Ceratocystis platani is killing plane trees in Istanbul (Turkey)

Ceratocystis platani was detected at several locations in the European side of Istanbul, causing severe dieback and mortality, mainly on Platanus × acerifolia imported from Italy approximately 160 years ago, but also on Platanus orientalis. In the work reported here, the causal agent of the dieback and mortality was identified based on morphological characteristics in culture and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequencing, confirming the presence of C. platani in Turkey. All analysed C. platani isolates from Istanbul shared the same ITS sequence with European C. platani strains available in the NCBI, but differed from other species previously ascribed to the Ceratocystis fimbriata species complex. Pathogenicity of C. platani was proven by inoculation onto 25‐cm‐long and 4–9 mm diam. P. orientalis twigs and the causal agent reisolated from symptomatic tissues. In a survey of 976 Platanus in streets and parks of Istanbul, 26.5% of trees showed symptoms of C. platani infections, whilst 5.6% were dead. The proportion of symptomatic trees was higher where management interventions, such as topping or pruning and felling infected trees had been carried out.     

Spectroscopic Analyses on Chain Structure and Thermal Stabilization Behavior of Acrylonitrile/Methyl Acrylate/Itaconic Acid-based Copolymers Synthesized by Aqueous Suspension Polymerization

We have synthesized a series of copolymers with different compositions of acrylonitrile (AN, 80–100 wt%), methyl acrylate (MA, 4–20 wt%) and itaconic acid (IA, 0–3 wt%) by using an efficient aqueous suspension polymerization, and have investigated the molecular structure and thermal stabilization behavior of PAN homopolymer, AN/MA-based bipolymers, and AN/MA/IA-based terpolymers by adopting ¹H/¹³C-NMR and thermal FT-IR analyses. The viscosity-average molecular weight of the synthesized polymers were measured to be ~263,000 g/mol. The reactivity ratios of AN and MA for all the copolymers were evaluated to be 0.99 and 1.05, respectively. Accordingly, the output compositions of the synthesized copolymers were quite consistent with the input monomer compositions. The ¹³C NMR analysis revealed that all the synthesized polymers have an atactic chain configuration, regardless of the feed composition. The structural evolutions during the thermal stabilization process of the copolymers in air environment were characterized by monitoring the temperature-dependent changes of characteristic absorbance bands at 2240 cm^-1 (C≡N), 1595 cm^-1 (C=N) and 1660 cm^-1 (C=O) with aid of thermal FT-IR spectroscopy. It was found that the IA unit in the terpolymers accelerated the oxidation and cyclization reactions, unlike the retarding effect of MA unit, and that the onset temperatures of the oxidation reaction of the copolymers with IA unit was lower than that of the cyclization reaction.     

Motivating rice farmers in the Mekong Delta to modify pest management and related practices through mass media

A participatory planning process was applied to develop a media campaign to motivate rice farmers in the Mekong Delta to modify pest management practices together with seed and fertilizer inputs. Locally named ‘Ba Giam Ba Tang’ or ‘Three Reductions, Three Gains’, campaigns were launched in two provinces, Can Tho and Tien Giang. In both provinces, farmers' practices changed significantly. Their insecticide sprays reduced by 13–33% while their seed rates dropped ～10% and nitrogen rates, ～7% and proportion of farmers using insecticides declined by ～11%. These practices were supported by modifications in belief attitudes that favored high inputs. Farmers who reported significant reductions in the three inputs also changed their perception of yield loss. The campaigns in Can Tho and Tien Giang had significant multiplier effects. They stimulated several provincial governments as well as the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to provide additional resources to reproduce the materials and campaign process for local use which eventually reached more than 3 million farmers in south and central Vietnam.     

Is ASEAN ready to move to multilateral cross-border electricity trade?

This paper reviews progress towards the establishment of an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Power Grid (APG) and the key barriers to multilateral cross-border electricity trade in ASEAN. An analysis across political, technical, institutional, economic, environmental, social and time dimensions is employed. Using a policy sequencing framework, the paper concludes it remains premature for ASEAN to pursue a strong form of power sector market integration on account of the sizeable barriers that currently remain, especially economic and institutional barriers. Focusing on bilateral power purchase agreements and large-scale investments in solar and wind power over 2022–2030 would help to develop stronger foundations for ASEAN to make steps towards deeper regional integration in the electricity sector in subsequent years, while also being consistent with renewables adoption goals.     

Identification of QTLs for resistance to anthracnose to two <Emphasis Type="Italic">Colletotrichum</Emphasis> species in pepper

Pepper (Capsicum spp.) anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum spp. is a serious disease damaging pepper production in Asian monsoon regions. For QTL mapping analyses of anthracnose resistance, an introgression BC₁F₂ population was made by interspecific crosses between Capsicum annuum ‘SP26’ (susceptible recurrent parent) and Capsicum baccatum ‘PBC81’ (resistant donor). Both green and red fruits were inoculated with C. acutatum ‘KSCa-1’ and C. capsici ‘ThSCc-1’ isolates and the disease reactions were evaluated by disease incidence, true lesion diameter, and overall lesion diameter. On the whole, distribution of anthracnose resistance was skewed toward the resistant parent. It might indicate that one or two major QTLs are present. The introgression map consisting of 13 linkage groups with a total of 218 markers (197 AFLP and 21 SSR), covering a total length of 325 cM was constructed. Composite interval mapping analysis revealed four QTLs for resistance to ‘KSCa-1’ and three QTLs for ‘ThSCc-1’ isolate, respectively. Interestingly, the major QTLs (CaR12.2 and CcR9) for resistance to C. acutatum and C. capsici, respectively, were differently positioned but there were close links between the minor QTL CcR12.2 for C. capsici and major QTL CaR12.2 as well as the minor QTL CaR9 for C. acutatum and major QTL CcR9. These results will be helpful for marker-assisted selection and pyramiding two different anthracnose-resistant genes in commercial pepper breeding.     

Climatic determinants of lowland rice development

Accurate modelling of plant development is the basis for any assessment of climate change impact on crop yields. Most rice models simulate development (phenology) based on temperature and photoperiod, but often the reliability of these models is reduced beyond the environment they were calibrated for. In our study, we tested the effects of relative air humidity and solar radiation on leaf appearance rate in greenhouse experiments and analysed data sets from field studies conducted in two extremely different rice-growing environments in Nepal and Senegal. We also analysed environmental effects on duration to flowering of one popular IRRI material (IR64) for eight different sites covering the entire temperature range where rice is widely cultivated. Both low relative air humidity and low solar radiation significantly decreased leaf appearance rate. Mean air temperature explained 81% of the variation in duration to flowering across sites, which was furthermore significantly influenced by relative air humidity. Across all sites, a simple linear regression approach including mean air temperature and mean relative humidity in the calculation of duration to flowering led to a root mean square error (RMSE) of 10 days, which was slightly lower than the RMSE of 11 days achieved with an automated calibration tool for parameter optimization of cardinal temperatures and photoperiod sensitivity. Parameter optimization for individual sites led to a much smaller prediction error, but also to large differences in cardinal temperatures between sites, mainly lower optimum temperatures for the cooler sites. To increase the predictive power of phenological models outside their calibration range and especially in climate change scenarios, a more mechanistic modelling approach is needed. A starting point could be including relative air humidity and radiation in the simulation procedure of crop development, and presumably, a closer link between growth and development procedures could help to increase the robustness of phenological models.     

Metabolite profiling of Angelica gigas from different geographical origins using 1H NMR and UPLC-MS analyses

Angelica gigas obtained from different geographical regions was characterized using (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and ultraperformance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS) followed by multivariate data analyses. Principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least-squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) score plots from (1)H NMR and UPLC-MS data sets showed a clear distinction among A. gigas from three different regions in Korea. The major metabolites that contributed to the discrimination factor were primary metabolites including acetate, choline, citrate, 1,3-dimethylurate, fumarate, glucose, histamine, lactose, malate, N-acetylglutamate, succinate, and valine and secondary metabolites including decursin, decursinol, nodakenin, marmesin, 7-hydroxy-6-(2R-hydroxy-3-methylbut-3-ethyl)coumarin in A. gigas roots. The results demonstrate that (1)H NMR and UPLC-MS-based metabolic profiling coupled with chemometric analysis can be used to discriminate the geographical origins of various herbal medicines and to identify primary and secondary metabolites responsible for discrimination.     

Fish Collagen Peptides Protect against Cisplatin-Induced Cytotoxicity and Oxidative Injury by Inhibiting MAPK Signaling Pathways in Mouse Thymic Epithelial Cells

Thymic epithelial cells (TECs) account for the most abundant and dominant stromal component of the thymus, where T cells mature. Oxidative- or cytotoxic-stress associated injury in TECs, a significant and common problem in many clinical settings, may cause a compromised thymopoietic capacity of TECs, resulting in clinically significant immune deficiency disorders or impairment in the adaptive immune response in the body. The present study demonstrated that fish collagen peptides (FCP) increase cell viability, reduce intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and impede apoptosis by repressing the expression of Bax and Bad and the release of cytochrome c, and by upregulating the expression of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL in cisplatin-treated TECs. These inhibitory effects of FCP on TEC damage occur via the suppression of ROS generation and MAPK (p38 MAPK, JNK, and ERK) activity. Taken together, our data suggest that FCP can be used as a promising protective agent against cytotoxic insults- or ROS-mediated TEC injury. Furthermore, our findings provide new insights into a therapeutic approach for the future application of FCP in the prevention and treatment of various types of oxidative- or cytotoxic stress-related cell injury in TECs as well as age-related or acute thymus involution.