Anastomosis groups and sensitivity to fungicides of Rhizoctonia solani strains isolated from potato in Russia

Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection - A survey of Rhizoctonia solani isolates from potato tubers and stems grown in European and Far Eastern regions of Russia in 2012–2020 was conducted....     

Genetics components of rice root architecture and carbon isotopic fractionation parameters: a tracer for breeding in a water-saving irrigation management

Journal of Crop Science and Biotechnology - Phenotyping is the major bottleneck in the effort to develop varieties of rice (Oryza sativa L.) suitable for growing under a water-saving irrigation...     

Impact of mash and crumble diets on intestinal amino acids transporters,intestinal morphology and pancreatic enzyme activity of broilers

The objective of this study was to evaluate effects of mash and crumble pre‐starter diets on pancreatic enzyme activity, intestinal morphology, gene expression of intestinal peptide and amino acid (AA) transporters of broilers. Broilers in battery cages were assigned to different feed forms of pre‐starter diet from 1 to 10 days of age. Significantly increased body weight gain (BWG), feed intake (FI) and lowered FCR were observed in birds fed crumble pre‐starter diet (CPD, p < 0.05). Feed forms had no effect on whole and small intestine length, but relative intestinal length and relative small intestinal length significantly increased in the broilers fed a mash pre‐starter diet (MPD, p < 0.05). Feeding CPD increased the weight of pancreas (p < 0.05), but relative weight of the pancreas was not influenced by treatments. Pancreatic protease and amylase activities significantly increased in the broilers fed CPD (p < 0.05) but the activity of lipase was not influenced. Crypt depth (CD) and villus height (VH) were higher in broilers fed CPD (p < 0.05) but villus width (VW), villus surface area (VSA) and villus height‐to‐crypt depth ratio (VCR) were not influenced by treatments. mRNA levels for peptide transporter 1 (PepT1), Na⁺‐independent cationic AA transporter1 (CAT1), Na⁺‐independent cationic and Na⁺‐dependent neutral AA transporter 1 (y⁺LAT1) and Na⁺‐dependent neutral AA transporter (B⁰AT) were lower in birds fed CPD (p < 0.05). There were no differences in mRNA abundance of Na⁺‐independent cationic and zwitterionic AA transporter (b^0,+AT) among treatments. Overall, the present data showed that feeding crumble diet during first 10 days of age, through higher FI, enhanced intestinal histomorphology, increased digestive enzyme activity is beneficial to growth performance of broilers. Indeed, dietary form can be an important factor in the expression of jejunal transporters.     

Effect of environmental variables on performance of Jerusalem artichoke (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Helianthus tuberosus</Emphasis> L.) cultivars in a long term trial: a statistical approach

Tuber yield, together with tuber number and size are the basic agronomic and breeding traits in Jerusalem artichoke and can be significantly affected by environmental factors. We report the results of a long term trial on the performance of 20 Jerusalem artichoke cultivars. The random model for means with restricted maximum likelihood (REML) procedure was used to estimate the overall effects of the genotype, environment and genotype by environment interaction on traits. The partial least square regression (PLSR) model was used for modeling genotype by environment interaction variance components with a set of available correlated environmental variables. The REML variance component estimates model revealed that tuber number and yield are more dependent on GE interaction which allowed identification of best genotypes for specific environments. The PLSR model revealed that the most important climatic variables for optimal emergence, canopy development, high tuber number and yield are adequate soil and air temperatures in April. For larger tuber mass, precipitation variables and even distribution of rainfall were the most important factor, together with soil and air temperature in June when tuber growth is initiated. The knowledge obtained in this study is valuable for the identification and understanding of key environmental factors that contribute to the performance of Jerusalem artichoke.     

Relationships between internal ethylene and optical reflectance in ripening ‘Antonovka’ apples grown under sunlit and shaded conditions

The feasibility of non-destructive estimation of internal ethylene concentration (IEC) in apple fruit via fruit reflectance using recently developed approaches and a fiber-optics reflectometer was investigated. The relationships between IEC and fruit reflectance in the 400–800 nm range were studied in stored apple (Malus × domestica Borkh., cv. Antonovka) fruit. A strong correlation between IEC and optical reflectance spectra taken from sunlit surfaces of the fruit was detected whereas reflectance of the shaded fruit surface showed a weak correlation with IEC. The increase of the reflectance in the red occurred along with IEC build-up during ripening resulting a strong (r² > 0.80) correlation. By contrast, reflectance in the blue-green part of the spectrum remained low and was negatively (r² ≈ 0.65) correlated with IEC. These observations are consistent with the phenomenon of degradation of chlorophylls which often occurs in parallel with the retention of carotenoids in ripening apple skin. As a result, IEC showed a significant correlation (r² > 0.69; P < 0.001) with the index based on reflectances in the red and blue-green regions of the spectrum (R₆₇₈ ? R₄₈₀)/R₈₀₀. The effects of strong solar light on the relationships between IEC and fruit reflectance are considered. The possibilities and limitations of a non-destructive reflectance-based assay of IEC in apple fruit are discussed.     

Antimicrobial ent-pimarane diterpenes from Viguiera arenaria against Gram-positive bacteria

The dichloromethane crude extract from the roots of Viguiera arenaria (VaDRE) has been employed in an antimicrobial screening against several bacteria responsible for human pathologies. The main diterpenes isolated from this extract, as well as two semi-synthetic pimarane derivatives, were also investigated for the pathogens that were significantly inhibited by the extract (MIC values lower than 100 μg mL^− 1). The VaDRE extract was significantly active only against Gram-positive microorganisms. The compounds ent-pimara-8(14),15-dien-19-oic acid (PA); PA sodium salt; ent-8(14),15-pimaradien-3β-ol; ent-15-pimarene-8β,19-diol; and ent-8(14),15-pimaradien-3β-acetoxy displayed the highest antibacterial activities (MIC values lower than 10 μg mL^− 1 for most pathogens). In conclusion, our results suggest that pimaranes are an important class of natural products for further investigations in the search of new antibacterial agents.     

Antitumor Profile of Carbon-Bridged Steroids (CBS) and Triterpenoids

This review focuses on the rare group of carbon-bridged steroids (CBS) and triterpenoids found in various natural sources such as green, yellow-green, and red algae, marine sponges, soft corals, ascidians, starfish, and other marine invertebrates. In addition, this group of rare lipids is found in amoebas, fungi, fungal endophytes, and plants. For convenience, the presented CBS and triterpenoids are divided into four groups, which include: (a) CBS and triterpenoids containing a cyclopropane group; (b) CBS and triterpenoids with cyclopropane ring in the side chain; (c) CBS and triterpenoids containing a cyclobutane group; (d) CBS and triterpenoids containing cyclopentane, cyclohexane or cycloheptane moieties. For the comparative characterization of the antitumor profile, we have added several semi- and synthetic CBS and triterpenoids, with various additional rings, to identify possible promising sources for pharmacologists and the pharmaceutical industry. About 300 CBS and triterpenoids are presented in this review, which demonstrate a wide range of biological activities, but the most pronounced antitumor profile. The review summarizes biological activities both determined experimentally and estimated using the well-known PASS software. According to the data obtained, two-thirds of CBS and triterpenoids show moderate activity levels with a confidence level of 70 to 90%; however, one third of these lipids demonstrate strong antitumor activity with a confidence level exceeding 90%. Several CBS and triterpenoids, from different lipid groups, demonstrate selective action on different types of tumor cells such as renal cancer, sarcoma, pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, lymphocytic leukemia, myeloid leukemia, liver cancer, and genitourinary cancer with varying degrees of confidence. In addition, the review presents graphical images of the antitumor profile of both individual CBS and triterpenoids groups and individual compounds.