Enhancing Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) Fruit Yield and Quality and Blossom End Rot Control Using Different Biological Calcium Sources

Cultivated for its richness in nutrients, tomato culture is demanding fertilizer, especially in calcium. Calcium deficiencies and physiological disorders cause serious diseases in tomatoes. Blossom end rot (BER), in susceptible cultivars, may cause severe economic losses. The goal of this study is to determine the effect of three organic calcium sources on the growth and quality of fruit production of tomatoes. Egg, snail and sea shell powders and extracts have been used as biological fertilizers. The experiment was conducted in a block factorial trial with three replications. The trials comprised two factors: calcium sources and calcium source form (powder and extract). The results showed that the growth parameters and yield were improved by the calcium source, whatever the form. Also, BER was lower in plants treated with calcium contrary to the control. However, plants treated with eggshells showed the best growth (mean) and the lowest rate (0.40%) of BER than the snail and sea shell.

Enhancing Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) Fruit Yield and Quality and Blossom End Rot Control Using Different Biological Calcium Sources

Cultivated for its richness in nutrients, tomato culture is demanding fertilizer, especially in calcium. Calcium deficiencies and physiological disorders cause serious diseases in tomatoes. Blossom end rot (BER), in susceptible cultivars, may cause severe economic losses. The goal of this study is to determine the effect of three organic calcium sources on the growth and quality of fruit production of tomatoes. Egg, snail and sea shell powders and extracts have been used as biological fertilizers. The experiment was conducted in a block factorial trial with three replications. The trials comprised two factors: calcium sources and calcium source form (powder and extract). The results showed that the growth parameters and yield were improved by the calcium source, whatever the form. Also, BER was lower in plants treated with calcium contrary to the control. However, plants treated with eggshells showed the best growth (mean) and the lowest rate (0.40%) of BER than the snail and sea shell.

Occurrence Factors and Efficient Green Prevention and Control Technology of Peanut Stem Rot Caused by Sclerotium rolfsii in Southern Mountainous Area of Shandong Province

Peanut stem rot caused by Sclerotium rolfsii is a soil-borne disease,and it has become the main disease of peanut in Yimeng mountainous area.S.rolfsii survives the winter as mycelia and sclerotia in soil and debris,becoming the primary source of infection in the following year.The disease resistance of peanut varieties,high temperature and humidity,and cultivation measures are the pathogenic factors affecting the occurrence of peanut stem rot.The disease can be effectively controlled by screening disease-resistant varieties and seed chemical treatment,improving soil by deep tillage and crop rotation,carrying out flowing water management of affected field,cutting off transmission routes,and strengthening seed dressing and triple spraying control.

Streptomyces sp. RP1A-12 mediated control of peanut stem rot caused by Sclerotium rolfsii

Sclerotium rolfsii Sacc. is a destructive soilborne fungal pathogen with a wide host range that includes peanuts. Biological control offers an interesting alternative to fungicides for sustainable management of soilborne diseases. The current investigation is aimed at evaluating one potential biocontrol agent Streptomyces sp. RP1 A-12 for growth promotion and the management of peanut stem rot disease caused by S. rolfsii under field conditions. Preliminary studies conducted under in vitro and the greenhouse conditions showed promising results against the stem rot pathogen. Further in vitro and pot experiments conducted to assess Streptomyces sp. RP1 A-12 for its growth promoting abilities using whole organisms have shown an increase in seed germination, root and shoot length. Other parameters like nodule number and plant biomass were also significantly increased over control treatments indicating that the test bioagent possesses growth promoting abilities along with disease suppression capabilities. Subsequently field studies were carried out for two consecutive rainy seasons. The bioagent was applied as whole organism and partially purified crude metabolites. Results indicate the bioagent reduced stem rot disease incidence by 64–67% and 22–49% respectively in two field trials conducted with notable increase in yield. Partially purified Streptomyces sp. RP1 A-12 metabolites exhibited an even greater effect in reducing the incidence and severity of stem rot compared to the pathogen inoculated control.

Co-location of QTL for Sclerotinia stem rot resistance and flowering time in Brassica napus

Sclerotinia stem rot(SSR) caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum(Lib.) de Bary is one of the most devastating diseases of Brassica napus worldwide. Both SSR resistance and flowering time(FT) adaptation are major breeding goals in B. napus. However, early maturing rapeseed varieties, which are important for rice-rapeseed rotation in China, are often highly susceptible to SSR. Here, we found that SSR resistance was significantly negatively correlated with FT in a natural population containing 521 rapeseed inbred lines and a double haploid(DH) population with 150 individual lines, both of which had great variation in FT. Four chromosomal regions on A2, A6, C2, and C8 affecting both SSR resistance and FT were identified using quantitative trait loci(QTL) mapping after constructing a high-density genetic map based on single nucleotide polymorphism markers in the DH population.Furthermore, we aligned QTL for the two traits identified in the present and previous studies to the B. napus reference genome, and identified four colocalized QTL hotspots of SSR resistance and FT on A2(0–7.7 Mb), A3(0.8–7.5 Mb), C2(0–15.2 Mb), and C6(20.2–36.6 Mb). Our results revealed a genetic link between SSR resistance and FT in B.napus, which should facilitate the development of effective strategies in both early maturing and SSR resistance breeding and in map-based cloning of SSR resistance QTL.

Bone marrow derived stem cells for the treatment of end-stage liver disease

End-stage disease due to liver cirrhosis is an important cause of death worldwide. Cirrhosis results from progressive, extensive fibrosis and impaired hepatocyte regeneration. The only curative treatment is liver transplantation, but due to the several limitations of this procedure, the interest in alternative therapeutic strategies is increasing. In particular, the potential of bone marrow stem cell(BMSC) therapy in cirrhosis has been explored in different trials. In this article, we evaluate the results of 18 prospective clinical trials, and we provide a descriptive overview of recent advances in the research on hepatic regenerative medicine. The main message from the currently available data in the literature is that BMSC therapy is extremely promising in the context of liver cirrhosis. However, its application should be further explored in randomized, controlled trials with large cohorts and long follow-ups.

Effects of Returning Methods on Wheat Stem Rot and Yield

[Objectives]This study was conducted to improve the quality of straw returning to the field,enhance wheat disease resistance and ensure high and stable yield of wheat.[Methods]The effects of four returning modes on wheat stem rot and yield were studied by observation and experiments.[Results]The incidence rate and disease index of stem rot and white head rate of wheat were significantly reduced and the yield was significantly increased by adopting the method of straw returning to the field with the separation of"returning and seeding".The incidence rate and disease index of stem rot and white head rate of wheat were higher than those of the CK and the yield was significantly reduced when adopting the straw returning method of direct sowing.Treatment T_(1)(after maize was harvested,fertilizers,a nutrient-loaded microbial agent and a soil conditioner were evenly spread on the surface of straw,which was then returned to the field using a straw returning machine twice,and then ploughing,soil preparation and wheat sowing were carried out)showed an incidence rate of wheat crown rot 54.8%lower than that of the CK and a white head rate 87.5%lower than that of the CK,and the yield was 2305 kg/hm^(2) higher than that of the CK.[Conclusions]Straw returning can increase soil organic matter content,reduce soil bulk density,enhance soil respiration,and improve wheat disease resistance and yield.

Phenotypic identification of peanut germplasm for resistance to southern stem rot

Southern stem rot,caused by Sclerotium rolfsii Sacc.,is a destructive soil fungal disease of peanut in China and other countries.To evaluate resistant germplasm,a total of 256 peanut accessions were investigated on their resistance to southern stem rot in 3 environments by artificial inoculation.Variance analysis indicated that disease index was significantly influenced by environment,genotype and genotypeenvironment interactions.Peanut accessions of var.vulgaris type exhibited higher resistance to southern stem rot.Disease index was significantly negatively correlated with linoleic acid content,while positively correlated with oleic acid content.Six resistant accessions were identified,including Hua 28,Shandongzai,ICG 6326,Quanhua 7,Quanhua 9 and Guihua 836,with their disease indexes under 40 and mortality were less than 30%in the three environments.The identified resistant accessions showed the great potential to be applied in resistant peanut breeding,and would be good genetic resources for enhancing the resistance to southern stem rot.

Stem cells for end stage liver disease: How far have we got?

End stage liver disease (ESLD) is a health problem worldwide. Liver transplantation is currently the only effective therapy, but its many drawbacks include a shortage of donors, operative damage, risk of rejection and in some cases recidivism of the pre-transplant disease. These factors account for the recent growing interest in regenerative medicine. Experiments have sought to identify an optimal source of stem cells, sufficient to generate large amounts of hepatocytes to be used in bioartificial livers or injected in vivo to repair the diseased organ. This update aims to give non-stem cell specialists an overview of the results obtained to date in this fascinating field of biomedical research.

Clinical Outcome of Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Infusion via Hepatic Artery or Portal Vein in Patients with End-stage Liver Diseases

Objective To investigate the efficacy of hematopoietic stem cell(HSC) transplantation via the hepatic artery vs.the portal vein for end-stage liver disease(ESLD).Methods Patients with hepatic decompensation were prospectively recruited from September 2010 to September 2012 to receive HSC transplantation via the hepatic artery or the portal vein.Liver function was examined at 3,6,and 12 months after transplantation.Liver biopsy results were analyzed using the Knodell score.Results Eighty patients(58 males and 22 females) were enrolled in the study.The Child-Pugh score was grade B in 69 cases,and grade C in the remaining 11 cases.HSC transplantation was performed via the portal vein in 36 patients and via the hepatic artery in 44 patients.ALT levels decreased while serum albumin levels increased significantly in both groups at 6 and 12 months after HSC transplantation(P<0.05 compared with pre-transplantation levels).Total bilirubin levels decreased significantly in both groups at 3,6,and 12 months after HSC transplantation(P<0.05 compared with pre-transplantation levels).Additionally,prothrombin time decreased in both groups at 12 months after HSC transplantation(P<0.05 compared with pre-transplantation level).There were no significant differences in ALT,total bilirubin and prothrombin time between the two groups either before or after transplantation.Moreover,Knodell score decreased significantly at 6 and 12 months.Histological examination showed that liver cell edema,degeneration,necrosis,and inflammation were significantly relieved at 3,6,and 12 months after transplantation.The incidence of portal vein thrombosis,upper gastrointestinal bleeding,and hepatic encephalopathy were 1.25%,3.75%,and 2.5% respectively.The one-year survival rate was 100%.Conclusions Autologous HSC transplantation improves liver function and histology in ESLD patients.The administration route of HSC has no significant impact on the efficacy of transplantation.

Stem cell transplantation for the treatment of end-stage liver disease

The past two decades have witnessed an explosion of research and clinical application of stem cells, transforming the field of regenerative medicine. Stem cell transplantation has already been performed to treat patients with cancer,liver diseases, and various types of chronic diseases. Indeed, stem cell-based therapies are effective in many diseases, and provide novel insights into the treatment of end-stage liver disease. Several clinical trials have indicated the efficacy profiles of stem cell transplantation in patients with end-stage liver disease, including liver cirrhosis, liver failure, and liver tumors. Animal models of acute liver failure have also provided important insights into the safety,mechanisms, and efficacy of stem cell therapies. Nevertheless, excitement due to this promising field must be tempered with careful and calculated research. In particular, studies on the quality, safety, and efficacy of stem cell transplantation are needed to ensure that qualified products are tested in well-designed clinical trials and approved by governments. Therefore, further investigations are required to effectively balance the safety with the innovation of stem cell transplantation research toward the effective treatment of end-stage liver disease.

Application of Trichoderma harzianum in the control of basal stem rot of oil palms

The palm, Elaeis guineensis, has its origins in Africa but is planted on a commercial basis in several countries. Statistics for 2002 showed that in the lead for land mass under oil palm cultivation is Indonesia, at 3,769,000. ha, followed by Malaysia at 3,376,000. ha; however, the world’s leading producer of palm oil is still Malaysia, since the 1970’s. Both countries are predicted to produce 82.4% of the world’s palm oil production by the year 2005. However, the palm is susceptible to basal stem rot, a devastating disease which results in direct loss of field stands and to which no effective chemical control is yet available. Caused by Ganoderma boninense, infected palms appear symptomless, at the first sign of disease, at least 50% of the internal trunk tissue stem would have actually rotted. This study investigated the efficacy of Trichoderma harzianum (isolate FA 1132) as a biological control agent, using 6-month old oil palm seedlings as models and the experiment performed in a greenhouse at 29- 30 ℃. ambient conditions. The plants were artificially infected with G. boninense and a conidial suspension of 1×109-9×109 spores/mL was applied as a soil drench at 1L/plant every 2 weeks for 20 weeks. The parameters examined were efficacy of the biocontrol agent and the effect of Trichoderma- incorporated mulch in addition to the soil drench. Efficacy was assessed in terms disease severity index (DSI) where a higher percentage indicates a higher severity. Results showed that infection first sets in on untreated plants at week 12 and got worse progressively. The completely untreated plants were all infected and the DSI at 20 weeks after infection (wa.i.) was 92.5%. Plants given only a Trichoderma -infused food base supplement without conidial suspension gave a DSI of 70% whereas those given a conidial soil drench without supplemental food base gave a DSI of 85% at 20 w.a.i. Infected plants given a conidial treatment together with a food base supplement gave a DSI of 5% at 20 w.a.i. This investigation showed that there is potential in the use of T. harzianum (isolate FA 1132) as a biological control agent of basal stem rot and warrant further studies in its mass propagation for field trials.

Evaluation of phytophthora root rot-resistant <i>Capsicum annuum</i>accessions for resistance to phytophthora foliar blight and phytophthora stem blight

A mixture of six Georgia isolates of Phytophthora capsici (Leon.), the causal agent of phytophthora blight, were used for greenhouse mass screening of over 700 accessions of Capsicum annuum for both stem blight and foliar blight. From this screening, it was determined that resistance to both forms of the disease were relatively common in the germplasm, but resistance to one form of the disease was not strongly correlated to resistance to the other form. Ten accessions previously shown to possess root rot resistance were tested for resistance to stem rot and leaf blight, and were found to also be highly resistant to these forms of the disease. It appears that single accessions have resistance to foliar, stem and root rot caused by P. capsici, which may simplify breeding for resistance to all three forms of the disease.

Advanced glycation end productions and tendon stem/progenitor cells in pathogenesis of diabetic tendinopathy

Tendinopathy is a challenging complication observed in patients with diabetes mellitus.Tendinopathy usually leads to chronic pain,limited joint motion,and even ruptured tendons.Imaging and histological analyses have revealed pathological changes in various tendons of patients with diabetes,including disorganized arrangement of collagen fibers,microtears,calcium nodules,and advanced glycation end product(AGE)deposition.Tendon-derived stem/progenitor cells(TSPCs)were found to maintain hemostasis and to participate in the reversal of tendinopathy.We also discovered the aberrant osteochondrogenesis of TSPCs in vitro.However,the relationship between AGEs and TSPCs in diabetic tendinopathy and the underlying mechanism remain unclear.In this review,we summarize the current findings in this field and hypothesize that AGEs could alter the properties of tendons in patients with diabetes by regulating the proliferation and differentiation of TSPCs in vivo.

Research on Chemical Prevention and Control against Stem Base Rot of Sweet Potato

[Objective]The paper was to effectively control stem base rot of sweet potato.[Method]Chemical prevention and control test against stem base rot of sweet potato were conducted for consecutive three years from 2016 to 2018.[Result]The use of carbendazim or carbendazim+mancozeb,and carbendazim+embamycin had significant control effect on stem base rot of sweet potato.However,the applied concentration should be higher than the recommended concentration.Especially the concentration of 50%carbendazim WP should be no more than 300 times,and the prevention and control effect of 100 times dilution would be better.[Conclusion]The types and concentrations of prevention and control agents are determined in the test,which will provide certain basis for chemical prevention and control against stem base rot of sweet potato.

Closure for Spanning Trees with <i>k</i>-Ended Stems

Let T be a tree. The set of leaves of Τ is denoted by Leaf(Τ). The subtree Τ—Leaf(Τ) of T is called the stem of Τ. A stem is called a k-ended stem if it has at most k-leaves in it. In this paper, we prove the following theorem. Let G be a connected graph and k≥2 be an integer. Let u and ν be a pair of nonadjacent vertices in G. Suppose that |NG(u)∪NG(v)|≥|G|-k-1. Then G has a spanning tree with k-ended stem if and only if G+uv has a spanning tree with k-ended stem. Moreover, the condition on |NG(u)∪NG(v)| is sharp.

Colonization by Klebsiella variicola FH-1 stimulates soybean growth and alleviates the stress of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum

Sclerotinia stem rot,caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum,is a destructive soil-borne disease leading to huge yield loss.We previously reported that Klebsiella variicola FH-1 could degrade atrazine herbicides,and the vegetative growth of atrazine-sensitive crops(i.e.,soybean)was significantly increased in the FH-1-treated soil.Interestingly,we found that FH-1 could promote soybean growth and induce resistance to S.sclerotiorum.In our study,strain FH-1 could grow in a nitrogen-free environment,dissolve inorganic phosphorus and potassium,and produce indoleacetic acid and a siderophore.The results of pot experiments showed that K.variicola FH-1 promoted soybean plant development,substantially improving plant height,fresh weight,and root length,and induced resistance against S.sclerotiorum infection in soybean leaves.The area under the disease progression curve(AUDPC)for treatment with strain FH-1 was significantly lower than the control and was reduced by up to 42.2%within 48 h(P<0.001).Moreover,strain FH-1 rcovered the activities of catalase,superoxide dismutase,peroxidase,phenylalanine ammonia lyase,and polyphenol oxidase,which are involved in plant protection,and reduced malondialdehyde accumulation in the leaves.The mechanism of induction of resistance appeared to be primarily resulted from the enhancement of transcript levels of PR10,PR12,AOS,CHS,and PDF1.2 genes.The colonization of FH-1 on soybean root,determined using CLSM and SEM,revealed that FH-1 colonized soybean root surfaces,root hairs,and exodermis to form biofilms.In summary,K.variicola FH-1 exhibited the biological control potential by inducing resistance in soybean against S.sclerotiorum infection,providing new suggestions for green prevention and control.

甘薯抗茎腐病鉴定技术的建立及种质资源抗性分析

为优化甘薯种质抗茎腐病鉴定技术,通过分析不同的接种方法和菌液浓度对甘薯种质抗性的影响,建立甘薯抗茎腐病鉴定标准,为甘薯抗病育种奠定基础。利用组培瓶蛭石薯苗擦伤接菌法和最佳接种菌液浓度(1.1×10^(7)CFU·mL^(-1)),对最具代表性的6个甘薯品种进行接种鉴定,并与田间抗性品种比较进行验证,室内接种抗性鉴定结果与田间抗性表现基本一致,表明新抗性鉴定技术的鉴定结果具有准确性、可靠性。进一步对65个甘薯材料进行抗病鉴定,发现绝大部分材料表现为感病或中感,7份种质(YD7002、DY7082-1、浙紫薯1号、TF1118、DY7032、南薯88和浙紫薯4号)对甘薯茎腐病具有稳定抗性。文章建立了甘薯抗茎腐病的新鉴定技术,鉴定和筛选出对甘薯茎腐病表现稳定抗性的种质,为甘薯抗茎腐病育种提供重要的种质资源,对于甘薯病害防控具有重要意义。

4种杀菌剂对甘薯茎腐病的防治效果研究

为筛选出防治甘薯茎腐病的有效药剂,研究了4种杀菌剂对甘薯茎腐病的防治效果,结果表明,薯苗生长前期用90%(质量分数,下同)氯溴异氰尿酸稀释液滴灌根部,防治效果可达94.64%;用70%甲基硫菌灵稀释液在栽插前浸苗20 min配合栽后每10 d滴灌1次,防治效果为68.53%;用可杀得3000(46%氢氧化铜)稀释液或6%春雷霉素水剂稀释液浸苗配合叶面喷施,防治效果均低于40%.因此,90%氯溴异氰尿酸稀释液可作为甘薯茎腐病防控的有效药剂.

苍耳茎腐病病原菌鉴定及其杀真菌剂室内筛选

【目的】探究引起苍耳茎腐病的一种病原菌,并通过室内抑菌试验挖掘在多菌灵、抑霉唑、腐霉利、噻菌灵、甲基托布津、咯菌腈和咪鲜胺7种杀真菌剂中对病原菌抑制效果最佳的农药品种。【方法】采用菌丝尖端切割法从发病苍耳茎基部分离病原菌,通过科赫氏法则验证苍耳茎腐病病原菌。对病原菌的菌落、菌丝和菌核进行形态特征观察,通过分子生物学PCR技术扩增其ITS和TEF1⁃α序列并克隆测序,进一步分析鉴定病原菌种类,并对苍耳茎腐病病原菌进行室内杀真菌剂的筛选。【结果】分离到的6株病原菌与罗耳阿太菌(Athelia rolfsii)形态特征一致。将其菌丝和菌核分别接种于健康的苍耳茎基部,约1周后实验组出现与田间发病苍耳植株相同的茎腐病病症。NCXS⁃1克隆测序序列与数据库中的多个A.rolfsii菌株的相应序列一致性为100%;所筛选的7种农药杀菌剂中,NCXS⁃1对多菌灵、抑霉唑、腐霉利、噻菌灵和甲基托布津不敏感,而咯菌腈和咪鲜胺对A.rolfsii的菌落生长具有一定的抑制作用,其中以咯菌腈的抑制作用最强,EC_(50)为0.12 mg/L。【结论】明确引起苍耳茎腐病的病原菌为A.rolfsii。7种农药中咯菌腈是抑制苍耳茎腐病病菌生长效果最佳的杀真菌剂。研究结果可为苍耳茎腐病的有效防控提供科学依据。