Differential susceptibility of Hyalomma excavatum adults and nymphs to the entomopathogens Metarhizium anisopliae ARSEF 4556 and Steinernema carpocapsae

This study investigated the virulence of the entomopathogenic fungus, Metarhizium anisopliae strain ARSEF 4556, and the entomopathogenic nematode Steinernema carpocapsae against adult and nymphal stages of the tick Hyalomma anatolicum excavatum. The fungus was tested at three different concentrations, 10⁶, 10⁷, and 10⁸ conidia ml^?1. Ticks were exposed to 4000 IJs of S. carpocapsae in 0.5 ml distilled water in Petri dishes lined with 2 layers of moist filter paper. Adult ticks were not susceptible to M. anisopliae, whereas the nymphs were highly susceptible. Nymph mortality was dose dependent with all ticks being killed at the highest dose 96 hours post-inoculation. In contrast, S. carpocapsae was much more effective against engorged adults than unfed adults or nymphs. Tick susceptibility was not influenced by gender. The mean mortalities of the unfed adult males, females, and nymphs were 30% ± 9.2%, 40% ± 7.5%, and 36% ± 4.7%, respectively. Nymphal mortality was 36% and there was a significant difference between nematode treatment and control group (P < 0.05).     

Control of postharvest green mould of citrus by haliscosamine isolated from Haliclona viscosa sponge

The aim of this study was to evaluate the antifungal activity of haliscosamine isolated from Haliclona viscosa sea sponge from the Moroccan Atlantic coast against Penicillium digitatum, the causal agent of citrus green mould. The in vitro antifungal activity of haliscosamine, determined using the agar disc‐diffusion method, showed that haliscosamine and DESOGERME SP VEGETAUX^® (reference product) have fungicidal activity with inhibition diameters of 19 and 18 mm, respectively. Haliscosamine and a positive control (DESOGERME SP VEGETAUX^®) were tested in vivo in comparison with a negative control on orange fruits in normal storage conditions. This test showed that after four weeks of storage, the rate of decay of citrus fruits treated with haliscosamine or DESOGERME does not exceed 14%, whereas in the negative control the decay rate is 77%. The results of in vitro and in vivo tests indicate that haliscosamine and DESOGERME SP VEGETAUX^® have an important antifungal potential against P. digitatum and that haliscosamine (a natural product) may represent an alternative to the use of chemical fungicides.     

Assessment of drought tolerance in mung bean cultivars/lines as depicted by the activities of germination enzymes,seedling’s antioxidative potential and nutrient acquisition

Drought stress hampers firm crop stand establishment and yield in arid and semiarid regions. The present study was conducted to examine the drought tolerance of various mung bean cultivars/lines based on the seed germination characteristics in relation with the seedling’s antioxidative potential and nutrient uptake. Activities of germination enzymes, seed germination attributes, seedling biomass production and nutrient uptake of studied cultivars/lines were adversely affected due to PEG-induced drought but the total soluble proteins (TSP) and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents were increased. The activities of catalse (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) increased in all cultivars/lines being the maximum in cv./line NM-2006 and 8005. The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD) were increased in cv./line NM-2006 and 8005 under drought condition. The ascorbic acid (AsA) and total phenolic content (TPC) decreased and total flavonoid content (TFC) increased in all cultivars/lines due to drought. Significant reduction in N, P, K, Ca and Mg was found in all cvs./lines but Fe remain unchanged. In conclusion, cultivars/lines NM-2006, 8005 were recommended as drought tolerant and 97,006 and 97,001 as drought sensitive ones. The study outcomes will likely be helpful for the farmers growing mung bean in rain fed areas for the better productivity.     

Role of ‘<Emphasis Type="Italic">Candidatus</Emphasis> Liberibacter solanacearum’ and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bactericera cockerelli</Emphasis> Haplotypes in Zebra Chip Incidence and Symptom Severity

Two haplotypes of the pathogen, ‘Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum,’ (Lso) and four haplotypes of the insect vector, Bactericera cockerelli, are associated with zebra chip disease of potato. Whether disease severity or incidence is influenced by pathogen or insect haplotype is poorly understood. The role of Lso ‘A’ and ‘B,’ transmitted by three haplotypes of B. cockerelli, on disease severity and incidence in eight potato cultivars was analyzed. Both haplotypes of Lso induced tuber symptoms. In general, Lso B caused higher incidence of symptoms, and greater reduction in tubers compared with Lso A. Lso B was associated with more severe tuber symptoms, producing fewer mild or moderate tuber symptoms. Lso A was associated with less severe tuber symptoms, despite being able to induce severe symptoms. Disease incidence, tuber yield, and symptom severity ratings were not dependent upon the psyllid haplotype transmitting the pathogen, suggesting that pathogen, not insect haplotype affects Lso transmission.     

Effect of acid modification on dyeing properties of Rajshahi silk fabric with different dye classes

In this paper, Rajshahi silk fabric was modified by acetic acid, tannic acid and their mixture. After acid modification, the silk fabric was dyed with three dyes classes namely: Reactive Orange 14, Direct Yellow 29 and Mordant Blue 9. Results revealed that the fabric modified with acid mixture of 30 % acetic acid and 20 % tannic acid improved the colorfastness of the dyed fabric after 7 days exposure on simulated sunlight and washing with hot soap solution. Also, the acid modification could improve the dyed fabrics’ colorfastness properties to acids and alkalis. Optimum dyeing condition was observed at 1.5, 2.0, and 2.0 % dyes for Reactive Orange 14, Direct Yellow 29 and Mordant Blue 9 respectively. The optimum dyeing time was observed 50, 60, and 50 min; and temperature was 90, 100 and 80 °C respectively. Modification of silk fabrics with acids improves the dyeability and colorfastness of Rajshahi silk fabrics. However, the acid modification could reduce the loss in tenacity of silk fabric upon exposure to sunlight.     

Molecular Architecture and Biomedical Leads of Terpenes from Red Sea Marine Invertebrates

Marine invertebrates including sponges, soft coral, tunicates, mollusks and bryozoan have proved to be a prolific source of bioactive natural products. Among marine-derived metabolites, terpenoids have provided a vast array of molecular architectures. These isoprenoid-derived metabolites also exhibit highly specialized biological activities ranging from nerve regeneration to blood-sugar regulation. As a result, intense research activity has been devoted to characterizing invertebrate terpenes from both a chemical and biological standpoint. This review focuses on the chemistry and biology of terpene metabolites isolated from the Red Sea ecosystem, a unique marine biome with one of the highest levels of biodiversity and specifically rich in invertebrate species.     

MPN-PCR enumeration of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Campylobacter</Emphasis> spp. in raw chicken meats and by-products

The goal of this study is to enumerate Campylobacter in chicken meats and by-products. In the current investigation, results showed that raw chicken meats and chicken by-products were contaminated with Campylobacter ranging from <3 to 4600 MPN·g⁻¹. Campylobacter jejuni showed a higher number compared to Campylobacter coli in the chicken samples. The current study showed that the percentage of chicken livers and gizzards harbored a higher number of Campylobacter (10³–10⁴ MPN·g⁻¹) than other chicken parts at 33.3% and 9.2%, respectively. The different concentrations of Campylobacter between chicken meats and chicken byproducts reflect the differences in the contamination level. The data on Campylobacter concentration in chicken meats and by-products will be useful in risk analysis.     

Effect of nitrogen on yield,quality, and irrigation water use efficiency of drip fertigated grafted watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) grown on a calcareous soil

A two-year field experiment was conducted during the growing seasons 2016 and 2017 to investigate the response of drip fertigated watermelon to different rates of nitrogen (0, 10, 20, 30, and 40?g/m³ N) applied in the form of ammonium sulfate (AS). The combined effect of nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) was investigated. Irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE) under the different N levels was, also, evaluated. N levels in the irrigation water induced a significant effect on yield parameters (total and commercial yields, dry matter yield, plant yield, and fruit number). Increasing the level of N also induced significant increases in fruit length and fruit fresh weight. IWUE was also significantly improved at high levels of N. Fertigation using modern techniques can be considered an efficient method in the delivery of N to the crop at N levels of 30–40?g/m³, as ammonium sulfate.     

Detection of Diarrheic Shellfish Poisoning and Azaspiracid Toxins in Moroccan Mussels: Comparison of the LC-MS Method with the Commercial Immunoassay Kit

Diarrheic shellfish poisoning (DSP) is a recurrent gastrointestinal illness in Morocco, resulting from consumption of contaminated shellfish. In order to develop a rapid and reliable technique for toxins detection, we have compared the results obtained by a commercial immunoassay-“DSP-Check” kit” with those obtained by LC-MS. Both techniques are capable of detecting the toxins in the whole flesh extract which was subjected to prior alkaline hydrolysis in order to detect simultaneously the esterified and non esterified toxin forms. The LC-MS method was found to be able to detect a high level of okadaic acid (OA), low level of dinophysistoxin-2 (DTX2), and surprisingly, traces of azaspiracids 2 (AZA2) in mussels. This is the first report of a survey carried out for azaspiracid (AZP) contamination of shellfish harvested in the coastal areas of Morocco. The “DSP-Check” kit was found to detect quantitatively DSP toxins in all contaminated samples containing only OA, provided that the parent toxins were within the range of detection and was not in an ester form. A good correlation was observed between the two methods when appropriate dilutions were performed. The immunoassay kit appeared to be more sensitive, specific and faster than LC-MS for determination of DSP in total shellfish extract.     

Optimization of light/dark cycle in an extended photoperiod-based speed breeding protocol for grain legumes

The use of high-performing varieties could contribute to increase food legume production and meet the population demand. However, the long process of conventional breeding is a serious limitation that needs further acceleration of genetic improvement. Speed breeding based on extended photoperiod is one of the techniques that allows rapid generation turnover by accelerating the plant life cycle. The present study focused on optimizing the duration of extended photoperiod for lentil, chickpea and faba bean in a growth chamber with light-emitting diode (LED) light sources. Significant differences in growth rate, biomass production, phenology, physiology, plant injury and yield components were observed depending on light phase durations (22, 18 and 14 h). Twenty-two hours of light resulted in earlier flowering and maturity, but higher stress symptoms than the other two light treatments. However, vegetative development was almost normal with limited stress under 14 h of light, but late flowering and maturity. Interestingly, good plant establishment with limited stress and shorter vegetative cycle was observed under 18 h of light. Therefore, a photoperiod of 18 h of light/6 h of darkness could be advised for a rapid breeding protocol.