0000000000560160
AUTHOR
Anna Maria D’onghia
Viruses infecting different Mediterranean genotypes of Ficus carica and their distribution in different plant organs.
Seven Mediterranean Ficus carica genotypes, i.e. cv. Palazzo, Severoni precoce, Bianca, Pilusedda, Dottato bianco, Bifara and Zidi, were screened for the presence of seven fig-infecting viruses associated with fig mosaic disease (FMD) in order to explore their distribution in different plant organs (leaf, bud and syconium) that will be utilized as a plant source material in different sanitation techniques. RT-PCR assays conducted on reverse-transcribed TNA extracted from leaves, apical buds and syconia (1.5-2cm) of each genotype for the presence of Fig leaf mottle-associated virus 1 (FLMaV-1), Fig mild mottling-associated virus (FMMaV), Fig mosaic virus (FMV), Fig latent virus 1 (FLV-1), Fi…
Antagonism and Antimicrobial Capacity of Epiphytic and Endophytic Bacteria against the Phytopathogen Xylella fastidiosa
Olive quick decline syndrome (OQDS), which is caused by Xylella fastidiosa, poses a severe threat to the agriculture of Mediterranean countries and causes severe damage to the olive trees in Italy. Since no effective control measures are currently available, the objective of this study was the screening of antagonistic bacteria that are potentially deployable as biocontrol agents against X. fastidiosa. Therefore, two approaches were used, i.e., the evaluation of the antagonistic activity of (i) endophytic bacteria isolated from two different cultivars of olive trees (Leccino and Ogliarola salentina) and (ii) epiphytic bacteria isolated from the phyllospheres of different host plant species …
Fig virus-free production and survival rate improvement using meristem tip culture techinique associated with the encapsulation technology
Three Mediterranean F. carica genotypes, i.e. cultivars Palazzo, Bifera nera and Catalanisca, initially infected by Fig leaf mottle-associated virus 1 (FLMaV-1), Fig leaf mottle-associated virus 2 (FLMaV-2), Fig mild mottling-associated virus (FMMaV), Fig mosaic virus (FMV), Fig latent virus 1 (FLV-1), Fig Badnavirus 1 (FBV-1) and Fig fleck-associated virus (FFkaV), were subjected to the sanitation technique via Meristem Tip (0.3-0.5 mm in size) Culture (MTC), also associated with the encapsulation technique (MTC-SS), in order to produce virus-free plant material. Encapsulation was tested to overcome the very low survival and regeneration rates, due to the small propagule size. Encouraging …