Implications of on-farm research for local knowledge related to fruit flies and the weaver ant Oecophylla longinoda in mango production

We interviewed half of the mango-growers in northern Benin, including 15 farmers involved in a regional fruit fly project, and held focus group discussions with women fruit-pickers. They were asked about pest management and their knowledge of a weaver ant, Oecophylla longinoda. All considered low yields due to fruit flies to be the principal constraint upon mango production, estimating economic losses to be between 20 and 45%. None could recognize damage during the first 2 days after fruit fly egg deposition. On-farm research persuaded farmers to stop using insecticides and it also changed negative perceptions of Oecophylla. Over 80% of the farmers involved in on-farm research, compared to 25% of those not involved, reported Oecophylla to be beneficial. All fruit-pickers knew that ants protected mango from fruit flies, with 60% attributing better mango quality in terms of appearance, shelf-life and sweetness to the presence of Oecophylla. Nevertheless, 40% of the pickers still considered weaver ants a nuisance pest during harvest. Ways of reducing this nuisance need to be developed for Oecophylla to gain wider acceptance by mango-growers.     

Storage performance of clementines treated with hot water,sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate dips

Summary

The potential of using hot water (2.5 min at 45°C), 2% sodium carbonate or 2% sodium bicarbonate solutions alone or combined with hot water, for control of Penicillium digitatum (green mould) was investigated on commecially ripe clementines. The effect of such treatments on the post-harvest storage life of clementines was determined during two months analysing weight loss, increase in rind deformation and internal maturity. Carbonate and bicarbonate solutions effectively control green mould during storage but hot water does not. Compared with the control and hot-water treated fruits, clementines treated with carbonate and, to a lesser extend with bicarbonate, showed higher weight loss and lower firmness during storage. In contrast, lower increase in ripening index was found when the fruits were treated with carbonate or bicarbonate. Fruits treated with hot water alone or combined with carbonate exhibited no change in ripening during the first month of storage. Rinsing the fruit significantly reduces weight and firmness loss in the fruits treated with carbonate and bicarbonate, but did not change the ripening index. The primary finding of this work was that carbonate and bicarbonate treatments might significantly increase the loss in weight and firmness during storage. Rinsing the fruit immediately after treatment appeared to be a simple solution to avoid these losses in quality.     

1-O-Alkylglycerol Ethers from the Marine Sponge Guitarra abbotti and Their Cytotoxic Activity

The cytotoxicity-bioassay-guided fractionation of the ethanol extract from the marine sponge Guitarra abbotti, whose 1-O-alkyl-sn-glycerol ethers (AGEs) have not been investigated so far, led to the isolation of a complex lipid fraction containing, along with previously known compounds, six new lipids of the AGE type. The composition of the AGE fraction as well as the structures of 6 new and 22 previously known compounds were established using ¹H and ¹³C NMR, GC/MS, and chemical conversion methods. The new AGEs were identified as: 1-O-(Z-docos-15-enyl)-sn-glycerol (1), 1-O-(Z-docos-17-enyl)-sn-glycerol (2), 1-O-(Z-tricos-15-enyl)-sn-glycerol (3), 1-O-(Z-tricos-16-enyl)-sn-glycerol (4), 1-O-(Z-tricos-17-enyl)-sn-glycerol (5), and 1-O-(Z-tetracos-15-enyl)-sn-glycerol (6). The isolated AGEs show weak cytotoxic activity in THP-1, HL-60, HeLa, DLD-1, SNU C4, SK-MEL-28, and MDA-MB-231 human cancer cells. A further cytotoxicity analysis in JB6 P⁺ Cl41 cells bearing mutated MAP kinase genes revealed that ERK2 and JNK1 play a cytoprotective role in the cellular response to the AGE-induced cytotoxic effects.     

Fusarium head blight and mycotoxin contamination of wheat,a review

Summary An infection of bread wheat by fusarium head blight contaminates the crop with mycotoxins, particularly deoxynivalenol (DON) and nivalenol (NIV). The toxicity and natural occurrence of these mycotoxins in wheat are reviewed. Based on 8 years data of fusarium head blight epidemics of wheat in the Netherlands, DON contamination of the grain was estimated. Fusarium head blight ratings averaged an infection of 1.7% of all spikelets; estimates for DON contamination averaged 0.9 mg kg^–1. Taking a guideline level for DON in uncleaned bread wheat of 2 mg kg^–1, in 1979 and 1982 a wheat crop was produced with estimated DON concentrations above the limit of tolerance. Human and animal exposure to mycotoxins in the Netherlands appears to be small but chronic. The information presented in this paper illustrates the need for an annual evaluation of the crop for fusarium head blight incidence and mycotoxin content, and the necessity of fusarium head blight resistant wheat cultivars.Samenvatting Aaraantasting van tarwe doorFusarium culmorum enFusarium graminearum leidt tot vorming van mycotoxinen in het graan, waarvan deoxynivalenol (DON) en nivalenol (NIV) de belangrijkste toxinen zijn. In dit artikel wordt een overzicht gegeven van de toxicologische aspecten, en het voorkomen van deze toxinen in tarwe. Informatie over DON en NIV in tarwe in West-Europa is schaars. Gebaseerd op gegevens vanFusarium epidemieën in de jaren 1979–1986 wordt een schatting gegeven van de concentratie DON in Nederlandse tarwe. Rekening houdend met de herkomst en verwerking van tarwe, blijken zowel in dierlijk als menselijk voedsel lage concentraties DON chronisch voor te komen. Op basis van een maximaal toelaatbare dagelijkse dosis DON van 3 g kg^–1 lichaamsgewicht is de schatting van de dagelijkse opname van DON in het jaar volgend op de oogst van 1982 net op de grens. Zowel een jaarlijkse inventarisatie vanFusarium aantasting en DON besmetting van het graan, als de ontwikkeling vanFusarium-resistente rassen zijn noodzakelijk.     

Variable response of open-pollinated seedling progeny of avocado to Phytophthora root rot

Phytophthora root rot, caused byPhytophthora cinnamomi Rands, is the most important disease of avocado (Persea americana Miller). In an attempt to identify root rot-resistant rootstocks that could ultimately be used under conditions in southern Florida, we screened open-pollinated progeny of avocado from the National Germplasm Repository in Miami. From 1996 to 1998, a total of 2,355 seedlings from 51 accessions were examined in potting mix artificially infested withP. cinnamomi. Most seedlings developed severe root rot, but tolerance was observed in some families (i.e., progeny of certain accessions). Although the most susceptible families developed mean disease ratings of up to 97% root necrosis, mean ratings for the most tolerant families were less than 60%. There was also a strong relationship between the racial background of the female parent and the tolerance of seedlings. Seedlings of the West Indian race and hybrids between it and the Guatemalan race were significantly more tolerant than those from other parents (P< 0.05). Individuals in several families developed < 50% root necrosis, the arbitrary standard of tolerance in this study. Twelve families accounted for 82% (188 of 229) of the tolerant seedlings, and only two of these did not have a West Indian or Guatemalan × West Indian pedigree. Broad-sense heritability for PRR tolerance was 0.45. This is the first report on the inheritance of PRR tolerance in avocado and on the influence of genotype and racial pedigree under controlled conditions.     

Genetic diversity of Pueraria lobata (kudzu) and closely related taxa as revealed by inter-simple sequence repeat analysis

Kudzu (Pueraria lobata) is a noxious weed infesting some areas of the USA. Knowledge of its genetic variation in both native and invasive areas can lead to effective biological control measures. Inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) variations were studied in P. lobata and its four closely related congeneric species (P. edulis, P. montana, P. phaseoloides and P. thomsoni). ISSR results allowed a clear separation of these five species. For P. lobata, 108 plants from China and USA were analysed. The samples from the US were genetically closer to Chinese P. lobata populations than to other congeneric populations. High genetic differentiation was found for P. lobata, P. montana and P. thomsoni in Chinese samples. High genetic diversity and low population differentiation was found in P. lobata samples of the US. This supports the hypothesis of multiple introductions into the USA from different sources in Japan or China, followed by subsequent gene exchange and recombination.     

Evaluation of non-chemical seed treatment methods for the control of Alternaria dauci and A. radicina on carrot seeds

The current study was initiated to evaluate the efficacy of physical methods (hot water, aerated steam, electron treatment) and agents of natural origin (resistance inducers, plant derived products, micro-organisms) as seed treatments of carrots for control of Alternaria dauci and A. radicina. Control of both Alternaria species by seed treatment with the resistance inducers was generally poor. Results were also not satisfactory with most of the formulated commercial micro-organism preparations. Based on the average of five field trials, one of these, BA 2552 (Pseudomonas chlororaphis), provided a low but significant increase in plant stand. Among the experimental micro-organisms, the best results were obtained with Pseudomonas sp. strain MF 416 and Clonostachys rosea strain IK726. A similar level of efficacy was provided by seed treatment with an emulsion (1%) of thyme oil in water. Good and consistent control was generally achieved with the physical methods aerated steam, hot water and electron treatment. Aerated steam treatment was, apart from the thiram-containing chemical standard, the best single treatment, and its performance may at least partially be due to extensive pre-testing, resulting in dosages optimally adapted to the respective seed lot. In some of the experiments the effect of the hot water treatment, which was tested at a fixed, not specifically adapted dosage, was significantly improved when combined with a Pseudomonas sp. MF 416 or C. rosea IK726 treatment. The results are discussed in relation to the outcome of experiments in which the same seed treatment methods and agents were tested in other seed-borne vegetable pathosystems.