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First report of Phytopythium vexans causing the “Avocado sadness” in Michoacan, Mexico
No full textMexico is the main producer, consumer and exporter
of avocado in the world, being Michoacan the main producer state
contributing more than 80% of the national production. There
are phytopathogens that decimate the production causing the
death of the tree. Root samples were collected in avocado trees
that showed the characteristic symptomatology of the disease
known as avocado sadness, the sampling was carried out in four
of the main avocado producing towns, in the state of Michoacan,
Mexico. The isolation consisted in sowing root tissue in Petri
dishes with V8®-PARPH culture medium, subsequently they were
identified morphologically and for species level it was determined
by molecular biology, with the PCR-ITS technique. Pathogenicity
tests were performed in triplicate with avocado seedlings with more
than six leaves. After 24 hours, the inoculated plants expressed
decay in the apical part, after 120 hours the leaves showed yellowing
and after 15 days there was a generalized wilt on the stem and
leaves, re-isolating the phytopathogen Phytopythium vexans.
This study confirms the first report of the oomycete P. vexans
affecting avocado trees in the most important producing region of
the Mexican Republic
In vitro evaluation of native entomopathogenic fungi and neem (Azadiractha indica) extracts on Spodoptera frugiperda
No full textThe control of Spodoptera frugiperda is based
on synthetic insecticides, so some alternatives are the use of
entomopathogenic fungi (EF) and neem extract. The objective of
the study was to evaluate in vitro effectiveness of native EF and
neem extracts on S. frugiperda larvae. Six EF were identified by
DNA sequencing of ITS regions from three EF (Fusarium solani,
Metarrhizium robertsii, Nigrospora spherica and Penicillium
citrinum). They were evaluated in concentrations of 1 × 10⁸ spores/
mL. In addition, a second bioassay was carried out evaluating
only F. solani, M. robertsii and N. sphaerica and the addition
of vegetable oil. On the other hand, extraction of secondary
metabolites from neem seed (Azadirachta indica) was carried
out by performing, mass (g) and solvent volume (mL ethanol
and water) combinations, which were subjected to microwaves
and ultrasound. Subsequently, these extracts were evaluated
in concentrations of 3%, 4% and 5%. A survival analysis was
performed for each of the bioassays. With respect to the results
of the first bioassay, F. solani obtained a probability of survival of
0.476 on the seventh day, while in the second bioassay, M. robertsii
obtained 0.488 survival probability. This suggests that the expected
percentage of larvae that stay alive on the sixth day is 48.8%.
However, in the evaluation of the neem extract the combination
1:12/70% to 4% caused 84% mortality of larvae. The use of native
HE and neem extracts has potential for the control of S. frugiperda
Physiological Processes Contributing to the Difference in Grain Amino Acid Content between Two Hybrid Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Cultivars
No full textImproving grain amino acid content of rice (Oryza sativa L.) is essential for the health of consumers. This study was conducted to identify the physiological processes that contribute to the higher grain amino acid content in hybrid rice cultivar Lingliangyou 268 compared to Luliangyou 996. The results showed that total amino acid content in grains was 9% higher in Lingliangyou 268 than in Luliangyou 996. There was no significant difference in grain nitrogen (N) content between Lingliangyou 268 and Luliangyou 996, while ratio of amino acid to N was 6% higher in Lingliangyou 268 compared to Luliangyou 996. A total of 16 differentially expressed proteins related to amino acid metabolism (e.g., erythronate-4-phosphate dehydrogenase domain containing protein) were identified in grains between Lingliangyou 268 and Luliangyou 996. The identified proteins were involved in 10 molecular functions. Six of the 10 defined functions were related to binding (heterocyclic compound binding, nucleoside phosphate binding, nucleotide binding, organic cyclic compound binding, protein binding, and small molecule binding) and the other 4 defined functions were catalytic activity, enzyme regulator activity, hydrolase activity, and transferase activity. These results indicate that the higher grain amino acid content in Lingliangyou 268 compared to Luliangyou 996 is attributed to increased efficiency of converting N to amino acid that results from altered expression of proteins related to amino acid metabolism
Morphology and Genetic Studies of Cymodocea Seagrass Genus in Tunisian Coasts
No full textSpecimens of Cymodocea (Viridiplantae, Magnoliophyta) collected on the Tunisian coasts showed a particular morphological and anatomical difference with the classical descriptions of Cymodocea nodosa (Ucria) Asch. the only species of this genus reported in the Mediterranean Sea. In order to precise the taxonomic identity of the new specimens we aimed in this work (i) to verify the identity of the new forms, (ii) to evaluate the genetic diversity of the population, (iii) to test the validity of the existing identification keys of the Tunisian Cymodocea populations. Four stations located in two regions of the Tunisian coasts were sampled. Leaf morphological and anatomical characters used in taxonomic identification were measured (e.g., number of cross veins, shape of the apex). The genetic study was performed using three most common chloroplast markers for plant characterization (DNA barcodes rbcL, matK and trnHpsbA). The morphological study revealed the presence of three C. nodosa morphotypes, described here for the first time, while the molecular characterization did not allow the discrimination of these morphological types. In regard to these results, it would be wise to review the classical identification keys of the Cymodocea genus
Physiological, Biochemical and Molecular Responses of Barley Seedlings to Aluminum Stress
No full textBarley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is one of the most Aluminum (Al) sensitive cereal species. In this study, the physiological, biochemical, and molecular response of barley seedlings to Al treatment was examined to gain insight into Al response and tolerance mechanisms. The results showed that superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT) activity were inhibited to different degrees following Al exposure. The MDA content also significantly increased with increasing Al concentrations. SRAP results indicated significant differences between Al treatments and controls in terms of SRAP profile, and the genomic template stability (GTS) decreased with increasing Al concentration and duration. These integrative results help to elucidate the underlying mechanisms that the barley response to Al toxicity
Biochar Effectively Reduces Ammonia Volatilization From Nitrogen-Applied Soils in Tea and Bamboo Plantations
No full textIntensive practices in forest soils result in dramatic nitrogen (N) losses, particularly ammonia (NH3) volatilization, to adjacent environmental areas. A soil column experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of bamboo biochar on NH3 volatilization from tea garden and bamboo forest soils. The results showed that biochar amendment effectively reduced NH3 volatilization from tea garden and bamboo forest soil by 79.2% and 75.5%, respectively. The soil pH values increased by 0.53-0.61 units after biochar application. The NH4+-N and total N of both soils were 13.8-29.7% and 34.0-41.9% higher under the biochar treatments than under the control treatment, respectively. In addition, the soil water contents of the two biochar-amended soils were significantly higher (P 3 volatilization from the tested forest soils, which was due to the increases in soil NH4+-N, total N and water contents after biochar amendment. Our main findings suggest that biochar addition is an effective management option for sustainable forest management
Control Alternatives for Damping-Off in Tomato Seedling Production
No full textIn two tomato genotypes, we assessed control alternatives for damping-off with combinations of chemical fungicides and native/commercial strains of biological agents. Forty treatments consisting of 19 levels of mixing products, chemical fungicides, native strains and commercial products from biological control agents, and untreated treatment were used onto Ramsés and Toro hybrids. They were distributed on an incomplete block design in divided plots arrangement, where genotypes constitute the larger ones and the 8-repetition mixed products, the smaller ones. Putting 180 mL of fungal complexes, made of spores and mycellium Fusarium-solani (2 × 106 UFC), Rhizoctonia-solani (1 × 106 UFC), Phytophthora-capsici (1 × 105 UFC) and Sclerotium-rolfsii (mycellium-sclerotia) on each seedling trays, made inoculation possible. The mixtures of (Bacillus spp. + Streptomyces spp. + Trichoderma spp.) + (Propamocarb + Fosetyl); (Bacillus spp. + Streptomyces spp. + Trichoderma spp.) + (Metalaxyl + Chlorothalonil); Pseudomonas fluorescens + Streptomyces + Micromonospore + Sporideamium + Aminoacidos, Péptidos, Carbohidratos) + (Propamocarb + Fosetyl); the native strain of Trichoderma asperellum + (Propamocarb + fosetil) and the native strains Trichoderma asperellum + Bacillus subtilis, diminished damping-off, prevented its appearance and had most significant agronomic characteristics. In contrast to this, combination of (Mancozeb) + (Free iodine) + (Metalaxyl + Chlorothalonil) + (Methyl thiophanate) produced some toxicity in the plant. In addition, Ramsés presented the best agronomic parameters, while Toro had the utmost fresh and dry weight in root
Effects of Various Light-Emitting Diode (LEd) Wavelengths on the Growth of Scenedesmus Obliquus Fachb-12 and Accumulation of Astaxanthin
No full textGiven the central role of light in the algal photosynthesis, respiration, cell division, growth and the accumulation of value products, the effects of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) light wavelengths (blue, white, red and green) were studied in Scenedesmus obliquus. Biomass, residual nutrient amount, soluble protein, astaxanthin and reactive oxygen species, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and peroxidase (POD) activity were analyzed to determine the effects of different monochromatic light wavelengths via biochemical methods. The results showed that blue light wavelength is the optimal light wavelength for phosphorus removal efficiency and the accumulation of biomass and astaxanthin in S. obliquus. Meanwhile, high reactive oxygen species content under the blue light might induce the accumulation of astaxanthin. The high activity of SOD, CAT and POD might participate in clearing the reactive oxygen species to facilitate the growth of microalgae. Furthermore, we found mixed blue/green lights treatment is the most appropriate mixture for the nitrogen removal. Under the blue light treatment, high light intensity and 18L:6D light cycle is the best condition for biomass and astaxanthin accumulation. Optimal nitrogen/phosphorus removal efficiency was observed under a 24L:0D light cycle. These results might provide a foundational data for the optimizing the productivity of high-value metabolites and treatment of wastewater
Human Behavior Classification Using Geometrical Features of Skeleton and Support Vector Machines
No full textClassification of human actions under video surveillance is gaining a lot of attention from computer vision researchers. In this paper, we have presented methodology to recognize human behavior in thin crowd which may be very helpful in surveillance. Research have mostly focused the problem of human detection in thin crowd, overall behavior of the crowd and actions of individuals in video sequences. Vision based Human behavior modeling is a complex task as it involves human detection, tracking, classifying normal and abnormal behavior. The proposed methodology takes input video and applies Gaussian based segmentation technique followed by post processing through presenting hole filling algorithm i.e., fill hole inside objects algorithm. Human detection is performed by presenting human detection algorithm and then geometrical features from human skeleton are extracted using feature extraction algorithm. The classification task is achieved using binary and multi class support vector machines. The proposed technique is validated through accuracy, precision, recall and F-measure metrics
A New Anti-Quantum Proxy Blind Signature for Blockchain-Enabled Internet of Things
No full textBlockchain technology has become a research hotspot in recent years with the prominent characteristics as public, distributed and decentration. And blockchain-enabled internet of things (BIoT) has a tendency to make a revolutionary change for the internet of things (IoT) which requires distributed trustless consensus. However, the scalability and security issues become particularly important with the dramatically increasing number of IoT devices. Especially, with the development of quantum computing, many extant cryptographic algorithms applied in blockchain or BIoT systems are vulnerable to the quantum attacks. In this paper, an anti-quantum proxy blind signature scheme based on the lattice cryptography has been proposed, which can provide user anonymity and untraceability in the distributed applications of BIoT. Then, the security proof of the proposed scheme can derive that it is secure in random oracle model, and the efficiency analysis can indicate it is efficient than other similar literatures