Descriptive Analyses of Deficiency Symptoms in Calla Lily Plants

The objective of this work was to describe the nutrition deficiencies symptoms in calla lily (Zantedeschia aethiopica). Seedlings were maintained in complete nutrition solution and with omission of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sulfur (S), iron (Fe), boron (B), and manganese (Mn), totalizing 10 treatments. The first deficiencies symptoms appeared in plants cultivated in N omission, followed by treatments with omission of S, B, K, Fe, P, and Ca. Individual omissions of N and B prevented blooming, while S and K deficiencies resulted in production of small and greenish inflorescences with deformities. Reddish spots in leaves were observed in plants growing in solution with omission of P. Root development was affected either by omission of B or S. Death of the apical bud and formation of a “black center” in calla lily rhizome was caused by B deficiency. Nitrogen, B, and S are the most required nutrients for calla lily plants. The mineral composition of calla lily leaves is affected by nutritional deficiencies     

Loss of viability and vigour in the course of short-term storage of Pityrocarpa moniliformis seeds cannot be attributed to reserve degradation

New Forests - The quality of forest seeds may be maintained in the course of storage for their use in the restoration of degraded areas and the conservation of genetic resources. In this sense,...     

Light- and nutrient-related relationships in mixed plantations of Eucalyptus and a high diversity of native tree species

New Forests - Mixed plantations composed of Eucalyptus intercropped with a high diversity of native tree species are a promising option for combining biodiversity recovery with wood production...     

Foliar application of systemic insecticides disrupts feeding behavior of the whitefly Bemisia tabaci MEAM1 and the transmission of tomato chlorosis virus in potato plants

Journal of Pest Science - The whiteflies of the Bemisia tabaci (Genn.) complex (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) are serious agricultural pests that cause severe losses to vegetable, ornamental and fiber...     

Analysis of a marine phototrophic biofilm by confocal laser scanning microscopy using the new image quantification software PHLIP

Background  

Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) is the method of choice to study interfacial biofilms and acquires time-resolved three-dimensional data of the biofilm structure. CLSM can be used in a multi-channel modus where the different channels map individual biofilm components. This communication presents a novel image quantification tool, PHLIP, for the quantitative analysis of large amounts of multichannel CLSM data in an automated way. PHLIP can be freely downloaded from .     

4-Acetoxydolastane diterpene from the Brazilian brown alga Canistrocarpus cervicornis as antileishmanial agent

Natural marine products have shown an interesting array of diverse and novel chemical structures with potent biological activities. Our study reports the antiproliferative assays of crude extracts, fraction and pure compound (4R,9S,14S)-4α-acetoxy-9β,14α-dihydroxydolast-1(15),7-diene (1) obtained from brown alga Canistrocarpus cervicornis showing the antileishmanial activity. We showed that 1 had a dose-dependent activity during 72 h of treatment, exhibiting IC(50) of 2.0 μg/mL, 12.0 μg/mL, and 4.0 μg/mL for promastigote, axenic amastigote and intracellular amastigote forms of Leishmania amazonensis, respectively. A cytotoxicity assay showed that the action of the isolated compound 1 was 93.0 times less toxic to the macrophage than to the protozoan. Additionally, compound 1 induced ultrastructural changes, including extensive mitochondrial damage; decrease in Rh123 fluorescence, suggesting interference with the mitochondrial membrane potential; and lipid peroxidation in parasite cells. The use of 1 from C. cervicornis against L. amazonensis parasites might be of great interest as a future alternative to the development of new antileishmanial drugs.     

Compounds from Ageratum conyzoides: isolation, structural elucidation and insecticidal activity

This work aimed at identifying plant compounds with insecticidal activity against Diaphania hyalinata (L.) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), Musca domestica (L.) (Diptera: Muscidae), Periplaneta americana (L.) (Blattodea: Blattidae) and Rhyzopertha dominica (F.) (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae). The plant species used were: basil (Ocimum selloi Benth.), rue (Ruta graveolens L.), lion's ear (Leonotis nepetaefolia L.), Jimson weed (Datura stramonium L.), 'baleeira' herb (Cordia verbenaceae L.), mint (Mentha piperita L.), wild balsam apple (Mormodica charantia L.) and billy goat weed (Ageratum conyzoides L.). Firstly, the insecticidal activities of hexane and ethanol plant extracts were evaluated against adults of R. dominica. Among them, only the hexane extract of A. conyzoides showed insecticidal activity. The hexane extract of this plant species was therefore fractionated by silica gel column chromatography to isolate and purify its bioactive chemical constituents. Three compounds were identified using IR spectra, (1)H NMR, (13)C NMR, HMBC and NOE after gel chromatography: 5,6,7,8,3', 4', 5'-heptamethoxyflavone, 5,6,7,8,3'-pentamethoxy-4', 5'-methylenedioxyflavone and coumarin. The complete assignment of (13)C NMR to 5,6,7,8,3'-pentamethoxy-4', 5'-methylenedioxyflavone was successfully made for the first time. 5,6,7,8,3'-Pentamethoxy-4', 5'-methylenedioxyflavone did not show any insecticidal activity against the four insect species tested. 5,6,7,8,3', 4', 5'-Heptamethoxyflavone showed low activity against D. hyalinata and R. dominica and was not toxic to M. domestica or P. americana. In contrast, coumarin showed insecticidal activity against all four insect pest species tested, with the following order of susceptibility: R. dominica < P. americana < D. hyalinata < M. domestica after 24 h exposure.     

Biochemical and anatomical features of adventitious rhizogenesis in apical and basal mini-cuttings of Ilex paraguariensis

New Forests - In order to better understand the physiological and technical aspects of yerba mate vegetative propagation, the present study sought to evaluate the rhizogenic capacity of apical and...     

Silicon promotes the control of Meloidogyne incognita in lettuce by increasing ascorbic acid and phenolic compounds

Journal of Pest Science - Silicon (Si) has a physical barrier effect on plant tissues, decreasing nematode infection in different crops. Notwithstanding, research on lettuce is lacking, especially...