Risk Analysis for Latent Infection of Prune by Monilinia fructicola in California

ABSTRACT The quantitative relationships between incidence of latent infection (ILI) of prune by Monilinia fructicola and wetness duration (WD) for different bloom and fruit developmental stages and different inoculum concentrations were obtained. Three levels of ILI were considered as criteria for low, moderate, and high risks of latent infection, respectively. Seasonal patterns of WD leading to different risk levels of latent infection were obtained for low (IP(L)) and high (IP(H)) inoculum potential conditions in orchards. Longer WD was needed at a resistant than at a susceptible fruit developmental stage to induce similar levels of latent infection. The curves of WD leading to different levels of ILI over the growing season (risky WD curves) were used in risk analysis for latent infection. Multi-year historical WD data from 10 prune-growing locations in California were compared with risky WD curves. The percentage of days (P) with WD leading to a certain risk level of latent infection was calculated for each month from historical weather data. Under the IP(L) condition, the P distributions for low risk of latent infection were higher in March and April than in May and were the lowest in June for most locations. Under the IP(H) condition, the number of days that WD leading to low risk of latent infection in May increased compared with those under the IP(L) condition. The risk analysis approach was evaluated by using separate experimental data as incidence of fruit brown rot obtained from different prune orchards over years. Consistency between predicted overall risk levels of latent infection and observed incidence of fruit brown rot was obtained. The results demonstrated the usefulness of the risk analysis in decision support system for disease management.     

Classification, nomenclature, and plant pathogenic bacteria - a clarification

ABSTRACT In a recent Letter to the Editor of Phytopathology, proposals were made for endorsement and for rejection of selected names of plant pathogenic Pseudomonas spp. and Xanthomonas spp. We believe that support for, and rejection of, several names was based on misconceptions concerning the Approved Lists of Bacterial Names and entails misinterpretations of several Rules of the International Code of Nomenclature of Bacteria. This letter aims to clarify those misconceptions and misinterpretations.     

Cytogenetic identification of a hybrid owl monkey, Aotus nancymaae x Aotus lemurinus griseimembra.

A neonate male owl monkey (Aotus sp.) was identified cytogenetically as a hybrid after it failed to nurse and died. Phenotypically, the male parent possessed characteristics of the "gray-neck group," and G-banded karyotypes identified him as Aotus lemurinus griseimembra (2n = 53), heterozygous for the centric fusion of chromosomes 13 and 14. The female parent belonged to the "red-neck group" and was identified cytogenetically as Aotus nancymaae (2n = 54). The neonate hybrid had 2n = 54 chromosomes with 13 homologous pairs of autosomes, 26 nonhomologous autosomes, and XY sex chromosomes. Thirteen of the nonhomologous chromosomes represented the paternal complement, and 13 were from the maternal complement. Chromosomal rearrangements occurring between the karyotypes of A. l. griseimembra and A. nancymaae were believed to include two paracentric inversions, a reciprocal translocation, and two complex rearrangements involving pericentric inversion, telocentromeric fusion, and centromeric adjustment. Cytogenetic analyses are necessary to identify most Aotus taxa and thus should be utilized to pair chromosomally compatible animals and avoid interspecies hybridization.     

Characterization of mutations in the two-component histidine kinase gene that confer fludioxonil resistance and osmotic sensitivity in the os-1 mutants of Neurospora crassa

Osmotic-sensitive (os-1) mutant alleles in Neurospora crassa exhibit resistance to dicarboximides, aromatic hydrocarbons and phenylpyrroles. We have previously reported that the os-1 mutants can be classified into two groups based on their resistance to fungicides and osmotic stress: type I, which are highly resistant to iprodione and fludioxonil but moderately sensitive to osmotic stress, and type II, which are highly sensitive to osmotic stress but moderately resistant to fungicides. To explain the mechanism of resistance to these fungicides, we cloned and sequenced the mutant os-1 genes that encode putative osmo-sensing histidine kinase. Within the os-1 gene product (Os1p), the type I strains, NM233t and Y256M209, carried a stop codon at amino acid position 308 and a frameshift at amino acid position 294, respectively. These mutation sites were located on the upstream of histidine kinase and the response regulator domains of Os1p, strongly suggesting that type I strains are null mutants. The null mutants, NM233t and Y256M209, were highly resistant to iprodione and fludioxonil; thus Os1p is essential for these fungicides to express their antifungal activity. The amino acid changes in Os1p, 625Pro from Leu, 578Val from Ala, and 580Arg from Gly were found in the type II strains, M16, M155-1 and P5990, respectively. Os1p is novel in having six tandem repeats of 90 amino acids in the N terminal. Each amino acid change of the type II strains was located on the fifth unit of six tandem repeats. Type II strains with single amino acid changes were more sensitive to osmotic stress than the null mutants (type I), indicating that the amino acid repeats of Os1p were responsible for an important function in osmo-regulation.     

Aggressiveness of Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. glycines isolates to soybean and hypersensitivity responses by other plants

Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. glycines ( Xag ) causes bacterial pustule disease which can significantly reduce the production of soybean. A collection of 26 isolates of Xag from different soybean-production areas of Thailand was shown to differ with regard to aggressiveness on soybean. They also differed in their ability to induce a hypersensitive response (HR) on four cultivars of tobacco and on other plant species including pepper, tomato, cucumber, pea and sesame. Tomato was most sensitive to HR induction by Xag . Isolate KU-P-34017 caused an HR on all the plant species tested. The minimal concentration of KU-P-34017 needed to induce HR on tobacco was approximately 5 × 10⁸ CFU mL⁻¹. A bacterium–plant interaction period of at least 2·5 h was necessary for HR, and different temperatures, relative humidity and light periods did not affect HR development. Inhibitors of eukaryotic metabolism, including cobalt chloride, lanthanum chloride and sodium orthovanadate (completely), and cycloheximide (partially) blocked the HR on tobacco, indicating the association of an active plant response. In contrast, the HR on tomato was inhibited only by cobalt chloride.     

Genetic diversity and mixed infections of begomoviruses infecting tomato, pepper and cucurbit crops in Nicaragua

Begomoviruses were detected in Nicaraguan fields of tomato ( Lycopersicon esculentum ) and adjacently growing plants of pepper ( Capsicum annuum ), chilli pepper ( C . baccatum ), cushaw ( Cucurbita argyrosperma ) and Mexican fireplant ( Euphorbia heterophylla ) using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and universal begomovirus primers. All tomato and Mexican fireplant plants showing symptoms were infected with begomoviruses, while only 30–46% of the pepper, chilli pepper and cushaw plants showing symptoms tested virus-positive. No begomoviruses were found in potato. The virus species were provisionally identified by sequencing 533 bp of the viral coat protein gene ( AV1 ). Tomato severe leaf curl virus (ToSLCV), Tomato leaf curl Sinaloa virus (ToLCSinV) and Pepper golden mosaic virus (PepGMV) were found to infect both tomato and pepper. A new provisional species designated Tomato leaf curl Las Playitas virus (ToLCLPV) was detected in a tomato plant. Squash yellow mottle virus (SYMoV) and PepGMV were found in cucurbits, the latter for the first time in this host. Euphorbia mosaic virus (EuMV) was detected in Mexican fireplant. Sequencing of a larger number of PCR-amplified clones from selected plants revealed intraspecific viral sequence variability, and also multiple begomovirus infections which could represent up to three species in a single tomato or cushaw plant. Phylogenetic grouping of virus sequences did not correlate with the host of origin.     

New severe strains of Melon necrotic spot virus: symptomatology and sequencing

New strains of Melon necrotic spot virus (MNSV), designated MNSV-YS and MNSV-KS, caused much more severe growth retardation on melon plants than MNSV-NH, which was previously reported as the most severe strain of MNSV in Japan. MNSV-YS spread much more quickly than MNSV-NH in infected plants, and induced more severe growth retardation, even though the appearance of necrotic lesions on inoculated cotyledons was much slower. MNSV-KS had properties intermediate between those of the other two strains. The results suggest that faster-spreading strains can multiply more rapidly as a result of lower levels of activity in inducing necrotic lesions in melon plants. The complete sequences of MNSV-YS and MNSV-KS were determined, and an RT–PCR–RFLP method based on these sequences was successfully developed to detect and discriminate between the three strains.     

Investigation of Senescence in Canine Fibroblasts

Introduction and Aims:  Primary and secondary cell cultures of canine dermal fibroblasts were used to test the suitability of several senescence-linked cellular markers to characterize the chronological age of dogs. In further studies these markers will be used to test the hypothesis that senescence-linked changes at the cellular level are representative for the observed inverse relationship of body mass and life expectancy in different dog breeds.
Methods:  In this study standardized skin samples of Beagles were used to analyse the cell morphology and several senescence-linked parameters as Cumulative Population Doubling Level, Highest Population Doubling Level, Culture Doubling Time and Life Span Completed to determine the replicative potential of fibroblasts. The samples were divided by the age of the donors into three groups ('young', 'middle' and 'old').
Results:  There are notable differences between the replicative potential of young and old Beagles at the cellular level. Preliminary results show that in fibroblast cultures obtained from the young group the highest population doubling level is higher and the culture doubling time is shorter then in cultures of the old group. Cultures from the young and middle-aged group cannot be distinguished by the measured parameters. For final results the complete statistical analysis of sampled data has to be carried out.
Conclusions:  Our results demonstrate a relationship between the chronological age of the skin donor and the replicative potential of the dermal fibroblasts. Therefore cellular senescence-linked markers could serve as suitable tools to compare the age of individual dogs of different breeds.