Interactions Between Geminiviruses in a Naturally Occurring Mixture: Pepper huasteco virus and Pepper golden mosaic virus

ABSTRACT Pepper huasteco virus (PHV) and Pepper golden mosaic virus (PepGMV) are found in mixtures in many horticultural crops in Mexico. This combination constitutes an interesting, naturally occurring model system to study several aspects of virus-virus interactions. Possible interactions between PHV and PepGMV were studied at four levels: symptom expression, gene expression, replication, and movement. In terms of symptom expression, the interaction was shown to be host-dependent because antagonism was observed in pepper, whereas synergism was detected in tobacco and Nicotiana benthamiana. PHV and PepGMV did not generate viable pseudorecombinant viruses; however, their replication is increased during mixed infections. An asymmetric complementation in movement was observed because PHV was able to support the systemic movement of PepGMV A whereas PepGMV did not support the systemic distribution of PHV A. Heterologous transactivation of both coat protein promoters also was detected. Several conclusions can be drawn from these experiments. First, viruses coinfecting the same plant can interact at several levels (replication, movement) and in different manners (synergism, antagonism); some interactions might be host dependent; and natural mixed infections could be a potential source of geminivirus variability by generating viable tripartite combinations that could facilitate recombination events.     

Fishing operations and adaptive strategies of small‐scale fishers: insights for fisheries management in data‐poor situations

Small‐scale fisheries' management is complex given its multigear, multispecies nature; despite this, fishing effort has usually been controlled by nominal units, ignoring changes in effective fishing effort. This study aimed to understand the adaptive strategies of small‐scale fishers in San Felipe, Yucatan, Mexico through an analysis of their fishing operations. Minor changes in trip numbers among three seasons were observed, but increases in fishing time, depth and travel costs from one season to another at the operational level were found. It was also evident that high value species at the beginning of the season were gradually replaced by low‐value finfish as the season progresses. The results provide insights for new adaptive management strategies according to fisher's adaptive responses. For instance, using boats or fishing trips as fishing effort units in Yucatan may not be the most appropriated unit for management, as fishers adapt their strategies at different levels.     

Extracellular self-DNA plays a role as a damage-associated molecular pattern (DAMP) delaying zoospore germination rate and inducing stress-related responses in Phytophthora capsici

Phytophthora capsici is a highly destructive pathogen of crops. Although chemical pesticides are the most widely used strategy to counter phytopathogens, they have been inefficient to combat P. capsici and have produced significant environmental and health problems. Therefore, sustainable alternatives to control soilborne pathogens, such as the inhibitory effect of self-extracellular DNA (eDNA), have been proposed. This inhibition phenomenon has been attributed to the action of self-eDNA as a damage-associated molecular pattern (DAMP). Here, we describe the effect of self-eDNA on P. capsici zoospore germination rate, antioxidant enzymes activity and MAPK gene expression. Also, the effect of P. capsici eDNA on the protection of chilli pepper (Capsicum annuum) plants against P. capsici was investigated. The results highlight that P. capsici can sense 2–500 µg/ml self-eDNA and induce stress-related responses like SAK1 gene expression, and superoxide dismutase and catalase activities. Moreover, in vitro zoospore germination rate was suppressed with self-eDNA concentrations ranging from 50 to 500 µg/ml. Interestingly, drench applications of P. capsici eDNA at 60 and 100 µg/ml on chilli pepper plants did not show any protective effect against the phytopathogen, whereas 2 µg/ml of P. capsici eDNA drench application showed a lower percentage of plants with symptoms and lower disease severity. Moreover, phenols and total flavonoids were increased in chilli pepper plants, therefore inducing plant immunity. This study showed that self-eDNA acts as a DAMP in P. capsici and provides insight into the use of eDNA for the protection of crops of agronomic interest.     

Effect of foliar salicylic acid and methyl jasmonate applications on protection against pill-bugs in lettuce plants (Lactuca sativa)

The effects were examined of plant-response signaling compounds, salicylic acid (SA) and methyl jasmonate (MeJA), on resistance to pill-bugs (Armadillidium vulgare) attack in lettuce plants. Foliar SA and MeJA applications were made at weekly intervals from the emergence of the plant until one week before harvesting. SA and MeJA induced detectable levels of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) at least during 5 days post-application in these plants throughout their cultivation. On the whole, SA and MeJA in the concentrations and application scheme evaluated in this research did not significantly influence the dry and fresh weight matter of plants, or the chlorophyll and nitrate contents. In addition, both signal elicitors significantly diminished lettuce mortality due to pill-bugs, which was positively correlated with phenolics and flavonoids contents. Our results suggest that SA and MeJA, especially in low concentrations, should be further evaluated in lettuce production and priming resistance.     

Scale invariant feature approach for insect monitoring

One of the main problems in greenhouse crop production is the presence of pests. In order to address this problem, the implementation of a Integrated Pest Management (IPM) system involving the detection and classification of insects (pests) is essential for intensive production systems. Traditionally, this has been done by placing hunting traps in fields or greenhouses and later manually counting and identifying the insects found. This is a very time-consuming and expensive process. To facilitate this process, it is possible to use machine vision techniques. This work describes an application of the machine vision system LOSS V2 algorithm, an expanded version of the LOSS algorithm discussed in a previous work by the same authors. This expanded version demonstrated improved potential and was used to detect and identify the following pest species: Diabrotica (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), Lacewings (Lacewings spp.), Aphids (Aphis gossypii Genn.), Glassy (Empoasca spp.), Thrips (Thrips tabaci L.), and Whitefly (Bemisia tabaci Genn.). The algorithm identifies pest presence in the crop and makes it possible for the greenhouse manager to take the appropriate preventive or corrective measures. The LOSS V2 involves the application of the LOSS algorithm for initial pest identification, followed by the application of the image processing technique known as scale invariant feature transform (SIFT). This allows for more accurate pest detection because it is possible to discriminate and identify different types of insects. Therefore, when compared to manual pest counting, the newly developed LOSS V2 algorithm showed more precision in identifying different pest varieties, and also, a much higher determination coefficient, R² = 0.99.