Identification of Damage on Different Plants Caused by Botrytis cinerea and its Extracellular Macromolecular Toxin

With Bowytis cinerea and its extracellular macromolecular toxins as the test materials, 30 speiees of plants belonging to 29 genera and 21 families were selected as the test plants to observe the infectivity of B. dnerea and damage status of macromolecular toxins secreted by B. cinerea on plants. The resulsts showed that 17 species of plants were beth infected by B. cinerea and damaged by toxins, accounting for 56.7% of the total plants. Two species of plants could be neither infected by B. cinerea nor damaged by toxins. The study provided the reference for further understanding of pathogenic mechanism of plant pathogenic fungi toxins.

DNA Damage and Repair of Two Ecotypes of Phragmites communis Subjected to Water Stress

In order to thoroughly understand the mechanism Of drought resistance in plants at DNA level, the DNA damage of two ecotypes of reeds (Phragmites communis T.) stressed by PEG 6000 was analyzed by means of fluorescence analysis of DNA unwinding (FADU). The results showed that the residual double strand DNA percentages (dsDNA%) in dune reed (DR) were significantly higher than those in swamp reed (SR) treated with either 20% or 30% PEG 6000. This meant that the DNA of DR was less damaged in comparison with SR. Similarly, DR resisted DNA damage more strongly than SR as reactive oxygen species (ROS) increased by adding ROS producers diethyldithio carbamate (DDC), H2O2 and Fe2+ of different concentrations. Meanwhile, treating PEG stressed SR with ROS scavengers such as dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO) and ascorbic acid (Vc) resulted in the reduction of DNA damage, suggesting that ROS could cause DNA damage. In addition, the DNA repair for water-stressed reeds indicated that DR repaired DNA damage much faster and more completely. This might be the first indication that drought stress led to DNA damage in plants and that drought resistance of plants was closely related to DNA damage and repair.

Resistance in Barley (<i>Hordeum vulgare</i>L.) to New Invasive Aphid, Hedgehog Grain Aphid (<i>Sipha maydis</i>, Passerini) (Hemiptera: Aphididae)

Sipha maydis Passerini (Hemiptera: Aphididae) is a pest of cereals in many regions of the world and was identified as an invasive pest of the US in 2007. Regional surveys from 2015-2017 revealed this pest was broadly distributed throughout many of the western Great Plains states where it is a potential threat to cereal production. The common name hedgehog grain aphid, HGA, has been associated with Sipha maydis in the US. Cross-resistance where a plant is resistant to one aphid species and is also resistant to another species that is known to occur. Six barleys were evaluated for cross-resistance to HGA: Russian wheat aphid, RWA, resistant germplasms STARS 9301B and STARS 9577B and cultivar “Mesa”;greenbug, GB, resistant germplasm STARS 1501B and cultivar “Post 90”;and RWA and GB resistant experimental line 00BX 11-115. Cultivars “Morex” and “Schuyler” were susceptible controls. Antixenosis was measured 5 days after infestation by HGA. Seedling damage ratings and reductions in seedling growth were recorded after 17 days of infestation. Intrinsic rate of increase, rm, of HGA was determined by following the development of newborn aphids to adulthood and reproduction. 00BX 11-115 and Post 90 had significantly greater antixenosis (fewer aphids/seedling), significantly lower plant damage ratings, and significantly lower intrinsic rates of increase than other entries. Differences in seedling growth were not significant. 00BX 11-115 and Post 90 were the only entries with the Rsg1 greenbug resistance gene. Rsg1 greenbug resistance confers cross-resistance to HGA in the seedling stage.

Accumulation and phytotoxicity of technical hexabromocyclododecane in maize

To investigate the accumulation and phytotoxicity of technical hexabromocyclododecane（HBCD）in maize,young seedlings were exposed to solutions of technical HBCD at different concentrations.The uptake kinetics showed that the HBCD concentration reached an apparent equilibrium within 96 hr,and the accumulation was much higher in roots than in shoots.HBCD accumulation in maize had a positive linear correlation with the exposure concentration.The accumulation of different diastereoisomers followed the orderγ-HBCD〉β-HBCD〉α-HBCD.Compared with their proportions in the technical HBCD exposure solution,the diastereoisomer contribution increased forβ-HBCD and decreased forγ-HBCD in both maize roots and shoots with exposure time,whereas the contribution ofα-HBCD increased in roots and decreased in shoots throughout the experimental period.These results suggest the diastereomer-specific accumulation and translocation of HBCD in maize.Inhibitory effects of HBCD on the early development of maize followed the order of germination rate〉root biomass≥root elongation〉shoot biomass≥shoot elongation.Hydroxyl radical（OH）and histone H2AX phosphorylation（γ-H2AX）were induced in maize by HBCD exposure,indicative of the generation of oxidative stress and DNA double-strand breaks in maize.An OH scavenger inhibited the expression ofγ-H2AX foci in both maize roots and shoots,which suggests the involvement of OH generation in the HBCD-induced DNA damage.The results of this study will offer useful information for a more comprehensive assessment of the environmental behavior and toxicity of technical HBCD.

A fuzzy logic algorithm derived mechatronic concept prototype for crop damage avoidance during eco-friendly eradication of intra-row weeds

Crop damage during the intra-row weed eradiation is one of the biggest challenges in intercultural agricultural operations.Several available mechanical systems provide effective weeding but result in excess crop damage.On the other hand,chemical based systems have been raising serious environmental and food concerns.This study presents development of a cost-effectivemechatronic prototype for intra-rowweeding operation.The primary focus was on incurring minimal crop damage.The system integrates time of flight and inductive sensing into fuzzy logic algorithm for electronic control of a four-bar linkage mechanism(FBLM).The crank of FBLM was connected to the vertical rotary weed control shaft with weeding blades.The crop sensing triggers the electronic control to laterally shift the control shaft away from crop,proportional to the forward speed and soil conditions.The developed algorithm incorporates varied conditions of soil,forward speed,and plant spacing to calculate dynamic lateral shift speed(SRPM).The prototype was evaluated to determine the relationships between the operating conditions and electronic control parameters.Moreover,the plant damage was assessed under varied conditions of plant spacing,forward speeds,soil cone index,operational depth and electronic control parameters.The derived SRPM was established as the ultimate governing factor for avoiding crop damage that varied significantlywith electronic response time and soil strength(P<0.05).Plant damage increased significantly under higher forward speeds and lower plant spacing(P<0.05).Preliminary field evaluation of the developed prototype showed a significant potential of this system for effective control on weeds(>65%)and crop damage(<25%).