Factors influencing in the response of <i>Schizolobium parahybum</i> (Vell) Blake to <i>Ceratocystis paradoxa</i> and <i>C. moniliformis</i>

In the Ecuadorian coast one of the most destructive diseases of the pachaco is vascular wilt or stem rot caused by Ceratocystis complex, so the aim of this study was to determine the factors that affect the efficiency of the reaction of bark pachaco to this disease. This research was conducted under laboratory conditions, using trees pachaco S38, S41, S98, AE-1, AE-2 and AE-3, and pathogenic species Ceratocystis paradoxa and C. moniliformis. The method utilized was tissue stem bark,with bark sections with 4.5 cm², and a suspension of 3x10⁴ units infection and remained in a humid chamber for 96 hours at 25 ± 5 °C. Were determined grades of resistance/ susceptibility using a scale from 0 to 4, depending on the amount of mycelia and peritecio in each plant sample. Three factors were used: four colonies obtained by several transfers from each fungal specie, four ages of colonies of each fungal specie and four volumes of inoculum applied (units of infection), using for each experiment separately Completely Randomized Design with 4 replications factorial arrangement. For comparison between treatment means was used Tukey test at 5% probability of error. For future trials using this technique, you could use 30-day colonies for C. paradoxa and 40 days for C. moniliformis, and an application volume of 100 μL/cm², it would improve the level of response for the formation of perithecium and mycelia in samples cortex.     

Comparison of Morphological and Anatomical Characteristics of <i>Taxus chinensis</i> var. <i>mairei </i>Seedlings Root under Waterlogging Stress in Different Substrates

Four different ratios of river sand, ceramic pellets, vermiculite and perlite (1:1), and field soil were selected as the substrates in this experiment, and four gradient levels of root waterlogging, half waterlogging, full waterlogging and normal were set to investigate the effects of different gradients of waterlogging stress on the root morphology of Taxus chinensis var. mairei seedlings under different substrates. In this study, the root anatomical structure of Taxus chinensis var. mairei under different waterlogging stress was observed by the paraffin section method. The roots of T. chinensis var. mairei were diarch, with no pith and resin canals. There was a large number of tannins in the pericycle of the aerial adventitious roots of seedlings adapted to waterlogging. Also, the endodermis has obvious casparian strip thickening, and there were 4-5 layers of large parenchymatous cells in the close to the inner side of the pericycle in the vascular cylinder, which could increase the storage capacity, and transport capacity of the root. Under the treatment of root waterlogging stress, the development of plant roots in the mixed substrate of vermiculite and, perlite was the earliest. Under half waterlogging stress, T. chinensis var. mairei seedlings treated with various substrates all could better adapt to the environment of waterlogging stress. Under the stress of fully waterlogging, the roots of seedlings planted in river sand substrate developed secondary growth.     

<i>In vitro</i> evaluation of antifungal activity of Agave (<i>Agave scabra</i>, Salm Dyck) extracts against post-harvest mushrooms

The agricultural sector, and particularly the horticultural production, has a singular importance in agriculture, considering that it ranks second on agricultural products, nationally and worldwide. Fungal diseases are one of the major causes of vegetable loss during storage, reducing their nutritional value, quality and sale price. Vegetables are usually exposed to diverse treatments with chemical products before storage; as a result, fungal populations develop an increased resistance over time becoming more difficult to control. Because of this, research efforts toward finding more suitable chemicals to control fungal diseases are needed. Natural extracts may be an alternative solve this problem. In the present investigation the fungicidal activity of aqueous and ethanol extracts of Agave scabra was evaluated on the growth of Botrytis cinerea, Mucor sp., Aspergillus niger, Fusarium sp. and Penicillium sp., whose strains were isolated from potato and tomato. To assess their effects, the agar-dilution and agar-well techniques were performed. The ethanol extract was more effective against Botrytis cinerea and Mucor sp. when the agar-well method was used. However, when using the agar-dilution method the ethanol extract of Agave scabra inhibited the growth of Botrytis cinerea, Mucor sp. and Penicillium sp.     

Morphological and Phylogenetic Resolution of <i>Diplodia neojuniperi</i> Emerging <i>Diplodia</i> Top Dieback of <i>Pinus thunbergii</i> Parl. in China

In Bazhong City, Sichuan Province, China, top dieback symptoms were found on many pine trees (Pinus thunbergii Parl). The tips of old needles first turned grayish-green and then developed into brown bands in the field. Phylogenetic analysis of concatenated ITS and EF1-α indicated the pathogen of this dieback disease as Diplodia neojuniperi. Additionally, effects of temperature, pH and medium on the mycelial growth were also characterized. The most favorable temperature and pH level for mycelial growth are 25°C and 8, respectively. The optimal medium for mycelial growth is PDA medium. To our knowledge, this is the first report of D. neojuniperi causes Diplodia top dieback on Pinus thunbergii. Our results provide fundamental information for monitoring and preventing such disease in the future.     

Pre-Breeding Genetic Diversity Assessment of Tomato (<i>Solanum lycopersicum</i> L.) Cultivars Based on Molecular,Morphological and Physicochemical Parameters

Appropriate knowledge of the parental cultivars is a pre-requisite for a successful breeding program. This study characterized fruit yield, quality attributes, and molecular variations of ten tomato cultivars during three consecutive generations under greenhouse conditions. Peto 86, Castle Rock, and Red Star cultivars showed the highest fruit yield (kg/plant), total phenolic compounds (TPC), and sap acidity. Principal component analysis categorized the evaluated fruit yield into three groups based on their quality attributes. A robust positive correlation appeared among traits inside each group. A positive correlation was likewise noticed between the first and the second groups. However, a negative correlation was detected between the first, the second and the third group. Molecular profiling, using seven inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) primers, produced 60 loci, including 49 polymorphic loci. The molecular analysis also pinpointed the highest genetic similarity (0.92) between P73 and Moneymaker, while the lowest genetic similarity (0.46) was observed between Castle Rock and Moneymaker. The cultivars P73 and Moneymaker showed the lowest genetic distance (2.24), while the highest genetic distance (5.92) was observed between Super Marmand and Peto86, on the one hand, and between Castle Rock and Moneymaker, on the other hand. The chemical analysis of fruit sap indicated the highest levels of TPC, total flavonoids, anthocyanin, ascorbic acid and total soluble solids in Peto 86 and Castle Rock cultivars. Phylogeny analysis of tomato cultivars based on morphological and molecular attributes indicated four distinct clades. Peto 86, Castle Rock, and Red star cultivars can be recommended for the tomato hybridization breeding programs in the future, with other tomato cultivars as potentially high-yielding parents.     

Determining the Fertility Status of Setaria Infecting <Emphasis Type="Italic">Magnaporthe grisea</Emphasis> Isolates with Standard Testers and Identification of Tolerant Cultivar of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Setaria italica</Emphasis>

A total of 128 isolates of Setaria-infecting Magnaporthe grisea strains were obtained from different states of South India which includes sampling sites from Tamil Nadu, two from Karnataka, one from Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. Out of the selected 128 isolates 30 strains were tested with MAT1-1 and MAT1-2 fertile standard testers to determine their mating type. None of the 30 Setaria isolates produced perithecia with fertile testers. However, when monoconidial isolates were mated among themselves, isolates from the same field produced only barren perithecia and the tester isolates were able to mate readily with finger millet isolates. This is the first report of the mating-type studies on Setaria infecting Magnaporthe grisea with standard testers. This result indicates that the Setaria infecting population is infertile. In pathogenicity assay, it was found that 9 out of the 22 Setaria accessions were highly susceptible to Setaria strains of the blast fungus and seven cultivars/accessions were resistant to blast pathogen. Various virulence reactions were scored according to Standard Evaluation System.     

Mycorrhizal Fungal Effects on Growth,Antioxidant Capacity,and Medicine Quality of <i>Paris polyphylla</i> var. <i>yunnanensis</i>

A field experiment was conducted to determine the effects of two commercial strains composed of mulple arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) species on plant growth, antioxidant capacity, and medicine quality of Paris polyphylla var. yunnanensis in three subtropical soils from Wanzhou, Anshun and Baoshan in fields. The results showed that AMF inoculation enhanced the fungal colonization rate and activities of both succinate dehydrogenase and alkaline phosphatase, thereby, enhancing the mycorrhizal viability of P. polyphylla var. yunnanensis. The concentrations of photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll a, b, a+b and carotenoids), soluble sugar, soluble protein and photosynthetic capacity were higher in AMF-inoculated plants than in non-AMF-treated plants in field. AMFtreated plants recorded higher activities of catalase, peroxidase and superoxide dismutase, and caused the reduction in malondialdehyde content, indicating lower oxidative damage, compared with non-AMF plants. Polyphyllin I, Polyphyllin II, Polyphyllin III, Polyphyllin IV and total polyphyllin contents were increased by AMF treatment. In conclusion, AMF improved the plant growth, antioxidant capacity and medicinal quality of P. polyphylla var. yunnanensis seedlings. Hereinto, AMF effects on the soil from Wanzhou was relatively greater than on other soils.     

Effect of hydrocarbon concentration of pasture production (<i>Brachiaria humidicola</i>) in Texistepec,Veracruz

In this study, the relationship between the concentration of extra-heavy crude petroleum in a clayey material and the toxicity, field capacity, temperature, and growth of a tropical forage grass (Brachiara humidicola) was determined empirically. For this type of petroleum the acute toxicity (Microtox^®) was slight (CE₅₀ = 63200 - 76400 mg/kg) even at high hydrocarbon concentrations (29279 mg/kg). Nonetheless, serious impacts were encountered in terms of an increase in soil temperature (+ 1.3 °C), reduction in field capacity (-10.7%) and reduction in aerial biomass (-97%). The relationship between hydrocarbon concentration and biomass resulted in a typical dose-response curve (r = 0.99), where a concentration of 2626 mg/kg of hydrocarbons corresponds to a maintenance of 90% biomass. Furthermore, during the duration of this study (one year) the biodegradation was proportional to the pasture biomass production (r = 0.997) indicating a synergistic relationship between the petroleum biodegrading microorganisms in the rhizosphere and the pasture.     

Improvement of Selected Morphological,Physiological, and Biochemical Parameters of Banana (<i>Musa acuminata</i> L.) Using Potassium Silicate under Drought Stress Condition Grown <i>in vitro</i>

Drought stress has become more common in recent years as a result of climate change impacts on the production of banana crops and other fruit trees. The growth and productivity of Musa spp are severely impacted by the gradual degradation of water resources and the erratic distribution pattern of annual precipitation amount. The aim of the work includes increased drought tolerance in light of water scarcity in the world as a result of the bananas’ being gluttonous for water needs. This investigation was carried out from 2019 to 2020 to study the effect of potassium silicate on morphological growth and biochemical parameters of Musa acuminata L under drought stress by PEG. As a result, drought stress reduced the morphological characteristics such as shoots number, shoot length, roots number, and survival percentage and biochemical characteristics such as chlorophyll a, b, carotenoids, stomatal status, and RWC. While proline content increased in the leaf of M. acuminata L. Media complemented with K₂SiO₃ (2 to 6 mM) either individually or in combination with PEG led to an improvement in all morphological and biochemical characteristics. The activities of CAT, POD, and PPO enzymes increased signifi- cantly compared to control. Furthermore, the lowest PPO, CAT, and POD activity were achieved. Additionally, K₂SiO₃ treatments under drought stress successfully enhanced the leaf stomatal behavior. Our results suggest that K₂SiO₃ can help to maintain plant integrity in the tested cultivar under drought stress.     

<i>Azospirillum brasilense</i> and <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i> as Alternative for Decrease the Effect of Salinity Stress in Tomato (<i>Lycopersicon esculentum</i>) Growth

The salinity stress is one of the most relevant abiotic stresses that affects the agricultural production. The present study was performed to study the improvement of the salt tolerance of tomato plants which is known for their susceptibility to salt stress. The present study aimed to assess to what extent strain Azospirillum brasilense (N040) and Saccharomyces cerevisiae improve the salt tolerance to tomato plants treated with different salt concentration. The inoculant strain A. brasilense (N040) was previously adapted to survive up to 7% NaCl in the basal media. A greenhouse experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of this inoculation on growth parameter such as: plant height, root length, fresh and dry weight, fruits fresh weight, chlorophyll content, proline and total soluble sugar in tomato plants under salt stress condition. The results revealed that co-inoculation of Azospirillum brasilense (N040) and Saccharomyces cerevisiae significantly increased the level of proline (8.63 mg/g FW) and total soluble sugar (120 mg/g FW) of leaves under salinity condition comparing to non-inoculated plants (2.3 mg/g FW and 70 mg/g FW, respectively). Plants co-inoculated with adapted strain of A. brasilense and S. cerevisiae showed the highest significant (p < 0.01) increase in fruit yield (1166.6 g/plant), plant high (115 cm) and roots length (52.6) compared whit un-inoculated control plants (42 g/pant, 43.3 cm and 29.6 cm, respectively). In contrast, Na⁺ ion content was significantly decreased in the leaves of salt stressed plants treated with the A. brasilense (N040) and S. cerevisiae. Finally, the results showed that dual benefits provided by both A. brasilense (N040) and S. cerevisiae can provide a major way to improve tomato yields in saline soils.     

Antifeedant Activity of <i>Caesalpinia coriaria</i> Essential Oil Against <i>Incisitermes marginipennis</i> (Latreille)

This study scrutinized the possibility of finding toxicant or deterrent plant metabolites against the dry wood termite Incisitermes marginipennis (Latreille). Plant deterrent agents act as repellents or antifeedants to prevent wood decay and increase its useful life. The potential of the tree Caesalpinia coriaria (Fabaceae) as a biological source of molecules with deterrent effects against the dry wood termite was assessed by a phytochemical fractionation guided by repellence and antifeedant activities. The gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of the leaf essential oil showed geraniol to be one of the major components and its repellent and antifeedant effects were determined. Geraniol had only an antifeedant effect without affecting the body weight or survival of the dry wood termite. Unlike the leaf essential oil, geraniol did not exhibit a repellency effect. An in-silico approach of the activity of acetylcholinesterase in interaction with geraniol resulted in an affinity energy of −7.5 Kcal/mol. Geraniol interacted with the amino acid tyrosine 324 located in the enzyme’s active site while citronellol (negative control) interacted with tryptophan 83 located adjacent to the active site. These deterring terpenes have not been implemented for the preservation and restoration of wood products exposed to the attack of the dry wood termite. However, they are an important natural control alternative.     

Sexual Morph of <i>Furcasterigmium furcatum</i> (Plectosphaerellaceae) from <i>Magnolia liliifera</i> Collected in Northern Thailand

We isolated an interesting fungus from dead leaves of Magnolia liliifera collected from Chiang Mai, Thailand. The novel strain is related to Plectosphaerellaceae based on the morphology of its asexual morph and the analysis of sequence data. Phylogenetic analyses using a combined gene analysis of LSU and ITS sequence data showed that this strain is clustered in the same clade with Furcasterigmium furcatum with high statistical support. The new strains produced the asexual morph in culture which is morphologically similar to F. furcatum. Thus, we identified this strain as the sexual morph of F. furcatum. This is the first record of sexual morph for the monotypic genus Furcasterigmium and the first record of this genus on Magnolia.     

<i>DWARF</i> and <i>SMALL SEED1</i>, a Novel Allele of <i>OsDWARF</i>, Controls Rice Plant Architecture,Seed Size,and Chlorophyll Biosynthesis

Plant architecture is a vital agronomic trait to control yield in rice (Oryza sativa L.). A dwarf and small seed 1 (dss1) mutant were obtained from the ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) mutagenized progeny of a Guizhou glutinous landrace cultivar, Lipingzabianhe. The dss1 mutant displayed phenotypes similar to those of brassinosteroid (BR) deficient mutants, such as dwarfing, dark green and rugose erect leaves, small seeds, and loner neck internode panicles with primary branching. In our previous study, the underlying DSS1 gene was isolated, a novel allele of OsDWARF (OsBR6ox) that encodes a cytochrome P450 protein involved in the BR biosynthetic pathway by MutMap technology. In this work, we confirmed that a Thr335Ile amino acid substitution residing in DSS1/OsDWARF was responsible for the dwarf, panicle architecture, and small seed phenotypes in the dss1 mutants by genetic transformation experiments. The overexpression of OsDWARF in the dss1 mutant background could not only recover dss1 to the normal plant height and panicle architecture but also rescued normal leaf angles, seed size, and leaf color. Thus, the specific mutation in DSS1/OsDWARF influenced plant architecture, seed size, and chlorophyll biosynthesis.     

Cloning and Characterization of <i>EuGID1</i> in <i>Eucommia ulmoides</i> Oliver

Gibberellic acid controlled the key developmental processes of the life cycle of landing plants, and regulated the growth and development of plants. In this study, a novel gibberellin receptor gene EuGID1 was obtained from Eucommia ulmoides Oliver. The cDNA of EuGID1 was 1556 bp, and the open reading frame was 1029 bp, which encoded 343 amino acids. EuGID1 had the homology sequence with the hormone-sensitive lipase family. Amino acid sequence alignment confirmed EuGID1 protein had the highest homology with the GID1 protein of Manihot esculenta. EuGID1 was located in the nucleus and cell membrane and had expression in four plant organs. Overexpression of EuGID1 in transgenic Arabidopsis plants promoted plant elongation and increased siliques yield.