Estimating the potential development of Diaporthe helianthi epidemics in Italy*

Diaporthe helianthi is the causal agent of a severe sunflower disease but, in Italy, disease outbreaks are sporadic with no significant losses. The present work investigates the role of meteorological conditions on the potential development of D. helianthi epidemics in Italy, using the French model Asphodel, which simulates the effect of air temperature, relative humidity and rainfall on ascospore maturation and dispersal, infection establishment, disease onset and severity during the period of host susceptibility. Meteorological data measured in eight stations distributed from north to south Italy, over a 5‐year period (1995–99), was used as model input. Results showed that meteorological conditions in Italy are frequently favourable for D. helianthi infections on sunflower, and severe epidemics are possible. Therefore, climatic conditions are not a limiting factor for disease development in the Italian sunflower‐growing areas. The lack of disease epidemics in Italy may be related to differences in the pathogen populations compared with the French ones.     

迟菜心新品种特青迟心4号的选育

特青迟心4号为迟熟种，株型矮壮，叶色深绿，薹色青绿，有光泽，菜薹匀条实心，主薹高25．4cm，薹粗2．10cm，单薹重62．58，商品率高，较耐霜霉病，品质脆嫩，风味好，适播期10月—翌牟2月，播种至初收50—55天，可连续采收20-25天，667m^2产量1000—1400kg。     

果梅幼树对春施~(15)N-硫铵的吸收与分配

以盆栽3年生细叶青梅/毛桃为试材,研究了早春施用~(15)N-(NH_4)_2SO_4条件下,果梅对~(15)N的吸收分配规律。结果表明:由于春季土温较低,限制了植株对肥料氮的利用率。在新梢旺长期,植株从肥料氮中吸收的氮素营养主要用于新生器官的建造,且新梢成为~(15)N的主要分配中心,其次即为果实,再其次为细根。至花芽分化期,植株的生长中心已发生转移和分散,但春施氮对促进当年生枝的花芽分化和维持叶片正常光合功能仍有重要作用,此期亦是根系生长的关键时期之一,且与贮氮相比,春施氮更有利于当年新根的萌发和根系的扩大。     

苹果果实日灼人工诱导技术及阈值温度研究

 使用自制的日灼诱导设备，在无风或微风的晴天对活体果实进行田间日灼诱导，通过改变诱导室内的气温来控制和调节果面温度，从而确定了不同苹果品种果实发生日灼的阈值温度。试验证明： 自制的诱导设备运行平稳，诱导期间可保持果温基本稳定，大多数情况下，处理期间果面平均温度与实际设定温度的差异小于0．12℃ ，温度变化幅度一般小于±0．5℃ 。本试验所测定的9个苹果品种日灼阈值温度为(45．9±0．5)℃ (48．5±0．5)℃。光照对日灼发生有重要影响，即使在同样的阈值温度下，有光的处理果实发生日灼，而无光的处理则不发生日灼。     

Multi#ex—CAPS技术及其在番茄遗传鉴定中的应用

 ：应用Multiplex—PCR和CAPS(Cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence)原理研究建立了Mutiplex—CAPS技术。该技术包括：(1)在PCR扩增反应体系加入2对、3对或多对核苷酸引物，经30～40个扩增循环后得到每对引物的特异扩增片段；(2)应用同一种限制性内切酶消化这些不同引物经扩增后获得的特异片段；(3)琼脂糖凝胶电泳溴化乙锭染色检测酶切片段长度的多态性。利用该技术对番茄(Lycopersicon es—cdentum)TA517及其近等基因系的分析表明，Multiplex—CAPS能同时检测2个、3个或多个CAPS标记的多态性，其效果等同于每个CAPS标记的多态性的叠加，重复性好，分析效率高，降低成本数倍。     

Comparison of an in vitro and a damping-off assay to test soils for suppressiveness to Pythium aphanidermatum

Testing of soil samples in greenhouse assays for suppressiveness to soilborne plant pathogens requires a considerable investment in time and effort as well as large numbers of soil samples. To make it possible to process large numbers of samples efficiently, we compared an in vitro growth assay with a damping-off assay using Pythium aphanidermatum as the test organism on tomato seedlings. The in vitro test compares the radial growth or relative growth of the fungus in soil to that in autoclaved soil and reflects suppressiveness of soils to the pathogen. We used soils from a field experiment that had been farmed either organically or conventionally and into which a cover crop (oats and vetch in mixture) had been incorporated 0, 10, 21, and 35 days previously. We obtained a significant, positive correlation between damping-off severities of tomato seedlings in damping-off assays and both relative and radial growth in vitro. In addition, radial and relative growth of P. aphanidermatum in the in vitro assay were positively correlated with several carbon and nitrogen variables measured for soil and incorporated debris. We did not find differences between the two farming systems for either growth measures of P. aphanidermatum or disease severities on tomato at different stages of cover crop decomposition. The in vitro assay shows potential for use with any fungus that exhibits rapid saprophytic growth, and is most suitable for routine application in suppressiveness testing.     

Studies on the potential use of Pasteuria penetrans as a biocontrol agent of root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.)

Some aspects of the interaction of the bacterial parasite Pasteuria penetrans and the root-knot nematode ( Meloidogyne spp.) were investigated in laboratory and pot experiments. The variable spore attachment on juveniles exposed to water suspensions of the bacterium is probably attributed to differential susceptibility of biotypes within a heterogeneous Meloidogyne population. The relationship between spore concentration and attachment level is not linear over a range of spore dosages, indicating that even at very high spore concentrations the number of spores capable of attachment may not be present in excess and it is difficult to ensure sufficient numbers of spores to ensure infection will attach to all nematodes. Attempts to apply the bacterium in conditions such as might occur in seedbeds did not suppress nematode multiplication after transplanting in nematode-infested soil, indicating that the only effective application method is a thorough spore distribution in the planting sites. Two major constraints were revealed: high levels of spore attachment to juveniles does not always guarantee a significant reduction of egg laying and this is greatly influenced by the Meloidogyne biotype. Furthermore, the cumulative effect of the parasite in reducing Meloidogyne populations over several crop cycles was less than expected as the bacterium reduced intra-specific competition for the food supply and the less damaged root enabled many nematodes to survive.     

The effects of ultraviolet-B (UV-B: 290–320 nm) radiation on blister blight disease of tea (Camellia sinensis)

Sunlight is known to reduce the incidence of blister blight disease of tea, caused by Exobasidium vexans . The effects of the ultraviolet-B (UV-B: 290–320 nm) component of solar radiation on the disease and the development of E. vexans were studied in the field in Sri Lanka using UV-screening filter materials held over a commercial crop. Exclusion of UV-B radiation by Polyester, which reduces fluxes in the UV-B region by approximately 75–85%, increased both the number of translucent spots (immature sites of infection) and number of sporulating blisters (mature sites of infection), but it had little or no effect on the sporulation of the pathogen. When basidiospores were artificially inoculated on leaves, and were exposed to full or filtered solar radiation, their survival and germination increased when UV-B wavelengths were removed; significant differences were found 62 h after inoculation. However, UV-B did not affect the extension of germ tubes. This study indicates that the UV-B component of solar radiation plays an important role in the natural regulation of blister blight disease in the field.     

Transfer from Erwinia herbicola to Escherichia coli of a plasmid associated with biocontrol of fire blight

Strains of Erwinia herbicola effective in the biocontrol of fire blight of hawthorn were used to investigate the possibility that the antagonistic activity is coded by plasmid-born genes. Agarose gel electrophoresis of isolated plasmids from four antagonistic Erw. herbicola strains showed a band of a supercoiled 12 kb plasmid in each strain, with a second band greater than 16.2 kb consistently seen in two strains. Erw. herbicola strains showed resistance to penicillin-G, which could be conferred on penicillin-G sensitive Escherichia coli TG1 by transformation with a pure Erw. herbicola plasmid preparation. Transformed strains of Esc. coli appeared to contain the Erw. herbicola 12 kb plasmid, but not the > 16.2 kb plasmid. In an agar plate assay, Esc. coli transformants produced an inhibition zone against Erw. amylovora similar to those produced by the original Erw. herbicola strains. In two biocontrol assays, the transformed Esc. coli strains had a suppressive effect on disease development on infected pear fruit slices and hawthorn blossoms.