Effect of the Biocontrol Yeast Rhodotorula glutinis Strain LS11 on Patulin Accumulation in Stored Apples

ABSTRACT Contamination of apples (Malus domestica) and derived juices with fungicide residues and patulin produced by Penicillium expansum are major issues of food safety. Biocontrol agents represent an alternative or supplement to chemicals for disease control. Our data show that these microbes could also contribute to actively decreasing patulin accumulation in apples. Three biocontrol agents, Rhodotorula glutinis LS11, Cryptococcus laurentii LS28, and Aureobasidium pullulans LS30, were examined for their in vitro growth in the presence of patulin and for their capability to decrease mycotoxin recovery from the medium. Strain LS11 yielded the highest growth rates and the greatest decrease of toxin recoveries. Further, it caused the appearance of two major spots on thin-layer chromatography (TLC) plates, suggesting possible metabolization of the mycotoxin. In vivo, i.e., in the low percentage of LS11-pretreated apples infected by P. expansum, patulin accumulation was significantly lower than in nontreated infected fruits. Yeast cells survived and increased in infected apples and, in a model system emulating decaying apple, resulted in accelerated breakdown of patulin and the production of the same TLC spots as those detected in vitro. These data suggest that biocontrol yeast cells surviving in decaying apples could metabolize patulin and/or negatively affect its accumulation or synthesis. To our knowledge, this is the first report describing the effect of a biocontrol agent on patulin accumulation in vivo.     

Activity changes of glyoxalase system enzymes and glutathione-S-transferase in the bivalve mollusc Scapharca inaequivalvis exposed to the organophosphate chlorpyrifos

The present report was aimed to study possible changes in the activity of glutathione-dependent enzymes glyoxalase I (G I) and glyoxalase II (G II), forming the glyoxalase system, and glutathione-S-transferase in tissues (gills, foot, and digestive gland) of the mediterranean bivalve mollusc Scapharca inaequivalvis, after a 4- or 15-day exposure to a sublethal concentration (0.1 ppm) of the organophosphate pesticide chlorpyrifos (CPF). Control experiments were also performed on untreated animals. G I activity decreased in gills and foot, and increased in the digestive gland after 4 days of CPF exposure. Glyoxalase II activity in the gills decreased after a 15 days exposure to CPF, was unchanged in the foot and increased after 15 days in the digestive gland. Glutathione-S-transferase activity, which is involved in the detoxification of xenobiotics, increased significantly in all tissues after CPF exposure. The results suggest that sublethal CPF exposure of S. inaequivalvis does not compromise the cellular redox balance in these tissues.     

Effect of different solarizing materials on weed suppression and lettuce response

The effect of four solarizing plastic materials on weed suppression and yield response of two lettuce cultivars (‘Bacio’ and ‘Moringa’) grown during two consecutive seasons was investigated at Metaponto (40°23′N; 16°47′E; 10 m a.s.l.), southern Italy. All solarization treatments suppressed winter and summer weeds with no significant difference among the plastic materials, although biodegradable film was less efficient in controlling common purslane and common amaranth. Weed infestation at the harvest of both lettuce cultivars was not affected by the solarizing material, whereas fewer weeds were found in the plots grown with ‘Bacio’ than with ‘Moringa’. Lettuce yield in two successive growing seasons was always significantly higher in solarized plots than in nontreated control, without any statistical difference among the plastic materials. Yield and head quality of cv. ‘Bacio’ were higher than ‘Moringa’ in the first growing season, but the opposite occurred in the second crop. Soil solarization was confirmed to be effective for weed management in field lettuce crops in the Mediterranean areas, although weed suppression may be affected also by the lettuce cultivar. Choice of solarizing materials, when similarly effective on weeds and crop yield, should take into account also their cost. Low density polyethylene plastics emerged as the best choice in conventional lettuce crops as highly effective as, and less expensive than the other materials, whereas the use of biodegradable films should be limited to organic lettuce systems.     

Tongue rotation for reconstruction after rostral hemiglossectomy for excision of a liposarcoma of the rostral quadrant of the tongue in a dog

A 15-year-old female beagle dog was presented for a lingual liposarcoma. Full staging of the disease did not show any evidence of metastasis. A tongue rotation for reconstruction after rostral hemiglossectomy was performed after removal of the mass. This surgical technique may be useful in tongue reconstruction after trauma or tumor excision.     

Host-suitability of black medick (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Medicago lupulina</Emphasis> L.) and additional molecular markers for identification of the pea cyst nematode <Emphasis Type="Italic">Heterodera goettingiana</Emphasis>

A survey was conducted in 16 fields cultivated with broad bean (Vicia faba L.) and garden pea (Pisum sativum L.) in nine localities of Apulia, southern Italy, to determine whether annual weeds were susceptible to the pea cyst nematode (PEACN), Heterodera goettingiana, and could therefore serve as alternate host for the nematode. The results of this study showed that black medick (Medicago lupulina L.) is a good host for the nematode increasing its population levels in the soil in the absence of the primary hosts. The identity of the PEACN was confirmed by integrative taxonomic approaches (classical, and molecular), resulting identical in all cases (broad bean and garden pea, as well as the spontaneous black medick infections). The phylogenetic analyses using ITS and coxI gene regions strongly support the identification of the populations of H. goettingiana from Italy. Also, ITS and coxI gene sequences were obtained from the same cyst, confirming the species identity in comparison to other nematodes and populations in the Goettingiana group, demonstrating that ITS and coxI gene regions of the PEACN are suitable molecular markers for accurate and unequivocal identification of the PEACN. Reproduction and histopathological analyses demonstrated a good host-suitability of black medick to the PEACN. This record enlarges the relatively narrow host-range of the pea cyst nematode and indicates the need to control M. lupulina to avoid the increase of the nematode population in the absence of the main host crop.