Identification of a GDSL-motif carboxylester hydrolase from rice bran (Oryza sativa L.)

A major esterase (designated OsEST1) showing high activity using 1-naphthyl acetate as a substrate was identified from rice bran and purified approximately 239-fold to near-homogeniety. The purified enzyme migrated as a single polypeptide band on native and SDS-polyacrylamide gels and had a molecular mass of 25 kDa under denaturing conditions. Analysis of its tryptic peptides by MALDI-TOF-MS and subsequent data mining identified a corresponding cDNA OsEST1 consisting of 714 nucleotides and encoding a 238 amino acid protein. Analysis of its primary sequence indicated that OsEST1 is a GDSL-motif carboxylester hydrolase belonging to the SGNH protein subfamily in containing the putative catalytic triad of Ser¹¹, Asp¹⁸⁷, and His¹⁹⁰. OsEST1 showed the highest catalytic activity at approximately pH 8.0–8.5 and at 45 °C with K_m and V_max values for 1-naphthyl acetate of 172 μM and 63.7 μmol/min/mg protein, respectively. However, OsEST1 showed no activity with triacylglycerol. Alignment of the primary sequence of OsEST1 and other rice GDSL-motif esterases/lipases showed that OsEST1 aligns with a specific family of plant SGNH esterases involved in response to dehydration and cuticle formation. These results suggest that OsEST1 is not a lipase but an esterase activity which has some other function in rice, especially during seed development.     

Mutualistic interaction of rhizobacteria with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and its antagonistic effect on Fusarium oxysporum in Carica papaya seedlings

There are numerous studies evaluating biocontrol of root rot by using the antagonistic effects of either arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) or rhizobacteria, but usually independently. Fewer studies, although growing in number, report on evaluating the effectiveness of concurrent fungi–bacteria inoculation in combating root rot; and furthermore, there are none to date reported with papaya. In this study, an indigenous Pseudomonas sp. (PPV3) was isolated from roots of papaya (Carica papaya L. cv. Maradol) and used with an AMF complex (MTZ01) consisting of four fungi Glomus intraradices, Glomus mosseae, Glomus etunicatum and Gigaspora albida to inoculate roots of papaya in order to determine their antagonistic effects against Fusarium oxysporum, individually and in combination. It was found that with inoculation with PPV3 and MTZ01 protection was highest (85%) and had reduced disease (10%) as well as reducing F. oxysporum colonization in papaya seedlings. Inoculations with MTZ01 or PPV3 showed an efficacy of 54 and 60%, with a level of disease severity of the 38 and 22%, respectively. The combination of the AMF complex (MTZ01) with rhizobacterial Pseudomonas sp. (PPV3) modified the effects of F. oxysporum and provided increased protection for C. papaya than either acting alone. These results suggest that rhizobacteria and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi acting together formed a mutualistic relationship that enhances disease control against F. oxysporum and stimulates growth in C. papaya.     

Suppression of rice sheath blight disease using a heat stable culture filtrate from Streptomyces philanthi RM-1-138

Streptomyces philanthi RM-1-138, isolated from the rhizosphere soil of chili pepper in southern Thailand, was investigated for its antagonistic activity against phytopathogenic fungi. In dual culture on glucose yeast-malt extract (GYM) agar plates, this strain suppressed the mycelial growth of all seven plant pathogenic fungi tested (Rhizoctonia solani PTRRC-9, Pyricularia grisea PTRRC-18, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides NBCRSR-3, Colletotrichum capcisi NBCRSR-15, Ganoderma boninense NBCRSR-26, Fusarium fujikuroi PTRRC-16 and Bipolaris oryzae PTRRC-36) with an 82.2–89.2% inhibition and that was most pronounced on R. solani PTRRC-9. Heat treatment of the culture filtrate from growing R. solani PTRRC-9 at 40 °C, 60 °C, 80 °C, and 100 °C for 30 min and 121 °C for 15 min had no negative effect on the inhibitory activity against R. solani PTRRC-9 tested on both solid and liquid culture. The effective dose (>80% inhibition) of culture filtrate in liquid culture was at 5.0% (v/v) while it was at 10% (v/v) on the solid medium. This effectiveness was similar to those of the four chemical fungicides tested. The effect of S. philanthi RM-1-138 against R. solani PTRRC-9 was investigated using SEM and TEM. The compounds produced by S. philanthi RM-1-138 induced alterations to the cell-wall structure of R. solani PTRRC-9, that resulted in the loss of cytoplasm materials by partial lysis. The greenhouse experiment revealed that using either the culture filtrate or the autoclaved culture filtrate from S. philanthi RM-1-138 effectively suppressed rice sheath blight disease by up to 65.6 and 60.8%, respectively.     

Antagonistic yeasts with potential to control Colletotrichum gloeosporioides (Penz.) Penz. & Sacc. and Colletotrichum acutatum J.H. Simmonds on avocado fruits

Avocado is an economically important fruit that is severely affected by anthracnose disease due to the infection with Colletotrichum spp. In this study, avocado fruits with anthracnose symptoms were collected in Morelos, Mexico. Two phytopathogenic fungi were isolated from these fruits and identified as Colletotrichum gloeosporioides and Colletotrichum acutatum using ITS sequences. Further, eleven yeasts from avocado (three from fruits, four from leaves and four from rhizospheric soil) were isolated; of which three showed in vitro antagonistic activity against C. gloeosporioides and C. acutatum. ITS sequence analysis of the isolated yeasts revealed that the strains obtained from fruits belonged to Candida intermedia while those isolated from leaves belonged to Wickerhamomyces anomalus. C. intermedia reduced disease incidence caused only by C. gloeosporioides, whereas, W. anomalus caused a significant reduction in the incidence and severity of disease caused by both C. gloeosporioides and C. acutatum. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the antagonistic activity of W. anomalus or C. intermedia against Colletotrichum acutatum. Thus, W. anomalus is a potential natural alternative for controlling anthracnose infection and associated loss in avocado crops.     

水稻穗腐病病原分离、鉴定及生物学特性

 水稻穗腐病（rice spikelet rot disease,RSRD）是近年上升较快的一种水稻穗部重要病害,影响水稻产量和稻米品质。从稻穗发病谷粒中,共分离到4种真菌,经形态学、生物学及分子生物学鉴定,分别为层出镰刀菌（Fusarium proliferatum）、澳大利亚平脐蠕孢菌（Bipolaris australiensis）、新月弯孢菌（Curvularia lunata）和细交链孢菌（Alternaria tenuis）。4种病原菌均能在温度4℃~40℃、pH 3~12条件下生长,最适的温度范围是25℃~30℃,不同菌最佳产孢的pH值差异较大。4种菌均能在供试的碳、氮源培养基上生长,不同的碳、氮源对各菌的菌丝生长和产孢的影响不同。穗腐病是由多种病原菌引起的水稻后期穗部褐变病害,病原菌具有多样性、复杂性和致病性分化的现象。     

Expansion profiles of wheat doughs fermented by seven commercial baker's yeasts

Commercial baker's yeast consists of Saccharomyces cerevisae, however the strain can vary in each baker's yeast, which might influence the dough fermentation time. The scope of this research was to investigate the dough expansion of wheat doughs fermented by seven commercial baker's yeasts at different yeast concentrations (2.88·10¹¹, 5.76·10¹¹ and 8.64·10¹¹ colony forming units/kg flour) and fermentation temperatures (5 °C, 15 °C, 25 °C and 35 °C). Dough expansion was investigated by monitoring the dough height and it was found to be described well by a first order kinetic model. Doughs fermented with four of the seven yeasts generally had higher kinetic rate constants and hence shorter fermentation times compared to fermentation with the other three yeasts. The shortest fermentation times were found for doughs fermented at 25 °C and the highest yeast concentration, a trend found for all the yeasts tested. The differences in the kinetic rate constants indicate a differentiation in yeast strain among the commercial baker's yeasts emphasising the great importance of the choice of baker's yeast for the dough fermentation time.     

Effects of visible light irradiation on the oxidative stability in rice bran

Raw rice bran was treated with or without visible light exposure at room temperature or stored at 40 °C in the dark for 10 days and rice bran oil (RBO) was recovered from each rice bran. Headspace oxygen content from rice bran and conjugated dienoic acid (CDA) value, acid value, content of γ-oryzanol, and fluorescence intensity in RBO were analyzed to determine the effects of visible light on the oxidative stability in rice bran. Headspace oxygen content in visible light irradiated rice bran (RBL) decreased by 12.8% for 10 days while those in the dark (RBD) and stored at 40 °C (RBT) decreased by 5.87 and 5.35%, respectively, implying visible light irradiation accelerates the consumption of oxygen. CDA values in RBO from RBL were significantly higher than those in RBO from RBD and RBT (p < 0.05). However, acid values in RBO were not significantly different among samples (p > 0.05). Both γ-oryzanol content and fluorescence intensity in RBO from RBL were significantly lower than those in RBO from RBD and RBT (p < 0.05). Fluorescence intensity, which is related to the content of chlorophylls, decreased in samples under light only, implying that chlorophyll photosensitization may play important roles in the acceleration of lipid oxidation in rice bran.     

Rheological and textural properties of tef [Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter] grain flour gels

Interest in tef [Eragrostis tef (Zucc.)Trotter] grain in food applications has increased in recent years because of its nutritional merits and the absence of gluten. With the objective of evaluating the suitability of tef for making gel type food products, gel viscoelastic properties of three varieties of tef (one brown and two white) at different concentrations (6, 8, 10, 12 & 14% w/w) were evaluated at 25 °C and 90 °C. The texture and color evolution for 16% (w/w) gels were evaluated. Proximate compositions of the flours were quantified. Rice, refined and whole wheat flours were analyzed as reference. The minimum flour concentration required for gel formation from the three tef varieties was 6–8%, similar to wheat flour. All tef flour suspensions pre-heated to 95 °C led to gels with a solid-like behavior (G′ > G″), both at 25 °C and 90 °C, with higher consistency than wheat gels at the same concentration. The dependence of viscoelastic moduli with concentration fulfilled the power law. The Avrami model was successfully fitted to the textural evolution of tef gels. Important differences were observed among tef and rice and wheat flours, probably contributed by their differences in protein, starch, lipid and fiber constituents. Gelling properties characterized suggest that tef flours would be suitable ingredients in gel food formulations.     

Effects of water regime,nitrogen fertilization,and rice plant density on growth and reproduction of lowland weed Echinochloa crus-galli

Direct-seeded rice systems are increasing in Asia as farmers respond to the high labor cost and shortage of water. Echinochloa crus-galli is one of the most problematic and competitive weeds in direct-seeded rice systems. Because of concerns about excessive herbicide use, there is an interest in developing cultural weed management strategies. However, the design of such strategies requires a better understanding of the weed response to crop density, nutrition, and water regime. A study was therefore conducted in pots to determine the effect of water (flooded and aerobic), nitrogen (N) fertilization (0, 100, and 200 kg N ha⁻¹), and rice density [0, 4 rice plants (≈20 kg seed ha⁻¹), and 16 rice plants (≈80 kg seed ha⁻¹)] on the growth and reproduction of E. crus-galli. When grown alone, the growth and seed production of E. crus-galli were higher in flooded conditions than in aerobic conditions. However, no such differences were observed when E. crus-galli was grown with rice interference. E. crus-galli growth and seed production increased with increases in N rate. Irrespective of water regime and N rate, the growth and seed production of E. crus-galli declined with increases in rice density. At 100 kg N ha⁻¹, for example, E. crus-galli shoot biomass and seed production decreased by 84–86% and 82–87%, respectively, when grown with 16 rice plants compared with its growth without rice interference. The results suggest that growth and seed production of E. crus-galli can be greatly reduced by increasing rice seeding rate. However, there is a need to involve other weed management strategies to achieve complete control of E. crus-galli and other weed species.     

Development of a formulation of Trichoderma asperellum to control black rot disease on pineapple caused by (Thielaviopsis paradoxa)

A local isolate of Trichoderma asperellum was tested for its antagonistic activity against Thielaviopsis paradoxa (telemorph = Ceratocyctis paradoxa). The highest antagonistic activity was achieved when the concentration of T. asperellum conidia was 1 × 10⁷ conidia/mL. The highest biomass and number of colony forming unit/mL of the T. asperellum peaked at 144 h after incubation in yeast waste residue medium. The minimum inhibition concentration value of the formulation was observed as 1% on growth of Th. paradoxa incubated at 28 ± 2 °C for 10 d. In the soil fungicide-screening test, the effect of concentrations 100-1600 μg/mL on mycelia growth was not significant (P < 0.05). Complete mycelial growth inhibition occurred at concentration above 52,600 μg/mL. Results of the fruit application tests clearly showed that all treated fruits were free of disease at the end of the incubation period. No significant differences (P > 0.05) in pH, total soluble solids and titratable acidity were observed between fruits treated with formulation of T. asperellum and the control formulation treated pineapples.     

Antifungal activity of polyacetylenes isolated from Cirsium japonicum roots against various phytopathogenic fungi

Antifungal substances from a methanol extract of Cirsium japonicum roots were purified and characterized, and their antifungal activities against various plant pathogens were evaluated. Three polyacetylene substances were isolated from roots of C. japonicum using repeated column chromatography; these were identified as ciryneol A, ciryneol C and 1-heptadecene-11,13-diyne-8,9,10-triol by mass and nuclear magnetic resonance spectral analyses. In vitro antifungal activity of the three substances varied according to compound and target species. Magnaporthe oryzae, Colletotrichum coccodes, Colletotrichum acutatum, Pythium ultimum and Botrytis cinerea were relatively sensitive to the three polyacetylenes, with IC₅₀ values below 50 μg mL⁻¹. In vivo, they all showed similar and broad antifungal spectra against the seven plant diseases tested. At 500 μg mL⁻¹, all three compounds effectively suppressed the development of rice blast, rice sheath blight, tomato late blight, wheat leaf rust and red pepper anthracnose, with control values over 90%. They were highly active especially against wheat leaf rust; they controlled the development of this disease more than 88% even at a concentration of 125 μg mL⁻¹. In addition, ciryneol C effectively suppressed barley powdery mildew. This is the first report on the antifungal activities of the three polyacetylenes from roots of C. japonicum against plant pathogenic fungi. Polyacetylenes from roots of C. japonicum may contribute to the development of environmentally safer alternatives to protect crops from various phytopathogenic fungi.     

Development of new bioformulations using Trichoderma and Talaromyces fungal antagonists for biological control of sugar beet damping-off disease

The aims of this study were to develop new bioformulations using Trichoderma harzianum, Trichoderma asperellum, and Talaromyces flavus and some organic and inorganic carriers and evaluate their effects against Rhizoctonia solani, the fungal causal agent of sugar beet seedling damping-off disease. Selected fungal isolates were first re-cultured and maintained on potato dextrose agar (PDA) culture medium. Antagonistic effects of eight isolates of the above-mentioned antagonistic fungi were then evaluated against R. solani, through volatile metabolites and non-volatile metabolites production mechanisms under laboratory conditions. In volatile and non-volatile metabolite experiments, five and seven isolates caused significant reduction in R. solani growth respectively. Based on the results of laboratory experiments, the most effective antagonistic isolates (one isolate from each species) were selected for development of nine bioformulations using peat, rice bran and talc as carriers. The effectiveness of developed bioformulations was then evaluated in controlling sugar beet damping-off disease in a greenhouse experiment where sugar beet seeds were coated with bioformulations and were sown in pasteurized field soil pre-inoculated with R. solani. Results of the greenhouse experiment 60 days after sowing showed that all bioformulations increased the number of healthy seedlings significantly (compared to the untreated control) with different rates. According to the results, the most effective bioformulation was Talc-T. harzianum followed by Peat-T. flavus, Talc-T. flavus and Rice bran-T. harzianum. In general, in both laboratory and greenhouse experiments, T. flavus was the most effective fungal antagonist followed by T. harzianum and T. asperellum. Based on the results of this study it is concluded that Trichoderma and Talaromyces employing different mechanisms might be potential biocontrol agents for controlling R. solani-induced sugar beet damping-off disease.     

In vitro starch digestibility and pasting properties of germinated brown rice after hydrothermal treatments

Germinated brown rice (GBR) recently has received renewed attention due to its enhanced nutritional value. Pasting properties and in vitro starch digestibility of GBR were examined before and after hydrothermal treatments. Steeping in water (30 °C, 24 h) raised the moisture content and germination percentage of brown rice. Pasting viscosity was substantially decreased but gelatinization temperatures and enthalpy were decreased only marginally by germination (30 °C, 48 h). However, annealing (50 °C, 24 h) and heat-moisture treatment (100 °C, 1 h at 30% moisture) after germination resulted in increased pasting viscosity and gelatinization temperatures. The hydrothermal treatments, however, induced browning reactions to darken the flour of GBR. The digestibility of starch in brown rice was increased by germination. The contents of rapidly digestible starch (RDS), slowly digestible starch (SDS) and resistant starch (RS) in the cooked brown rice were 47.3%, 40.8%, and 11.9%, respectively, but changed to 57.7%, 39.1%, and 3.2%, respectively upon germination. The hydrothermal treatments, however, decreased the digestibility of starch in GBR. The heat-moisture treatment decreased the RDS content in GBR near to that of native brown rice. The digestibility and physical properties of brown rice can be controlled by germination and hydrothermal treatments.     

Antifungal activity in vitro of Aloe vera pulp and liquid fraction against plant pathogenic fungi

The leaf pulp of Aloe vera, designated as the gel, and the bitter, yellow liquid fraction have been tested against pathogens (bacteria and fungi) affecting human and plants. However, their activity for fungal control in commercial industrial crops has not been determined. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the inhibitory effect of Aloe pulp and liquid fraction on the mycelial growth of three phytopathogenic fungi and to determine the extract concentrations that can inhibit mycelial development. A. vera leaves were cut from plants grown under greenhouse conditions at the University Antonio Narro, disinfected with sodium hypochlorite, and separated in two groups. In the first group, the pulp was manually scraped out; in the second, a laboratory roll processor was used for the pulp and liquid fraction separation. Both types of extracts were pasteurized. Antifungal activity of pulp and liquid fraction was evaluated on the mycellium development of Rhizoctonia solani, Fusarium oxysporum, and Colletotrichum coccodes that were isolated from a potato crop by the hyphae point and monosporic techniques. The concentrations of the plant extract ranged from 0 to 10⁵ μl l⁻¹. Fungal plugs 0.4 mm in diameter were placed in Petri dishes with a potato–dextrose–agar (PDA) culture media, and treated with various concentrations of pulp or liquid fraction. The cultures were incubated at 24±2 °C and the radial growth of mycelia measured daily for 7 days. The antifungal effect was measured under a totally random design with four replications. The results showed an inhibitory effect of the pulp of A. Vera on F. oxysporum at 10⁴ μl l⁻¹ and over a long period. For the two types of Aloe fractions the activities were similar. Besides the liquid fraction reduced the rate of colony growth at a concentration of 10⁵ μl 1⁻¹ in R. solani, F. oxysporum, and C. coccodes. This is the first report of any Aloe liquid fraction activity against plant pathogenic fungi.     

Sorption of Yellow 59 on Posidonia oceanica,a non-conventional biosorbent: Comparison with activated carbons

Posidonia oceanica, an endemic marine magnoliophyta found in the Mediterranean Sea, is used as a biosorbent for dye wastewater treatment. The ability of P. oceanica to remove the dye C.I. Acid Yellow 59 from an aqueous solution was compared to that of two commercial activated carbon forms: powdered (PAC) and granular (GAC) activated carbon. The effect of initial pH, mass concentration, contact time and initial dye concentration were investigated for the three sorbents. Equilibrium uptake was found to be pH dependent and maximum uptake was observed at an acid pH (2–3) for all materials. Kinetic studies for initial dye concentration of 20, 50 and 100 mg L^?1 showed that dye uptake followed the pseudo-second order model for all materials and equilibrium was reached in 10, 400 and 600 min for PAC, GAC and P. oceanica, respectively. The equilibrium data tend to fit Freundlich isotherm model for all materials, the best retention of C.I. Acid Yellow 59 was found to be on PAC followed by P. oceanica and then GAC. This comparative study indicates that sorption onto P. oceanica is an effective, cheaper alternative for dye removal.     

Effects of Bacillus subtilis strain QST 713 and storage temperatures on post-harvest disease development on greenhouse tomatoes

Tomato plants in two commercial greenhouses were treated with Rhapsody (Bacillus subtilis strain QST 713, rate of 1.45%) once every 4 weeks during 2012–2013 to determine effects on post-harvest fruit infection. Populations of Bacillus and disease incidence were monitored weekly from harvested fruit over an 18-week period. Population levels of Bacillus ranged from 75 to 110 × 10⁴ colony forming units (cfu) cm⁻² of fruit surface area one week after application to 25–30 × 10⁴ cfu cm⁻² of fruit surface area 4 weeks after application. Disease incidence on harvested fruit incubated at 21 °C for 7–10 days was variable, due to variation in inoculum levels within the greenhouse as well as variable environmental conditions. Both disease incidence and severity were significantly reduced on Rhapsody-treated fruit, especially in the 1–2 week period following application. Post-harvest storage temperature (13 °C vs. 21 °C) and incubation time (12 vs. 16 days) had a significant effect on final disease severity. Rhapsody-treated fruit incubated at 13 °C had an average of 1–2% fruit infection compared to up to 20% infection on untreated fruit at 21 °C. The most frequent pathogens affecting fruit quality were Penicillium sp. and Rhizopus stolonifer. Rhapsody applications made every 4 weeks maintained sufficiently high populations of Bacillus on the fruit surface to prevent spread of these fungi onto the fruit, resulting in significant post-harvest disease control on fresh market tomatoes. When combined with storage at 13 °C for no more than 12 days, disease was reduced to negligible levels.     

Biocontrol of rice blast by the phenaminomethylacetic acid producer of Bacillus methylotrophicus strain BC79

Strain BC79, isolated from primeval forest soil in Qinling, Mountains, China, was identified as Bacillus methylotrophicus based on morphological, biochemical, physiological and chemotaxonomic analyses as well as phylogenetic 16S rDNA sequencing data. This strain was able to suppress mycelial growth and conidial germination of numerous plant pathogenic fungi in dual cultures on solid media. For exploring potential biocontrol activity, we assessed fermentation conditions for studying B. meth1ylotrophicus BC79. The active substance of BC79, phenaminomethylacetic acid, was extracted by TLC and HPLC, and identified as the strongest inhibitory substance described in B. methylotrophicus. Experiments in a greenhouse showed that application of BC79 culture filtrates 24 h before inoculation of Magnaporthe oryzae, the causal agent of rice blast, had 89.87% biocontrol efficiency. B. methylotrophicus BC79 colonized rice plant tissues and at 10 days after filtrate application, its population in leaves (1.65 × 10⁸ CFU/g) was much larger than in stems (6.78 × 10⁷ CFU/g) or roots (3.56 × 10⁷ CFU/g). Field trials indicated that BC79 culture filtrate (4000 g/667 m²) showed the highest efficiency for M. oryzae, with 84.8% biocontrol effect, followed by of 15% phenaminomethylacetic acid extract (75.5%) and 20% tricyclazole (76.1%). Seedling and post-transplant stages were the best periods to apply BC79 for control of rice blast. The B. methylotrophicus BC79 strain hence has enormous potential as an agricultural agent for biocontrol of rice blast.     

Temporal progress and control of tomato spotted wilt virus in flue-cured tobacco

Tomato spotted wilt virus causes tomato spotted wilt (TSW), a disease that results in economic losses on several crops including tobacco in the southeastern United States. The effect of imidacloprid (IMD) applied as a pre-transplant soil drench alone, in combination with acibenzolar-S-methyl (ASM), or followed by a foliar application of ASM immediately after transplanting on TSW incidence and severity on tobacco was quantified in studies conducted in North Carolina from 2006 to 2008. Pre-transplant IMD application in combination with ASM provided the greatest reduction in TSW incidence and severity; however other treatments provided economically efficacious controls when TSW incidence was <30% in a field. From these results, TSW incidence was classified as Low (<10%), Moderate (11-20%), High (21-30%), or Very High (>30%), classes corresponding to different control recommendations, and subsequently used for modeling temporal TSW progress in a field. The temporal progress of TSW was modeled with data collected from 23 tobacco fields in North Carolina from 2006 to 2008. Cumulative degree-days (DD) and the average class of TSW incidence observed in a field for 5 seasons before the one that data were collected were significant variables (P < 0.05) for explaining the temporal progress of TSW incidence. DD based on four temperature thresholds (10.5, 18.0, 20.0, and 26.0 °C) were investigated, resulting in four models. Models were validated with data collected in 2009 and the model in which DD were calculated based on the threshold of 10.5 °C had a higher predictability (R² = 0.70) than the other three models. The 26 °C DD model had the poorest predictability (R² = 0.33). These models are currently being validated in North Carolina and the other flue-cured production states of the southeast United States as a tool for implementing disease control recommendations.     

Phylogenetic origins and family classification of typhuloid fungi,with emphasis on Ceratellopsis,Macrotyphula and Typhula (Basidiomycota)

Typhuloid fungi are a very poorly known group of tiny clavarioid homobasidiomycetes. The phylogenetic position and family classification of the genera targeted here, Ceratellopsis, Macrotyphula, Pterula sensu lato and Typhula, are controversial and based on unresolved phylogenies. Our six-gene phylogeny with an expanded taxon sampling shows that typhuloid fungi evolved at least twice in the Agaricales (Pleurotineae, Clavariineae) and once in the Hymenochaetales. Macrotyphula, Pterulicium and Typhula are nested within the Pleurotineae. The type of Typhula (1818) and Sclerotium (1790), T. phacorrhiza and S. complanatum (synonym T. phacorrhiza), are encompassed in the Macrotyphula clade that is distantly related to a monophyletic group formed by species usually assigned to Typhula. Thus, the correct name for Macrotyphula (1972) and Typhula is Sclerotium and all Typhula species but those in the T. phacorrhiza group need to be transferred to Pistillaria (1821). To avoid undesirable nomenclatural changes, we suggest to conserve Typhula with T. incarnata as type. Clavariaceae is supported as a separate, early diverging lineage within Agaricales, with Hygrophoraceae as a successive sister taxon to the rest of the Agaricales. Ceratellopsis s. auct. is polyphyletic because C. acuminata nests in Clavariaceae and C. sagittiformis in the Hymenochaetales. Ceratellopsis is found to be an earlier name for Pterulicium, because the type, C. queletii, represents Pterulicium gracile (synonym Pterula gracilis), deeply nested in the Pterulicium clade. To avoid re-combining a large number of names in Ceratellopsis we suggest to conserve it with C. acuminata as type. The new genus Bryopistillaria is created to include C. sagittiformis. The families Sarcomyxaceae and Phyllotopsidaceae, and the suborder Clavariineae, are described as new. Six new combinations are proposed and 15 names typified.     

Antifungal activity of prenylated flavonoids isolated from Tephrosia apollinea L. against four phytopathogenic fungi

Four prenylated flavonoids, isoglabratephrin, (+)-glabratephrin, tephroapollin-F and lanceolatin-A were isolated from Tephrosia apollinea L. growing in Egypt. The structures of compounds have been elucidated using physical and spectroscopic methods including (UV, IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, DEPT, 2D ¹H–¹H COSY, HSQC, HMBC and NOESY). The isolated flavonoids showed considerable antifungal activity against four phytopathogenic fungi, namely Alternaria alternata, Helminthosporium sp., Colletotrichum acutatum and Pestalotiopsis sp. in a dose-dependent manner using the agar well-diffusion bioassay. They differ significantly in their activity with tephroapollin-F was the most effective. In a test using a concentration of 4 mg/ml of tephroapollin-F, strong fungicidal activities (32.8–58.3%) were produced against the test fungi, where C. acutatum, Helminthosporium sp. and Pestalotiopsis sp. showed greater susceptibility, while A. alternata was the least susceptible. Using the same concentration, the two flavonoids isoglabratephrin and (+)-glabratephrin showed moderate activities with % inhibition of fungal growth were ranged between (16.1–37.8) against A. alternata, Helminthosporium sp. and Pestalotiopsis sp., while showed a strong antifungal activity against C. acutatum (% growth inhibition were 46.4 and 42.9, respectively). In all treatments, the flavonoid lanceolatin-A exhibited weak to moderate activities. Using lower concentrations of the test flavonoids (2 and 1 mg/ml), weak to moderate antifungal activities were observed against all of the test fungal strains. In all cases and regardless of the flavonoid tested, C. acutatum was the most susceptible, while A. alternata was the least. The study recommends the use of the test compounds as rational fungicides of natural origin.