Advanced lentil lines screened for resistance to <Emphasis Type="BoldItalic">Fusarium oxysporum</Emphasis> f. sp. <Emphasis Type="BoldItalic">lentis</Emphasis> under greenhouse and field conditions

Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lentis is the most important pathogen of lentil plants, and most areas under lentil cultivation are reported to have a fusarium wilt disease background. The plants are infected in the seedling stage and later stages of their development. Fusarium wilt disease, which has appeared at high incidence rates during recent years, has caused sharp drops in the yield, especially in Moghan, in the northwest of Iran. Forty-five isolates of the pathogen were collected from different regions of the country with two isolates from ICARDA in the summer of 2008 and identified using Nelson’s key. The pathogenicity of the collected isolates was studied on a sensitive line (ILL 4605) under greenhouse conditions and significant differences in pathogenicity were found among them. The most pathogenic isolates from three provinces, East Azerbaijan (EA 30), Ardebil (Ar 3) and Khorasan (Kh 45), were selected and used in screening of 55 developed lines under greenhouse and field conditions. In the greenhouse, test plants were inoculated by immersing root tips in spore suspension and sowing seeds in pre-infested pot soil. Field tests were carried out in a naturally highly infested farm. At all stages, the plant response to the disease was based on the percentage of dead plants. Cluster analyses of the greenhouse and field data led to the selection of three lines (81S15, FLIP2007-42 L and FLIP2009-18 L) that were resistant under greenhouse and field conditions.     

Application of the consolidated species concept to identify the causal agent of strawberry anthracnose in Iran and initial molecular dating of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Colletotrichum acutatum</Emphasis> species complex

Anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum spp. is one of main strawberry diseases worldwide. The disease recently arrived in Iran and become epidemic in the Kurdistan province. A combination of morphological, molecular and pathogen-host interaction approaches (referred to the consolidated species concept) were applied to isolates from symptomatic strawberry tissues collected in Iran. Multi-gene phylogenetic analysis based on ITS-rDNA, beta-tubulin (TUB2) and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) identified the species as the S5 clade of Colletotrichum nymphaeae. No significant intraspecies variation was observed in terms of morphology and pathogenicity. No significant genetic variation was observed among the isolates using inter simple sequence repeat analysis (ISSR) and primer pair combination of ERIC1/BOX and ERIC2/BOX fingerprinting markers. Based on the results of this study, it can be postulated that the C. nymphaeae population in Iran established itself from a single origin due to a founder effect. More generally, molecular dating based on relaxed clocks indicates co-radiation of C. nymphaeae S5 and strawberry plants and suggests high reciprocal specificity between the host and pathogen.     

Prevalence,phenotypic and genotypic diversity,antibiotic resistance,and frequency of virulence genes in Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from shrimps

Preventive measures should be prioritized for the increased growth of bacterial contamination in aquatic organisms. This study is aimed at molecular investigation of the prevalence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, antibiotic resistance, and virulence factor encoding genes. After confirmation of P. aeruginosa collected from shrimp samples (in the same size) in Isfahan and Chabahar (Iran) in summer and autumn, antibiotic resistance encoding genes, virulence factor encoding genes, and multi-drug resistance (MDR) patterns were assessed. Bacterial contamination from Isfahan was higher than Chabahar despite having a cooler climate on summer days. Antibiotic resistance to piperacillin in fresh shrimp samples in summer in Isfahan was contrary to its usage as a front-line antibiotic agent. Lowered MDR pattern in frozen shrimp viability of bacteria was related to the varied expression of antibiotic resistance, highlighting the importance of regulations for cold chain in storage, transportation, and distribution of marine samples compared to fresh shrimps. Foodborne pathogens are of clinical and environmental importance. Results of our study indicated a high rate of frequency for P. aeruginosa isolated from marine samples. Maintenance of cold chain has indispensable roles in preservation, and reduction of P. aeruginosa frequency in aquatic organisms.

     

Measuring the migration of silver from silver nanocomposite polyethylene packaging based on (TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>) into <Emphasis Type="Italic">Penaeus semisulcatus</Emphasis> using titration comparison with migration methods

We have employed both common and novel methods to measure the amount of silver released from nanoparticle composite packaging. Forty-eight packages of green tiger prawns (Penaeus semisulcatus) were prepared: 24 packages with nanoparticle packaging and 24 packages without nanoparticle packaging. The normal shelf life of P. semisulcatus in the refrigerator is 1–2 days, and we therefore we tested the packages after 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 days. We measured the diameter of the inhibition zone of the targeted microorganisms (Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus) and examined scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images, using both titration and migration methods, to measure the amounts of silver nanoparticles released. Compared to the standard amount allowed by standard 13737-3 of the National Information Standards Organization, our results indicated the superior sensitivity of the titration method over the migration method in terms of determining the remaining amount of nanoparticles (P < 0.05). The evaluation of SEM images indicated the homogeneity of the surface of the silver nanoparticle packaging and the even exchange capacity of titanium dioxide. The average size of the nanoparticles in the packaging films was determined to be 30–48 nm. The diameter of the inhibition zone in the silver nanoparticle, measured at the six time points, was significantly larger than that seen with other packaging, except for the phosphomycin and penicillin antibiogram disks (P < 0.01). The sensitivity of the titration method using the titration equipment was significantly higher than that of the migration method (P < 0.05). The findings indicate that nanoparticle packaging decreased the microbial count and enhanced the shelf life of P. semisulcatus, leading us to recommend the utilization of silver nanoparticle packaging.     

Callus induction and plant regeneration from an ancient and forgotten crop plant <Emphasis Type="Italic">Vicia ervilia</Emphasis> L. (WILLD)

Recently ICARDA has recommended the cultivation of annual legume of vetch group especially bitter vetch (Vicia ervilia L.) in fallow lands for right exploitation of pastures and rectifies feed shortage at marginal dry lands areas. To reach this aim a research was carried out in Tabriz university of IRAN. At this research bitter vetch plants and embryo axis were grown and developed under some levels of hormonal concentrations (high and low) on MS medium containing BAP and NAA (0, 0.1, 1, 20 and 40 mg/l). After statistical comparison, hormonal combination of 5 mg/l of BAP with 20 mg/l NAA and without NAA was considered as the best treatment for callus induction and maintenance. Then some callus and embryonic axis were transferred on regeneration medium containing (NAA 0.1 mg/l, BAP 0.2 mg/l), (NAA 2 mg/l + BAP 0.2 mg/l), (NAA 1 mg/l + BAP 0.1 mg/l) and without hormones. Three different hormonal media did not show significant differences for callus size and fresh weights but shooting frequency was high (94%) and the highest number of shoot (6–28 per explant) were obtained and recognized significant difference in comparison to previous experiments which carried out without hormonal shocks.