Postharvest biological control of grey mould (Botrytis cinerea Pers.: Fr.) on fresh-market tomatoes with Bacillus amyloliquefaciens

Antagonistic bacteria were evaluated for their effectiveness in postharvest control of grey mould on fresh-market tomatoes. Grey mould was reduced in fresh-market tomatoes treated with antagonists and artificially inoculated with Botrytis cinerea, and stored at 20 °C for at least 7 days. One strain, 5PVB (Bacillus amyloliquefaciens) was particularly effective. This strain apparently did not produce extracellular antibiotic substances, yet was highly active against the pathogen on both mature-green and red tomatoes. Treatment with 5PVB before storage at 10 °C showed only fungistatic activity against grey mould. Chilling-injured mature-green tomatoes were more susceptible to B. cinerea. On chilled fruits the bacterial antagonist completely controlled the pathogen if the treatment was applied immediately after storage at 2 °C. In fermentation tests on four industrial waste materials, B. amyloliquefaciens grew well and maintained its antagonistic activity when grown in two of them. In pilot experiments with wounded fruits dipped in the bacterial cell and pathogen suspension, the development of decay was effectively inhibited.     

土壤压实对土壤物理性质及小麦氮磷钾吸收的影响

为了研究土壤压实对土壤物理性质以及小麦养分吸收情况的影响,在2006和2007年进行了两轮田间试验.试验中,先用旋耕机对田块进行旋耕,耕深10cm,然后使用手扶式、轮式、履带式拖拉机在旋耕后的田块中通过1次(T1)、2次(T2)、4次(T3)以对土壤进行压实处理,对照组(T4)不作任何压实处理.压实处理后再次对土壤表层进行浅旋耕,耕深5 cm,耕后用播种机进行小麦播种,小麦品种为南京-601.试验结果发现,次表层土壤的压实处理显著影响次表层土壤的容重,孔隙度,小麦蛋白质含量以及植物中N、P、K的含量.除次表层的土壤容重在T3组中最大,T4组中最小外,其他参数值在T4组中最大,T3组中最小.并且,随着次表层土壤压实程度的增加,几乎所有的参数(土壤容重除外)都有所减少.不过,与第一年相比,参数值在第二年略有增加.总之,土壤压实严重破坏土壤结构,不利于小麦对养分的吸收.     

Estimation of wood density and chemical composition by means of diffuse reflectance mid-infrared Fourier transform (DRIFT-MIR) spectroscopy

Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) samples (491) from 50 different clones as well as 24 different tropical hardwoods and 20 Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) samples were used to construct diffuse reflectance mid-infrared Fourier transform (DRIFT-MIR) based partial least squares (PLS) calibrations on lignin, cellulose, and wood resin contents and densities. Calibrations for density, lignin, and cellulose were established for all wood species combined into one data set as well as for the separate Sitka spruce data set. Relationships between wood resin and MIR data were constructed for the Sitka spruce data set as well as the combined Scots pine and Sitka spruce data sets. Calibrations containing only five wavenumbers instead of spectral ranges 4000-2800 and 1800-700 cm(-1) were also established. In addition, chemical factors contributing to wood density were studied. Chemical composition and density assessed from DRIFT-MIR calibrations had R2 and Q2 values in the ranges of 0.6-0.9 and 0.6-0.8, respectively. The PLS models gave residual mean squares error of prediction (RMSEP) values of 1.6-1.9, 2.8-3.7, and 0.4 for lignin, cellulose, and wood resin contents, respectively. Density test sets had RMSEP values ranging from 50 to 56. Reduced amount of wavenumbers can be utilized to predict the chemical composition and density of a wood, which should allow measurements of these properties using a hand-held device. MIR spectral data indicated that low-density samples had somewhat higher lignin contents than high-density samples. Correspondingly, high-density samples contained slightly more polysaccharides than low-density samples. This observation was consistent with the wet chemical data.     

A voltage sensor-domain protein is a voltage-gated proton channel

Voltage-gated proton channels have been widely observed but have not been identified at a molecular level. Here we report that a four-transmembrane protein similar to the voltage-sensor domain of voltage-gated ion channels is a voltage-gated proton channel. Cells overexpressing this protein showed depolarization-induced outward currents accompanied by tail currents. Current reversal occured at equilibrium potentials for protons. The currents exhibited pH-dependent gating and zinc ion sensitivity, two features which are characteristic of voltage-gated proton channels. Responses of voltage dependence to sequence changes suggest that mouse voltage-sensor domain-only protein is itself a channel, rather than a regulator of another channel protein.     

Effect of using subirrigation and slit tillage to increase soybean (Glycine max) yield in clayey soils in rice paddies converted to uplands

Water stress reduces soybean (Glycine max) yield in fields converted from clayey-soil rice (Oryza sativa) paddies to uplands (upland converted paddies [UCPs]). Subirrigation and/or allowing roots to penetrate to a deeper soil layer were expected to effectively mitigate water stress. Therefore, we examined the effects of subirrigation and slit tillage on mitigating water stress in clayey soils (52% clay) in UCPs. Four treatment experiments (subirrigation, slit tillage, subirrigation control, and slit tillage control) were conducted in each of three growing seasons, with sampling for yield analysis conducted in triplicate. Following conventional tillage, a slit tillage blade was used to cut 15-mm-wide vertical slits in the surface of the soil (cutting depth = 15–20 cm) and seeds were sown 15 mm from the cut lines. Subirrigation then occurred for approximately 21–47 days, from the end of the rainy season, when water table elevation was at 35 cm below ground. We found that subirrigation only resulted in improved soybean yield in 2012, when precipitation after the flowering stage was low, whereas slit tillage significantly increased yield in all three growing seasons, including a particularly wet growing season. Overall, subirrigation and slit tillage increased soybean yield by 2% and 13%, respectively. Slit tillage also resulted in a significantly greater taproot length and root density. Stomatal conductance at midday in about the R5–6 stages was higher in slit-tilled plots than in control plots, but only in the subirrigated field.     

Local epidemiology of the wood decay agent Laetiporus sulphureus in carob stands in Sicily

The basidiomycete Laetiporus sulphureus (Bull) Murrill is a forest pathogen causing brown cubical heart rot in a broad range of host trees. Despite its wide distribution and importance, studies aimed at understanding the epidemiology of the fungus in specific areas or hosts are lacking. In this study, an incidence of L. sulphureus as high as 34% was determined through molecular analysis of wood samples collected from 70 carob (Ceratonia siliqua L.) trees in the South‐west of Sicily, Italy. A phylogenetic analysis of Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) sequences indicated that all carob isolates belonged to the cluster E of Laetiporus taxonomy. Ten molecular markers based on Single Sequence Repeats (SSRs) designed on the L. sulphureus genome were developed, and isolates were genotyped through High‐resolution Melting (HRM) analysis. High gene diversity (0.581), no correlation between fungal genotype and host tree species and significant correlation between spatial and genetic distance were observed, suggesting an important role of basidiospores in the epidemiology of the fungus and a risk of transmission from a host tree species to the others. Finally, from a prognostic perspective, significant differences among isolates in terms of mycelial growth suggest that in addition to an accurate identification, a phenotypic characterization of isolates affecting trees may also be important.