Search results for "12"
showing 10 items of 15303 documents
Daphnia invest in sexual reproduction when its relative costs are reduced
2018
The timing of sex in facultatively sexual organisms is critical to fitness, due to the differing demographic consequences of sexual versus asexual reproduction. In addition to the costs of sex itself, an association of sex with the production of dormant life stages also influences the optimal use of sex, especially in environments where resting eggs are essential to survive unfavourable conditions. Here we document population dynamics and the occurrence of sexual reproduction in natural populations of Daphnia magna across their growing season. The frequency of sexually reproducing females and males increased with population density and with decreasing asexual clutch sizes. The frequency of…
Social transmission of avoidance among predators facilitates the spread of novel prey.
2018
Warning signals are an effective defence strategy for aposematic prey, but only if they are recognized by potential predators. If predators must eat prey to associate novel warning signals with unpalatability, how can aposematic prey ever evolve? Using experiments with great tits (Parus major) as predators, we show that social transmission enhances the acquisition of avoidance by a predator population. Observing another predator’s disgust towards tasting one novel conspicuous prey item led to fewer aposematic than cryptic prey being eaten for the predator population to learn. Despite reduced personal encounters with unpalatable prey, avoidance persisted and increased over subsequent trials.…
Proposal of a Citrus translational genomic approach for early and infield detection of Flavescence dorée in Vitis
2014
Flavescence dore´e (FD) is one of the most widely known grapevine yellows disease and one of the most unabated worldwide in the viticulture sector. In this paper, we outline a strategy for developing an integrated system of technologies to enable rapid, early disease FD detection and diagnosis. We propose the deployment of a newly developed sensor device, the differential mobility spectrometer (DMS), which has shown positive results with a similar vector-borne disease in Citrus. We have previously demonstrated that the gas chromatograph DMS (GC/DMS) can distinguish various citrus diseases, and the system may also allow detection of volatile organic compound (VOC) signals from a tree of othe…
Citrus rootstock breeding: response of four allotetraploid somatic hybrids to Citrus tristeza virus induced infections
2018
Four allotetraploid somatic hybrids of citrus, with potential for rootstock improvement, have been evaluated for their response to Citrus tristeza virus (CTV) infection. CTV is the most important viral pathogen affecting citrus production worldwide. Somatic combinations of ‘Milam’ lemon (Citrus jambhiri Lush.) + Sour orange (C. aurantium L Osb.), Calamondin (C. madurensis Lour.) + ‘Keen’ sour orange (C. aurantium L.), Calamondin + ‘Femminello‘ lemon (C. limon L. Burm. F.) and Cleopatra mandarin (C. reshni Hort. ex Tan.) + ‘Femminello’ lemon, were studied. Plants were grafted with CTV-infected “Valencia” sweet orange budwood. Two different CTV strains collected in Sicily, considered as “mild…
Genetic variation and evolutionary analysis ofPepino mosaic virusin Sicily: insights into the dispersion and epidemiology
2017
Pepino mosaic virus (PepMV) is a highly infectious potexvirus that causes a severe disease in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) crops worldwide. In Sicily, the first outbreak was detected in a single greenhouse in 2005 and it was promptly eradicated. However, in 2008, a large number of greenhouses were simultaneously affected, and it was impossible to eradicate or control the virus. This study addressed the dispersion and the genetic diversity of PepMV isolates obtained from the outbreak in Sicily, in comparison with worldwide PepMV isolates, to gain insight into the factors determining the evolution and epidemiology of the virus. A total of 1800 samples from plants with and without symptoms we…
First outbreak of Pepper vein yellows virus infecting sweet pepper in Italy
2016
Sweet pepper (Capsicum annum) is an economically important crop worldwide, including Sicily where about 4,000 hectares are grown each year. In October 2015, severe symptoms not previously reported by growers in the horticultural area of the province of Trapani (Sicily, Italy) were observed on sweet pepper plants in eight different greenhouses. Symptoms included upward leaf curling, internodal shortening and interveinal yellowing. Symptoms were more evident in the upper part of the plants. These symptoms were reminiscent of those caused by poleroviruses. In the greenhouse, symptoms were evident in about 35% of the plants. Three samples per greenhouse (24 in total) were collected for analysis.
Survey of five major grapevine viruses infecting Blatina and Žilavka cultivars in Bosnia and Herzegovina
2021
The sanitary status of grapevines has not yet been considered sufficiently in vineyards throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). An extensive survey of five major grapevine viruses in the country was carried out in 2019. A total of 630 samples from the two dominant autochthonous cultivars, named Žilavka and Blatina, were tested by DAS-ELISA for the presence of grapevine leafroll-associated viruses (GLRaV-1 and 3), grapevine fleck virus (GFkV), grapevine fanleaf virus (GFLV) and Arabis mosaic virus (ArMV). Eighty-eight % of the samples were positive for at least one virus, and all five viruses were detected, thought with different incidence, i.e. GLRaV-3 (84%), GFLV (43%), GLRaV-1 (14%), GFk…
Begomoviruses Infecting Tomato Crops in Panama
2015
The key regions in Panama involved in open field- and greenhouse-grown commercial tomato production, including the Chiriquí, Veraguas, Herrera, Los Santos, Coclé and Panama Oeste provinces, were surveyed for the incidence and distribution of begomoviruses in the growing seasons of 2011 and 2012. The surveys took place in 14 of the 51 districts of the above-mentioned provinces and comprised all relevant tomato production areas of the provinces. A total of 28 tomato plots were surveyed. The exact location of each plot was geo-referenced using a hand-held Global Positioning System unit. In total, 319 individual tomato plants (181 in 2011 and 138 in 2012) were sampled. Plants displayed diverse …
Updated pest categorisation of Xylella fastidiosa
2018
Abstract Following a request from the European Commission, the EFSA Plant Health Panel updated its pest categorisation of Xylella fastidiosa, previously delivered as part of the pest risk assessment published in 2015. X. fastidiosa is a Gram‐negative bacterium, responsible for various plant diseases, including Pierce's disease, phony peach disease, citrus variegated chlorosis, olive quick decline syndrome, almond leaf scorch and various other leaf scorch diseases. The pathogen is endemic in the Americas and is present in Iran. In the EU, it is reported in southern Apulia in Italy, on the island of Corsica and in the Provence‐Alpes‐Côte d'Azur region in France, as well as in the Autonomous r…
Occurrence of the T36 Genotype of Citrus tristeza virus in Citrus Orchards in Sicily, Italy
2016
Recent phylogenetic studies have shown that different lineages representing mild and virulent Citrus tristeza virus (CTV) isolates have been present in Italy for a long time. The genetic structure of CTV population, based on p23 and p27 genes sequences, highlighted two main clusters referred to as T30 and VT-like, as confirmed by the full genomes sequences of two representative isolates SG29 (KC748392) and Bau282 (KC748391) (Licciardello et al. 2015). On the basis of risk analyses, regulatory measures have been outlined, including the recommendation to replace sour orange (C. aurantium) with tolerant rootstocks and to monitor the spread and the presence (if any) of different isolates not co…