Selection and testing of epiphytic yeasts to control anthacnose in post-harvest of papaya fruit

Anthracnose, caused by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, is a major post-harvest disease in papaya fruit. The major objectives of the present work were to isolate, select and test the in vitro and in vivo ability of epiphytic microorganisms, isolated from papaya fruit and leaf surfaces, in controlling anthracnose onset after harvest. A total of 75 bacteria, 67 yeasts and 22 mycelial fungi were isolated. Thirty yeast isolates were able to inhibit the mycelial growth of C. gloeosporioide in vitro and seven of those were used in in vivo assays, resulting in the identification of two very effective isolates. Isolate CEN63, identified molecularly as Cryptococcus magnus, was the most effective in controlling the disease and therefore was studied in more detail. The results of the assays with C. magnus provided evidence that when fruit were treated with the antagonists at concentrations of 10⁷ to 10⁸ cells/ml, as early as 24 h, preferentially 48 h, before inoculation with the pathogen, the development of disease was significantly reduced. C. magnus is a potential antagonist for the development of a commercial product. Additional studies on the modes of action of this yeast isolate, as on its ability to interact with fungicides are being conducted to generate solid basis for the development of an environmentally friendly control agent.     

Holocene-era landscape conditions affect genetic connectivity in a sagebrush obligate species,the pygmy rabbit (Brachylagus idahoensis)

Landscape Ecology - Environmental changes produce discontinuities in suitable habitat. However, drawing inference into the effects of these changes on contemporary genetic patterns is often...     

Effects of temperature and moisture content on selected wood mechanical properties involved in the chipping process

The effects of temperature and moisture content on selected mechanical properties associated with the chipping process were evaluated. In chipping, mechanical properties such as shear parallel to the grain, cleavage, and bending are involved. Matched samples of heartwood and sapwood were obtained from freshly harvested logs of black spruce and balsam fir to determine the variation of the studied mechanical properties between ?30 and 20 °C, at intervals of 10 °C. Moisture content (MC), basic density (BD), and annual ring width (RW) were measured for each sample. For both wood species, temperature had a significant effect on all mechanical properties under freezing conditions (below 0 °C). This effect was more important for sapwood than for heartwood, which was explained by the difference in MC between these two types of wood. Between 0 and 20 °C, temperature and type of wood did not show any significant effect on the mechanical properties. Multiple regression models were obtained to predict the mechanical properties. These regressions showed that MC was the most important factor to explain the mechanical properties below 0 °C. However, for temperatures of 0 °C and higher, BD was the principal factor to predict the mechanical properties. RW was not a significant factor to predict any mechanical property. Cleavage was the most sensitive one to changes in temperature followed by shear, modulus of rupture, and modulus of elasticity. These results could be of great importance in the chipping process.     

Spatial hierarchical variances and age covariances for seroprevalence to Leptospira interrogans serovar hardjo, BoHV-1 and BVDV for cattle in the State of Paraíba, Brazil

We estimated spatial hierarchal variances and age-group covariances for seroprevalence to Leptospira interrogans serovar hardjo (LeptoH), bovine viral-diarrhea virus (BVDV) and bovine herpesvirus type 1 (BoHV-1) among 2343 cattle from 72 properties sampled in the State of Paraíba, Brazil in 2000. From each property, eight animals in each of the four age categories were evaluated. The age categories studied were: pre-weaned (0–6 months), young (7–18 months), replacement (19–30 months) and mature (>30 months). Overall seroprevalence to LeptoH was 16.0% and showed clustering at all levels of the spatial hierarchy and had a high posterior probability of being negatively correlated between replacement and mature groups within herds. Seroprevalence to BoHV-1 was 46.6% and demonstrated very little clustering among levels of the spatial hierarchy and was positively correlated between young and replacement groups within herds. Seroprevalence to BVD was 22.2% and was strongly clustered within herds and was positively correlated between young and replacement age groups within herds.     

What can tree plantations do for forest birds in fragmented forest landscapes? A case study in southern Brazil

Despite the fact that tree plantations are not able to completely replace the ecological function of natural forests, the present study proposes to evaluate for which bird species or avian groups tree plantations act as habitat in fragmented landscape in southern Brazil. We compared the richness and abundance of bird species in a natural forest to adjacent plantations of Araucaria, a native tree species and of pine, an exotic plant in South America. Moreover, we evaluated the impact of tree plantations on richness of avian groups with different levels of dependence on forest habitat, feeding habits and foraging strata as well as on threatened species. The fixed 100 m radius point-counts method was used. A total of 114 bird species were recorded in all areas. Of those, 93 occurred in natural forest, 87 in Araucaria plantations and 81 in pine plantations. These results indicate that richness and abundance were lower in the pine plantations than in the natural forest and in the Araucaria plantations. Araucaria plantations can be used by a high number of bird species and their richness was not significantly lower than that observed in the adjacent natural forest. Our results suggest that Araucaria plantations could act as habitat for a large number of bird species, especially for forest-dependents species, insectivores, frugivores and species at different threat categories.     

Timber management with variable retention in Nothofagus pumilio forests of Southern Patagonia

Forestry practices integrating ecological and social criteria have been replacing those based only on economic values. Traditional silviculture, such as shelterwood cuts (SC), transforms uneven-aged original stands to an even-aged managed forest. Recently, other methods have proposed to conserve some of the original heterogeneity of the old-growth forests. One proposal leaves 30% of the timber quality forest area as aggregated retention and 20% basal area as dispersed retention. The aim of this study was to analyze the feasibility of timber management with aggregated and dispersed retention in Nothofagus pumilio old-growth forests by analyzing timber and harvesting yield potential compared with traditional regeneration systems. Also, remnant tree stability of aggregated retention was analyzed.     

Disturbance changes arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal phenology and soil glomalin concentrations but not fungal spore composition in montane rainforests in Veracruz and Chiapas,Mexico

Mexican montane rainforests and adjacent disturbed areas were studied for disturbance-related spatio-temporal changes to the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) community and soil glomalin concentration. The AMF community functions to both improve plant growth and soil conditions and is thus an important component to the restoration of this forest type to disturbed areas. The study areas included mature rainforests that were converted to pine forests, milpas, pastures and shrub/herbaceous plant communities via burning and logging. Seasonal patterns in AMF spore species richness and sporulation significantly differed across disturbance types at two of the three sites surveyed. Contrasting patterns of sporulation among AMF families across different disturbance types helped to explain how species richness and composition were maintained despite dramatic changes to the host plant community. Meaning, in most cases, disturbance induced changes in when different AMF taxa sporulated but not what taxa sporulated. Only conversion from mature pine–oak–Liquidambar–Persea forests to pine-dominated stands severely reduced AMF spore richness and total sporulation. Surprisingly, in pine-dominant stands no concomitant negative impacts on soil glomalin (MAb32B11 immunoreactive soil protein) concentrations were detected. However, soils of mature forests containing no pines had the highest concentration of glomalin. Conversion to pasture and milpa (diverse cornfield) had a strong negative impact on the concentration of soil glomalin concentrations. In sharp contrast, the same disturbance types improved AMF sporulation and AMF spore richness. It appears that disturbance type, and not AMF community measures used herein, best predicts changes in soil glomalin concentration.     

High efficiency genetic transformation of sour orange (Citrus aurantium) and production of transgenic trees containing the coat protein gene of citrus tristeza virus

In preliminary experiments on Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of citrus, we found transformation events occurring in callus formed from the cambium. Factors affecting Agrobacterium-sour orange (Citrus aurantium L.) interactions, such as culture medium, explant source and culture conditions, were studied to assess competence for transformation in such callus and to improve transformation frequency. Cell divisions and redifferentiation from the transgenic cells leading to transformation events were stimulated more by a combination of benzylaminopurine (BAP) + naphthalene-acetic acid (NAA) in the regeneration-selection medium than by BAP alone. Both age and source of the sour orange plant material affected transformation frequency. Explants from 4-month-old seedlings grown in the greenhouse showed higher transformation frequency than younger and older plant materials, indicating that they had a more suitable balance between dedifferentiated cells competent for transformation and Agrobacterium virulence. Enhancement of transformation frequency enabled us to incorporate the coat protein gene of citrus tristeza virus (CTV) in a sufficient number of sour orange plants to be able to evaluate this strategy for producing CTV-resistant plants.     

An agglutination test for fast and specific detection of Erwinia psidii

Dieback and wilt, caused by Erwinia psidii (Ep), is one of the most important emergent diseases of Eucalyptus spp. in Brazil. Currently, pathogen detection relies on isolation of bacteria from infected plant tissue and either identification based on morphological, physiological and biochemical tests or DNA amplification using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which in many cases is laborious and cumbersome. Considering the need for a simpler and more rapid, yet reliable, method for detecting the pathogen, we obtained a polyclonal antibody (anti‐Ep) and developed an agglutination test for specific detection of E. psidii. The antiserum was produced against the E. psidii strain LPF534 and tested against 101 E. psidii isolates from Eucalyptus spp.; three E. psidii isolates from Psidium guajava; 23 Ralstonia solanacearum and 18 Xanthomonas axonopodis isolates pathogenic to Eucalyptus spp.; and seven endophytic isolates from Eucalyptus spp., three of which are phylogenetically related to the genus Erwinia. Results of direct ELISA indicated that a concentration as low as 3.5 µg/ml of the anti‐Ep antibody was able to detect the E. psidii antigen and that the antibody did not cross‐reacted with other bacteria pathogenic and non‐pathogenic to Eucalyptus spp. In the agglutination test, the anti‐Ep antibody showed positive reaction with all strains of E. psidii tested whereas cross‐reaction with none of the strains that belong to other taxonomic groups was observed. The agglutination test showed a detection limit of 10⁵ colony‐forming units (CFU)/ml, and its specificity was the same as that obtained by PCR amplification using E. psidii‐specific primers. These results demonstrate that the agglutination test developed here is a useful tool for specific, fast and inexpensive detection of E. psidii although only operational on pure bacterial suspensions and not yet directly from infected tissues.