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Preservation of acidity in traditional wine Application of L. thermotolerans at the production of “Vino Santo”
Get PDFInvestigating nitrosamine formation in meat: effects of cooking, digestion, and preservatives
No full text‘Candidatus Phytoplasma mali’ SAP11-Like protein modulates expression of genes involved in energy production, photosynthesis, and defense in Nicotiana occidentalis leaves
Get PDFBackground ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma mali’, the causal agent of apple proliferation disease, exerts influence on its host plant through various effector proteins, including SAP11CaPm which interacts with different TEOSINTE BRANCHED1/ CYCLOIDEA/ PROLIFERATING CELL FACTOR 1 and 2 (TCP) transcription factors. This study examines the transcriptional response of the plant upon early expression of SAP11CaPm. For that purpose, leaves of Nicotiana occidentalis H.-M. Wheeler were Agrobacterium-infiltrated to induce transient expression of SAP11CaPm and changes in the transcriptome were recorded until 5 days post infiltration. Results The RNA-seq analysis revealed that presence of SAP11CaPm in leaves leads to downregulation of genes involved in defense response and related to photosynthetic processes, while expression of genes involved in energy production was enhanced. Conclusions The results indicate that early SAP11CaPm expression might be important for the colonization of the host plant since phytoplasmas lack many metabolic genes and are thus dependent on metabolites from their host plan
Aspects of quercetin stability and its liposomal enhancement in yellow onion skin extracts
Get PDFQuercetin is a flavonoid that occurs in many types of fruit and vegetables and is stable for no longer than 4.5 h in the investigated pH range (6.0–8.0), even at 4 °C in the dark. At higher temperatures, the degradation/oxidation process is much faster. Simple but effective proliposomal encapsulation was used to protect the quercetin from environmental conditions such as pH. With this approach, 65 to 90% of pure quercetin and quercetin-rich onion extract was kept after >60 days under conditions that favoured its oxidation (pH 7.4). In addition, the encapsulated quercetin decreases the lipid peroxidation induced by pulsed UV light by >50%. At a mass ratio of 1:100 quercetin to lipids (w/w), the liposomes remained intact in solutions for six months. Quercetin in lipid bilayers simultaneously protects the unsaturated lipids from peroxidatio
DNA-based studies and genetic diversity indicator assessments are complementary approaches to conserving evolutionary potential
Get PDFGenetic diversity is essential for maintaining healthy populations and ecosystems. Several approaches have recently been developed to evaluate population genetic trends without necessarily collecting new genetic data. Such “genetic diversity indicators” enable rapid, large-scale evaluation across dozens to thousands of species. Empirical genetic studies, when available, provide detailed information that is important for management, such as estimates of gene flow, inbreeding, genetic erosion and adaptation. In this article, we argue that the development and advancement of genetic diversity indicators is a complementary approach to genetic studies in conservation biology, but not a substitute. Genetic diversity indicators and empirical genetic data can provide different information for conserving genetic diversity. Genetic diversity indicators enable affordable tracking, reporting, prioritization and communication, although, being proxies, do not provide comprehensive evaluation of the genetic status of a species. Conversely, genetic methods offer detailed analysis of the genetic status of a given species or population, although they remain challenging to implement for most species globally, given current capacity and resourcing. We conclude that indicators and genetic studies are both important for genetic conservation actions and recommend they be used in combination for conserving and monitoring genetic diversit
Some effects of hydrochar, compost and their mix on soil organic carbon and nutrients
Get PDFThe application of amendment guarantees the management of soil fertility and carbon sequestration due to their effect on soil organic carbon (SOC). The project “HYDRORG” aims to study these interactions, starting from the organic fertiliser characterization. The hydrochar (HC) is produced from the hydrothermal carbonisation of organic wet waste and the post-treatment can improve its agro-environmental properties. The HC (190° C for 2 h) was produced from winery and dairy agro-industrial sludges. The HC was compared to compost (COM) and MIX (obtained by mixing HC and compost, 1:1 w/w in an aerated pile). Besides the analysis of nutrients, pH, EC, TOC, the phytotoxicity and the effect on plant growth at increasing doses have been assessed. The effects were defined by incubating amended soil at 10 and 20 Mg/ha, 25°C, and 50% of WHC, for 1 and 12 months. The organic C was analysed by distinguished dissolved organic matter and the soil recalcitrant organic matter. The MIX pile showed a decrease in oxygen uptake (from 1789 to 421 mgO2/kgVSh). HC has a high content of both TOC and TKN (47 and 4.8 g/kg). P content was different among products (47 g/kg HC, 4.5 g/kg COM, 12.9 g/kg MIX). The MIX had a lower pH value compared to others. MIX showed a phytostimulant effect compared to COM, while HC is phytotoxic. HC contained a greater content of aliphatic compounds than aromatic ones. After 1 month, the soil amended with MIX and HC showed an increase of P available at higher doses. The MIX amended pots reached higher nitrate content (from 25.0 to 54.6 mg/kg), while HC determined higher ammonia content at the beginning of incubation (17.6 mg/kg). TOC increased in both, HC and COM-amended pots compared to control, after 12 months. The integrated knowledge of the amendments and their effects (chemical, on soil, GHG emission, etc.) can help to plan efficient and efficacy agronomic use and to better comprehend their environmental rol
Exploring shelf-life predictability of appearance traits and fruit texture in blueberry
No full textImproving the shelf-life of blueberries (Vaccinium spp.) has become a crucial breeding priority for the industry. However, the breeders have sparse empirical data to select genotypes with extended shelf-life. In this study, a large set of cultivars was evaluated for mechanical texture and appearance characteristics at harvest and after storage to understand their relationship and test multiple statistical models to assess the predictability of shelf-life. Blueberries harvested from 61 cultivars with extensive phenotypic variation were stored at 2 oC and 80% relative humidity (RH) for six weeks. The results indicated that weight loss, texture change, and fruit wrinkling could be predicted using fruit characteristics measured at harvest (T0) or two weeks post-harvest (T2). The berry size at T0 was able to predict postharvest weight loss with high accuracy; the larger the initial berry size, the less weight loss. This trend plateaued with berries larger than 18 mm in diameter. For texture, the measurements at T0 and six weeks after storage (T6) were positively correlated in all mechanical texture parameters, indicating that the initial texture is highly related to the final texture after storage. The overall change of texture could be best predicted using the texture parameter ‘distance to maximum force’ (DFM) measured at T0. Although the prediction accuracy was relatively low (R2 = 0.34), the model still effectively predicted the cultivars with the most texture change and those with the least. Interestingly, the prediction power improved to a moderate level (R2 = 0.45–0.66) when using all the texture and appearance parameters measured at T0 and T2. Wrinkling was best predicted by either the initial fruit size or the texture parameter ‘force linear distance’ (FLD) with low accuracy (R2 = 0.35–0.37); the larger the berry or FLD at T0, the less wrinkle after storage. These findings provide empirical data that blueberry breeders could use to select for shelf-life in blueberry. Predicting the variation of shelf-life indicators in a germplasm can substantially reduce the cost and time required to phenotype shelf-life performanc
Proposition of an SNP set to replace SSRs for standardized cultivar identification in apple
No full textApple is one of the most important fruit crops grown in temperate regions. Ex situ conservation of apple genetic resources mainly relies on grafted trees maintained in orchards, which can be space- and labor-intensive. To help collection managers to compare their germplasm with others’ at both the national and international levels, Malus UNiQue genotype codes (MUNQ) were proposed for all accessions sharing the same genetic marker profile. These genetic profiles were initially obtained using a standardized set of 16 SSRs. However, an impending difficulty in SSR analysis is expected and many genetic studies nowadays use SNP markers. SNP-based MUNQ assignment is expected to be more streamlined, but just like for SSRs, it will be essential that a consistent marker set is used across studies worldwide to enable comparisons among them without genotyping each new unique individual with a more expensive array. For this reason, we developed a set of 96 SNP markers that can unequivocally distinguish cultivars in apple collections and detect redundancy faster at low cost. To support this approach, we started from genome-wide SNP genotypic data obtained with the apple 20K and/or 480K arrays for 2120 unique individuals, including 2036 with a MUNQ code assigned through SSR markers. A total of 182 SNPs were tested using the KASP technology in nanofluidic Integrated Fluidic Circuit (IFC) to finally choose a set of 96 SNPs ensuring that each pair of individuals among all 2120 was distinguished by at least 6 SNPs in the absence of missing data. A comparison of MUNQ code assignment for 754 newly genotyped accessions using the standardized set of 16 SSRs and the new set of 96 SNPs was performed. It was possible to group accessions with essentially unique profiles using SNP data, and the groups obtained were almost always consistent with groups obtained with SSR data. Thus, a transition from the SSR-based MUNQ system to a SNP-based MUNQ system will be possibl
