Interference of horse purslane (Trianthema portulacastrum L.) and other weeds affect yield of autumn planted maize (Zea mays L.)

To assess comparative losses of Trianthema portulacastrum (HP) relative to other weeds, the experiment was set during consecutive summer seasons 2018 and 2019 at the Research Farm MNS-University of Agriculture, Multan, Pakistan. Experiment consisted three replications which were laid out under randomized complete block design. Experiment consisted of ten treatments viz: weeds free (whole season), HP free till 20 Days after emergence (DAE), HP free till 40 DAE, HP free till 60 DAE, all weeds free 20 DAE, all weeds free 40 DAE, all weeds free 60 DAE, weedy check (all weeds), weedy check except HP and weedy check containing only HP. During 2018 in all weeds weedy check, maximum HP relative density (33.33%) was observed while in 2019, plot where weeds were controlled from growing till 20 DAE showed (80%) relative density at 30 DAE. HP maximum frequency (66.67%, 77.78%) and relative frequency (66%, 100%) was recorded at 45 DAE in plots where HP was kept controlled till 20 DAE and all weeds kept controlled till 20 DAE, respectively. Maximum number of grains per cob (738, 700.68), 1000 grain weight (306.66, 271.51 g) and grain yield (6150, 8015 kg hec^-1) were recorded in plots which were kept all weed free till 60 DAE. As the competition period of weeds increased over 40 DAE, it substantially reduced yield of maize. Keeping the plots HP free till 40 DAE in the maize fields with HP as the major dominating weed, likely increase in maize grain yield is up to 30% compared to the fields where HP left un attended throughout the growing season. However, if maize field is infested with a mix of weeds with more than one dominating weeds including HP, compared to weedy situation the whole season, 30% higher grain yield can be obtained if all weeds are kept controlled till 40 DAE. Hence it can be concluded that whether the farmers face heavy HP infestation only or the mix of weeds as dominating weeds, in either case farmer should control weeds within first 40 days in maize field for better grain yield.     

Inhibition of early DNA-damage and chromosomal aberrations by Trianthema portulacastruml. In carbon tetrachloride-induced mouse liver damage

The underlying molecular mechanisms of the antihepatotoxic activity of Trianthema portulacastrum by monitoring its effect on mouse liver DNA-chain break, sugar-base damage and chromosomal aberrations, during chronic or acute treatment with carbon tetrachloride (CCl(4)) have been studied. Daily oral feeding with the ethanolic extract (150 mg/kg basal diet, per os) was given 2 weeks before CCl(4)treatment and continued until the end of the experiment (13 weeks). T. portulacastrum extract offer unique protection (P< 0.05-0. 001) against the induction of liver-specific structural-type chromosomal anomalies 15, 30 or 45 days after the last CCl(4)insult, compared to control mice. This was further evidenced by extract-mediated protection (15 days prior feeding following a single necrogenic dose of CCl(4)) of the generation of DNA chain-break and Fe-sugar-base damage assays. The observed hepatoprotective mechanism could be due to its ability to counteract oxidative injury to DNA in the liver of mouse.     

Screening of mulberry germplasm lines against Powdery mildew,Myrothecium leaf spot and Pseudocercospora leaf spot disease complex

Abstract

Fifty-six indigenous and 29 exotic mulberry varieties were screened against powdery mildew, Myrothecium leaf spot, Pseudocercospora leaf spot for a period of three years under field conditions. The percent disease index (PDI) was recorded during the peak season of the diseases. Out of 85 germplasm lines studied four-germplasm lines viz. Thailand lobed (0.43), M. multicaulis (2.63), Italian (2.83) and M. australis (4.56) were found highly resistant; nine lines were resistant; 43 lines were moderately resistant and 29 were susceptible to the disease complex. Powdery mildew showed significant positive correlation with Pseudocercospora leaf spot. Highly resistant varieties may be utilized for future disease resistance breeding programme to evolve multiple disease resistant mulberry varieties.     

Antifungal potential of zinc against leaf spot disease in chili pepper caused by Alternaria alternata

The fungal pathogen, Alternaria alternata is responsible for causing leaf spot disease in many plants, including chili pepper. Zinc (Zn) an essential micronutrient for plant growth, also increases resistance in plants against diseases, and also acts as an antifungal agent. Here, in vitro effects of ZnSO₄ on the propagation of A. alternata were investigated, and also in vivo, the effect of foliar application of ZnSO₄ was investigated in chili pepper plants under disease stress. In vitro, ZnSO₄ inhibited fungal growth in a dose-dependent manner, with complete inhibition being observed at the concentration of 8.50 mM. Hyphae and conidial damage were observed along with abnormal activity of antioxidant enzymes, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed the major changes in the protein structure of the fungal biomass after Zn accumulation. In vivo, pathogen infection caused the highest leaf spot disease incidence, and cumulative disease index, which resulted in a significant reduction in the plant’s growth (length and biomass), and physiochemical traits (photosynthetic pigment, activity of catalase, peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase, and phenylalanine ammonia lyase). The heat map and principal component analysis based on disease, growth and, physico-chemical variables generated useful information regarding the best treatment useful for disease management. Foliar Zn (0.036 mM) acted as a resistance inducer in chili pepper plants that improved activities of antioxidants (CAT and POX), and defense compounds (PPO and PAL), while managing 77% of disease. The study indicated foliar ZnSO₄ as an effective and sustainable agriculture practice to manage Alternaria leaf spot disease in chili pepper plants.     

Update of pistachio leaf spot caused by Septoria pistaciarum in light of new taxonomic advances in Italy

Septoria leaf spot is one the most widespread disease affecting pistachio (Pistacia vera) in countries of the Mediterranean region. Traditionally, three species have been associated with pistachio, including Septoria pistaciae, Septoria pistaciarum and S. pistacina. However, recent taxonomic studies have reordered and clarified the status of Septoria and septoria-like pathogens affecting pistachio. In our study, field surveys conducted in the traditional Sicilian pistachio production area of Bronte revealed the presence of trees showing characteristic septoria-like leaf spot. Collected isolates were morphologically and molecularly characterized. Morphological characterization was based on conidia measurements and evaluation of mycelial growth on different artificial media. Tested media included CMA, MEA, OA, PDA, and SNA. Phylogenetic analysis was conducted on a multi-locus approach (ITS + tef1 + tub2) based on Maximum Parsimony and Maximum Likelihood. Results showed that our isolates clustered with S. pistaciarum. Pathogenicity test was conducted in the field using conidia suspensions in order to fulfill Koch's postulates. Presence of characteristic rounded spots and pycnidia was evaluated on the inoculated leaves 9 and 23 days after inoculation. This study represents the first update on S. pistaciarum in Italy since its first identification in 1934.     

First report of leaf spot disease caused by Phoma eupyrena Sacc. on Aloe vera from Madhya Pradesh,India

A leaf spot disease caused by Phoma eupyrena Sacc. on Aloe vera was reported from Madhya Pradesh, India. Disease symptoms were observed as irregular to elongated, sunken lesion on both leaf surfaces which later turns creamish brown with maroon margin. The fungal colonies were whitish or light pale to dark grey colour. The pycnidia were glabrous and solitary, papillate, and indistinctly uniostiolate averages 100–260 μm in diameter. Conidia were ellipsoidal, 4.5–7.5 × 2.5–3.75 μm in size, with two large guttules. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of P. eupyrena causing leaf spot disease on A. vera in India.     

氮钙对香石竹多酚氧化酶、过氧化物酶和叶斑病的影响

1　引　　言近几年安徽省香石竹鲜切花生产得到迅速发展 ,但每年6月至 10月间叶斑病均有较严重发生 ,药物也很难从根本上防止叶斑病的发生和蔓延 ,影响香石竹的生产 .由于多数香石竹生产基地长期只注重用销铵、尿素等Ｎ肥 ,而忽视施用含Ｃａ2 + 肥料和Ｃａ2 + 的生理作用 ,导致栽培基质Ｎ(ＮＯ-3 )、Ｃａ2 + 失去平衡 ,植株对病害抵抗能力降低 .本试验着重研究Ｎ(ＮＯ-3 )、Ｃａ2 + 营养浓度对与抗病性有关的多酚氧化酶、过氧化物酶活性和植株发生叶斑病程度的关系 ,为合理施肥减轻叶斑病对香石竹危害程度提供理论依据 .2　材料与方法2 1　…     

一种兼具研究与应用开发价值的盐生植物——海马齿

海马齿(Sesuvium portulacastrum L.)是一种生长在热带和亚热带滨海地区的多年生兼性草本盐生植物。综述了海马齿在耐干旱、高盐及重金属离子机理等方面的研究进展,探讨了其潜在的开发价值及可能的用途。     

Alternaria alternata f.sp. cucurbitae, the cause of a new leaf spot disease of melon (Cucumis melo)

A leaf spot disease of melon caused by Alternaria alternata f.sp. cucurbitae was recorded for the first time in Crete. Necrotic flecks surrounded by chlorotic halos developed on the cotyledons and the leaves of the middle and the upper part of the plants; the flecks enlarged and coalesced to form lesions of 2 cm or more in diameter with brown fructifications of the pathogen on their surface. Severely affected cotyledons and leaves became chlorotic and died. Of 16 species from eight botanical families that were inoculated, only those of the Cucurbitaceae were susceptible. Of four isolates of A. alternata from tomato, sunflower, pear and cucumber, only the cucumber isolate was pathogenic to melon foliage.     

Screening of chilli germplasm for resistance to Alternaria leaf spot disease

Chilli is one of the spices used to enhance the flavour and taste of cooked food. Fungal diseases are the main biological constraints in chilli production, and Alternaria leaf spot disease caused by Alternaria alternata is one of the most devastating diseases of chilli. One of the effective and environmentally friendly ways to control this disease is introgress resistance from wild relative/varieties to the cultivated one. The first step towards introgression of resistance genes is to screen the chill germplasm for leaf spot resistance. In the current study, we screened the chilly germplasm and identified the sources of leaf spot resistance, which can be harnessed in resistance breeding programmes.     

盐生植物海马齿耐盐的生理特性

以盐生植物海马齿为研究材料,分别用淡水、1/4海水、1/2海水、全海水浇灌15 d和30 d,研究盐生植物耐盐的生理特性和机理。海马齿植物在低于1/2的海水浇灌时,植物生长旺盛,主要表现为叶片增大和变厚,地上部分生物量增加;而全海水抑制了植物的生长。在盐胁迫下,海马齿植物中Na+的含量叶中最高,茎中含量次之,根中含量最低。长时间盐胁迫时,海马齿植物根、茎、叶中的相对含水量与淡水浇灌相比,变化不大,叶中略有增加;而脯氨酸含量显著增加,且可溶性糖的含量也比淡水浇灌的高。由此推测:海马齿植物主要以有机小分子作为渗透调节物质来维持细胞渗透压,在其耐盐中起着重要的作用。土壤中Na+的毒害,并没有减少土壤中可被植物利用的可交换K+,反而使其增加,说明海马齿植物根部对Na+的吸收能力和Na+/K+交换能力非常强。海马齿植物耐盐性强,还表现为能阻止盐胁迫对植物细胞原生质膜的氧化损伤,不破坏植物叶片内叶绿素的合成,能基本维持植物茎、叶中K+和根、茎中Mg2+的相对稳定。     

昆明美人蕉黑斑病菌——链格孢Alternaria alternata

美人蕉是重要的园林绿化植物和生物资源。为了明确美人蕉黑斑病的病原菌种类,并为病害防治提供理论指导,调查了昆明市美人蕉黑斑病的发生情况,采用组织分离法对病原物进行了分离和纯化,并进行了致病性测定。通过形态学和rDNA ITS序列分析,将昆明美人蕉黑斑病的病原菌鉴定为链格孢Alternaria alternata。     

Genetic basis of resistance to zonate leaf spot disease in forage sorghum

Summary Generation mean analysis was carried out for ten crosses between two resistant and two susceptible parents to find the genetic basic of resistance to zonate leaf spot disease in forage sorghum. In all crosses except one, at least one type of non-allelic interaction was present. Both additive and dominance gene effects were significant for most crosses. Duplicate type epistasis was present for the inheritance of this disease. Resistance to this disease revealed overdominance. Appropriate breeding plans were suggested to exploit the disease resistance.     

Cloning of Salt Tolerance-Related cDNAs from the Mangrove Plant Sesuvium portulacastrum L.

In an attempt to isolate and identify the target genes relevant to salt tolerance in a mangrove plant （Sesuvium portulacastrum L.）, a subtracted cDNA library was constructed via suppressive subtractive hybridization （SSH）, in which the poly（A）＋RNA isolated from salt-tolerant S. portulacastrum leaves was used as a tester, whereas the driver was poly（A）＋RNA, derived from salt-sensitive S. portulacastrum leaves. Screening of this subtracted cDNA library revealed five clones, of which the expression levels in the salt-tolerant plant were markedly higher than those observed in the salt-sensitive plant, indicating that these candidate clones may be involved in salt-tolerance pathways. Among the clones isolated, P66, P175, and P233 are novel because no significant similarity was obtained upon alignment with the GenBank database. Clone P89 demonstrated high homology with NADPH of Arabidopsis thaliana, whereas clone P152 was highly homologous with the gene encoding late embryogenesis abundant （LEA） protein of A. thaliana. The full-length gene of clone P152, with a predicated 344 amino acid residues, was shown to bear LEA-2 domains, a signature motif for proteins that have been enriched under salty and drought conditions. It is thus implied that clone P152 would be a salt-tolerance gene of S. portulacastrum. In addition, we have also developed a strategy for the extraction of total RNA from mangrove plants.     

Post‐infectional dynamics of leaf spot disease in Withania somnifera

Withania somnifera is a high value medicinal plant, native to Indian sub‐continent, and is extensively used in traditional systems of medicine. It is highly prone to leaf spot disease caused by Alternaria alternata, that may affect the quality of crude herbal drugs. In the present study, the accumulation of ROS (reactive oxygen species) was detected histochemically within the infected host tissue, using H₂DCFDA (2′,7′‐difluorodihydrofluorescein diacetate) and DAB (3,3′‐diaminobenzidine) staining methods. This ROS accumulation was linked with the process of disease initiation. The microscopy studies were conducted to explore the site of pathogen invasion into the host tissue. Some changes related to tissue degeneration during the infection process have also been reported. The observed changes in the form of reducing sugar and phenolic content showed an enhancement during infestation. Carbon, nitrogen and sulphur exhibited a decreasing trend with the progression of disease. Both the net rate of photosynthesis (A) and stomatal conductance (g_S) showed a similar trend except that g_S increased at the early stage of infection when the protruding fungal hyphae obstructed the stomatal closure. Further, the disintegration of chloroplasts was also observed in the infected leaves. Overall, the present study highlights a few potential targets for enhancing the disease resistance against the leaf spot pathogen of W. somnifera.     

First report of Bipolaris bicolor causing a leaf spot disease on rubber tree

The rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) is the only resource for commercial natural rubber production and thus has economic importance in Southeast Asia. A spot disease on the leaves of a rubber tree was first discovered in 2017 in Hainan, China. In this study, the fungal isolate MA1 from the infected tissues was determined to be a pathogen of the spot disease by satisfying Koch's postulates. The isolate MA1 was identified as Bipolaris bicolor based on the morphological characteristics and multigene phylogenetic analysis. Among fungicides, prochloraz, iprodione and pyraclostrobin significantly inhibited hyphal growth of B. bicolor under in vitro conditions. This study constitutes the first report on the association of B. bicolor with leaf spot disease of rubber trees worldwide.     

Prevalent weeds collected from cucurbit fields in Northeastern Brazil reveal new species diversity in the genus Monosporascus

Fungal species belonging to the ascomycete genus Monosporascus have no known asexual morph and the ascocarp is a globose perithecium where asci develop, containing from 1 to 6 spherical ascospores, depending on the species. Monosporascus cannonballus is the most well‐known species of the genus, and an important root pathogen associated with the vine decline of melon and watermelon crops worldwide. The aim of the present study was to characterise a collection of 35 Monosporascus‐like isolates recovered from roots of two weed species prevalent in cucurbit growing fields in Northeastern Brazil: Boerhavia diffusa and Trianthema portulacastrum. These isolates were identified based on DNA sequences of the Internal Transcribed Spacer regions (ITS) of the nuclear rDNA, part of the translation elongation factor gene (tef‐1α), part of the β‐tubulin gene (tub), part of the nuclear small subunit (SSU) rDNA and part of the large subunit (LSU) rDNA. Five Monosporascus species, namely Monosporascus brasiliensis, Monosporascus caatinguensis, Monosporascus mossoroensis, Monosporascus nordestinus and Monosporascus semiaridus, are newly described. Monosporascus brasiliensis, M. nordestinus and M. semiaridus were isolated from both weed species, while M. caatinguensis only from T. portulacastrum and M. mossoroensis only from B. diffusa. The present study confirms that Monosporascus spp. can colonise roots of very diverse hosts, even without causing noticeable disease symptoms, and reveals that the diversity of species in the genus Monosporascus is potentially greater than previously expected.     

Target leaf spot of tomato incited by Corynespora cassiicola,an emerging disease in tomato production under Gangetic alluvial region of West Bengal,India

Abstract

Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) is a cosmopolitan vegetable and widely cultivated in almost all the countries of the world including India. Irreversible investment – production ratio for tomato cultivation in recent Indian agricultural systems arise the question, is there any biotic backlogs responsible for such a production loss. Our present investigation is based on this fact. Target leaf spot disease of tomato is caused by Corynespora cassiicola, a serious and emerging disease in India. Prolonged real time surveillance of this disease on tomato from 2010–11 to 2016–17, reflects some remarkable features of pathogenic progress in Gangetic alluvial region of West Bengal. This pathogen is the natural barrier for tomato production with a disease severity ranged between 35% and 58% which ultimately causes tremendous loss of tomato foliage and fruits. C. cassiicola was identified on the basis of morpho-cultural (ITCC Accession No. 7542) and molecular characterization (Genbank Accession No. KJ767193). Homology searching of internal transcribed spacer region of CcHaTom isolate was highly matched with Genbank Accession No. KP666184 (Cynodondactylon/India), AB873045 (Vitex negundo/India) and JN541214 (Malvaviscus concinnus/USA) with 95% similarity. Phylogenetic analysis established that KJ767193 and C. cassiicola retrieved sequences were conspecific from a common ancestral origin, which supports its neighbourhood with this fungal pathogen. Optimum temperature between 24 and 25?°C, coupled with 80–85% relative humidity triggered the disease progress. From the emerging scenario, C. cassiicola infecting tomato is the real threat for indigenous cultivars.     

Characterization of adaptability components of Brazilian isolates of Macrophomina pseudophaseolina

Macrophomina pseudophaseolina is a new Macrophomina species reported on different crop and weed species in Brazil, India and Senegal, but to date there are no studies about its adaptability components. In this work, a collection of 62 M. pseudophaseolina isolates obtained from roots of the weed species Trianthema portulacastrum and Boerhavia diffusa collected in Northeastern Brazil, was used to: (a) study the effect of temperature and salinity on mycelial growth, (b) to determine their sensitivity to the fungicide carbendazim and (c) to assess their aggressiveness on melon and watermelon seedlings. Results showed variability among M. pseudophaseolina isolates. The optimum temperature for mycelial growth ranged between 26.4 and 38.1ºC. NaCl reduced the in vitro growth of all isolates, which were also highly sensitive to the fungicide carbendazim, exhibiting EC₅₀ values ranging from 0.013 to 0.089 mg/L a.i. Disease severity values on melon and watermelon seedlings showed that M. pseudophaseolina isolates were more aggressive in melon than in watermelon. Information about adaptability components of M. pseudophaseolina obtained in this study could be incorporated on breeding programs for melon and watermelon crops.