Search results for "EED"
showing 10 items of 5952 documents
Preserving Biodiversity in Marginal Rural Areas:Assessment of Morphological and Genetic Variabilityof a Sicilian Common Bean Germplasm Collection
2020
The historical cultivation of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) has resulted in the development of local populations/cultivars in restricted Italian rural areas. Many common bean landraces, still cultivated in small mountain areas from Sicily, have become outdated and endangered due to the commercial varieties spreading. These accessions are poorly known but often represent a genetic heritage to be preserved and enhanced. The ex situ conservation of fifty-seven Sicilian common bean landraces was carried out at the &ldquo
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…
Gametic embryogenesis through isolated microspore culture in Corylus avellana L.
2015
Haploid technology is a valuable plant breeding tool for obtaining homozygosity particularly in woody plants. Hazelnut, the world’s sixth ranking nut tree crop is a monoecious, anemophilous species. It is characterized by a sporophytic incompatibility system that prevents production of homozygous plants with conventional methods, involving several self-pollination cycles. In this study, gametic embryogenesis, in particular isolated microspore culture, was tried with five genotypes. Two culture media were tested and four temperature stress treatments were applied to the isolated microspores that were cultivated at the vacuolated developmental stage. To our knowledge, this is the first report…
A genomic map of climate adaptation in Mediterranean cattle breeds
2019
International audience; Domestic species such as cattle (Bos taurus taurus and B. t. indicus) represent attractive biological models to characterize the genetic basis of short term evolutionary response to climate pressure induced by their post-domestication history. Here, using newly generated dense SNP genotyping data, we assessed the structuring of genetic diversity of 21 autochtonous cattle breeds from the whole Mediterranean basin and performed genome-wide association analyses with covariables discriminating the different Mediterranean climate sub-types. This provided insights into both the demographic and adaptive histories of Mediterranean cattle. In particular, a detailed functional…
The loss of dispersal on islands hypothesis revisited: Implementing phylogeography to investigate evolution of dispersal traits in Periploca (Apocyna…
2017
Aim: The loss of dispersal on islands hypothesis (LDIH) posits that wind-dispersed plants should exhibit reduced dispersal potential, particularly if island populations are old. In this study, we tested this hypothesis using a detailed phylogeographical framework across different geographical scales. Location: Mainland and island areas of the Atlantic and Mediterranean regions, including Macaronesia (Canary Islands and Cape Verde) and Mediterranean islands in the strait of Sicily. Methods: Forty-five populations of Periploca laevigata, a wind-dispersed shrub, were sampled. Plastid and nuclear microsatellite data were used to reconstruct spatio-temporal patterns of island colonization, and e…
Stress integrated tests and cytological analyses reveal Brassica villosa subsp. drepanensis seed quality decrease upon long-term storage
2016
Under stress integrated germination test (SIGT), seeds undergo osmo-saline stresses, which enable to detect differences in vigour of long-term stored seeds with high germination percentage (G%). The quality of Brassica villosa subsp. drepanensis seeds stored in a genebank (at -20°C for 16 years) was compared with seeds at harvest by standard germination tests (GT), SIGT and cytogenetic analysis. No differences were detected in G% and mean germination time under GT. Conversely, SIGT performed with NaCl -0.9MPa osmotic potential did not influence G% at harvest but reduced that of stored seeds, SIGT at -1.4MPa reduced G% of both. Cytogenetic analysis showed reduction of mitotic index, appearan…
No Evidence for Enforced Alloparental Care in a Cooperatively Breeding Parrot
2016
In cooperatively breeding species, in which non-breeding helpers assist in rearing the offspring of breeding individuals, conflicts of interest commonly occur between breeders and helpers over their respective contributions to offspring care. During such conflicts, breeders might use aggressive behavior to enforce contributions of helpers to offspring care, especially if helpers are not related to the breeders and their offspring and thus do not stand to gain indirect fitness benefits by helping. Using a combination of behavioral and genetic data, we investigated in the cooperatively breeding El Oro parakeet Pyrrhura orcesi (i) whether breeders are commonly dominant over helpers, (ii) wheth…
Multifactorial and Species-Specific Feedback Regulation of the RNA Surveillance Pathway Nonsense-Mediated Decay in Plants
2018
Abstract Nonsense-mediated decay (NMD) is an RNA surveillance mechanism that detects aberrant transcript features and triggers degradation of erroneous as well as physiological RNAs. Originally considered to be constitutive, NMD is now recognized to be tightly controlled in response to inherent signals and diverse stresses. To gain a better understanding of NMD regulation and its functional implications, we systematically examined feedback control of the central NMD components in two dicot and one monocot species. On the basis of the analysis of transcript features, turnover rates and steady-state levels, up-frameshift (UPF) 1, UPF3 and suppressor of morphological defects on genitalia (SMG)…