Screening and Identification of Biocontrol Strains against Potato Black Shank Disease,Pectobacterium atrosepticum

[Objective]The paper was to screen and identify biocontrol strains against potato black shank disease in Inner Mongolia.[Method]Totally 58 strains of Bacillus spp.preserved in the laboratory were used to screen and identify biocontrol agents against potato black shank disease,and the antagonistic activities of strains were determined by plate confrontation culture method.[Result]A total of 17 strains showed antagonistic activity against Pectobacterium atrosepticum in potato,accounting for 29.31%of the tested strains.Five strains with better antagonistic effect were obtained by further screening,namely Chi8-7,Genyun4-4,Gen7-4,Jing6-7,and S-7.Genyun4-4 had the most obvious bacteriostatic effect,and the average inhibition zone diameter reached 20.7 mm,significantly higher than those of other tested strains.Results of bioactivity determination also demonstrated that the strain had better bacteriostatic effect.Through morphological observation,molecular identification and physiological and biochemical characteristics determination,the strain Chi8-7 was identified as Bacillus amyloliquefaciens;the strain Genyun4-4 was identified as B.subtilis;and strains Gen7-4,Jing6-7 and S-7 were identified as B.methylotrophicus.[Conclusion]The results will lay a theoretical basis for biological control against potato black shank disease in Inner Mongolia.

Nonphytotoxic copper oxide nanoparticles are powerful“nanoweapons”that trigger resistance in tobacco against the soil-borne fungal pathogen Phytophthora nicotianae

Investigations into the potential application of nanoparticles acting as nanofungicides in sustainable agriculture are rapidly expanding due to the high antimicrobial properties of these compounds,which do not risk inducing pathogen resistance to fungicides.A detailed understanding of the impact of copper oxide nanoparticles(CuO NPs)on soil-borne phytopathogenic fungi is yet to be obtained.This study aimed to explore the in vitro antifungal activity and control efficacy of CuO NPs applied via irrigation with respect to tobacco black shank(TBS)disease caused by Phytophthora nicotianae.The results revealed that CuO NPs greatly interfered with the reproductive growth process of this fungus,repressing hyphal growth,spore germination and sporangium production.Additionally,morphological damage,intracellular ROS accumulation and increased SOD enzyme activity in hyphae were the antifungicidal mechanisms of these NPs.In pot experiments,treatment with CuO NPs at 100 mg L^(–1)significantly suppressed TBS development,compared with the effect on control plants,and the control efficacy reached 33.69%without inducing phytotoxicity.Exposure to CuO NPs significantly activated a series of defense enzymes,and resistance genes in tobacco can further explain the mechanisms by which CuO NPs suppressed fungal infection.The Cu content in both the leaves and roots of P.nicotianae-infested plants increased by 50.03 and 27.25%,respectively,after treatment with 100 mg L^(–1)CuO NPs,compared with that of healthy plants.In particular,a higher Cu content was observed in infected roots than in leaves.Therefore,this study showed the potential of CuO NPs applied as nanofungicides and as nanoinducers of fungus resistance genes for the management of TBS through inhibition of pathogen infection and stimulation of plant defenses.

Protective effects of Bushen Tiansui decoction on hippocampal synapses in a rat model of Alzheimer's disease

Bushen Tiansui decoction is composed of six traditional Chinese medicines：Herba Epimedii,Radix Polygoni multiflori,Plastrum testudinis,Fossilia Ossis Mastodi,Radix Polygalae,and Rhizoma Acorus tatarinowii.Because Bushen Tiansui decoction is effective against amyloid beta（Aβ） toxicity,we hypothesized that it would reduce hippocampal synaptic damage and improve cognitive function in Alzheimer＇s disease.To test this hypothesis,we used a previously established animal model of Alzheimer＇s disease,that is,microinjection of aggregated Aβ25–35 into the bilateral brain ventricles of Sprague-Dawley rats.We found that long-term（28 days） oral administration of Bushen Tiansui decoction（0.563,1.688,and 3.375 g/m L;4 m L/day） prevented synaptic loss in the hippocampus and increased the expression levels of synaptic proteins,including postsynaptic density protein 95,the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor 2 B subunit,and Shank1.These results suggested that Bushen Tiansui decoction can protect synapses by maintaining the expression of these synaptic proteins.Bushen Tiansui decoction also ameliorated measures reflecting spatial learning and memory deficits that were observed in the Morris water maze（i.e.,increased the number of platform crossings and the amount of time spent in the target quadrant and decreased escape latency） following intraventricular injections of aggregated Aβ25–35 compared with those measures in untreated Aβ_（25–35）-injected rats.Overall,these results provided evidence that further studies on the prevention and treatment of dementia with this traditional Chinese medicine are warranted.