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Efficacy of kaolin treatments against Drosophila suzukii and their impact on the composition and taste of processed wines
Get PDFDrosophila suzukii is a very polyphagous species that can also tack and develop in a great variety of grape cultivars. In Switzerland, the control of D. suzukii mainly relies on prophylactic measures and kaolin, a white inert aluminosilicate mineral who\u27s particles stick to the leaf surface and form a physical barrier that help to reduce ovipositions by the pest. Here we present a synthesis of our recent insights on the efficacy of kaolin against D. suzukii as well as on the chemical and sensory properties of the wines vinified from kaolin treated grapes. In autumn 2016, kaolin (Surround WP®) was applied in 23 field trials on various cultivars located in various winegrowing regions of Switzerland. Overall, kaolin achieved an average efficiency of 54 % and no significant differences could be observed between kaolin applications at 1 % and 2 % with 56.8 % and 57.1 % efficacy, respectively. At the higher concentration, the preventive and curative strategy were also nearly as effective with efficacies at 67.4 % and 50.3 %, respectively. In addition, a field experiment was set up on the red grape cultivar \u27Mara\u27 in 2015. This experiment revealed that three applications of kaolin at 1 % or 2 % did neither affect fermentation nor the usual chemical properties of kaolin treated wines compared to the untreated control. However, aluminum concentration within wines increased with the applied dosage of kaolin but the measured aluminum levels were 38-times lower than the maximal German threshold of 8 mg·L-1. Moreover, tasters were also not able to distinguish the aroma and the taste of wines processed from kaolin treated grapes from the untreated control. We therefore conclude that kaolin applications are effective against D. suzukii and do not cause any major risks to the environment, to wine quality and to human health
Influence of primary and secondary plant metabolites on the migration and feeding behavior of Cacopsylla pruni, the vector of European Stone Fruit Yellows
Get PDFDer Pflaumenblattsauger, Cacopsylla pruni ist eine univoltine Insektenart, welche sich mit ihren spezialisierten Mundwerkzeugen stechend-saugend vom Phloem ihrer Wirtspflanzen ernährt. Während ihres Lebens alternieren Pflaumenblattsauger zwischen laubtragenden Prunus-Bäumen und immergrünen Koniferen. Zu Beginn des Frühjahrs fliegen die adulten Blattsauger in Steinobstanlagen, wo sie ihre Eier bevorzugt auf bestimmte Prunus-Arten ablegen. Nach der Paarung und der Eiablage sterben die Individuen der alten Generation (Remigrants). Die nächste Generation entwickelt sich von April bis Juni. Die jungen Adulten (Emigrants) bleiben noch einige Tage auf den Steinobstbäumen, bevor sie auf Nadelbäume in höheren Lagen abwandern. Dort verbleiben sie bis zum nächsten Frühjahr, in welchem sie zwecks Reproduktion wieder zurück zum Steinobst wandern. Das Verbreitungsgebiet des Pflaumenblattsaugers erstreckt sich über Europa und angrenzende Gebiete. Von Relevanz für den Obstanbau ist C. pruni hauptsächlich wegen seiner Fähigkeit, das Phytoplasma ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma prunorum’ zu übertragen. Dabei handelt es sich um ein zellwandloses Bakterium, welches in seinen Wirtspflanzen ausschließlich im Phloem verbreitet ist. Wenn die Pflaumenblattsauger an infizierten Prunus-Bäumen saugen, nehmen sie die Phytoplasmen aus dem Phloem auf. Nachdem sich die Bakterien in den Insekten vermehrt haben, können sie über den Speichel der Blattsauger auf gesunde Prunus-Bäume übertragen werden. ‘Ca. P. prunorum’ ruft die sog. Europäische Steinobstvergilbung (European Stone Fruit Yellows, ESFY) hervor. Dabei handelt es sich um eine der bedeutendsten Pflanzenkrankheiten im Europäischen Obstanbau, welche zu massiven Ernteausfällen und wirtschaftlichen Einbußen führt. Von den typischen Symptomen, wie dem verfrühten Austrieb, dem chlorotischen Blattrollen und der Notreifung der Früchte, sind vor allem für den Anbau kultivierte Sorten von Pfirsichen (Prunus persica), Aprikosen (Prunus armeniaca) und Japanischen Pflaumen (Prunus salicina) betroffen. In diesen Arten führt die Infektion innerhalb weniger Jahre zum Absterben der Bäume. Heimische Arten wie Schlehen (Prunus spinosa) und wilde Pflaumen (Prunus cerasifera, Prunus insititia) zeigen meist keine schwerwiegenden Symptome, ebenso die meisten kultivierten Sorten von Pflaumen (Prunus domestica).
Bis heute gibt es keine Maßnahmen zur Bekämpfung von Phytoplasmosen. Eine Alternative stellt die Regulation der Vektorinsekten dar. Mit Hilfe sogenannter Infochemikalien könnte das Verhalten der Blattsauger so manipuliert werden, dass diese aus den Steinobstanlagen ferngehalten werden. Dadurch kann die Anzahl der Neuinfektionen mit ESFY gemindert werden. Da bisher nur wenig über die Biologie und Ökologie des Pflaumenblattsaugers bekannt ist, habe ich in der vorliegenden Arbeit den Einfluss von pflanzenbürtigen Duft- und Inhaltsstoffen auf das Verhalten und die Fitness von C. pruni untersucht.
Anhand von Feldstudien zum Vorkommen von C. pruni in verschiedenen Prunus-Arten identifizierte ich welche Wirtspflanzen von C. pruni bevorzugt besiedelt werden. Dadurch konnte ich P. insititia als eine der bevorzugten Prunus-Arten einstufen. Im Gegensatz dazu wurden nur wenige Pflaumenblattsauger auf P. persica Bäumen gefunden. In den Studien zur Wirts-Präferenz von C. pruni der vorliegenden Arbeit wurden die Duft- und Inhaltsstoffe dieser beiden Prunus-Arten und Koniferen verglichen, um den Einfluss von olfaktorischen und gustatorischen Reizen auf das Verhalten der Pflaumenblattsauger zu beurteilen. Mit der Aufzeichnung von Elektroantennogrammen konnte ich zeigen, dass Pflaumenblattsauger Weibchen sowohl volatile Substanzen aus dem Duft von Prunus-Bäumen als auch typische Nadelbaumdüfte wahrnehmen können. An Hand von Olfaktometerversuchen mit C. pruni konnte ich jedoch die Bevorzugung bestimmter Wirtspflanzen nicht allein auf olfaktorische Reize zurückführen. Daher untersuchte ich ebenfalls den Einfluss der Pflanzeninhaltstoffe auf C. pruni. In einer Entwicklungsstudie konnte ich beweisen, dass sich C. pruni Nymphen besser auf der präferierten wilden Pflaumenart P. insititia, als auf der weniger bevorzugten kultivierten Pfirsichsorte P. persica cv. South Haven entwickeln können. Die Entwicklungsunterschiede korrelieren mit den Ergebnissen meiner Untersuchung zur Zusammensetzung des Phloemsaftes beider Prunus-Arten. Für die Präferenz von bestimmten Wirtspflanzen scheinen gustatorische Reize für C. pruni wichtiger zu sein als olfaktorische Signale. Dass die Zusammensetzung des Pflanzensaftes eine wichtige Rolle für C. pruni spielt, konnte ich durch weitere Entwicklungsstudien an Koniferen bestätigen. Es zeigte sich, dass sich C. pruni Nymphen nicht auf Nadelbäumen entwickeln können, auch wenn sie Pflanzensaft von Koniferen aufnehmen. Adulte C. pruni hingegen überleben signifikant länger auf Nadelbäumen als ohne Nahrungsquelle. Woraus ich schließe, dass sie die immergrünen Nadelbäume als Wasser- und Nährstoffquellen im Winter benötigen und daher auf den Wirtswechsel angewiesen sind. Des Weiteren wurde in der vorliegenden Arbeit untersucht, ob sich eine Infektion mit ‘Ca. P. prunorum’ auf die Interaktion zwischen den Vektorinsekten und ihren Wirtspflanzen auswirkt. Zu diesem Zweck wurde das Saugverhalten der Nymphen an ESFY-infizierten und nichtinfizierten P. insititia und P. persica Bäumen mittels Elektropenetrographie untersucht. Dabei zeigte sich, dass sich die Infektion der Prunus-Pflanzen nur auf die mittlere Dauer der Aufnahme von Xylemsaft auswirkt. C. pruni-Nymphen saugten durchschnittlich weniger am Xylem von infizierten Prunus-Bäumen. Die durchschnittliche Dauer der Saugaktivität im Phloem der Wirtspflanzen wurde nicht durch die Infektion beeinflusst. Zusätzlich analysierte ich den Inhalt des Phloems. Dabei war es nicht möglich, dessen chemische Zusammensetzung auf Grund der ‘Ca. P. prunorum’ Infektion zu unterscheiden. In Übereinstimmung mit diesen Ergebnissen wirkte sich die Infektion der Wirtspflanzen nicht auf die Entwicklungsgeschwindigkeit von C. pruni-Nymphen aus.The plum psyllid Cacopsylla pruni is a univoltine herbivore, specialized on Prunus and coniferous tree species. During their lifetime, plum psyllids are alternating twice between their deciduous and evergreen hosts. For reproduction, C. pruni adults migrate to stone fruit orchards in spring, where they lay their eggs exclusively on several Prunus species. Adults of the old generation die after mating and oviposition. Young adults emerge from egg to adults during April, May and June. After several days the young adults (called emigrants) emigrate to conifers in higher regions until they remigrate (remigrants) to Prunus orchards in the next spring. Plum psyllids transmit the Phytoplasma ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma prunorum’ and are therefore of significant importance for fruit growers. In host plants, the wall-less bacterium is restricted to the phloem and causes the European Stone Fruit Yellows (ESFY). Psyllids acquire the bacteria during feeding on the phloem of infected Prunus trees. After multiplication of the phytoplasma inside the vector, plum psyllids transmit the disease to non-infected Prunus trees by salivary excretion during feeding. C. pruni is distributed all over Europe and bordering areas. ESFY is one of the most serious plant diseases in European fruit production, causing severe plant damage leading toa poor harvest and high economic losses. Peaches (Prunus persica), apricots (Prunus armeniaca) and Japanese plums (Prunus salicina) are worst affected by typical symptoms, such as reduced dormancy, chlorotic leaf roll and premature ripening of the fruits. Trees of these species suffer severely from the infections, decline and finally die. Commonly indigenous Prunus species, such as blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) und wild plums (Prunus cerasifera, Prunus insititia) show more tolerance towards ESFY infections. Likewise, most of the cultivated varieties of European plums (Prunus domestica) do not develop severe symptoms.To date no effective control agents or cures for phytoplasma diseases are available. The control of vector insects is an alternative strategy. Psyllid behavior could be manipulated with infochemicals and prevent C. pruni from feeding and oviposition on stone fruit crops and thus reduce the number of new infections. In this thesis I investigated the impact of plant-borne volatiles and phloem chemistry on the behavior of C. pruni as yet barely anything is known about the biology and chemical ecology of plum psyllids. The field monitoring presented in this thesis proved a preference of C. pruni for some Prunus species over others. P. insititia was identified as a favored host of C. pruni, in contrast very low numbers of plum psyllids were detected on P. insititia trees, which was therefore categorized as a non-preferred host for C. pruni. In the studies of this thesis, I compared the volatile organic compounds and the phloem sap composition of these two Prunus species and Conifers, to identify signals that were important for host plant preference of C. pruni. I demonstrated the detection of volatile compounds characteristic for Prunus trees as well as characteristic coniferous host volatiles of female plum psyllid antenna by electroantennography. Olfactometer tests revealed that this preference is not only based on olfactory cues. Additionally, gustatory cues seem to play a major role in host acceptance and preference. C. pruni nymphs showed greater development success on preferred wild plum species (P. insititia) compared to nymphs on non-preferred peach trees (P. persica). Next to effects on psyllid development, I detected differences in the phloem composition of both plant species. My research on the feeding behavior of plum psyllids on coniferous diets revealed that although C. pruni nymphs showed feeding on conifer needles, they are not able to develop on conifers. In contrast, adult plum psyllids survived longer on spruce (Picea abies) and silver fir (Abies alba) than without food supply. I concluded that adult C. pruni need evergreen tree species as resource of water and nutrition during overwintering. Furthermore, I investigated the impact of ‘Ca. P. prunorum’ infections of Prunus trees on the interaction between vector insects and their host plants. For this purpose, I recorded the feeding behaviour of C. pruni nymphs on infected and non-infected P. insititia and P. persica trees by electropenetrography. Interestingly, the average duration each nymph spend with the ingestion of xylem was shorter on infected than on non-infected Prunus trees. I found no influence on the average duration of phloem phases per nymph due to the infection status of both Prunus species. Chemical analysis of the phloem centrifugates showed that the chemical composition of trees infected with ‘Ca. P. prunorum’ was indistinguishable from the composition of non-infected Prunus trees. In accordance, the development of C. pruni nymphs was not influenced by the infection of host plants.The knowledge obtained in this thesis is essential for the development of innovative and selective control strategies against C. pruni based on semiochemicals, such as push-pull and attractand-kill strategies. Further breeding programs of resistant Prunus cultivars should take the findings of this work into account
Impact of an Oomen feeding with a neonicotinoid on daily activity and colony development of honeybees assessed with an AI based monitoring device
Get PDFFeeding experiments are standard tools in the pollinator risk assessment. The design (Oomen et al. 1992) was developed to test insect growth regulators and herbicides. In recent years there was an update (Lückmann & Schmitzer 2015) on the outline in order to also focus on the advantage of different rates making a dose response design possible where exposure levels are known. Additionally, this design gives the possibility to test different rates for honey bee colonies foraging in the same landscape. The main objective of the experiment presented here was to determine the natural variability of foragers losses of hives fed with a sub-lethal neonicotinoid concentration compared to an untreated control. Other objectives were to see if the neurotoxic exposure results in any observable sub-lethal effects and to find out if losses can be correlated to hive development. This was assessed with traditional methods and a novel, visual monitoring device.Feeding experiments are standard tools in the pollinator risk assessment. The design (Oomen et al. 1992) was developed to test insect growth regulators and herbicides. In recent years there was an update (Lückmann & Schmitzer 2015) on the outline in order to also focus on the advantage of different rates making a dose response design possible where exposure levels are known. Additionally, this design gives the possibility to test different rates for honey bee colonies foraging in the same landscape. The main objective of the experiment presented here was to determine the natural variability of foragers losses of hives fed with a sub-lethal neonicotinoid concentration compared to an untreated control. Other objectives were to see if the neurotoxic exposure results in any observable sub-lethal effects and to find out if losses can be correlated to hive development. This was assessed with traditional methods and a novel, visual monitoring device
Evaluation of honey bee larvae data: sensitivity to PPPs and impact analysis of EFSA Bee GD
Get PDFIn addition to other assessments, the EFSA bee guidance document (2013) requires the risk assessment of plant protection products on honey bee larvae. At the time the EFSA GD was finalized, no data on honey bee larvae were available due to absence of suitable methods. That is why in 2013 the European Crop Protection Association (ECPA) perfomed an impact analysis of the new EFSA risk assessment, using extrapolated endpoints derived from acute oral honey bee endpoints. Today, a number of honey bee larvae toxicity studies (138 active substances or formulated products) have been conducted according to the newly developed testing methods for single exposure (OECD TG 237) repeated exposure studies until the end of the larval development (D7/D8) and repeated exposure testing (OECD GD 239) until adult hatch (D22). These experimental data have been used to determine the ‘pass rates’ for 215 worst case uses (72 fungicide spray and solid uses, 91 herbicide spray uses, incl. 8 PGR uses and in total 52 insecticide spray and solid uses, incl. 2 nematicide and 3 IGR uses) according to the EFSA Bee GD and to compare with the original ECPA impact analysis. As standardized test methods for non- Apis bees larvae were not available, risk assessment according to EFSA for bumblebees and solitary bees based on the honey bee endpoint as surrogate corrected by a safety factor of 10. Morevoer, the sensitivity of the NOEDs at D8 and D22 in repeated exposure (D 22) studies were analysed. Overall, the toxicity of fungicides and herbicides to honey bee larvae (expressed as means and medians of NOED and LD50 values) was moderate to low, while insecticides as expected displayed stronger toxicity. Moreover, the endpoints for herbicides were on average a factor of 2 higher than fungicides which ranges within the normal biological variability (factor of 3). In addition, it is unclear, if the difference is related to a slightly higher toxicity or other factors like different physical chemical properties (e.g. lower solubility). For insecticides, toxicity was about 125 (based on medians) and 6 to 8 (based on means) times higher than herbicides. In the screening risk assessment according to EFSA Bee GD the majority of fungicide (83.3%) and herbicide (95.6%) uses passed the risk assessment for larvae; whereas, for all insecticide uses thr pass rate was about 29%. In the Tier 1 risk assessment, these pass rates slightly increased and were even higher in the ‘treated crop’ and ‘weed in the field’ scenarios for fungicide and herbicide uses, almost being 100%. Pass rates for insecticide uses did not improve very much and amounted to be about 42% for both scenarios. When basing the risk assessment of bumblebee and solitary bee larvae on 1/10th of the honey bee larval endpoint, the majority of active substances and their respective products will fail the screening (overall about 96%) and Tier 1 risk assessment (overall about 90%). Alternative risk assessment approaches proposed by ECPA (e.g. following the EPPO approach; ECPA Option 1 using refinement options and more representative assumptions) or comparing an assummed exposure concentration to the NOEC (ECPA Option 2) led to a slight increase (Option 1) or even no differences in the pass rates (Option 2a) compared to EFSA Tier 1 risk assessment. Thus both, the standard risk assessment according to the EFSA Bee GD as well as the alternative ECPA Option 1 and 2 result in a clear distinction between products with high toxicity (insecticides) vs. non-toxic products (herbicides and fungicides) for the honey bee risk assessment. The sensitivity analysis of repeated exposure studies according OECD GD 239 indicated that in most cases toxicity did not increase during the pupation period between D8 and D22. Thus, the larval growing period between D3 and D8 represents the most sensitive period of the pre-imaginal development.In addition to other assessments, the EFSA bee guidance document (2013) requires the risk assessment of plant protection products on honey bee larvae. At the time the EFSA GD was finalized, no data on honey bee larvae were available due to absence of suitable methods. That is why in 2013 the European Crop Protection Association (ECPA) perfomed an impact analysis of the new EFSA risk assessment, using extrapolated endpoints derived from acute oral honey bee endpoints. Today, a number of honey bee larvae toxicity studies (138 active substances or formulated products) have been conducted according to the newly developed testing methods for single exposure (OECD TG 237) repeated exposure studies until the end of the larval development (D7/D8) and repeated exposure testing (OECD GD 239) until adult hatch (D22). These experimental data have been used to determine the ‘pass rates’ for 215 worst case uses (72 fungicide spray and solid uses, 91 herbicide spray uses, incl. 8 PGR uses and in total 52 insecticide spray and solid uses, incl. 2 nematicide and 3 IGR uses) according to the EFSA Bee GD and to compare with the original ECPA impact analysis. As standardized test methods for non- Apis bees larvae were not available, risk assessment according to EFSA for bumblebees and solitary bees based on the honey bee endpoint as surrogate corrected by a safety factor of 10. Morevoer, the sensitivity of the NOEDs at D8 and D22 in repeated exposure (D 22) studies were analysed. Overall, the toxicity of fungicides and herbicides to honey bee larvae (expressed as means and medians of NOED and LD50 values) was moderate to low, while insecticides as expected displayed stronger toxicity. Moreover, the endpoints for herbicides were on average a factor of 2 higher than fungicides which ranges within the normal biological variability (factor of 3). In addition, it is unclear, if the difference is related to a slightly higher toxicity or other factors like different physical chemical properties (e.g. lower solubility). For insecticides, toxicity was about 125 (based on medians) and 6 to 8 (based on means) times higher than herbicides. In the screening risk assessment according to EFSA Bee GD the majority of fungicide (83.3%) and herbicide (95.6%) uses passed the risk assessment for larvae; whereas, for all insecticide uses thr pass rate was about 29%. In the Tier 1 risk assessment, these pass rates slightly increased and were even higher in the ‘treated crop’ and ‘weed in the field’ scenarios for fungicide and herbicide uses, almost being 100%. Pass rates for insecticide uses did not improve very much and amounted to be about 42% for both scenarios. When basing the risk assessment of bumblebee and solitary bee larvae on 1/10th of the honey bee larval endpoint, the majority of active substances and their respective products will fail the screening (overall about 96%) and Tier 1 risk assessment (overall about 90%). Alternative risk assessment approaches proposed by ECPA (e.g. following the EPPO approach; ECPA Option 1 using refinement options and more representative assumptions) or comparing an assummed exposure concentration to the NOEC (ECPA Option 2) led to a slight increase (Option 1) or even no differences in the pass rates (Option 2a) compared to EFSA Tier 1 risk assessment. Thus both, the standard risk assessment according to the EFSA Bee GD as well as the alternative ECPA Option 1 and 2 result in a clear distinction between products with high toxicity (insecticides) vs. non-toxic products (herbicides and fungicides) for the honey bee risk assessment. The sensitivity analysis of repeated exposure studies according OECD GD 239 indicated that in most cases toxicity did not increase during the pupation period between D8 and D22. Thus, the larval growing period between D3 and D8 represents the most sensitive period of the pre-imaginal development
Long-term field trials on the necessary need of insecticide applications in winter oil seed rape – Lessons learned from 25 years of experiments
Get PDFIn Dauerfeldversuchen am Standort Dahnsdorf (Fläming) werden seit 1995 Untersuchungen zur Abschätzung des notwendigen Maßes der Anwendung von Insektiziden in Winterraps und zur Entwicklung nachhaltiger Insektizidstrategien durchgeführt. Im Rahmen des Versuches „Strategievergleich – umweltverträglicher Pflanzenschutz“ wurden in mittlerweile drei Versuchsphasen jeweils zwei verschiedene Insektizidstrategien in Winterraps gegenübergestellt, die sich in der Intensität unterschieden. Ziel des vorliegenden Beitrages war es, die Insektizidintensitäten sowie deren Ertrags- und Umwelteffekte vor dem Hintergrund des jährlichen Befallsdruckes vergleichend zu betrachten und zu diskutieren. Die Auswertung zeigte, dass in 21 von 22 betrachteten Versuchsjahren Insektizidmaßnahmen im Winterraps notwendig waren, deren Intensität aufgrund der Witterung und des Befallsdrucks stark schwankte. Es konnte gezeigt werden, dass eine Reduzierung der Behandlungsintensität um 50% bis 60% nur in der ersten Phase des Versuches signifikante Ertragseinbußen zur Folge hatte. Der Vergleich der Umweltwirkungen mit dem Risikoindikatormodell SYNOPS-GIS ergab, dass die Reduktion der Behandlungsintensität in vielen Jahren mit einer Verringerung des Umweltrisikos einherging. Allerdings zeigten einzelne Fälle, dass dies nicht immer zutraf und auch die Mittel- bzw. Wirkstoffwahl von entscheidender Bedeutung waren. Die Ergebnisse unterstreichen die Bedeutung der Nutzung verfügbarer Entscheidungshilfen im Pflanzenschutz wie Befallskontrollen, Warndienstmeldungen, Prognosemodelle und Erfolgskontrollen, um die Anwendung von Insektiziden in Winterraps auf das notwendige Maß zu reduzieren.In long-term field trials at the Dahnsdorf (Fläming) site, investigations have been carried out since 1995 to estimate the necessary level of insecticide application in winter oil seed rape (WOSR) and to develop sustainable insecticide strategies. Within the scope of the trial “Comparison of strategies – environmentally sound crop protection”, two different insecticide strategies were compared in WOSR in three trial phases, each of which differed in intensity. The aim of this paper was to compare and discuss these insecticide intensities and their yield and environmental effects against the background of the annual infestation pressure. The evaluation showed that in 21 of 22 trial years considered, insecticide measures were necessary in WOSR, the intensity of which fluctuated considerably due to weather conditions and infestation pressure. It could be shown that a reduction of treatment intensity by 50% to 60% did result in significant yield losses only during the first trial phase. The comparison of the environmental impacts, calculated with the risk indicator model SYNOPS-GIS, showed that the reduction in treatment intensity was accompanied by a reduction in environmental risk over many years. However, individual cases showed that this was not always true and that the choice of agent or active ingredient was also of decisive importance. The results underline the importance of using available decision support tools in crop protection such as infestation controls, warning service, forecasting models and success monitoring to reduce the use of insecticides in WOSR to the necessary need
Confirming the function of a Final Bronze Age wine processing site in the Nuraghe Genna Maria in Villanovaforru (South Sardinia)
Get PDFThe stone artefact in the hut γ of the NuragheGenna Maria, object of this study, is part of a compound still unpublished today and dated to the Nuragic period. It was found during a 1991 excavation, revealing a situation unchanged since the collapse occurred between the 10th and 9th century B.C., thus preserving the situation at the time of the collapse to this day.The presence of tartaric acid - the marker considered to determinate the presence of wines or products deriving from grapes - has been determined using HPLC-DAD and UHPLC-HQOMS. So the findings under examination, together with the overall evaluation of the archaeological aspects examined, suggests to positively consider the stone artifact as a "laccus" (the latin word for wine presses, still used in the Sardinian language today ) for grape crushing. The internal slope of the floor of the "laccus" allowed the extraction of juice with rapid separation of juice from berry skins. The presence in Sardinia of a large number of "stone wine presses" ("palmenti" in Italian) such as that of the Nuraghe Genna Maria studied in this article, brings a contribution to their dating and confirm the existence of an oenological industry on the island in the Archaic period (9th-10th century B.C.)
Rapid clonal propagation and valepotriates accumulation in in vitro cultures of Valeriana jatamansi Jones, a high-value medicinal plant
No full textValeriana jatamansi is well known for its medicinal and ethnobotanical values. An efficient and rapid in vitro propagation system for V. jatamansi is presented. The shoot bud explants from V. jatamansi plants were cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) media supplemented with different concentrations of plant growth regulators (PGR’s). MS medium supplemented with 2 mg/L of benzyl amino purine (BAP) produced shoot bud regeneration. However, the proliferation rate was slow with fewer shoots. The nodal segments were excised from the in vitro plants raised on BAP (2 mg/L) and multiplied by supplementing MS medium with different PGR’s at different concentrations. Among the tested growth regulators, supplementation of 10% coconut water resulted in maximum shoot length (6 cm), shoot number (13.0), root length (7.5 cm) and root numbers (19.6). The genetic fidelity of the in vitro raised plants was confirmed by analysis with RAPD and ISSR markers. GC-MS profiling of the root extract from in vitro raised plant revealed the presence of 21 compounds including valeric acid which is commercially and pharmaceutically important. The protocol developed here will be useful in the future towards large scale commercial production of valepotriates from V. jatamansi