Development of a multiplex PCR for the identification of Fusarium solani and F. oxysporum in a single step

Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection - Fusarium solani and F. oxysporum are plant pathogenic fungi that cause root rot and wilt, respectively, in many economically important crops....     

Evaluation of oligosaccharide synthesis from lactose and lactulose using β-galactosidases from Kluyveromyces isolated from artisanal cheeses

The β-galactosidase activity of 15 Kluyveromyces strains isolated from cheese belonging to Kluyveromyces lactis and Kluyveromyces marxianus species was tested for the production of oligosaccharides derived from lactose (GOS) and lactulose (OsLu). All Kluyveromyces crude cell extracts (CEEs) produced GOS, such as 6-galactobiose and 3'-, 4'-, and 6'-galactosyl-lactose. At 4 h of reaction, the main trisaccharide formed was 6'-galactosyl-lactose (20 g/100 g of total carbohydrates). The formation of OsLu was also observed by all CEEs tested, with 6-galactobiose, 6'-galactosyl-lactulose, and 1-galactosyl-lactulose being found in all of the reaction mixtures. The synthesis of trisaccharides predominated over other oligosaccharides. K. marxianus strain O3 produced the highest yields of GOS and OsLu after 4 h of reaction, reaching 42 g/100 g of total carbohydrates (corresponding to 80% lactose hydrolysis) and 45 g/100 g of total carbohydrates (corresponding to 87% lactulose hydrolysis), respectively. Therefore, the present study contributes to a better insight into dairy Kluyveromyces β-galactosidases and shows the feasibility of these enzymes to transglycosylate lactose and lactulose, producing high yields of prebiotic oligosaccharides.     

Evaluation of fungicides to control Cylindrocarpon liriodendri and Cylindrocarpon macrodidymum in vitro, and their effect during the rooting phase in the grapevine propagation process

The efficacy of 14 selected fungicides against Cylindrocarpon liriodendri and Cylindrocarpon macrodidymum was evaluated in vitro by testing their effect on mycelial growth and conidial germination. Carbendazim, hydroxyquinoline sulphate, imazalil, and prochloraz were the most effective fungicides in reducing mycelial growth in both Cylindrocarpon species. Captan, copper oxicloride, didecyldimethylammonium chloride and thiram were the most effective to inhibit conidial germination of both species. A pot assay was also conducted with captan, carbendazim, copper oxychloride, didecyldimethylammonium chloride, hydroxyquinoline sulphate, imazalil and prochloraz in order to determine their potential to prevent infections caused by C. liriodendri and C. macrodidymum during the rooting phase in the grapevine propagation process. All fungicides significantly decreased the root disease severity values in both species compared with control treatment, with the exception of imazalil in C. macrodidymum. In the case of the percentage of reisolation, all values were lower than those obtained for the control treatment, but only captan, carbendazim and didecyldimethylammonium chloride were significantly different in the case of the cuttings inoculated with C. liriodendri, and prochloraz in the case of those inoculated with C. macrodidymum.     

Social perceptions of the impacts and benefits of invasive alien species: Implications for management

Research on biological invasions has traditionally focused on the ecological component of invasive alien species, either without considering or by considering in a restricted way, the knowledge of the social component. An understanding of the human dimension of invasions is critical to effectively tackle the problems associated with invasive alien species. We distributed questionnaires to evaluate the social perceptions and attitudes of different stakeholder groups affected by invasive alien species in the Doñana social-ecological system (SW Spain). Our analysis served to characterize respondents based on their knowledge and perceptions of the impacts of invasive alien species, and the attitudes toward their introduction and eradication. Hierarchical cluster and principal component analyses identified five categories of respondents, and potential support of eradication programs was assessed using a contingent valuation approach. The five stakeholder groups differed in their degree of knowledge, perceptions, attitudes, and willingness to pay for eradication. The fact that different stakeholders have remarkably different perceptions about the impacts and benefits caused by invasive alien species, and different attitudes toward their introduction or eradication should be considered in any decision-making process regarding their management, particularly when developing appropriate educational and informative programs. Consultation with different stakeholders should also be encouraged from the onset of any decision-making process. In this way, trade-offs involved in IAS management are directly addressed and successful implementation of management practices is facilitated.     

Comparison of the postoperative analgesic effects of cimicoxib,buprenorphine and their combination in healthy dogs undergoing ovariohysterectomy

Objective

To determine the noninferior postoperative analgesic efficacy of cimicoxib compared to buprenorphine following elective ovariohysterectomy in healthy bitches.

Cyclin D1 immunohistochemical expression and somatic mutations in canine oral melanoma

Canine oral melanoma (COM) is the most frequent tumour with oral localization in dogs. Copy number gains and amplifications of CCND1, a gene coding for Cyclin D1, are the most frequent chromosomal aberrations described in human non‐UV induced melanomas. Twenty‐eight cases of COM were retrieved from paraffin‐blocks archives. A total of 4 μm thick sections were immunostained with an antibody against human Cyclin D1 and Ki‐67. Cyclin D1 and Ki‐67 expressions were scored through two counting methods. DNA was extracted from 20 μm thick sections of formalin‐fixed paraffin‐embedded blocks. Pathological and surrounding healthy tissue was extracted independently. Cyclin D1 immunolabelling was detected in 69% (18/26) while Ki‐67 was present in 88.5% (23/26) of cases. Statistical analysis revealed correlation between two counting methods for Cyclin D1 (r = 0.54; P = .004) and Ki‐67 (r = 0.56; P = .003). The correlation found between Ki‐67 and Cyclin D1 indexes in 16/26 cases labelled by both antibodies (r = 0.7947; P = .0002) suggests a possible use of Cyclin D1 index as prognostic marker. Polymerase chain reaction analysis on CCND1 coding sequence revealed the presence of nine somatic mutations in seven samples producing synonymous, missense and stop codons. Since none of the single‐nucleotide polymorphisms was found to be recurrent, it is suggested that overexpression of Cyclin D1 may be the consequence of alterations of CCND1 upstream regions or other genetic aberrations not detectable with the methodology used in this study. Future studies are needed to verify the potential use of Cyclin D1 index as prognostic indicator and to highlight the molecular events responsible for Cyclin D1 overexpression in COMs.     

The effectiveness of grafting to improve tomato fruit quality

The possibility of applying grafting to improve fruit quality has been scarcely investigated. Different shoot tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) genotypes were grafted onto distinctly-different tomato rootstocks and the effect of the rootstock on two important fruit quality parameters, soluble solids content (SSC) and titratable acidity (TA), was studied under both non-saline and saline conditions. Increased SSC and TA in fruits from grafted plants grown under saline conditions were observed on different grafting combinations. One of these rootstocks (cv. Radja) was able to induce increases in both fruit yield and fruit quality traits of the scion. When recombinant inbred lines (RILs) from the crossing of the cultivated tomato and wild tomato (Solanum cheesmaniae) were tested as rootstocks, using the commercial hybrid ‘Boludo’ as scion, the rootstock also improved SSC and TA when grafted plants were grown under non-saline conditions. On the whole, these results show the effectiveness of grafting with respect to upgrading of fruit quality in tomato, which is of great importance as grafting is a rapid and efficient alternative to achieve this goal.     

Susceptibility of grapevine rootstocks to Cylindrocarpon liriodendri and C. macrodidymum

The susceptibility of the grapevine rootstocks most commonly used in Spain to Cylindrocarpon liriodendri and C. macrodidymum was evaluated. Rooted cuttings of rootstocks 110-R, 1103-P, 140-R, 161-49C, 196-17C, Fercal and SO4 were inoculated by dipping their roots in conidial suspensions (5 × 10⁵ conidia mL⁻¹) of both pathogens and placed in a greenhouse. One month later, each plant was drench inoculated with 20 mL of the corresponding spore solution to guarantee root infection. After four months of incubation, root disease severity index (RSDI) and dry weights of shoot and root were recorded for each plant. RSDI was the best variable to show the effect of the inoculation with C. liriodendi and C. macrodidymum. According to this, all rootstocks inoculated were affected by the disease in some degree, being the rootstock 110-R the most susceptible to both pathogens.