Distribution of Fungi from the Genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Fusarium</Emphasis> Link. on Cereals

The species composition of fungi from the genus Fusarium was studied, and the frequency of occurrence on cereals was determined. Populations of Fusarium spp. were represented by widespread species F. culmorum, F. heterosporum, F. sporotrichioides, F. oxysporum, F. nivale, F. graminearum, F. avenacеum, F. gibbosum, F. sambucinum, F. moniliforme, etc. The dynamics and frequency of occurrence of Fusarium spp. has made it possible to characterize the state of the species of fungi in a wide range of climatic areas of cereal cultivation in the Russian regions. The prevalence of the genus Fusarium was caused by the cultivars’ susceptibility to micromycetes. The frequency of occurrence of Fusarium species isolated from roots was steady, and, on the ears, it depended on the influence of weather conditions during the growing season of plants. The study of the intraspecific variability of fungi from the genus Fusarium has revealed a significant difference in signs of toxicity and pathogenicity depending on biotic and abiotic factors. More than 50% of strains from the genus Fusarium possessed low pathogenicity but had severe toxicity to wheat seedlings. Most strains of F. sporotrichiodes, F. culmorum, and F. sambucinum were highly pathogenic (from 36.4 to 55.6%) and toxic (from 55.6 to 81.3%). High adaptability to preservation in the soil and on the roots of weeds and crop residues of most crops expressing pathogenic and toxic activity was conductive to the widespread Fusarium spp.     

Development of Soil-Borne Infections in Spring Wheat and Barley as Influenced by Hydrothermal Stress in the Forest-Steppe Conditions of Western Siberia and the Urals

This is a first-time assessment of the direct and indirect effects of hydrothermal conditions on pathogenesis of root infections in cultivated varieties of spring wheat and barley. Long-term field research (2000–2015) was carried out in the area of risk farming combined with laboratory experiments. The effects of the phytosanitary condition of soil, seeds, and underground plant organs were taken into account. It was found that soil pathogenic population and the development of soil-borne infections largely depend on hydrothermal factors. The development of root rot of spring wheat was stimulated by arid conditions during tillering and heading: the disease rate was increased by 33.5% compared to the optimal moisture supply against a background of a high plant pathogen population of the soil. In drought conditions, the number of saprotrophic microorganisms decreased 3.3 times and suppressive soil activity fell 3.0 times provoking root infections. Microorganisms consuming inorganic forms of nitrogen and cellulolytic agents were found to be highly sensitive to hydrothermal factors. Arid conditions increased the plants’ susceptibility to the inoculum of soil origin, since the increase in the number of conidia in the inoculum from 5–15 to 150–180 per 1 g of soil increased the frequency of infections by root rots by 7.8 times, especially on the epicotyl and the base of the stem. Damage of root rot was increased by pest flies Oscinella frit L., O. pusilla Mg., Phorbia genitalis Schnb., and Mayetiola destructor Say. Their activity increased in warm, arid conditions. Drought-resistant gramineous weeds Panicum miliaceum ssp. ruderales L. (Kitag.) Tzvei., Setaria glauca (L.) Beauv., Avena fatua L., Setaria viridis (L.) Beauv. competed with the crop and consequently increased the development of root rot by 20% or more in dry years. Seeds of gramineous weeds, multiplied after dry years, contributed to reproduction and survival of many soil-borne phytopathogens. Grain ripening in moistened conditions led to transmission of the root rot agents Bipolaris sorokiniana Sacc. Shoem. (syn. Helminthosporium sativum Pam., King et Bakke) and Fusarium fungi via seeds. This led to proliferation of root rot in the germination phase and significantly (53%) affected the cereals’ germ.     

Interaction between CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> elevation and nitrogen metabolism in two varieties of Guar (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Cyamopsis tetragonoloba</Emphasis>) plants

The aim of the experimental study is to analyse the consequence of carbon dioxide elevation on activity of nitrate reductase (NR; EC 1.6.6.1), nitrite reductase (NiR; EC 1.7.7.1), glutamate synthetase (GOGAT; EC 1.4.1.13) in leguminous Cyamopsis tetragonoloba leaves. Plants were exposed to different atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations 300 ppm (ambient) and 490 ppm (an elevated) conditions. A decrease in activity of Nitrate Reductase (NR), Nitrite Reductase (NiR), Glutamate Synthetase (GOGAT) was found in elevated condition when compared to ambient condition. Plant nitrogen on dry weight basis was found to decrease under elevation with no significant change in soil nitrogen. Soil pH was found to change significantly under elevation, thus showing a decline in pH and promoting soil acidiosis. Total plant fresh weight (FW) and total plant dry weight (DW), Leaf area/cm² were found increased in elevated condition. Thus, in Cyamopsis tetragonoloba plant it can be concluded that under carbon dioxide elevation Nitrate reductase, Nitrite reductase and Glutamate synthetase activity is suppressed due to a reduced amount of nitrate translocation and NADH availability for reduction in plant which is correlated with reduction in plant total nitrogen content where as plant growth and biomass is enhanced due to higher carbon fixation.     

Analysis of plant nutrient management strategies: Conventional and alternative approaches

During times of economic uncertainty, such as the current period, all costs of agricultural production become important and worthy of close scrutiny if the threat of farm foreclosures is to be minimized. This concern particularly applies to the cost of plant nutrients, which, under conventional approaches, typically represents 24%–30% (or more) of the total variable costs of production [Lu et al. (2000) Food Reviews International 16(2): 121–157; Bullen and Brown (2001) Economic Evaluation of UNR Cotton, NC State University, Raleigh, North Carolina]. The purpose of this paper is to examine, via a review of the literature, the economics and profitability of various plant nutrient management strategies–both conventional and alternative ones–in an attempt to identify those strategies that can lead to financial resource optimization and, ultimately, maximum profits for farm enterprises. The results of this analysis are as follows: In a meta-analysis of 120 studies, conventional nutrient management systems, using commercial fertilizers, showed higher profit for most grain crops (with the exception of corn and sorghum), than organic nutrient management systems. Both cover crop and animal manure-based systems show considerable promise as alternative nutrient management strategies for increasing farm profitability. A cover crop system produced the highest average corn yield and gross margin per hectare with the smallest coefficient of variation compared to no-tillage conventional, manure-based, or crownvetch systems. Manure-based systems that do not require purchase or transport of the manure (as in combined animal and crop production systems) can be considerably more profitable than conventional systems. Both manure-based and cover crop systems that do not include the use of commercial fertilizers (i.e., organic systems), hold particular promise due to the output price premiums typically garnered by the organic crops grown under such conditions.     

CNP Ratio and Dose Regulated Production of Water Chestnut <Emphasis Type="Italic">Trapa</Emphasis>: Social and Environmental Implications

Water chest nut Trapa is a minor fruit crop and potential carbon sequester of atmospheric carbon. Mass production of water chest nut using a vast number of unused small water bodies and derelict waters is a win-win-win-win strategy toward mitigation of global warming, nutritional security, empowerment and resource utilization. Growth performance of Trapa was conducted in small culture units using different CNP ratios (25:02:01; 101:08:01; 290:01:01) at a fixed dose (0.2 kg/tank) of mixed manure with different doses (100, 200, 400, 600 g) of optimal CNP ratio (101:08:01) during the life cycle of Trapa. The total number of fruits and the wet weight of Trapa in different dose treatments ranged from 56 to 192 and from 258 to 379 g/tank. Yield of Trapa remained maximum when CNP ratio was 101:8:1 at 200 g/tank and the dosage was 200 g/tank with the optimal CNP ratio (134 g) and then declined with further rise in fertilizer dose. The proximate analysis of Trapa revealed the highest phosphorus content in all the tissues (fruit, leaf, and root) of Trapa grown in the CNP ratio of 101:08:01. Of the total amount of carbon in Trapa, contribution was maximum by the fruit (38–41%), followed by leaf (27–35%) and root (23–32%) in different ratio treatment. The C content of harvested Trapa grown in different CNP ratios (Table 4) was higher in fruit (38–41%) followed by leaf (27–35%) and root (23–32%) among tissues. The amount of C observed in control (32%) increased by 6% in 25:02:01 (34%) which was higher than remaining two treatments (31%). Dry weight or total carbon content of water chestnut tended to rise with increasing levels of phosphate of water from the dosage of 100 to 200 g with optimal CNP ratio and declined thereafter. A direct relationship between the dry weight or carbon content of Trapa and the total carbon content or phosphate to total carbon ratio of water was established. However, the carbon content remained between 27–32% in all the three tissues of Trapa culture when cultured in different dose treatments. It is reasonable to conclude that water chestnut may be promoted for mass cultivation using the recommended culture protocol that would help trapping atmospheric carbon, provide nutritional security and employment generation and resource utilization.     

Low altitude remote sensing technologies for crop stress monitoring: a case study on spatial and temporal monitoring of irrigated pinto bean

Site-specific crop management is a promising approach to maximize crop yield with optimal use of rapidly depleting natural resources. Availability of high resolution crop data at critical growth stages is a key for real-time data-driven decisions during the production season. The goal of this study was to evaluate the possibility of using small unmanned aerial system (UAS)-based remote sensing technologies to monitor the crop stress of irrigated pinto beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) with varied irrigation and tillage treatments. A small UAS with onboard multispectral and infrared thermal imaging sensors was used to collect data from bean field plots on three growth stages in 2015 and 2016, respectively. Indicators including green normalized vegetation index (GNDVI), canopy cover (CC, ratio of ground covered by crop canopy to the total plot area) and canopy temperature (CT, °C) of crops were extracted from imaging data and correlated with ground-reference crop yield and leaf area index (LAI) estimated with a handheld ceptometer. Results show that GNDVI, CC and CT were able to differentiate crops with full and deficit irrigation treatments at each of the three growth stages in both years. Developed indicators were strongly correlated with to the crop yield with Pearson correlation coefficients (r) of approximate 0.71 and 0.72 for GNDVI and CC, respectively, in the early growth stage (54 days after planting) in both years. Canopy temperature showed even stronger correlation (r > 0.8) with yield at early growth stage. Performance of small UAS-based imagery-based indicators in crop stress monitoring and crop yield estimation was better than or comparable to that of the ground-based LAI estimates, indicating the potential of such remote sensing tool in rapid crop stress monitoring and management.     

Long-term impact of a precision agriculture system on grain crop production

Research is lacking on the long-term impacts of field-scale precision agriculture practices on grain production. Following more than a decade (1993–2003) of yield and soil mapping and water quality assessment, a multi-faceted, ‘precision agriculture system’ (PAS) was implemented from 2004 to 2014 on a 36-ha field in central Missouri. The PAS targeted management practices that address crop production and environmental issues. It included no-till, cover crops, growing winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) instead of corn (Zea mays L.) for field areas where corn was not profitable, site-specific N for wheat and corn using canopy reflectance sensing, variable-rate P, K and lime using intensively grid-sampled data, and targeting of herbicides based on weed pressure. The PAS assessment was accomplished by comparing it to the previous decade of conventional, whole-field corn-soybean (Glycine max L.) mulch-tillage management. In the northern part of the field and compared to pre-PAS corn, relative grain yield of wheat in PAS was greatly improved and temporal yield variation was reduced on shallow topsoil, but relative grain yield was reduced on deep soil in the drainage channel. In the southern part of the field where corn remained in production, PAS did not lead to increased yield, but temporal yield variation was reduced. Across the whole field, soybean yield and temporal yield variation were only marginally influenced by PAS. Spatial yield variation of all three crops was not altered by PAS. Therefore, the greatest production advantage of a decade of precision agriculture was reduced temporal yield variation, which leads to greater yield stability and resilience to changing climate.     

Grain yield and quality of winter wheat inoculated with a mixed culture of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pseudomonas</Emphasis> bacteria against the background of increasing nitrogen fertilizer rates

The effect of a mixed culture of non-nitrogen fixing bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens 20 and nitrogen-fixing bacterium Pseudomonas putida 23 on winter wheat grain yield, nitrogen removal by plants, and content of protein and ash elements in grain against a background of nitrogen fertilizer was studied in a microplot experiment on gray forest soil.     

Hyperspectral discrimination of foliar biotic damages in rice using principal component analysis and probabilistic neural network

Assessment of crop health status in real time could provide reliable and useful information for making effective and efficient management decisions regarding the appropriate time and method to control crop diseases and insect damage. In this study, hyperspectral reflectance of symptomatic and asymptomatic rice leaves infected by Pyricularia grisea Sacc, Bipolaris oryzae Shoem, Aphelenchoides besseyi Christie and Cnaphalocrocis medinalis Guen was measured in a laboratory within the 350–2?500 nm spectral region. Principal component analysis was performed to obtain the principal component spectra (PCs) of different transformations of the original spectra, including original (R), common logarithm of reciprocal (lg (1/R)), and the first derivative of original and common logarithm of reciprocal spectra (R′ and (lg (1/R))′). A probabilistic neural network classifier was applied to discriminate the symptomatic rice leaves from asymptomatic ones with the front PCs. For identifying symptomatic and asymptomatic rice leaves, the mean overall discrimination accuracies for R, lg (1/R), R′ and (lg (1/R))′ were 91.3, 93.1, 92.3 and 92%, and the mean Kappa coefficients were 0.771, 0.835, 0.829 and 0.82, respectively. To discriminate between disease and insect damage, the overall accuracies for R, lg (1/R), R′ and (lg (1/R))′ were 97.7, 98.1, 100 and 100%, and the Kappa coefficients were 0.962, 0.97, 1 and 1, respectively. These results demonstrated that hyperspectral remote sensing can discriminate between multiple diseases and the insect damage of rice leaves under laboratory conditions.     

The Relationship between Drought Tolerance of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Laurus nobilis</Emphasis> L. and Environmental Factors in Conditions of the Southern Coast of Crimea

The present studies have shown Laurus nobilis L. to be a drought tolerant species. When the plant was first subjected to dehydration, the rate of net photosynthesis decreased from Pn = (8–10) to –1 μmol/(m² s) and to –3 μmol/(m² s) during the second dehydration before it was subsequently irrigated. The rewatering on August 5 and August 8 promoted a sharp burst of this parameter, but the Pn value was restored to its original level only after August 8. Soil drought caused a drop in a rate of transpiration from 65–70 to 10 mg/(m² s). Watering soil up to a 15% moisture level brought an increase in E = 25 mg/(m² s), but only the second watering managed to fully restore it to the initial value. Apical growth of the plants was closely correlated with soil moisture. As the soil moisture was reduced to W = 15–5%, the terminal growth reached a saturation point and started to plateau. Watering the soil up to W = 15% promoted apical growth by 4 mm. Reducing soil moisture to W = 3–4% caused a complete cessation of the growth. Subsequent watering to W = 27–28% led to a gradual and complete recovery of turgor and an increase in the growth rate up to 6–8 mm per day. The surface response functions Pn = f(I, W) and E = f(I, W) allowed us to determine conditions and levels of potential maximums and boundaries of the areas of optimum photosynthesis and transpiration: optimum Pn = 8–9 μmol/(m² s) with I = 900–1400 μmol/(m² s) and W = 17–24% and the optimum E = 25–35 mg/(m² s) with I = 1000–1400 μmol/(m² s) and W = 16–24%.     

Study of intracellular ion composition of yeast <Emphasis Type="Italic">Saccharomyces cerevisiae</Emphasis> biomass

The ionic composition of the of the intracellular content of the alcohol yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae R. 1039 biomass was studied for confirmation of their use perspectiveness as a mediator to enable the management the mineral content of food in the manufacture of food and feed additives. The ionic composition of the obtained extracts were identified using the method of capillary electrophoresis. It is found that the quantitative ion content in the cell extracts depends on the concentration of the nutrient medium. When the yeast S. cerevisiae R. 1039 was cultivated on the medium with the soluble solids concentration of 30%, the intracellular ion content in the extracts was 1.3 times higher than when the yeast was cultivated on 12% wort by increasing the concentration of chlorides, sulfates, formates, potassium ions, and calcium. The yield of the yeast S. cerevisiae R. 1039 biomass increased 1.6 times per unit of volume of the medium with increase of the soluble solids concentrations from 12% to 30%.     

茶园多植物覆盖种植对土壤酶活性和有机碳矿化特征的影响

为量化不同覆盖作物种植模式对茶园土壤酶活性及有机碳矿化特征的影响,以湖北省十堰市郧阳区谭家湾茶园为研究对象开展覆盖作物多样性试验,设置四种覆盖作物种植模式：无覆盖作物（A0）、2种覆盖作物（A1）、4种覆盖作物（A2）、8种覆盖作物（A3）,测定茶园0~20 cm和20~40 cm土层的土壤酶活性、有机碳矿化速率以及累积矿化量,并对其进行一级动力学方程拟合,得出有机碳潜在矿化势（C_p）和矿化常数（k）。结果发现,覆盖作物种植小区的土壤酶活性均高于对照小区,0~20 cm土层的酶活性均高于20~40 cm,不同覆盖作物类型对土壤过氧化氢酶和脲酶活性的影响具有显著差异（P<0.05）,但对土壤磷酸酶没有显著影响。与过氧化氢酶相比,土壤脲酶、磷酸酶是更重要的土壤碳循环参与者,其活性与有机碳矿化作用之间呈极显著正相关关系（P<0.01）,在土壤有机碳分解转化过程中具有重要作用。各处理的土壤有机碳矿化速率均呈现先升高后降低最后趋于平稳的趋势,0~20 cm土层的土壤有机碳矿化速率和累积矿化量均高于20~40 cm土层。0~20 cm土层C_p/k表现为A1 > A2 > A3 > A0,20~40 cm土层C_p/k表现为A1 > A2 > A0 > A3,两土层均以A1的土壤有机碳矿化作用最强。A1的微生物量碳和可溶性有机碳均高于其他处理,为作物生长发育提供了充足的养分,pH值也最高,有利于阻抗土壤酸化。     

Endophytes from maize with plant growth promotion and biocontrol activity under drought stress

In the present study, 39 endophytic bacteria were isolated from different crops with main focus on maize roots and seeds. Endophytes were screened for drought stress tolerance, plant growth promoting (PGP) traits and antifungal activity. Out of 39 isolates, 32 could show drought tolerance up to–1.02 matric potential (MPa) and exhibited most of the plant growth promoting traits. But, only five isolates could show antagonistic activity against plant fungal pathogens. Based on the results, 10 promising isolates namely FTR, NFTR, FMZR9, FMZR2, MZ30V92, MRC12, MRC31, MRC33, MRC41 and MRR2 were selected and identified using biochemical and 16S rDNA gene sequencing as Pseudomonas aeruginosa (strains FTR and NFTR), Pseudomonas monteilii (strain FMZR2), Pseudomonas putida (strain FMZR9), Acitenobacter brumalii (strain MZ30V92), Enterobacter asburiae (strain MRC12), Sinorhizobium meliloti (strain MRC31), Pseudomonas thivervalensis (strain MRC33), Pseudomonas fulva (strain MRC41), and Pseudomonas lini (strain MRR2). Further, at–1.02 MPa all the 10 isolates showed PGP traits, and 3 isolates (FTR, NFTR and MRC12) showed antifungal activity. Thus, indicating that drought tolerant plant growth promoting antagonistic endophytic bacteria (PGPAE) helps in plant growth and disease management under drought stress.     

Genetic diversity of genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Malus</Emphasis> Mill. for scab resistance genes

The results of molecular genetic analysis of wild species and varieties of genus Malus Mill. for loci of monogenic scab resistance are presented. Dominant allele of gene Rvi6 was identified in varieties of M. robusta 43199, M. hupehensis, and M. floribunda. Locus Rvi4 was detected in genotypes of M. robusta v. persicifolia, M. asiatica 2343, M. sieversii 13280, M. niedzwetzkyana 13279, M. purpurea 2392, M. orientalis 41623, M. orientalis 29476, M. orientalis 29 460, M. spectabilis v. albi plena, and M. spectabilis v. rubra plena. Gene Rvi5 in the test collection of wild species is absent.     

Genetic differentiation of the Novosibirsk population of Primorsky honey bee

Seven microsatellite loci were evaluated to compare the allele pool of Primorsky honeybee population (n = 90), which was introduced into the Novosibirsk region (south-western Siberia), with the populations of Middle Russian (n = 191, A.m. mellifera), Mountain Grey Caucasian (n =113, A.m. caucasica), Carniolan (n = 61, A.m. carnica) and Carpathian (n = 184, A.m. carpatica) races. The degree of genetic differentiation in Novosibirsk population using a variety of criteria (Fst, Rst (AMOVA), Nei genetic distances) was evaluated.     

Agricultural management practices: Effects on soil properties,root growth and sesame yield

The influence of agricultural management practices, such as organic fertilisation and plant densities on soil properties, root growth, and sesame yield were investigated. Soil samples (depth of 0–20 cm) were taken from a field study with sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) cultivated on a Chromic Luvisol, which was conducted to explore the effects of six fertilisation systems [Non-fertilisation (Control); Mineral fertilisation (Min); Organic fertilisation with 2 (Org-1) and 3 Mg ha^–1 (Org-2) of commercial organic fertiliser Organus B; and with 1 (Tak 1) and 2 Mg ha^–1 (Tak-2) of commercial organic fertiliser Takamix] and two plant densities [111111 (Pdens1) and 55555 (Pdens2) plants ha^–1), in a factorial design (6 × 2) with four blocks. The highest values of soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, root density and sesame yield were found in the Org-2 fertilisation and Pdens1 treatments. We found that organic fertilisation combined with Pdens1 significantly increased root growth. Organic fertilisation treatments were able to maintain 80% of sesame roots distributed at a soil depth of 0–10 cm, whereas the last 20% were distributed at a soil depth of 10.1–20 cm. In conclusion the utilization of commercial organic fertilisers as an organic matter source enhanced soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, and root density that contributed to increase sesame yield. Our findings also suggest that inputs of organic matter source with a correct plant density might change positively soil organic carbon and total nitrogen, root growth, root distribution and sesame yield.     

Effect of <Emphasis Type="Italic">GH</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">DGAT1</Emphasis> gene polymorphism on feeding qualities of bull calves

The aim of this paper is to study effects of GH and DGAT1 gene polymorphisms on feeding qualities of Hereford and Limousin bull calves bred in conditions of the Cis-Ural steppe zone. SNPs of genes GH and DGAT1 are investigated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and DNA restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). The studied population of animals was assessed by defining the allele frequency and animal genotype occurrence for the studied gene SNPs, indicators of the actual and expected heterozygosity, and Pearson’s test. A study of polymorphism C214G of gene GH revealed that genotype LL prevails in Hereford and Limousin animals, 47.37 and 57.7%, respectively, while frequency of allele L is higher in Limousin bull calves (0.731). A study of polymorphism K232A of gene DGAT1 gene in both the populations showed absence of genotypes AA, which can be related to the low number of the studied animals. Expected heterozygosity indicators of gene GH are higher than the observed ones, and the observed heterozygosity is higher for DGAT1. The number of efficient alleles for the studied genes is higher for Hereford bull calves. In general, according to Pearson’s test, both the studied populations are in equilibrium. There is a significant effect of GH gene polymorphism on live weight gain rates at the end of sagination and total and average daily weight gains during animal raising.     

Predicting cover crop biomass by lightweight UAS-based RGB and NIR photography: an applied photogrammetric approach

Easy-to-capture and robust plant status indicators are important factors when implementing precision agriculture techniques on fields. In this study, aerial red, green and blue color space (RGB) photography and near-infrared (NIR) photography was performed on an experimental field site with nine different cover crops. A lightweight unmanned aerial system (UAS) served as platform, consumer cameras as sensors. Photos were photogrammetrically processed to orthophotos and digital surface models (DSMs). In a first validation step, the spatial precision of RGB orthophotos (x and y, ± 0.1 m) and DSMs (z, ± 0.1 m) was determined. Then, canopy cover (CC), plant height (PH), normalized differenced vegetation index (NDVI), red edge inflection point (REIP), and green red vegetation index (GRVI) were extracted. In a second validation step, the PHs derived from the DSMs were compared with ground truth ruler measurements. A strong linear relationship was observed (R ² = 0.80?0.84). Finally, destructive biomass samples were taken and compared with the remotely-sensed characteristics. Biomass correlated best with plant height (PH), and good approximations with linear regressions were found (R ² = 0.74 for four selected species, R ² = 0.58 for all nine species). CC and the vegetation indices (VIs) showed less significant and less strong overall correlations, but performed well for certain species. It is therefore evident that the use of DSM-based PHs provides a feasible approach to a species-independent non-destructive biomass determination, where the performance of VIs is more species-dependent.     

Endophytic bacteria of woody plants as the basis of complex microbial preparations for agriculture and forestry

The literature review focuses on endophytic bacteria inhabiting woody plants. Endophytic bacteria for genera Pseudomonas, Bacillus, Paenibacillus, Burkholderia, and Erwina are shown to be found in almost all woody tissues. In additional, endophytic bacteria have been found in reproductive plant organs. It is shown that endophytic bacteria have functional properties that are useful for host plants: the ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen, produce growth simulating and biocontrol substances, and to induce systemic resistane of plants to biotic and abiotic stresses. Endophytic bacteria are a major part of the microbiome of woody plants, possess valuable functional properties of host plants, and are a promising biotechnological resource for the development of complex microbial preparations for agriculture and forestry.     

Genetic Diversity of <Emphasis Type="Italic">E. coli O157:H7</Emphasis> Isolated from Some Leafy Greens,Irrigated by Aleppo River,Using Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) Marker

In recent years, fresh fruits and vegetables have been linked to numerous foodborne illness outbreaks in different regions of the world. In Syria, there is not a lot of research that study E. coli and its serotypes by PCR technology. In this study, we have fulfilled a total count of bacteria, the census total coliform group, and Escherichia coli, as well as the serotype E. coli O157:H7 on some leafy greens (Spinacia oleracea, Beta vulgaris) irrigated by Aleppo River. The molecular characterization was done for ten strains of E. coli isolated from collected samples. The samples were inoculated on blood agar and suspicious colonies, then transferred to EMB and MacConkey agar using a primer (COL 1) in RAPD technic. Molecular characterization also performed ten strains of serotype E. coli O157:H7 isolated in medium (Sorbitol-MacCONKEY Agar), then by primers (OPA-03, OPA-13 OPC-12, OPE-20) in RAPD technic. The results showed significant differences between collected samples. The total count of bacteria in the first site (Handarat) for spinach and chard were the lowest, but in the fourth site (Jezraya) it was the highest among all samples. The results showed also the existence of E. coli in all sites except the first one in riverbed Handarat, and E. coli O157:H7 was found only in Jezraya village. Extracted DNA from samples was amplified by RAPD. after electrophoresis in the gel agarose, eleven different bands were detected from isolated strains of E. coli. These results refer to the great genetic diversity of Escherichia coli. For serotype E. coli O157:H7 thirty-four different bands were detected. RAPD analysis had the high discriminatory capacity for typing E. coli isolates. Because of its simplicity and rapidity, RAPD analysis appears to be a highly valuable tool for studying E. coli molecular epidemiology.