A new Curvularia lunata variety discovered in Huanghuaihai Region in China

The purpose of this study was to identify the dominant pathogens of Curvularia leaf spot and their pathogenicity variation in Huanghuaihai Region of China in recent years. In 2013 and 2016–2017, the occurrences of Curvularia leaf spots on maize were investigated in fields located in Henan, Hebei, Shandong, and Anhui provinces, and 292 fungi were isolated from diseased leaves. These fungal isolates were subjected to morphological identification, and 232 isolates were found to have about 70% uncurved conidia and were identified as Curvularia lunata var. Most of the conidia of 2 representative isolates, namely, HNWB-131 and HNWB-185, were oblong with parallel septations and were distinctly different from a reference isolate CX-3. For further determination, the internal transcribed spacer(ITS), glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase(GPDH), the large subunit(LSU), and translation elongation factor 1-alpha(EF1-α) sequences of HNWB-131, HNWB-185, and CX-3 were amplified and sequenced. The results of sequence analysis showed that the 4 gene sequences from the 3 isolates had a similarity of more than 99% to C. lunata. Based on the sequences of ITS and the combined data of the 4 genes, neighbor-joining trees were constructed for phylogenetic analysis. The results indicated that these 3 isolates were clustered together with C. lunata. The expression of Clg2 p and ClUrase genes in mycelia and conidia was significantly(P0.05) higher in CX-3 than in HNWB-131 and HNWB-185. This study found that the dominant pathogen of Curvularia leaf spot was a new variety of C. lunata with morphological variations in Huanghuaihai Region from 2013 to 2017. The pathogenicity of the C. lunata var. was not significantly enhanced, and the expression of Clg2 p and ClUrase genes of C. lunata var. was decreased.     

Heterologous expression of the ThIPK2 gene enhances drought resistance of common wheat

Th IPK2 is an inositol polyphosphate kinase gene cloned from Thellungiella halophila that participates in diverse cellular processes. Drought is a major limiting factor in wheat(Triticum aestivum L.) production. The present study investigated whether the application of the Th IPK2 gene could increase the drought resistance of transgenic wheat. The codon-optimized Th IPK2 gene was transferred into common wheat through Agrobacterium-mediated transformation driven by either a constitutive maize ubiquitin promoter or a stress-inducible rd29 A promoter from Arabidopsis. Molecular characterization confirmed the presence of the foreign gene in the transformed plants. The transgenic expression of Th IPK2 in wheat led to significantly improve drought tolerance compared to that observed in control plants. Compared to the wild type(WT) plants, the transgenic plants showed higher seed germination rates, better developed root systems, a higher relative water content(RWC) and total soluble sugar content, and less cell membrane damage under drought stress conditions. The expression profiles showed different expression patterns with the use of different promoters. The codon-optimized Th IPK2 gene is a candidate gene to enhance wheat drought stress tolerance by genetic engineering.     

Screening of antagonistic Trichoderma strains and their application for controlling stalk rot in maize

Maize is one of the major crops in China, but maize stalk rot occurs nationwide and has become one of the major challenges in maize production in China. In order to find an environment-friendly and feasible technology to control this disease, a Trichoderma-based biocontrol agent was selected. Forty-eight strains with various inhibition activities to Fusarium graminearum, and Fusarium verticillioides were tested. A group of Trichoderma strains(DLY31, SG3403, DLY1303 and GDFS1009) were found to provide an inhibition rate to pathogen growth in vitro of over 70%. These strains also prevented pathogen infection over 65% and promoted the maize seedling growth for the main root in vivo by over 50%. Due to its advantage in antifungal activity against pathogens and promotion activity to maize, Trichoderma asperellum GDSF1009 was selected as the most promising strain of the biocontrol agent in the Trichoderma spectrum. Pot experiments showed that the Trichoderma agent at 2–3 g/pot could achieve the best control of seedling stalk rot and promotion of maize seedling growth. In the field experiments, 8–10 g/hole was able to achieve over 65% control to stalk rot, and yield increased by 2–11%. In the case of natural morbidity, the control efficiency ranged from 27.23 to 48.84%, and the rate of yield increase reached 11.70%, with a dosage of Trichoderma granules at 75 kg ha~(-1). Based on these results, we concluded that the Trichoderma agent is a promising biocontrol approach to stalk rot in maize.     

Genomic characteristics of Dickeya fangzhongdai isolates from pear and the function of type IV pili in the chromosome

Dickeya fangzhongdai, the causal agent of bleeding canker of pear, is a new member of the Dickeya genus and the only one that infects woody plants. Recent studies have reclassified several Dickeya isolates as D. fangzhongdai, which were isolated from various environments, including water, Phalaenopsis sp. and Aglaonema sp. To provide genomic characterization of D. fangzhongdai isolates from pear, the genomes of D. fangzhongdai strain JS5 (=China General Microbiological Culture Collection Center, CGMCC 1.15464^T=DSM 101947^T), along with two other isolates, LN1 and QZH3, were sequenced and compared to those of other Dickeya spp. Homology greater than 99% was observed among three D. fangzhongdai strains. Plasmid, type IV secretion system (T4SS) and type IV pili (TFPs) were found in genomes of D. fangzhongdai isolates. Comparative analysis of the type III secretion systems (T3SS), type III secretion effectors (T3SE), plant cell wall degradation enzymes (PCWDE) and membrane transport proteins of Dickeya spp. showed some differences which might reflect the variations of virulence, phylogenetic and phenotypic characteristics of Dickeya spp. In addition, deletion mutant of TFP in D. fangzhongdai JS5 showed no twitching motility and reduced virulence and biofilm formation. The fingdings of the distinctive plasmid, T4SS and TFPs, as well as the differences of T3SE, PCWDE and membrane transport proteins make D. fangzhongdai isolates unique. These results also suggested that acquisition of virulence genes by horizontal gene transfer might play some role in the genetic variation of D. fangzhongdai.     

Application of imidacloprid controlled-release granules to enhance the utilization rate and control wheat aphid on winter wheat

During winter wheat production, aphids need to be controlled with pesticides for the entire growth period. Controlled-release technology has been regarded as an alternative method for the improvement of pesticide efficiency. This study investigated two types of imidacloprid controlled-release granule (CR-GR): 2% imidacloprid CR-GR and 0.2% imidacloprid pesticide-fertilizer controlled-release granule (PF-CR-GR) when wheat was sown in winter. The release performance, utilization rate, terminal residues in edible parts, control effect on aphids, and achieved winter wheat yield were evaluated for both laboratory experiments and field application. Imidacloprid PF-CR-GR released more quickly in aqueous medium than CR-GR because of its good water solubility. After CR-GR treatments, the concentrations in wheat roots and soil were similar throughout the entire sampling period, and the concentrations in shoots were about 10–20% of those in roots. Imidacloprid was better absorbed when CR-GR was used as root treatment, compared with foliar treatment. Field application showed that imidacloprid CR-GR and PF-CR-GR controlled aphids throughout the entire growth period of winter wheat and improved the wheat yield. These findings identified application of imidacloprid CR-GR and PF-CR-GR on winter wheat as an effective way to enhance the pesticide utilization rate and ensure adequate yield. This paper provides a theoretical basis for the scientific use of pesticides and guides scientific pesticide application.     

艾纳香脱氢酶基因家族的生物信息学分析

采用RT-PCR和RACE（Rapid amplification of cDNA ends）技术,从艾纳香（Blumea balsamifera (L.) DC.）叶片中克隆到4条编码艾纳香脱氢酶（BbADH1、BbADH2、BbADH3、BbADH4）基因的cDNA序列,并对4条核苷酸及其编码的氨基酸序列进行生物信息学分析。结果显示:4条艾纳香脱氢酶序列开放阅读框均在900 bp左右,蛋白质等电点（pI）值在5.0~9.0之间,含量最多的氨基酸为亮氨酸（Leu）,最少的为色氨酸（Try）,具有明显的疏水区和亲水区,N端未发现信号肽,且无跨膜区;同源性比对结果显示,艾纳香BbADH蛋白与其他植物中ADH蛋白具有高度的相似性,且具有脱氢酶的特征功能域;系统发育分析表明,艾纳香（B. balsamifera (L.) DC.）BbADH1和BbADH3同处于一个分支,且与胡杨（Populus euphratica Oliv.）PeADH物种亲缘关系较近,而艾纳香BbADH4和BbADH2处于不同分支,且分别与葡萄（Vitis vinifera）VvADH和烟草（Nicotiana tabacum）NtADH物种亲缘关系较近。     

辣木的染色体制片优化及核型分析

以辣木分生组织为材料,采用酶解去壁低渗法制片,探讨不同取材部位、预处理方式和酶解时间对辣木染色体制片的影响,并对其进行核型分析,以期为辣木的起源、演化及遗传育种提供一定理论依据。结果表明:以辣木新枝茎尖为最佳取材部位,用饱和对二氯苯预处理2 h,再用4%纤维素酶和5%果胶酶混合物酶解4 h,制片所得染色体效果最佳。核型分析表明,辣木染色体属于小染色体,有28条,核型公式为2n=2x=2n=28m,属于1B类型,核型不对称系数60.29%,核型对称程度较高,这表明辣木在进化中可能处于比较原始类型。     

2种多胺对铁皮石斛瓶内开花的影响

以铁皮石斛无根组培苗为试验材料,研究不同浓度的外源腐胺（Put）和精胺（Spm）对铁皮石斛瓶内开花的影响。结果表明：培养基中添加适量的Put和Spm可提高开花率。当Put浓度为0.4 mg/L时,铁皮石斛瓶内开花率最高,为30.47%;Spm浓度为0.2 mg/L时,铁皮石斛瓶内开花率最高,为22.26%;Put浓度为0.2 mg/L时,铁皮石斛始花期最短,为83.33 d,观赏期最长,为43.33 d。Put浓度为0.4 mg/L时,植株可溶性糖和可溶性蛋白含量最高;对照处理下植株全N含量达最高;Spm浓度为0.6 mg/L时,植株C/N比达最大。Put浓度为0.4 mg/L时,有利于铁皮石斛组培苗碳氮化合物的积累,可提高铁皮石斛的开花率;Put浓度为0.2 mg/L时,能使花期提前,延长观赏期。Spm浓度为0.4 mg/L时,有利于铁皮石斛组培苗株高增长和生根,促进铁皮石斛组培苗的营养生长。     

福建省典型茶园土壤硒含量及其影响因素研究

采集了福建省60份典型茶园表层土壤(0~20 cm),测定了土壤全硒和有效硒含量,分析了土壤类型、植茶年限和海拔对土壤硒及有效硒含量的影响,并探讨其受土壤理化性质的影响。结果表明,福建省茶园土壤全硒含量范围为0.22~2.20 mg·kg^-1,均值为0.73 mg·kg^-1,有86.67%的茶园土壤硒含量达到富硒土壤标准(>0.4 mg·kg^-1);茶园土壤有效硒含量为5.21~448.86 μg·kg^-1,均值为62.98 μg·kg^-1;土壤硒活化率为1.10%~31.64%,均值为8.76%,硒有效程度较低。砂砾岩和凝灰岩发育的茶园土壤硒和有效硒含量较高,紫色砂岩和河流冲积物发育的茶园土壤硒含量较低;山地草甸土茶园土壤全硒和有效硒含量最高,潮砂土和水稻土硒含量较低;成龄茶园和老茶园土壤全硒和有效硒含量较高,新垦茶园硒含量较低;中高海拔地区茶园土壤全硒及有效硒含量较高,低海拔地区茶园土壤硒含量较低。相关分析表明,茶园土壤硒及有效性主要受土壤有机质和全氮的影响,pH对有机质含量较低的红壤茶园和幼龄茶园有显著影响,有效磷对成龄茶园和中高海拔茶园有显著影响。总体而言,该区域茶园富硒土壤为发展天然富硒茶提供了物源保证,但硒有效程度不高,应针对不同类型茶园采取相应栽培措施(增施有机肥、改良剂和钙镁磷肥)来提高土壤有效硒。     

伐地那非增加EGCG-β-乳球蛋白纳米粒对肝癌细胞的抑制作用

较高浓度的EGCG才能抑制癌细胞的增殖,通过纳米化和EGCG与其他药物的联合使用是提高EGCG生物活性的重要策略。本研究将EGCG和伐地那非（VD）同时包埋于β-乳球蛋白（β-Lg）纳米载体中,制备出EGCG-VD-β-Lg纳米粒（EVβ-NPs）,体外试验证实,EVβ-NPs能提高人肝癌细胞（HepG2细胞）中Caspase-3活性,使HepG2细胞在S期产生明显的阻滞,诱发细胞核分裂,从而导致HepG2细胞凋亡。研究结果表明,将EGCG与微量的VD联合使用,并通过纳米化包埋可以显著提高EGCG的抗癌活性。这一方法在EGCG抗癌制品的开发方面具有潜在的价值。