Banishing barberry: The history of Berberis vulgaris prevalence and wheat stem rust incidence across Britain

Wheat stem rust, caused by the fungus Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici (Pgt), is a notoriously damaging disease of wheat and barley. Pgt requires two hosts to complete its lifecycle; undergoing asexual reproduction on cereal crops and completing sexual reproduction on Berberis spp. The latter stage of its lifecycle is of particular importance in temperate regions such as western Europe, where asexual urediniospores are unable to survive cold winter weather. In the past, the crucial role of Berberis in the lifecycle of stem rust led to intensive eradication campaigns, initially carried out by farmers in the face of hostile scientific opinion. In the United Kingdom, common barberry (Berberis vulgaris) is today a relatively rare plant. Stem rust is, however, currently experiencing a resurgence; at the same time, there has been a general increase in the prevalence of barberry and an upsurge in its planting which, in the United Kingdom, is associated with attempts to encourage the endangered barberry carpet moth (Pareulype berberata). This article situates current developments within a broader chronological framework, examining changing attitudes towards barberry and rust in England in the past and the history of the plant's use and cultivation. It assesses how widespread B. vulgaris really was in the environment historically, and thus the scale of its eradication. We suggest that Berberis was never widely established as an archaeophyte in the United Kingdom. Current attempts to re-establish it are based on a misunderstanding of the plant's historical status and could potentially pose a serious threat to food security.     

Influence of temperature,humidity duration and growth stage on the infection and mycotoxin production by Fusarium langsethiae and Fusarium poae in oats

High occurrence of Fusarium poae (FP) and Fusarium langsethiae (FL) and their mycotoxins nivalenol (NIV) and T-2/HT-2 have been observed in Swiss oats. Early prediction of mycotoxin levels is important for farmers and the cereal industry to minimize the risk of contaminated food and feed. Therefore, climate chamber experiments were conducted to investigate the influence of different temperatures (10, 15, 20 °C) and durations (4, 8, 12 h) at 99% relative humidity (RH) on the infection of oats with FP and FL. In addition, to discover the most susceptible period of oats, artificial FL inoculations were conducted at different growth stages. Field experiments were performed to observe the dispersal of these fungal species within the field and to investigate the weather conditions that influence the dispersal. The climate chamber experiments revealed higher contamination with NIV and T-2/HT-2 in the 10 °C treatments and with a prolonged humidity duration of 12 h 99% RH. Inoculations of oat plants at early (DC 61) and mid (DC 65) anthesis, led to higher FL infection and T-2/HT-2 accumulation in the grains compared with treatments at earlier growth stages, which might be due to an increased susceptibility during anthesis. No indication for spore dispersal was observed in the field experiments. The results obtained, together with the cropping factors that influence infection and mycotoxin production, could be used as a first step in developing forecasting models to predict the contamination of oats with the mycotoxins NIV and T-2/HT-2.     

The ecosystem services concept: a new Esperanto to facilitate participatory planning processes?

Landscape Ecology - Several case studies investigated the role of ecosystem services in participatory planning processes. However, no systematic study exists that cuts across a large number of...     

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.     

An isolate of Wheat streak mosaic virus from foxtail overcomes Wsm2 resistance in wheat

Wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV) is an economically important pathogen of wheat (Triticum aestivum) causing major yield losses in regions where severe infection occurs. To detect the presence of any new virus or new WSMV isolates, green foxtail (Setaria viridis) plants exhibiting virus-like symptoms were sampled in a summer-fallowed wheat field at the Agricultural Research Center-Hays, Kansas State University, Hays, Kansas. These plants were tested serologically for four wheat viruses: WSMV, Triticum mosaic virus (TriMV), High Plains wheat mosaic virus (HPWMoV) and Foxtail mosaic virus (FoMV). Among 38 plant samples exhibiting virus-like symptoms, 29 contained WSMV as indicated by ELISA. Four isolates from samples with relatively strong reactions were transferred to healthy wheat seedlings by mechanical inoculation in a growth chamber for pathogenicity testing. Three isolates were avirulent to a wheat variety RonL, which contains Wsm2, a gene providing temperature-sensitive resistance to currently prevalent isolates of WSMV. However, one isolate, KSH294, was able to infect RonL and showed more virulence on two other varieties/lines containing Wsm2. Further sequence and phylogenetic analysis of KSH294 confirmed that this isolate displays a sequence homology with WSMV, but has sequence differences making it distinct from previously identified WSMV isolates included in the phylogenetic analysis.     

Assessing seed desiccation responses of native trees in the Caribbean

New Forests - Native trees from the Caribbean were tested for seed desiccation responses, by adapting the “100-seed test” protocol. Ninety-seven seed lots of 91 species were collected...     

Phytophagous insect fauna of Onopordum spp. thistles in the south of Syria

Thistles from the genus Onopordum (Asteraceae) are of Mediterranean and Eurasian origin. They are very common in the south of Syria, in particular in Damascus and Al Suwayda, and are found in fallow fields, pastures, roadsides and neglected areas. In 2015–2017, several sites with large populations of Onopordum spp. were identified. Weekly surveys of some of the sites, mainly in the regions of Damascus and Al Suwayda, revealed a significant diversity of phytophagous insect species, some of which had a very high population density. A total of 29 insect species were detected, belonging to four orders and 21 families. The most abundant species were from the order Coleoptera. These were observed to be feeding on different plant parts of Onopordum spp. Purely endophagous species comprised 38% of the species observed on Onopordum spp., ectophagous species comprised 45% with 17% of species mixed ectophagous and endophagous. Species that only fed on Onopordum spp. represented 34% of all the species observed.     

Site‐specific management is crucial to managing Mikania micrantha

Increasingly, weeds have been taking on global distributions. With the proliferation of invasive weeds has come the challenge of managing these species over broad geographical regions, with diverse habitats and political jurisdictions. Here, we review the management of Mikania micrantha Kunth (Asteraceae; mile‐a‐minute) throughout its invaded range, extending through most of the Pacific islands and southern and south‐east Asia. Context matters when determining the best course of action for managing M. micrantha, as it has invaded a large variety of agricultural and natural systems. In Queensland, Australia and Florida, USA, M. micrantha has been targeted in relatively successful eradication campaigns, highlighting the importance of early detection and rapid response methods, while elsewhere in its invaded range, populations are either still increasing or showing limited signs of decline. An inter‐regional approach to research and management should incorporate successful management strategies employed throughout the invaded range including, but not limited to, chemical and cultural control practices, manual and mechanical control, classical biological control using the rust fungus Puccinia spegazzinii, plant–plant competition and integrated approaches utilising two or more control methods concurrently. Additional knowledge of M. micrantha genetics is required to determine if management approaches could be fine‐tuned for particular populations. Countries bordering the Mekong River formed a network in 2011 to co‐ordinate the management of invasive species such as M. micrantha. Expanding such a collaborative approach to other regions could further reduce populations of M. micrantha and limit its spread.