Annals of Applied Biology最新文献

This study investigates the variation in hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA) and carthamin contents in safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) petals across different developmental stages and petal colours (white (W), yellow (Y), orange-red (O-R), and yellow-orange-red (Y-O-R)). Safflower is a multipurpose crop valued for its natural pigments, which are used in food colouring, fabric dyes, cosmetics and medicine. The research aims to determine the optimal harvest time for maximizing pigment yield and to explore the relationship between pigment content and flower colour parameters. The findings reveal that HSYA and carthamin contents vary significantly depending on petal colour and developmental stage. O-R petals exhibited the highest levels of both pigments, particularly during the initial flowering stage (IFS), while white petals had the lowest pigment content. Yellow petals showed an increase in HSYA content during later stages, but carthamin levels decreased. Although the PCA results indicate that the ‘c’ (chroma) parameter is strongly associated with the pigments, correlation analysis did not reveal a statistically significant relationship between the ‘c’ value and HSYA or carthamin. This suggests that, while chroma may contribute to overall colour variation in the multivariate context, its direct association with these specific pigments is not statistically supported. The results suggest that harvesting safflowers at the IFS stage, especially in genotypes with O-R petals, is optimal for maximizing pigment yield. These findings provide valuable insights for the agricultural and industrial applications of safflower pigments.

Abscisic acid (ABA) is a plant hormone that regulates key physiological processes, including stomatal closure, seed germination and development, and is central to the coordination of abiotic stress responses. In the six decades since it was first described, a huge amount of work has been conducted on ABA synthesis, breakdown and signalling mechanisms. ABA is synthesised mainly in vascular tissues and transported to distal sites to exert its physiological functions. This review presents an integrated overview of ABA metabolism and signalling. A major focus is placed on recent structural breakthroughs in the characterisation of adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette transporters, particularly ABCG25, which have revealed detailed molecular mechanisms of ABA recognition, binding and transmembrane transport. These discoveries, including transporter conformational dynamics and dimerisation with ABCG16, reveal how ABA movement is tightly controlled across cell membranes and intracellular compartments. As climate change intensifies, understanding ABA transport offers a promising avenue for future plant breeding and agricultural innovation.

Most pear cultivars require cross-pollination to enhance yields in both self-fertile and partially self-fertile cultivars. Due to the deficit of wild bees and the limited pollination efficiency of honey bees, alternative commercial pollinators should be considered. This study examined the pollination efficiency of the managed bee Osmia bicornis in a pear orchard containing three cultivars: ‘Conference’, ‘Deyonne du Comice’, and ‘Alexander Lucas’. The introduction of O. bicornis into the pear orchard proved effective, with this species comprising up to one-fifth of the total pollinator population when nesting sites were located within 60 m of the trees. The management of O. bicornis improved fruit set in self-sterile cultivars but did not affect parthenocarpic cultivars. The higher number of fruits per inflorescence, as well as greater fruit weight and diameter, when flowers were pollinated by red mason bees rather than self-pollination, predict an improvement in the total yield. compared to self-pollination. The pollen bag method employed in the study highlighted the vital role of O. bicornis in geitonogamy in pears. The findings demonstrate that the use of these managed bees can enhance yields in single-cultivar orchards, including self-pollinating and parthenocarpic cultivars.

The forest–steppe zone of the Qilian Mountains displays a mosaic of habitats, comprising Picea crassifolia forest (PCF) and alpine steppe (AS), at mid-elevation. This mosaic has a significant impact on the distribution and response pattern of ground arthropod diversity to increases in elevation. The present study was conducted in the Dayekou watershed, situated on the northern slope of the Qilian Mountains. The investigation of ground arthropods employed pitfall trapping techniques during the period between July and August 2021 in PCF and AS habitats with varying elevation gradients. The results demonstrated significant differences in the ground arthropod assemblage between the PCF and AS habitats. Altitudinal variations were also found to influence the compositions of ground arthropods in both habitat types. However, the abundance and diversity of ground arthropods were markedly higher in PCF habitats than in AS habitats. Furthermore, trends in the evenness index of ground arthropods across vegetation habitats were inversely related to trends in abundance and diversity. Among the 12 identified major families of ground arthropods, three (Lithobiidae, Phalangiidae and Staphylinidae) were predominantly associated with PCF habitats, while five (Lycosidae, Arcypteridae, Lygaeidae, Formicidae and Carabidae) were primarily found in AS habitats. The capture rates of the remaining four families varied little between the two habitat types. The results of a co-occurrence network analysis of these 12 major ground arthropod families indicated that, evolutionarily, predatory arthropods in PCF habitats were closer to other arthropod taxa than were those in AS habitats, suggesting a more complex community structure of ground arthropods in PCF habitats. Additionally, the results of a redundancy analysis indicated that the tree canopy density, shrub cover, herbaceous cover and species richness were the primary factors influencing the assemblage of ground arthropods in both PCF and AS habitats; collectively, these factors accounted for 75.9% of the observed variation in ground arthropod populations. In conclusion, the distribution patterns of ground arthropods on the northern slopes of the Qilian Mountains were found to be significantly influenced by changes in vegetation type, whereas variations in altitude within the same vegetation type appeared to have a lesser effect on these patterns.

A total of 11 fungal isolates were obtained from the native mycobiota of Nasutitermes corniger and identified to species level. Six isolates were identified as species of the Fusarium fujikuroi species complex (FFSC), namely F. sacchari (3), F. verticillioides (1), F. musae (1) and Fusarium termitarium sp. nov. (1). The latter is described here as a new species. Two isolates were identified as Paecilomyces formosus, and three as Purpureocillium sodanum. The viability of the isolates was assessed and their pathogenicity tested against N. corniger at a concentration of 1 × 10⁷ conidia/mL. All the isolates showed viability above 90.00%. Under the conditions tested, the fungi showed moderate pathogenicity. The mortality observed for the Fusarium isolates ranged from 25.56% to 38.33%. The other isolates had mortality rates ranging from 23.33% to 33.33%. Studies such as ours allow the identification of new taxonomic findings and contribute with information on ecology and biological control of arboricolous termites.

Citrus greasy spot, caused by Zasmidium citri-griseum, has been reported in different citrus-growing areas in America. Greasy spot-like symptoms have also been described in other regions associated to Amycosphaerella africana. Ascospores are considered the main way of multiplication in both fungal species. The effects of temperature and water regime on ascospore release and potential infectious periods of Z. citri-griseum and A. africana were studied under controlled conditions. The optimal temperature for ascospore release was 24.35°C for Z. citri-griseum, and 17.66°C for A. africana. The optimal water volume for ascospores release was 5.39 mm for Z. citri-griseum and 1.23 mm for A. africana. The potential infectious period for Z. citri-griseum showed the end of the lag phase for ascospore release at 3.21 days and the end of the exponential phase at 28.94 days. Thirty-five wetting and drying cycles were required to exhaust the ascospores deposit in the citrus leaf litter. For A. africana, the end of the lag phase occurred at 2.82 days and the end of the exponential phase at 22.94 days. Thirty cycles were required to exhaust the ascospores. The information obtained about the effects of temperature and water regime on ascospore release and potential infectious period in citrus leaf litter contributes to better understand the biology of Z. citri-griseum and A. africana and improve disease control.

Bee pollination increases crop yield quantity and quality. However, pollination requirements for pollen quantity and quality to maximise yield components remain unknown for most crops. Moreover, the role of pollen distribution within multi-pistillate flowers that produce aggregate fruits in determining fruit quality has remained unexplored. We assessed the effects of pollen quantity and quality on fruit set and fruit quality, using raspberry (Rubus idaeus, variety: Autumn Bliss) as a model crop. Across 50 censuses, we recorded 964 visits to raspberry flowers, with Bombus terrestris (66%) and Apis mellifera (30%) as the main flower visitors, followed by native bees (4%). We conducted five pollination treatments (hand self-pollination, hand cross-pollination, spontaneous self-pollination, open pollination, and pollen supplementation), estimating pollen receipt, its distribution among stigmas, and fruit set and quality. Flowers isolated from pollinators (i.e., spontaneously self- pollinated) set 26% fewer fruits and 74% fewer ‘high-quality’ fruits than those visited by pollinators (i.e., open-pollinated). On average, flowers visited by pollinators also set heavier and better-shaped fruits with more drupelets than isolated flowers. The number of drupelets per fruit increased with both the average pollen grains per stigma and the proportion of stigmas receiving at least 15 pollen grains, a measure of pollen distribution within the multi-pistillate flowers. Thus, bee pollination increases fruit quality by optimizing the quantity and distribution of pollen grains among stigmas in multi-pistillate flowers.

The use of biostimulants in horticulture has gained increased attention for their potential to enhance crop growth, yield and contribute to tolerance to abiotic stresses. However, the literature on the effects of different biostimulants across diverse agricultural contexts and systems is fragmented, focusing on a single biostimulant category, crop or growing system. In this work, we reviewed the literature across all biostimulant categories in representative horticulture crops (strawberry, leafy greens and mushrooms). Our search resulted in five mushroom, 27 spinach, 94 strawberry and 140 lettuce studies reporting the effects of biostimulants in protected and unprotected production systems. Most of the studies revealed positive effects on growth or yield across crops, ‘Microbial’ biostimulants being the most studied category. The use of biostimulants in protected production systems dominated the research, especially in lettuce and strawberry, while research in spinach and mushroom production is less extensive. The potential of biostimulants to reduce reliance on chemical fertilisers was addressed in some studies and some demonstrated yield improvements under reduced fertilisation. This could offer a pathway toward more sustainable farming practices, but an increase in life-cycle assessment studies is needed to understand how biostimulants contribute to sustainable practices. This review also explored the regulatory framework governing biostimulant use, noting glaring variation between regions. The review emphasises the need to expand research to underrepresented crops and biostimulant categories, develop consistent regulatory frameworks and increase the understanding of the role of biostimulants in sustainable agriculture.

White grub, Holotrichia serrata (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), is one of the most destructive pests of sugarcane in India. Though it is a major pest, its biology in sugarcane has not yet been studied in detail. It would be difficult to manage the pest without knowing its biology on the host plant. Hence, the biology of H. serrata was studied in sugarcane and its shoot powder-based artificial diet under laboratory conditions. This is the first report on the biology of H. serrata in sugarcane and artificial diet. The artificial diet standardised in this study could support the pest to complete its life cycle successfully. In sugarcane shoot chips, the duration of egg, larval and pupal stages of male individuals was 10–12, 121–154 and 15–21 days, respectively. The corresponding values for females were 10–12, 120–151, and 15–20 days, respectively. The longevity of adult males and females was in the range of 57–78 and 68–81 days, respectively. Male and female insects completed their life cycle in 237.1 and 240.5 days, respectively. In artificial diet, they could complete their life cycle in 255.4 and 275.3 days, respectively. Sugarcane chips and the artificial diet have thus been proved to support the entire life cycle of H. serrata. In the present study, H. serrata passed through three instars to attain its pupal stage both in natural host and artificial diet. The mean head-capsule widths were 2.72 + 0.09, 4.49 + 0.15 and 7.25 + 0.59 mm for the first through third instar grubs of cane-reared population. The corresponding values for diet-reared grubs were 2.74 + 0.20, 4.66 + 0.37 and 7.66 + 0.25 mm, respectively. The mean Dyar's ratios were 1.633 and 1.672 for cane-reared and diet-reared grubs, respectively. Excellent linearity between the instars and mean head-capsule width, and frequency histogram with three prominent peaks confirm that the white grub has three instars. The findings of this study would have a significant impact in applied entomology. The use of sugarcane shoot chips or an artificial diet to rear the population under laboratory conditions is simple, cost-effective and ensures the availability of grubs all through the years for the studies on applied agricultural entomology.