First report of leaf spot disease on oil palm caused by Pestalotiopsis theae in Thailand

A leaf spot on oil palm, caused by Pestalotiopsis theae, was found in a plantation of Elaeis guineensis for the first time in the world in Chiang Mai Province, Thailand. The fungus was isolated from lesions on leaves, and its pathogenicity was confirmed. Pathogenicity tests showed that P. theae could infect E. guineensis, which developed the same symptoms after inoculation as those observed naturally in the field. The fungus was identified based on morphological characteristics and confirmed using comparisons of DNA sequences of internal transcribed spacer (ITS)1, ITS2 and 5.8S rDNA. This report is the first on oil palm leaf spot disease caused by P. theae.     

Metabolites from Marine-Derived Fungi as Potential Antimicrobial Adjuvants

Marine-derived fungi constitute an interesting source of bioactive compounds, several of which exhibit antibacterial activity. These acquire special importance, considering that antimicrobial resistance is becoming more widespread. The overexpression of efflux pumps, capable of expelling antimicrobials out of bacterial cells, is one of the most worrisome mechanisms. There has been an ongoing effort to find not only new antimicrobials, but also compounds that can block resistance mechanisms which can be used in combination with approved antimicrobial drugs. In this work, a library of nineteen marine natural products, isolated from marine-derived fungi of the genera Neosartorya and Aspergillus, was evaluated for their potential as bacterial efflux pump inhibitors as well as the antimicrobial-related mechanisms, such as inhibition of biofilm formation and quorum-sensing. Docking studies were performed to predict their efflux pump action. These compounds were also tested for their cytotoxicity in mouse fibroblast cell line NIH/3T3. The results obtained suggest that the marine-derived fungal metabolites are a promising source of compounds with potential to revert antimicrobial resistance and serve as an inspiration for the synthesis of new antimicrobial drugs.     

Effect of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pistia stratiotes</Emphasis>, cattle manure and wood vinegar (pyroligneous acid) application on growth and yield of organic rainfed rice

The effect of soil incorporation of water lettuce (Pistia stratiotes) and cattle manure and of wood vinegar (pyroligneous acid) foliar application on growth and yield of rainfed rice was studied with a four replications split plot in a farmer’s field in Thailand. P. stratiotes incorporation significantly increased the grain yield over nonincorporation with P. stratiotes. Cattle manure incorporation alone or combined with wood vinegar application significantly increased grain yield over wood vinegar and no-fertilizer application. Incorporation of P. stratiotes combined with cattle manure and wood vinegar application could not provide sufficient N to the rice crop, but it adequate for P and K. Plots with cattle manure incorporation combined with wood vinegar application exhibited the maximum K, P and N content in soil after harvest.     

耐热耐贮番茄品种改良

利用Lima品种作为父本与冬季栽培的番茄品种 (413、4 5 2、4 99、5 14和 5 6 0 )进行杂交 ,改良冬季栽培番茄品种的产量和品质 ,通过对杂交后代自交纯化 ,获得 4 5 2×Lima自交系产量最高 ,为 4 4 .2 9t·hm-2 ,比对照Lima和VF134 1 2增产 33.0 %和 31.6 % ,大部分自交系的果实硬度与对照相同 ;将耐热品种 6 6 7(CL5 915 2 0 6D4 2 5 0 )和 6 6 9(CL5 915 2 2 3D4 2 1 0 )与耐热的冬季栽培番茄品种进行杂交 ,然后自交并对其自交系的耐热性和果实品质进行选择 ,其中 5 0 2× 6 6 9、5 74× 6 6 7的自交系产量分别为 6 9.16和 6 6 .16t·hm-2 ,比对照Lima和VF134 1 2增产 18.2 %和 38.7% ,果实硬度与对照相同 ;将耐热品种L2 2和含突变基因 (nor1、nor2 )材料进行杂交和回交 ,对L2 2的货架期进行改良 ,其中BC2 和BC3 产量比L2 2高 4 %～ 9% ,果实在室温下保存 30d ,其完好率为 18%～...     

Effects of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Euphorbia hirta</Emphasis> plant leaf extract on growth performance,hematological and organosomatic indices of hybrid catfish, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Clarias macrocephalus </Emphasis>× <Emphasis Type="Italic">C. gariepinus</Emphasis>

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of Euphorbia hirta leaf extract on the growth performance, hematological and organosomatic indices of hybrid catfish, Clarias macrocephalus?×?C. gariepinus. The fish were treated with 0 (control), 300, 500 and 800 mg/kg (ppm) for 90 days. The weight gain, average daily growth rate, and specific growth rate were at significantly higher levels in fish from all the treatment groups on days 75 and 90, while the feed efficiency and protein efficiency ratio were consistently higher in fish from all the treatment groups from day 60 up until day 90. The feed conversion rate significantly decreased from day 60 until day 90 in all treatment groups when compared with the control group, and the survival rate was significantly different from day 30 until day 90; a consistently higher rate was observed in fish fed 800 mg/kg. The highest viscerosomatic index and intraperitoneal fat were observed in the group fed 500 mg/kg (p?<?0.05). The hepatosomatic index was significantly increased alongside increasing levels of E. hirta extract. The total white blood cell count in the control group was significantly higher on day 30, but on day 90 all the treatment groups showed higher levels. Hematocrit percentage was significantly different on days 30 and 90. Lymphocyte, eosinophil and thrombocyte levels were shown to be significantly different (p?<?0.05) when different groups of fish were compared. In conclusion, 300 mg/kg of E. hirta leaf extract could improve growth performance, hematological and some organosomatic indices in hybrid catfish.