results of this study indicate that important genetic variations for sensitivity of nitrogen fixation to soil drying exist in soybean, and that the variation may be useful in physiology and breeding studies.     

The protein index ofNostoc commune UTEX 584 (cyanobacteria): changes induced in immobilized cells by water stress

Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis was used to analyze the effects of water stress (immobilization and rapid drying, desiccation, rewetting) on the protein index of the desiccation-tolerant cyanobacteriumNostoc commune UTEX 584. Five major landmark protein constellations were detected in the protein index of control cells (in liquid culture) and were designated A (1 protein), B (7 proteins), C (8 proteins), D (3 proteins) and E (2 proteins). These included proteins which showed different sensitivities to water stress. Upon immobilization and rapid drying of the cells at a water potential ({ie87-1}) of -99.5 MPa (a_w=0.5) for 30 min, few changes took place in the index. Four conspicuous proteins and the majority of proteins in the size range 18 to 97 K diminished in abundance while most proteins of constellations A, B and C were detected in fluorographs with the same intensity as in the control. Although protein synthesis continued during this time of drying, no novel class of proteins was detected. The level of incorporation of³⁵S in protein increased rapidly during the first 60 min of rehydration, and then decreased gradually for a further 2.5 h. Extant proteins that were hardly detectable after 24 h of drying, reappeared and increased in abundance upon rewetting of cells for 60 min while a number of proteins which disappeared after drying did not appear during this time. No novel class of proteins appeared upon rewetting. During further rehydration, extensive proteolysis was observed.ThenifH product (Fe protein of nitrogenase) was detected on Western blots — through cross-reaction with antibody — as an acidic polypeptide with a molecular mass of 33.8 K. Fe-protein was detected in immobilized cells after 30 min of drying, in desiccated material, and in rehydrated cells.Abbreviations PMSF Phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride - IEF Isoelectric focussing     

Influence of soil drying on root development,water relations and leaf growth of Ceratonia siliqua L.

Summary Seedlings of Ceratonia siliqua L., an evergreen sclerophyll species native to the Mediterranean region, were grown in 30-cm deep tubes of John Innes II potting compost in a growth cabinet maintained at 15° C during a 12-h day where PAR was 400 mol m^–2 s^–1. After a period of acclimatisation to the conditions in the cabinet during which plants were watered every day, water was withheld from the soil in some tubes for 24 days. These conditions may be regarded as a simulation of the natural situation. Estimates of leaf and root water potential and solute potential, leaf growth and root development were made at intervals during the soil drying cycle on both watered and unwatered plants. Water potential and solute potential measurements were made both on young expanding and on fully expanded leaves. During the experimental period, root growth of C. siliqua was not much affected by soil drying, and roots in both the watered and the unwatered columns penetrated to the bottom of the soil tubes by the end of the drying treatment. Expanded leaves showed significant limitation in stomatal conductance as soil drying progressed. Leaf water potential of fully expanded leaves of unwatered plants declined substantially. In contrast, water potential of young expanding leaves on unwatered plants declined to only a limited extent and turgor was sustained. As the soil dried, stomatal conductance of young leaves was always higher than that of mature leaves; also, placticity and elasticity of young leaves slowly decreased whereas mature leaves became stiff. Changing leaf cell wall properties may determine different patterns of water use as the leaves age. A mechanism of continuous diffusion of water through the soil towards the tip and pumping towards the young leaves is proposed.     

干湿交替对生物滞留系统中氮素功能微生物群落的影响

【目的】为探究生物滞留系统干湿交替下环境因子对氮素功能微生物群落的影响。【方法】应用高通量测序技术(Illumina MiSeq PE300),并以amoA和nirS功能基因为分子标记,对无植物型和植物型生物滞留系统在干湿交替下不同土壤空间位置(种植层、淹没层)的硝化和反硝化细菌的多样性和群落结构进行研究,并对微生物群落与环境因子的相互关系进行相关性分析。【结果】微生物种群的功能基因存在显著的空间差异,相比淹没层,种植层的功能细菌更丰富。种植层的OTUs高于淹没层,而进水再湿润促使两种功能基因在种植层和淹没层的OTUs占比差异性增大。群落组成分析表明,amoA型硝化细菌和nirS型反硝化细菌的优势细菌门均为变形菌门(Proteobacteria)。虽然植物根系对氮素功能微生物的多样性指数影响不显著,但在属水平上,植物系统种植层的反硝化菌群种类高于淹没层,而无植物系统则刚好相反。CCA/RDA分析表明,土壤空间位置是影响硝化和反硝化菌群结构的最重要环境因子。【结论】本研究证实干湿交替运行下生物滞留系统中的氮素功能微生物群落受土壤空间位置、水分含量和植物根系的共同调控,其机制有待进一步研究。     

Control of Root-knot Nematode with Formulations of the Nematode-Trapping FungusArthrobotrys dactyloides

Arthrobotrys dactyloidesgrew readily in shaken flasks containing glucose corn steep powder and 8–10 g dry wt of fungal biomass/liter medium was usually produced in 5–6 days. However, it was difficult to convert this biomass into a viable, granulated product suitable for commercial use in biological control. Formulations prepared using kaolin and vermiculite as carriers and gum arabic as a binder showed poor viability when biomass was harvested from liquid culture, mixed with formulation ingredients, granulated, and then dried to a moisture content of less than 5%. Inclusion of a solid-phase incubation step following granulation and prior to drying (incubation of moist granules for 3 days at 25°C in a sterile plastic bag aerated with sterile air) markedly improved biological activity. When granules produced in this manner were placed on a glass slide in field soil, hyphae proliferated from granules and always produced traps. Seven experiments in soil microcosms showed that formulations which had been subjected to solid phase incubation prior to drying consistently reduced numbers ofMeloidogyne javanicajuveniles by more than 90%. In seven glasshouse experiments in which field soils were treated with granules (10 g/liter) and planted to tomatoes, the number of galls induced by the nematode was reduced by 57–96%.     

Species-specific patterns of hydraulic lift in co-occurring adult trees and grasses in a sandhill community

Plants can significantly affect ecosystem water balance by hydraulic redistribution (HR) from dry to wet soil layers via roots (also called hydraulic lift, HL, when the redistribution is from deep to shallow soil). However, the information on how co-occurring species in natural habitats differ in HL ability is insufficient. In a field study, we compared HL ability of four tree species (including three congeneric oak species) and two C4 bunch grass species that co-occur in subxeric habitats of fall-line sandhills in southeastern USA. Soil water potentials (_s) were recorded hourly for 3 years both in large chambers that isolated roots for each species and outside the chambers. Outside of root chambers, soil drying occurred periodically in the top 25 cm and corresponded with lack of precipitation during the summer growing season. Soil moisture was continuously available at a 1 m depth. HL activity was observed in three of the tree species, with greater frequency for Pinus palustris than for Quercus laevis and Q. incana. The fourth tree species Q. margaretta did not exhibit HL activity even though it experienced a similar _s gradient. For the C4 bunch grasses, Aristida stricta exhibited a small amount of HL activity, but Schizachyrium scoparium did not. The capacity for HL activity may be linked to the species ecological distribution. The four species that exhibited HL activity in this subxeric habitat are also dominant in adjacent xeric sandhill habitats, whereas the species that did not exhibit HL are scarcely found in the xeric areas. This is consistent with other studies that found greater fine root survival in dry soil for the four xeric species exhibiting HL activity. The differential ability of these species to redistribute water from the deep soil to the rapidly drying shallow soil likely has a strong effect on the water balance of sandhill plant communities, and is likely linked to their differential distribution across edaphic gradients.An erratum to this article can be found at     

Influence of drying treatment on three Sargassum species

The effects were investigated of two different drying treatments (oven- andfreeze-drying) on the proximate composition, amino acid profile and somephysico-chemical properties of three subtropical brown seaweeds, Sargassum hemiphyllum, S. henslowianum and S. patens. Therewere significant differences (p < 0.05, two-way ANOVA,Tukey-HSD) in the ash, crude lipid and moisture contents of the threespecies treated by the two drying methods. The amount of total aminoacids in the oven-dried seaweed samples was significantly (p <0.05, two-way ANOVA, Tukey-HSD) lower than that of the freeze-driedones. However, there were no significant differences on the amount oftotal essential amino acids and individual amino acid between the oven- andfreeze-dried brown seaweeds. Physico-chemical properties includingswelling, water holding and oil holding capacity of the freeze-dried Sargassum species were significantly (p < 0.05, two-wayANOVA, Tukey-HSD) higher than those of the oven-dried seaweedsamples. This indicated that freeze-dried seaweeds had greater potential tobe used as food ingredients in formulated food products than oven-driedones.     

Beta-carotene studies in Spirulina

The increasing importance of natural beta-carotene in fighting xerophthalmia and cancer has given special importance to algal sources of beta-carotene. The susceptibility to quick degradation of this valuable nutrient in oxygen atmosphere, light or heat calls for specific attention to processing and storage practices. In the case of Spirulina it was found that initial losses of beta-carotene on spray drying were between 7 and 10%. On storage in coloured bottles containing air, more than 50% was lost in less than 45 days. The particle size of the dried material seems to have an influence. Flakes (about 20 mesh+) retained 52% of the original beta-carotene level while the spray-dried fine powder (100 mesh-), retained only 34% of the original level. This is explainable in terms of surface area available for active reaction which is higher in the powder than in flakes. This questions the suitability of using spray drying for Spirulina drying. In this paper, data will be presented to substantiate the behaviour of beta-carotene on drying and storage by various methods.     

Germination-associated events and the desiccation sensitivity of recalcitrant seeds — a study on three unrelated species

The storage behaviour of recalcitrant seeds was assessed using three diverse species: a gymnosperm, Araucaria angustifolia (Bert.) O. Kuntze; a herbaceous monocotyledon, Scadoxus membranaceus (Bak.) Friis Nordal; and a woody dicotyledon, Landolphia kirkii Dyer. Seeds were stored under conditions of high relative humidities that maintained seed moisture content and under low relative humidities that caused drying. At regular intervals moisture content was determined, germinability assessed and the ultrastructure of radicle meristem cells examined. Under storage at high relative humidity, seed moisture content was maintained at the original level and subcellular germination events were initiated in the short-term. Such seeds showed enhanced rates of germination when removed from storage and planted. Long-term storage under these conditions resulted in the initiation of subcellular damage which intensified with time and ultimately resulted in the loss of viability. The rate at which germination events proceeded varied among the three species, and could be directly correlated with the period of viability retention under humid storage conditions. Storage under desiccating conditions resulted in subcellular damage and rapid loss of viability. The rate at which the seeds dried varied among the three species. The proportion of water loss tolerated by the different species before loss of viability, correlated with the rate of drying. The storage behaviour of the seeds of these three species is discussed in terms of a previously described model.     

Photosynthesis of Gelidium sesquipedale: effects of temperature and light on pigment concentration,C/N ratio and cell-wall polysaccharides

Tanymastix stagnalis is known from seven locations in Ireland. These range from small to large temporary water bodies. It was earlier shown that the best hatching and survival of eggs and young stages occurred in the presence of soil and at temperatures between about 10° and 15°. Some eggs hatched after one drying period, others after up to at least 4 drying and wetting periods. It was found from field observations that the habitat appeared after a minimum of 200 mm of rain in a 2-month period. This occurred on average more than once per year, mostly between June and February. A computer model was constructed using field data, and meteorological data (rainfall and temperature) covering 100 years, to decide how secure the organism was in two contrasting habitats. This showed that in both habitats there was little likelihood of extinction from metorological causes. There was, however, the possibility of destruction of the smaller habitats either through drainage or conversion to permanent ponds through compaction of the soil by heavy farm animals. The distribution and the possibility of harvesting the organisms is briefly discussed.