Gesunde Pflanzen最新文献

EU-wide statistics on the use of pesticides in agriculture are available on the quantities placed on the market, but data on actual use in practice are limited. In this study, comparative data on pesticide use and resistance management were collected for a region with mixed agriculture (arable and animal husbandry) in Austria. Based on individual pesticide records of 30 farmers and 10 service providers who perform plant protection tasks for 30 farms, the average application rates of pesticides, the change of the active substance group as well as the shortfalls and exceedances of the maximum permissible application rate were compared. Most farmers and service providers usually make a well-considered change in the group of active substances to avoid the development of resistance. Exceedances and underdosing of authorised application rates were found for both groups of people, with farmers tending to deviate more often. The applications amounts were largely in compliance with the law, however, in 3.69% of the 2387 evaluated uses of pesticides, the authorised application rate was exceeded. This excess was found somewhat more frequently among farmers than service providers. The application rate excesses can be attributed to technical overruns due to differences between actually farmed and formally declared area, confusion caused by complex application instructions but also by intention. To avoid inadequate information on authorised application rates and to simplify information gathering, the development of databases and apps that take into account not only the indisputably essential aspect of correct registration, but especially the user and user-friendliness, would be of great benefit and value. Packaging sizes adapted to different requirements and farm sizes would also be advantageous. High priority should be given to the technical training of users and sales personnel. This can contribute to higher professionalism in the use of pesticides in terms of compliance and resistance management, but also to the reduction of pesticides.

As possible biocontrol agents against soil-borne infections, root endophytic fungi, also known as fungal endophytes, have gained attention. Recently, it has been discovered that fungal endophytes and endophytic fungi found in plant roots are promising biocontrol agents for soil-borne diseases. These fungi can shield plants from the harm that root knots and rot pathogens can cause. They display characteristics crucial for long-term disease control in agriculture, such as the generation of systemic resistance, the production of antifungal metabolites, and the stimulation of plant development. This review examines the different types, underlying mechanisms, and relationships with plant pathogens. Using fungal endophytes as biocontrol agents in agricultural production systems requires standardized selection, application, and evaluation approaches. Fungal endophytes have shown promise as biocontrol agents for preventing the spread of soil-borne diseases, reducing the need for chemical pesticides, and increasing crop yields. Using root endophytic fungi and other fungal endophytes could improve pathogen management and the viability of food production. Supporting ecologically friendly methods and accelerating sustainable agriculture can be accomplished with the use of these helpful fungi. However, further study is required to explore root entophytic fungi and fungal endophytes that can dramatically improve disease management practices and provide more eco-friendly and sustainable agriculture.

Bruchus rufimanus, a univoltine seed weevil (bruchid), can cause severe seed yield and quality losses in faba beans restricting crop profitability and expansion. Chemical insecticide applications have been reported of low effectiveness and thus, growing genotypes tolerant to bruchid has been suggested as an alternative. Ten faba bean (Vicia faba L.) accessions belonging to three varieties (var. major (seven accessions), var. minor (two accessions), var. equina (one accession)) were tested under field conditions for two growing seasons. Agronomic and seed traits were determined in an attempt to associate any tolerance to bruchid with easily-assessible, highly-heritable characters in order to be used as indirect selection criteria. The genotypes varied in bruchid tolerance (percentage of bruchid emergence holes (BD), percentage of endoparasitoid (Triaspis thoracica) emergence holes and bruchid infestation level (BI = BD + PD)), agronomic traits and seed properties. The dark-colored, small- and medium-seeded accessions (var. minor and var. equina), commonly used for feed, had the lowest BI (4.21–8.17%) ranging below the limit of 10% set as the highest acceptable for using faba beans as feed. Large-seeded accessions (var. major), which had light-colored seed coat (testa) with yellow hue, showed BI from 11.80% up to 24.54%, far-above the limit of 3% for seeds used as food. Apart from the seed size and color, susceptible genotypes had more seeds per pod, less pods and less branches per plant, possibly offering an easy access to females for laying more eggs on the limited number of pods, albeit the more space and food (higher protein content per seed) they offer to the developing larvae. Phenols and tannins in seeds, a putative chemical defense mechanism against bruchid, did not associate with the percentage of bruchid- or endoparasitoid-damaged seeds. Concluding, certain plant architectural traits and seed properties related to bruchid infestation in faba beans can be used as useful tools to select tolerant genotypes.

This experiment aimed to assess the impact of deficit irrigation on both the quantitative and qualitative yield of forage maize hybrids. The study was structured as a split-plot design, utilizing a randomized complete block design with three replications, at the Agricultural Research Station of Gorgan in the years 2021 and 2022. Deficit irrigation was implemented at four different levels as the main plots, which comprised 100%, 75%, 50%, and 25% of the water requirement. These main plots were further subdivided into subplots, consisting of four hybrid varieties, namely SC703, SC704, ZP548, and BK50. The results showed that the highest total biomass (47,939 kg ha⁻¹) was obtained under 100% water requirement (control) and SC704 hybrid. The reduction in total biomass for the treatments at 75%, 50%, and 25% of the water requirement, when compared to the control treatment, amounted to 3160 kg ha⁻¹ (7%), 21,354.5 kg ha⁻¹ (47.4%), and 35,582.8 kg ha⁻¹ (79.1%), respectively. Deficit irrigation significantly affected qualitative traits except for neutral detergent fiber (NDF) at the level of 1% and increased all quality traits. Accordingly, the highest percentage of crude protein (CP), NDF and acid detergent fiber (ADF) was obtained by hybrid SC703 with 50% water requirement (by 9.20%), hybrid BK50 under 25% water requirement (by 30.73%), and BK50 with 75% water requirement (by 44.03%). The highest water use efficiency (WUE) was observed in 75% of the water requirement (7.79 kg m⁻³). Considering the significant reduction in water consumption (1795 m³ ha⁻¹) achieved with this treatment, it is advisable to recommend irrigation at 75% of the water requirement alongside the cultivation of the SC703 hybrid for forage production in the northern region of Iran.

The whitefly, Bemisia tabaci Mediterranean (MED), is an invasive pest of several crops, including soybeans. The objective of this study was to evaluate the resistance of soybean genotypes to B. tabaci MED, in addition to the influence of possibly related physical and morphological factors. A no-choice test was carried out with 90 soybean genotypes. Subsequently, 35 materials were selected for further no-choice and multiple-choice tests. Trichomes and leaf color of plants were observed, with the aim of correlating these factors with the preference and colonization of B. tabaci MED. The genotypes KS 4202, TMG 1188 RR, M 7739 IPRO, 65l65 IPRO, and PI 229358 were the least preferred by adults of B. tabaci MED. In the multiple-choice test, the lowest numbers of eggs and nymphs per square centimeter were observed for the genotypes Dowling, PI 229358, IAC 24, KS 4202. The genotypes IAC 19, TMG 1288 RR, TMG 1182 RR, 99R09, Dowling, and TMG 2375 IPRO presented the lowest numbers of eggs and nymphs in the no-choice assay. Plants with higher trichome density were preferred by adults of B. tabaci MED and, consequently, were more heavily colonized by these insects. Plants with leaves of lower luminosity and reduced green and yellow intensity were more attractive to the whiteflies. In summary, genotypes IAC 24, IAC 19, Dowling, 99R09, TMG 1182 RR, TMG 1288 RR and TMG 2375 IPRO exhibited lower colonization by B. tabaci MED in both assays, thus indicating their potential as promising sources of resistance to B. tabaci MED.

Soil salinity is a serious environmental threat to agricultural crops causing a significant reduction in growth and yield. Two percent of dry land and twenty percent of irrigation land in the world are affected by salt problems, which are rising continuously. Chickpea is considered sensitive to salt stress. In saline soil, plant growth and tolerance to salt have been reported to be enhanced by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF). Experiments were designed to study the effect of mycorrhiza on three desi varieties of chickpea (HC‑3, CSG-8962, and C‑235) under various levels of salinity stress. The genotypes were subjected to three increasing levels of salinity (2 dSm⁻¹, 3 dSm⁻¹, and 4 dSm⁻¹) and compared with or without mycorrhizal inoculation. Significant genotypic variations were observed in salt tolerance. Morpho-physiological parameters studied were root-shoot length, dry weight of root and shoot, and the number of nodules per plant. Biochemical parameters included proline, glycine betaine (GB), flavonoids, chlorophyll, anthocyanin content and nitrogen balance index (NBI). Salinity had a negative impact on each parameter. C‑235 was found to be more sensitive than HC‑3 and CSG-8962. However, colonization with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi—Rhizophagus fasciculatus (formerly called Glomus fasciculatum) enhanced all the parameters and was found to have a salinity-mitigating effect.

The negative effects of plant protection chemicals on the environment and human health have led scientists to research alternative control methods. Fungi, especially Trichoderma have an important place in biological control, one of the most common alternative methods. Licensed as an agricultural product, it has been effectively used in agricultural lands. This study aimed to evaluate long-lasting carriers of the ET 4 and ET 14 Trichoderma harzianum isolates, proven effective against different pathogens in previous studies, to allow licensing for their commercial and mass production in the industry. The efficacy of ET 4 and ET 14 isolates against Alternaria solani (isolate ET 66) was initially confirmed by testing in vitro and in vivo conditions. Then, spores of the fungus isolate developed on potato dextrose agar (PDA) were transferred to five different liquid media (soybean oil, neem oil, canola oil, paraffin oil, and glycerine) prepared as the carrier formulations. They were kept at room (22 ℃) and refrigerator (+4 ℃) temperatures for 10 months. The viability tests of the bioagent fungus were performed by sowing into PDA from the monthly samples taken from the formulations. In addition, at the end of the tenth month, the efficacy of the bioagents was tested against the pathogenic fungus in vitro and in vivo conditions. Even though the most successful carrier was neem oil with a very intense bioagent development, the bioagent maintained its viability in all carriers even at the end of the 10th month, with percent inhibition rates varying between 37.85% and 52.33% in vitro and between 14.26% and 3.95% in vivo conditions. It was concluded that paraffin, glycerin, and especially neem oil were good carriers for the T. harzianum bioagent, that the shelf life could be extended even more with further studies, and that it could be licensed as a biopesticide after toxicological and ecotoxicological evaluations.

Wheat is a major food for many people globally. It’s essential and widely grown worldwide. The effects of salinity were evaluated of 40 bread wheat genotypes at the seedling stage using heritability and genotypic association analysis. In this experiment, the pots were used to grow the seeds and were subjected to four different concentrations of salt (one control and three salt environments). Hence, the experiment was conducted using a complete randomized design CRD with four replications to determine the salinity-tolerant genotypes. The studied seedling traits namely were, germination percentage (GP), root length (RL), shoot length (SL), shoot fresh weight (SFW), root fresh weight (RFW), shoot dry weight (SDW), root dry weight (RDW), seedling length (SDL), vigor index (VI), relative water content (RWC), chlorophyll content (CC), turgid weight (TW), seedling fresh weight (SdFW), seedling dry weight (SdDW), and stomatal conductance (SC). Analysis of variance results showed that significance variability presence among genotypes and treatments (differnet salinity stressed). The genotypes G5, G27, and G37 performed well against the salinity stress and were considered salinity tolerant while the genotypes G12, G22, and G32 performed worst against stress and were considered salinity susceptible cultivars. The relative water content had a highly significant association in all salinity stressed conditions with all studied attributes while stomatal conductance had a non-significant association. The increase in the salt concentration delayed or stopped the seeds from germinating and in the case of other traits they were significantly affected by the saline environment. Our study suggests that, in future breeding programs, we may derive significant benefits from genotypes that have consistently performed well under salt stress conditions. These genotypes can be used to develop high-yielding, salt-tolerant wheat cultivars, thereby contributing to sustainable food production and global food security.

Abstract

Chocolate spot disease caused by Botrytis fabae is the most common fungal disease of faba bean (Vicia faba) in all its cultivation areas. This study tested the effectiveness of Epicoccum nigrum as a biocontrol agent and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) for controlling chocolate spot disease. The characterization of AgNPs was carried out by UV-visible spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). A maximum absorption peak is visible in the UV-visible spectrum at 400 nm. TEM images revealed that the AgNPs have a spherical-like shape in the micrograph and their average size is 45 ± 5 nm. XRD of AgNPs shows six clear reflections in the diffractogram were observed at 38.15^o, 44.39^o, 64.55^o and 77.73, 81.71^o and 98.35^o. In in vitro studies, eleven local isolates of E. nigrum and AgNPs at different concentrations (20, 40, 80 and 100 ppm) were assessed on the mycelium growth of B. fabae in the laboratory. The antagonistic results showed that the E. nigrum fungus isolates had a high ability to inhibit the pathogen’s growth to varying degrees. AgNPs, at a concentration of 100 ppm, inhibited the pathogenic fungus B. fabae by 75.93%. Foliar applications of E. nigrum and AgNPs reduced the disease severity of chocolate spot in both greenhouse and field, with AgNPs being the most effective in reducing the disease severity compared to the control. Data also showed that all of the studied agronomic traits, including plant height (cm), number of pods per plant and weight of 100 seeds (gm) were significantly increased by the application of these treatments. In comparison to untreated plants, all treatments significantly increased total phenol contents and peroxidase enzyme activity in treated plants. From the results, we conclude that E. nigrum and AgNPs were successful in protecting faba bean plants against chocolate spot disease, as well as improving growth and yield.