Population dynamics of the potato cyst nematode,Globodera pallida,in relation to temperature,potato cultivar and nematicide application

The impact of increasing temperatures on the population dynamics of the soil-dwelling nematode Globodera pallida, a persistent and economically important pest of potatoes, was investigated. The reproductive factor (final population⁄initial population) and length of life cycle were found to be temperature sensitive. Pot experiments performed over 4 months allowed comparison of the effect on development of G. pallida of two temperature regimes: an average temperature comparable to current field conditions (14.3 °C) and an average temperature above current field conditions (17.3 °C). A larger second generation of juveniles was observed at 17.3 °C compared to 14.3 °C. Multiplication of G. pallida at field sites in Shropshire and East Lothian (average soil temperatures of 15.5 and 14.1 °C, respectively, during potato cropping) was also examined. A quantitative PCR assay and visual examination of roots were used to monitor the dynamics of the G. pallida populations in both field sites at 4-weekly intervals. Four cultivars, Desirée, Cara, Maris Piper and Estima, were grown with and without nematicide treatments. Nematicide treatments suppressed population increases at both sites. Females were observed on the roots of cvs Cara and Desirée at the end of the growing season in Shropshire, but not at East Lothian, and are likely to represent a second generation.     

The brown marmorated stink bug,Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) in Malta

Halyomorpha halys, commonly known as the brown marmorated stink bug, has been recorded for the first time from the Maltese Islands. The record is currently based on the capture of a single specimen. Information is provided on the distribution range of this polyphagous species which was accidentally introduced into Europe (Switzerland) in 2007 and since then has invaded many European countries. Morphological details are also included to aid in the discrimination of this species from similar species occurring in the Mediterranean region. Notes are provided on the feeding strategies used by this insect and the type of damage incurred on agricultural commodities, which are often rendered unsaleable.     

New Pseudococcidae species on Cupressus macrocarpa in Tunisia: first report of Planococcus vovae

In May 2017 and 2018, Planococcus vovae (Nasonov) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) was collected in Hammam Sousse (Tunisia) on the ornamental plant Cupressus macrocarpa (Cupressaceae). The infestation was observed on needles which showed symptoms of desiccation and chlorosis. This is the first record of P. vovae in Tunisia and in North Africa.     

A comparison of popular approaches to optimize landscape resistance surfaces

Landscape Ecology - Landscape resistance surfaces are often used to address questions related to movement, dispersal, or population connectivity. However, modeling landscape resistance is...     

Occurrence of prophage and historical perspectives associated with the dissemination of huanglongbing in mainland China

Huanglongbing (HLB), associated with a non-culturable bacterium ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ (CLas), is a highly destructive citrus disease with a long but poorly documented history in China. No effective treatment for HLB is available. The identification of new prophages in abundant CLas genomic sequence data provides new insights into both the diversity of CLas strains and HLB management. In this study, CLas populations from nine provinces were surveyed for the presence of prophage. Two major prophage typing groups (PTGs) were discovered to be associated with two different altitude regions: strains of CLas in PTG1 from high altitude regions (HAR) mainly contained prophage Type 1 only or Types 1 and 3, whereas strains of CLas in PTG2 from low altitude regions (LAR) mainly contained prophage Type 2. The discovery of these CLas population patterns provides evidence for independent origins of HLB in HAR and LAR. Guangdong province is the generally recognized domestic region of origin for HLB and is primarily responsible for the dissemination of HLB in LAR through transport of seedlings. Both Yunnan and Sichuan provinces are the probable regions of origin for HLB in HAR. PTG2 was further divided into two subgroups: PTG2-1, found in Guangdong, Fujian and Guangxi and PTG2-2, found in Jiangxi, Zhejiang and Hunan. These regions and prophage types are correlated with early and late introductions of HLB in LAR. These molecular analyses were supported by studying the history of the dissemination of HLB in historical documents.     

Impact of soil water content on maize responses to the plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium Azospirillum lipoferum CRT1

Members of the bacterial genus Azospirillum are root-associated bacteria that increase yield in cereals by promoting growth and alleviating drought stress. How plants integrate the many bacterium-derived growth-promoting stimuli with other environmental factors to generate a coordinated response remains unresolved. Using a commercial Azospirillum strain, A. lipoferum CRT1 and two host maize cultivars, it was observed that bacterization reduced the drought-induced increase in lateral root growth and enhanced the flood-induced increase in lateral root growth in the more drought- and flood-sensitive cultivar. In the other one, A. lipoferum CRT1 only elicited a moderate root growth response under low soil water potential. The photosynthetic potential and activity were increased in the earlier cultivar and decreased in the later one, irrespective of the soil water content. No impact of the bacterium was seen on the growth of the leaves of both cultivars under both stresses until the third leaf stage, therefore suggesting that it is a consequence of multiple primary adaptations to biotic and abiotic stresses. It is suggested that host–bacteria recognition leads to a stress-specific modulation of the root response and a differential stress-independent effect on photosynthesis. This is the first report of the impact of Azospirillum under flood conditions.     

Changes in wettability of wood surface using electron beam irradiation

ABSTRACT

This study deals with the influence of electron beam irradiation (EBI) on the wettability of Norway spruce surface samples. To evaluate this possible effect in detail, the changes in chemistry and wood structure were analysed using the methods of IR spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The surface wettability was determined by the contact angle measurement method. The results of infrared spectra show decreased relative numbers of available hydrophilic groups (e.g. hydroxyl and carbonyl groups) in the wood surfaces due to the electron beam irradiation. This behaviour is consistent with the values from the surface wettability measurements. Structural differences of the wood surfaces after electron beam irradiation were not detectable. Based on these findings pre-treatment of wood surfaces for industrial usages can be a potential field of application of this technology.     

Crude garlic extract significantly inhibits replication of grapevine viruses

Efforts to control viral diseases of grapevine include the production of certified material and development of virus-resistant transgenic grapevines. However, effective antiviral agents, once the viruses have infected the plants, are still lacking. This study shows that a crude garlic extract has significant antiviral activity against grapevine viruses. Replication of grapevine leafroll-associated virus 2 (GLRaV-2) was obviously inhibited in grapevine cv. Cabernet Sauvignon calli treated with diluted (1:100) garlic extract. The relative RNA levels of GLRaV-2 and grapevine fleck virus (GFkV) in cv. Summer Black grapevine in in vitro-grown plantlets 10 days after treatment with diluted (1:100) garlic extract were about 22% and 20%, respectively, of that in controls. The viral RNA accumulation of GLRaV-2, GFkV, grapevine virus A (GVA), grapevine fanleaf virus (GFLV) and grapevine rupestris stem pitting-associated virus (GRSPaV) in field-grown grapevine cv. Centennial Seedless plants sprayed with diluted (1:100) garlic extract were about 31–40%, 26–38%, 18–31%, 17–42% and 15–18%, respectively, of that in controls. Moreover, the garlic extract treatment led to a significant decrease in viral RNA accumulation of GLRaV-3, GLRaV-2, GVA, GFkV, GFLV, GRSPaV and grapevine Pinot Gris virus in pot-grown grapevine cv. Shine Muscat plants, and viral disease symptoms in these plants were obviously attenuated. In addition, this extract significantly induced expression of pathogenesis-related protein genes and stimulated activity of antioxidant enzymes in grapevines. Taken together, these results indicate that the crude garlic extract acts as a significant inhibitor against a broad range of grapevine viruses.     

Genome-wide association study for spot blotch resistance in Afghan wheat germplasm

Spot blotch (SB), caused by Bipolaris sorokiniana, is a devastating disease of wheat globally, especially in South Asia and South America. Understanding the genetics of resistance to SB is important for developing breeding strategies to improve resistance. A panel of 301 genotypes from Afghanistan was phenotyped over two crop seasons using a mixture of virulent B. sorokiniana isolates and genotyped using DArTSeq to obtain genome-wide markers. Fifty genotypes (16.6%) showed disease scores less than the resistant control. Principal component analysis using the genotypic data clustered the genotypes into five different groups. Among models used for genome-wide association mapping, the multilocus mixed model, and fixed and random model circulating probability unification algorithms were most effective in identifying significant marker-trait associations (MTA). Twenty-five MTAs at p ≤ .001 were identified on chromosomes 1A, 1B, 1D, 2B, 2D, 3A, 3B, 4A, 5A, 5B, 6A, 7A, and 7D, indicating the quantitative nature of resistance to SB. Phenotypic variation explained by these markers ranged from 2.0% to 17.7%, and genomic regions on the chromosomes 1D, 2D, 3A, 3B, 4A, 5A, and 5B coincided with loci identified in previous studies. Three single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers on chromosomes 1B (SNP 1113207) and 5A (SNPs 5411867 and 998276) were significant in both crop seasons as well as in the combined analysis across seasons. Marker 5411867 is close to Vrn-A1, shown to be associated with SB in previous studies. Furthermore, among known SB resistance genes, Sb2 on chromosome 5B was predicted to be significant in this panel.     

山羊卵泡发育相关基因的筛选及分析

【背景】山羊第一卵泡波中的优势卵泡（dominant follicles, DF）和从属卵泡（subordinate follicles, SF）是整个卵泡发育过程中最为关键的两个阶段。随着卵泡的进一步发育,最终DF可能发育成为成熟卵泡,直到排卵;SF将走向闭锁,其中颗粒细胞的凋亡是导致卵泡发生闭锁的关键因素。然而目前对促进卵泡的优势化或导致其闭锁的分子机理尚不清楚。【目的】通过对山羊第一卵泡波中DF和SF颗粒细胞进行高通量测序,旨在筛选影响卵泡发育的关键基因,为深入探究卵泡发育的调控机制提供理论依据。【方法】选取10只1岁龄健康的贵州白山羊分别注射前列腺素F_2α,使其同期发情,此后每天用B超检测并记录卵泡的生长情况,发情3 d后,统一屠宰并采集第一卵泡波中DF (直径4.5—6 mm)与SF (直径3 —4.5 mm),分别分离其中的颗粒细胞,提取总RNA、构建文库后通过Illumina Hiseq 2500平台进行测序。利用FastQC对测序产出raw reads进行质量评估并经过过滤后,获得品质较高的clean reads;使用Trinity对得到的clean reads进行重新组装,从而获得unigenes;使用CLC Genomics Workbench将unigenes与山羊RefSeq数据库进行比对获得mRNA;使用DESeq2 软件对获得的mRNA进行差异表达分析;分别采用goseq和kobas软件对得到的差异表达基因进行GO分析及KEGG信号通路分析;最终通过qRT-PCR对筛选出的可能影响卵泡发育的关键基因进行验证。【结果】分别对测序得到的raw reads进行过滤后,在DF颗粒细胞中获得43 217 934条clean reads,占raw reads的比例为95.19%;SF颗粒细胞中获得40 766 348条clean reads,占raw reads的比例为95.35%。将得到的unigenes与山羊的RefSeq 数据库进行比对后,共得到33 896条带有注释的转录本,再通过设定FPKM>1, q value<0.05,共在两种卵泡颗粒细胞中获得13 644个基因。设定参数：FPKM≥1,SF-FPKM/DF-FPKM>1,P<0.05,获得695个差异表达mRNA,其中233个在SF颗粒细胞中表达显著上调,462个表达显著下调;对所获得695个差异表达mRNA进行GO功能富集分析,共分为三大类42组：其中生物学过程占47.6%,细胞组分占47.6%,分子功能占4.8%;KEGG信号通路分析,发现20条通路,其中与核糖体通路相关的基因富集最为显著。通过在Genecard中进行功能分析后,筛选6个可能与山羊卵泡发育密切相关的基因,其中PRLR、PTX3、RGN在SF颗粒细胞中表现为上调;DKK3、ALDH1A2、RARRES1则表现为下调。qRT-PCR显示PRLR、RGN、DKK3、ALDH1A2、RARRES1的表达趋势与高通量测序结果一致,且RGN在从属卵泡颗粒细胞中的表达量极显著地高于优势卵泡（P<0.01）;DKK3、ALDH1A2、RARRES1在优势卵泡颗粒细胞中的表达量极显著地高于从属卵泡（P<0.01）。【结论】DKK3、ALDH1A2、RARRES1和RGN在优势卵泡和从属卵泡中表达量存在极显著差异,推测在山羊卵泡发育过程中可能促进卵泡的优势化或导致闭锁,对深入探究卵泡发育的调控机制具有重要意义。