Search results for " plant."
showing 10 items of 3636 documents
Rhizoctonia solani AG 11 isolated for the first time from sugar beet in Poland
2020
Abstract Two isolates of Rhizoctonia solani AG11 were isolated from sugar beet seedlings from South-west Poland. Both isolates gave C2 reactions in anastomose pairings with the tester isolates of AG11. The membership of both isolates to AG11 was confirmed by analysis of pectic isozyme profiles, and by verification that the internal transcribed spacer sequences of both isolates matched the references in the GenBank database. Both AG11 isolates formed white-beige to creamy-colored mycelium with wide concentric zonation. One of them formed light-colored sclerotia. The average daily rate of hyphal growth at 21 °C was 22.8 mm and 22.6 mm on PDA. They were mildly pathogenic to sugar beet seedling…
Assessment of the conservation status of the mat-forming lichens Cladonia subgenus Cladina in Italy
2015
Cladina species are likely to suffer the impact of human pressure, resulting in a potential, as well as currently unknown, extinction risk for some of them. In this study, we used herbarium specimen data and literature data combined with geographic information system (GIS)-based analyses to assess the threatened status of Italian Cladina species according to IUCN criteria. A total of 485 records, reported during the period 1833–2013, were evaluated. Biological traits, habitat requirements and distribution patterns were used to infer species extinction risk. Extent of occurrence and area of occupancy have been calculated at the national scale, based on a 2 km × 2 km cell grid. The potential …
Using metabarcoding to reveal and quantify plant-pollinator interactions.
2016
AbstractGiven the ongoing decline of both pollinators and plants, it is crucial to implement effective methods to describe complex pollination networks across time and space in a comprehensive and high-throughput way. Here we tested if metabarcoding may circumvent the limits of conventional methodologies in detecting and quantifying plant-pollinator interactions. Metabarcoding experiments on pollen DNA mixtures described a positive relationship between the amounts of DNA from focal species and the number of trnL and ITS1 sequences yielded. The study of pollen loads of insects captured in plant communities revealed that as compared to the observation of visits, metabarcoding revealed 2.5 tim…
Influence of parasitoid-associated viral symbionts on plant–insect interactions and biological control
2021
International audience; Insect parasitoids have evolved symbiotic interactions with several viruses and thousands of parasitoid species have established mutualistic associations with polydnaviruses (PDVs). While PDVs have often been described as virulence factors allowing development of immature parasitoids inside their herbivore hosts, there is increasing awareness that PDVs can affect plant-insect interactions. We review recent literature showing that PDVs alter not only host physiology, but also feeding patterns and composition of herbivore's oral secretions. In turn PDV-induced changes in herbivore phenotype affect plant responses to herbivory with consequences ranging from differential…
Insect repellent and chemical agronomic treatments to reduce seed numberin'Afourer'mandarin. Effect on yield and fruit diameter
2019
Abstract Obtaining citrus fruits without seeds is a recurrent objective for farmers as it is one of the most valued characteristics, especially in mandarins. ‘Afourer’ tangor is a highly valuable well-established mandarin, and a high percentage of seeded fruits are produced under cross-pollination conditions. Several agronomic techniques have been suggested to control presence of seeds, such as covering with nets and copper sulfate (CuSO4) and gibberellic acid (GA3) treatments. Natural bee repellents are also proposed to reduce the number of seeds per fruit. In this study, we aimed to compare the effect of several agronomic treatments to reduce the seed number in 'Afourer' mandarin. To this…
Secondary metabolites and eco-friendly techniques for agricultural weed/pest management
2021
In agro-ecosystems, pests (insects, weeds, and other plant’s parasites) compete with crops for edaphic resources, negatively affecting quality and crop yields [1]. Nowadays, synthetic pesticides, easy to apply and accessible to farmers, are the most common and effective methods for pest management [2]. Nevertheless, the negative impact of these chemicals on the environment, human health, and the development of herbicides/pesticides-resistance are shifting the attention to alternative pest control technologies based on natural compounds [3–6]. Therefore, new eco-friendly agronomic techniques and the use of natural or natural-like molecules might represent a valid alternative strategy for pes…
Water relations of two Sicilian grapevine cultivars in response to potassium availability and drought stress
2020
Abstract We investigated the response of two Sicilian grapevine cultivars, Catarratto and Nero d'Avola, to potassium deficiency and drought stress. Two-year-old plants grafted on 1103 Paulsen were grown in agriperlite, with or without potassium in the fertigation solution for six weeks, and subjected to moderate drought stress by suspending irrigation for one week. Potassium content of leaves, roots and xylem sap were measured with an ion-selective electrode. Changes in stomatal conductance, stem and leaf water potential and hydraulic conductance were compared between genotypes and treatments. Potassium deficiency led to significant decreases in leaf potassium content in both cultivars and …
Water Deficit Affects the Growth and Leaf Metabolite Composition of Young Loquat Plants
2020
Water scarcity in the Mediterranean area is very common and understanding responses to drought is important for loquat management and production. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of drought on the growth and metabolism of loquat. Ninety two-year-old plants of &lsquo
Effect of TiO2 nanoparticles in thyme under reduced irrigation conditions
2018
The nanotechnology is a relatively new technology that has recently entered the field of agriculture. Nanotechnology covers the integration or manipulation of individual atoms, molecules or molecular masses to a diverse array of structures allowing the production of new characteristics and traits of interest. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of foliar application of TiO2 nanoparticles on quantitative traits (plant height, number of branches, dry weight of shoots and roots) and the essential oil content of thyme under different levels of field capacity. Our results showed that the application of TiO2 nanoparticles had significant effects on thyme growth, while the essential …
Post-harvest Industrial Processes of Almond (Prunus dulcis L. Mill) in Sicily Influence the Nutraceutical Properties of By-Products at Harvest and Du…
2021
Almond cultivation in Sicily is experiencing a phase of great interest which is mainly concentrated in the development of specialized orchards, with irrigation and by adopting cultivars with high qualitative and quantitative performances. These are mostly Mediterranean genotypes with high fat content and hard or semi-hard shell, extremely different from the varieties of Californian diffusion. The development of the sector comprises the primary production of almonds but also a series of secondary products which often represent a burden for the company. From these considerations several researches have been developed with the aim of giving a value to these by-products through circular economy…