Annals of Applied Biology最新文献

The invasion of the terrestrial ecosystem by gastropods has immense negative impacts on ecosystem functions, health, and agricultural plants. The non-native slug, Deroceras laeve (O. F. Müller, 1774), a recognised agricultural pest in native and invaded regions, was recently reported from the Darjeeling Himalayas, India. We assessed the plant palatability and preference of D. laeve using selected plants being farmed in Darjeeling Himalayas (basil, cabbage, coriander, lettuce, mint, pumpkin leaf, and spinach) by laboratory-based choice and non-choice experiments. Moreover, we evaluated the correlation between different chemical features of the plants with the consumption rate of D. laeve and observed the fecundity of D. laeve reared on different plant diets. The highest consumption rate of D. laeve was observed for pumpkin (12.99 ± 1.33 mg dry mass) and the lowest for mint (1.63 ± 0.13 mg dry mass), with a significant positive correlation between consumption rate and D. laeve body mass (for lettuce: R = .47, p = .0009 and other plant species: R = .52, p = .00004) was observed through the non-choice experiment. Moreover, the consumption rate of the non-native slug, D. laeve, was considerably higher than a controphic slug, Meghimatium bilineatum. In the choice experiment, D. laeve preferred lettuce, followed by pumpkin, cabbage, and coriander, even in the presence of detritus and significantly avoided spinach, mint, and basil. The consumption rate of D. laeve had a significant negative correlation with calcium (R = −.49, p = .003) and potassium (R = −.37, p = .03), and a positive correlation was observed for magnesium (R = .37, p = .03). However, no correlation was observed for zinc, silica, total carbohydrate, protein, and phenol content of the leaves. The highest fecundity of D. laeve was observed in the lettuce and cabbage diet, while no eggs were laid on the mint diet. Hence, the consumption of different leaves, irrespective of physical and chemical features (hairiness, amount of silicon, protein, carbohydrate, and phenol), suitable life history traits, and suitable habitats, may facilitate D. laeve as a potential agricultural pest in the Darjeeling Himalayas, India.

The cultivation of açai palm, which yields tasteful and nutritional fruits, has been stimulated by the high commercial values of açai pulps; however, the occurrence of anthracnose (a disease caused by the fungus Colletotrichum gloeosporioides) on açaí nursery and orchards has been a challenge for the shift from açaí extractivism to its cultivation. The interaction among endophytic fungi and host can change the plant disease severity, facilitating infection by phytopathogens and increasing its damage to plants. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the antagonistic activity of five endophytic fungi against C. gloeosporioides, as well as to evaluate the anthracnose severity in açaí seedlings in response to the inoculation of the most promising of the tested endophytic fungus. First, in vitro evaluation showed that most of the fungi were able to grow over C. gloeosporioides mycelia. The endophytic fungi Graphium sp. 2.4765 and Hypoxylon anthochroum 2.4996 recorded the highest rates of growth inhibition, 79.3% and 77.0%, respectively. Because H. anthochroum 2.4996 presented better in vitro growth and spore production, it was chosen for subsequent evaluations. Second, in planta evaluation showed that the inoculation of H. anthochroum 2.4996 in diseased plants enhanced both the necrotic area in leaflets and disease symptoms. Third, comparative analyses based on the cultural, micromorphological and molecular characteristics have shown that such strain is related to H. anthochroum. Overall, this study highlights the complexity of the plant–microbe interactions.

Neonectria ditissima infects apple trees through wounds, causing European canker. In the UK, the most important entry site for N. ditissima is leaf scar. Specific apple endophytes may contribute to cultivar resistance/tolerance to the pathogen. We assessed the relative effect of location, sampling time (season), and rootstock/scion genotype on bacterial and fungal endophyte communities in the apple leaf scar tissues of current-season extension shoots and identified Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) with differential abundance between canker resistant and susceptible scions, and between rootstocks. Leaf scar tissues were sampled from two orchards at three times (10/2018, 06/2019 and 10/2019) for eight scion cultivars, each grafted onto two rootstocks, for profiling 16S and ITS rRNA regions. Endophyte composition was primarily affected by season (autumn vs. spring) and location (sites and blocks within site). There was a significant reduction in the community size in the spring, particularly for fungi, and species turnover between autumn and spring. This seasonal dynamics suggest that to protect leaf scars from N. ditissima infection in the autumn specific endophytes suppressing canker may have to be augmented annually around the leaf-fall time. Scion and rootstock genotypes had limited effects on the endophyte community. A group of resistant cultivars differed from a group of susceptible ones in the relative abundance of many bacterial and fungal OTUs, most of which had low reads numbers. Nevertheless, several OTUs with high reads numbers differed in their relative abundance between resistant and susceptible scions, including OTUs from Sphingomonas, Methylobacterium, Vishniacozyma and Rhodotorula babjevae, and warrant further investigation for their potential role in host resistance/tolerance against N. ditissima.

This study examines the impact of crude oil and fertiliser price changes on maize crop prices in India using monthly time series data from May 2007 to September 2022. The best-fitted Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average model with the lowest Akaike's Information Criterion value is selected, and the Box–Ljung test is used to validate the prediction accuracy. Empirical results suggest that maize price is driven by crude oil and fertiliser prices since it has been found that maize prices are highly positively correlated with the prices of crude oil and fertiliser. Also, a strong correlation has been found between crude oil and fertiliser prices. The investigation for forecasting the next 15 months from November 2022 also revealed that maize prices showed no volatility because of a constant trend, but crude oil prices showed a declining trend, while di-ammonium phosphate prices showed an increasing trend over the period from November 2022 to February 2023. They then declined to June 2023 but again showed an increasing trend from July 2023 to January 2024 and achieved the highest price in December 2023. Because of a constant trend, urea prices showed no volatility over the 15 months. The estimates can aid the government in formulating policies to maintain agricultural crop production and control input price changes to meet the growing population's food demands.

The dried bean beetle, Acanthoscelides obtectus, is an economically important pest of stored legumes worldwide. Tracking the human-aided dispersion of its primary hosts, the Phaseolus vulgaris beans, it is now widespread in most bean-growing areas of the tropics and subtropics. In temperate regions where it can only occasionally overwinter in the field, A. obtectus proliferates in granaries, having multiple generations a year. Despite its negative impact on food production, no sensitive detection or monitoring tools exist, and the reduction of local populations still relies primarily on inorganic insecticides as fumigating agents. However, in the quest to produce more nutritious food more sustainably and healthily, the development of environmentally benign crop protection methods is vital against A. obtectus. For this, knowledge of the biology and chemistry of both the host plant and its herbivore will underpin the development of, among others, chemical ecology-based approaches to form an essential part of the toolkit of integrated bruchid management. We review the semiochemistry of the mate- and host-finding behaviour of A. obtectus and provide new information about the effect of seed chemistry on the sensory and behavioural ecology of host acceptance and larval development.

Continuous faba bean (Vicia faba L.) cropping causes adverse effects, including increased secretion of autotoxic substances (benzoic acid) and incidence of diseases (Fusarium wilt). Fusarium commune infects faba bean seedlings and is treated with different benzoic acid concentrations. Therefore, this investigation analysed the association of benzoic acid with faba bean wilt incidence and the mechanisms involved. Furthermore, seedling growth, tissue structure, Fusarium wilt incidence, cell wall degrading enzymes (CWDEs) activity, lignin levels, and leaf photosynthetic parameters were assessed. The results indicated that fungal infection markedly reduced biomass and photosynthesis in the faba bean. Microscopic analysis showed slightly thickened stems' xylem vessels. Benzoic acid treatment with F. commune infection substantially increased F. commune-mediated CWDEs activity in the faba bean stem and lignin level but reduced photosynthesis and biomass, elevating Fusarium wilt incidence. Furthermore, broken tissues, xylem thickening, and stem cavities were observed. The investigation indicated that benzoic acid treatment and F. commune infection-induced stem lignin might be a resistance response; however, increased pathogenicity and reduced photosynthesis enhanced susceptibility and aggravated Fusarium wilt.

Enhancing the productivity of seed potato production systems by improving the size of the tubers is a primary concern. Punjab, a state located in the northwest region of India, meets 60% of the country's seed requirements. In order to optimize the morpho-physiological aspects, root structure, and overall yield of seed-sized tubers, research trials were carried out at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana over two consecutive years. The trial consisted of 11 different treatments and was conducted using a randomized complete block design with three replications. The application of Gibberellic acid at a concentration of 200 ppm, at 45 and 60 days after sowing (DAS), resulted in significantly higher yields of seed-sized tubers measuring <4.5 cm. This treatment also exhibited superior root architecture parameters and accumulation of dry matter, outperforming all other growth regulation treatments. Compared to the untreated control group, the Gibberellic acid application led to a remarkable increase of 45.9% and 39.8% in seed-sized tuber yields. Furthermore, it significantly boosted the protein, starch, antioxidant (total phenols), sugar (total and reducing), and mineral content (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) in the tubers, surpassing the effects of all other growth regulation treatments. These results suggested that the exogenous use of gibberellic acid (200 ppm) at 45 and 60 DAS substantially improved the physiology, root architecture, and yield of seed-sized tubers.

Phloeosinus aubei is invasive in Central Europe, spreading northward from the Mediterranean region because of climate change. P. aubei has the potential to become a pest of mature, naturally occurring juniper trees (Juniperus communis) in protected areas, as well as junipers, thujas and cypresses in nurseries and urban environments. In 2020 and 2021, we conducted two experiments to compare various lures for trapping P. aubei. In the first experiment, we compared four lures: α-pinene; turpentine; a mixture of cade oil, juniper berry oil and ethanol; and a juniper branch (8–10 cm long, 3–5 cm wide) deployed with ethanol. In the second experiment, we compared Hostowit® with a juniper branch (8–10 cm long, 3–5 cm wide) deployed with ethanol. In both experiments, juniper branches deployed with ethanol attracted a greater number of P. aubei beetles compared to the other lures. In total, we captured 1056 individuals belonging to 36 species of Scolytinae. Among the most abundant species, Xyleborinus saxesenii, Xyleborus monographus and Anisandrus dispar were lured by ethanol in combination with other substances or deployed with juniper branches. Xyleborus dryographus showed a positive association with turpentine. Ips typographus was positively associated with α-pinene, while Orthotomicus laricis, Hylastes attenuatus and Gnathotrichus materiarius were positively associated with Hostowit® lure.

The palm weevils Rhynchophorus palmarum and Dynamis borassi are prominent pest species in peach palms and coconut in Colombia. Nevertheless, knowledge of the population dynamics of these weevil species in the neotropical region is still scarce. In this study, we systematically sampled these weevils over 2 years using pheromone traps (1 trap ha⁻¹) in an experimental peach palm plantation under heavy weevil infestation in southwestern Colombia. Additionally, we censused the palms in a portion of the plantation (a peach palm germplasm bank) before and after the weevil monitoring. We analysed the data to elucidate sex-specific temporal and spatial patterns of both R. palmarum and D. borassi in a 19.13 ha area. Furthermore, we sought to detect peach palm landraces within the germplasm bank susceptible and resistant/tolerant to the weevil attack. During periods when insect populations were high, we observed that R. palmarum consistently outnumbered D. borassi. Specifically, we found that R. palmarum reached up to 80 insects trap⁻¹ month⁻¹, while D. borassi only reached around 30 insects trap⁻¹ month⁻¹ during the peak months. However, both species exhibited synchronous population peaks, which were not related to rainfall or temperature but rather to the phenological stage of the peach palm. Furthermore, the weevils had a highly aggregated spatial pattern; insect catchments were more prolific in areas where the landraces Nariño and Risaralda were sown. Moreover, the census evidenced that these two landraces were the most affected. Contrarily, weevil capture was overall low around the Guaviare landrace, this was the only landrace that exhibited an increase in stipes between census years. Our results highlight that complementary control strategies are needed to counteract sudden weevil population outbreaks, as pheromone traps are a good tool for monitoring but not for effective control. Furthermore, more importantly, a peach palm breeding programme based on the identified genotypes should be the basis for the integrated pest management of palm weevils.

The pasture legume Trifolium subterraneum ssp. yanninicum L. is waterlogging tolerant, but water-deficit (WD) susceptible. The interactive effect of waterlogged (WL) and WD (soil moisture fluctuation [SMF]) results in a severe stress impact. We studied three diverse ecotypes to identify traits associated with adaptation to SMF. Ecotypes were established in a glasshouse with two treatments imposed at 21 days: well-watered (WW–WW; 80% field capacity [FC]) and WL to WD (WL–WD). For WL–WD, pots were WL for 28 days (Harvest I), and then transitioned to WD (drained to 40% FC) and maintained for 10 days (Harvest II). For shoot relative growth rates (RGR) at Harvest I, WL had relatively little impact, although there was a greater reduction for Ecotype A (80% of WW) than Ecotypes B (92%) and C (87%). However, between Harvests I and II, the impact of WL–WD varied among ecotypes with Ecotype A being less affected (75% of WW–WW) than Ecotypes B (57%) and C (63%). For root RGR at Harvest I, WL resulted in a greater reduction for Ecotype A (52% of WW) than Ecotypes B (77%) and C (74%), while for WL–WD between Harvests I and II, Ecotype A showed a large increase (117% of WW–WW) compared to Ecotypes B (95%) and C (87%). In conclusion, the response to WD following WL varied among ecotypes, which demonstrates contrasting adaptation responses to SMF unrelated to WL tolerance. High yield under WL together with capacity for rapid growth post-WL in a drying soil profile could enhance adaptation to SMF.