Annals of Applied Biology最新文献

The study of Potyvirus plumpoxi (plum pox virus, PPV) has a long history, beginning with its foundational description by Atanassof in 1932 in Bulgaria. Interest in the virus has significantly increased over the past decades, as evidenced by a rise in published articles, highlighting its importance in plant pathology. Research on PPV offers broader insights into the biology and pathology of the extensive Potyviridae virus family to which it belongs. The virus's large strain diversity and wide host range make it a key subject for research into plant–virus interactions, host adaptation and virus evolution. PPV causes sharka, the most damaging disease affecting stone fruit trees. Economic losses from sharka disease have recently been estimated at over €2.4 thousand million for the last 28 years. The significance of this disease is further amplified by the ease of aphid-mediated transmission from infected plant material and the virus's ability to establish and spread to new regions, making it a global agricultural challenge. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the various biological traits of PPV and will form the basis of an updated version on the Association of Applied Biologists Description of Plant Viruses for PPV.

Rhopalosiphum padi L. is one of the most devastating cereal aphids in the world. Its feeding does not induce a clear phytotoxic response in plants. Little information is available on defence response triggered by R. padi feeding on wild wheats, frequently used to improve hexaploid wheat. An attempt has been made to understand the differential biochemical and molecular responses of R. padi feeding on moderately resistant and susceptible Aegilops tauschii genotypes. RNA-Seq based transcriptomic analysis was conducted on 14 day-old leaf tissues of moderately aphid resistant (R) genotype (Ae. tauschii pau14232) and susceptible (S) genotype (Ae. tauschii pau14138) infested with R. padi for 12, 24 and 48 h. Plant response to aphid infestation was comparatively faster in R genotype. A total of 10,589 genes were altered in R genotype in comparison to only 8068 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in S genotypes. There was a gradual increase in significant DEGs from 12 to 48 h after R. padi infestation in R (4931–6582) and S genotype (4860–5736). Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis revealed that 18 pathway genes were differentially expressed in R and S genotypes at different feeding time intervals. Gene ontology enrichment analysis of DEGs after R. padi feeding indicated up-regulation of genes for secondary metabolite synthesis, reactive oxygen species (ROS)-scavenging, transcription factors (ethylene responsive transcript factor [ERF], NAC, WRKY, MADS-box and Myb) and salicylic acid and ethylene signalling pathways in R genotype while down-regulation in S genotype. However, photosynthesis and light-harvesting DEGs were down-regulated in both the genotypes resulting in decreased chlorophyll content. Biochemical analysis showed that R. padi feeding induced substantial hydrogen peroxide accumulation in R genotype unlike in S genotype. Also, activities of peroxidase and catalase were comparatively higher in R than S genotype, confirming efficient ROS-scavenging in R genotype. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction expression validation studies of 11 DEGs followed same trend as in RNA-Seq data. Our study concluded up-regulation of stress response genes, salicylate and ethylene signalling pathways and efficient ROS-scavenging imparted a fitness advantage to R genotype during R. padi attack, resulting in reduced nymphiposition and nymphal survival. These findings will help in understanding the mechanism of host plant resistance and the development of aphid resistant wheat varieties.

Flowering plants can be introduced in modern agroecosystems to support resident natural enemies in the context of Conservation Biological Control (CBC). Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) (Polygonales: Polygonaceae) has been shown to enhance the longevity of several parasitoids through the provision of high quality and easily accessible floral nectar. Yet floral nectar is ubiquitously colonized by microbes which can change nectar chemistry with consequences for parasitoids. Nonetheless, how bacteria associated with buckwheat floral nectar affect parasitoid performance is not known. In this study, adult females of Trissolcus basalis (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) and Ooencyrtus telenomicida (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae), two parasitoids of Nezara viridula (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), were provided with synthetic nectar fermented by 14 bacterial isolates originating from buckwheat nectar. We recorded the effect of bacterial fermentation on female longevity and nectar chemistry. In the case of T. basalis, females consuming nectar fermented by Bacillus sp., Brevibacillus sp., Brevibacterium frigoritolerans, Saccharibacillus endophyticus, and Terribacillus saccharophilus significantly enhanced their longevity compared with females fed with non-fermented nectar. For O. telenomicida, enhanced longevity was recorded only in the case of B. frigoritolerans and Pantoea dispersa. For both parasitoids, no negative effects due to bacterial fermentation of nectar were recorded. Chemical investigations of bacteria-fermented nectars revealed an increased diversity in the composition of sugars and sugar alcohols, whereas non-fermented nectar only contained sucrose. Our findings show that nectar-inhabiting bacteria are important “hidden players” in the interactions between flowers and parasitoids, an indication that a better understanding of plant–microbe–insect interactions could improve CBC programmes.

Organic manure plays an important role in soil fertility, microbial communities and sustainable agricultural strategies. In organic cultivation of crops, manures are mostly used without any calculation of the nutrients added to soil through their application. The quantities of nutrients supplied by the organic manures to the crop have to equalize the quantity of nutrients supplied by inorganic chemical fertilizers, in order to replace chemical fertilizers in organic farming. Since the organic manures release nutrients slowly into the soil over a period of time, the availability of nutrients to the standing crop requires precise estimation. In the present study, the amount of nutrients available in the soil as well as in all the manures was calculated. Moreover, the study included metagenomic analysis of different organic manures used by farmers and gives an insight to the role the microbiome plays in plant growth. Using a formula of STCR-IPNS (soil test crop response integrated plant nutrition system), the quantities of different combinations of organic manures required to supply nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK) to sunflower plants were calculated. Organic manure combinations using animal bone meal, neem cake, farmyard manure and vermicompost recorded better growth and yield responses in sunflower plants compared to inorganic chemical fertilizers. Based on the estimation of NPK in the individual manures and in the soil, pot experiments were carried out to understand the effect of organic manures as well as inorganic fertilizers in the vegetative and reproductive growth of sunflower.

Professor Peter John Lea (Figure 1), PhD, Emeritus Professor at Lancaster University, passed away on 16 June 2024. Tributes such as the one by Lancaster University (https://portal.lancaster.ac.uk/intranet/news/article/professor-peter-lea-phd-dsc-liverpool-fibiol), among others, have been paid to him soon after and an announcement was published on the website of Annals of Applied Biology (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/17447348).

Peter was a highly esteemed colleague, former Annals Senior Editor, and a dear friend. He retired as Emeritus Professor of Lancaster University and was renowned not only in his field, but well beyond.

Peter Lea received his BSc, PhD and DSc from the University of Liverpool in the late 1960s. He was a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Botany and Microbiology at University College London from 1970 until 1973. Following this he worked for almost 12 years in the Biochemistry Department at Rothamsted Experimental Station, now Rothamsted Research (https://www.rothamsted.ac.uk/). In 1985 he moved to Lancaster where he worked at Biological Sciences Department, now Lancaster Environmental Centre (https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/lec/—Figure 2), Lancaster University (https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/), as Professor of Biology until his retirement over 20 years later. His main research interests have been the pathways and mechanisms by which plants are able to take up nitrogen and convert it to amino acids and proteins that are used as animal and human food.

Peter's work on nitrogen assimilation was extremely relevant to crop improvement and to the work on nitrogen metabolism ever since. The discovery of glutamate synthases (E.C. 1.4.1.13 and E.C. 1.4.7.1) caused a major re-assessment of the way in which ammonium is assimilated in bacteria and higher plants. Two key articles (Lea & Miflin, 1974; Miflin & Lea, 1976) published with his colleague Prof. Ben Miflin are classical citations. He has also contributed with a significant amount of important work to the advancement of plant stress responses to abiotic stresses (Gratão et al., 2005), amino acids metabolism (Azevedo et al., 1997) and photorespiration (Keys et al., 1978).

Peter was also heavily involved in numerous other activities and was a member of the Association of Applied Biologists (https://www.aab.org.uk/) as President Elect 2005–2006 and President 2007–2008. He was also an Annals of Applied Biology Senior Editor for Crop Improvement for almost 12 years. He was a mentor to many students, scientists and editors.

He published/edited dozens of books and book chapters and over 300 papers. He also left his mark publishing important papers in Annals such as “Asparagine in plants” (Lea et al., 2007), which is the 8th most cited paper of the journal in its 110 years.

Peter will be missed. We all worked together with

Prof. Fernanda Fidalgo, Associate Professor w/Habilitation at the Biology Department, Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto, Portugal, member of the GreenUPorto, and coordinator of the Plant Stress Lab.

Plants exposed to drought not only have to cope with a shortage of water, but also with a simultaneous decrease in nutrient availability. In this greenhouse experiment, the responses of antioxidants and key metabolites to 2 or 4 days of water limitation immediately prior to harvest were compared to the effect of nutrient limitation with continued water supply in lettuce leaves. Water limitation led to a faster increase in stress intensity than nutrient limitation. While moderate drought stress led to a slight increase in the antioxidant compounds studied, there was a concomitant sharp decrease in starch content. Under nutrient limitation, an increase in the content of ascorbic acid, the proportion of reduced ascorbic acid and the content of phenolic compounds, flavonoids, soluble sugars and starch was observed in the mild phase of stress. These results suggest that reducing nutrient availability shortly before harvest could be a suitable means of improving the nutritional value of crops through cultivation practices as opposed to breeding.

Pest Management (PM) has its 1959 origin in Integrated Control, a combination of a reduced dose of insecticide with biological control. At the time, it was not recognised that the interaction between these two control methods was more than additive. This ‘superadditivity’ can also be achieved with the full dose of insecticide, for example, by localising its application in space. There is also likely to be superadditivity in the interaction between partial plant resistance and biological control. Pests on resistant hosts are usually smaller and the same mortality can often be obtained with just two-thirds or one-half of the dose of insecticide needed on susceptible plants, giving superadditivity between partial plant resistance and chemical control. These positive interactions between biological control, chemical control and partial host plant resistance form a ‘Pest Management Triad’, though legislation and risk-aversion may limit the practicability of protocols based on the Triad.

The cover of Annals of Applied Biology now features the strapline ‘Biosciences for Sustainability’.

Kokum (Garcinia indica (Thouars) Choisy) is an evergreen fruit tree, naturally distributed in the tropical rainforests of the Western Ghats in India, displaying polygamous characteristics. The economic significance of this tree is attributed to its fruit rind rich in pharmaceutical compounds such as hydroxy citric acid, garcinol and anthocyanin. The fruit rind is commonly utilised to create refreshing beverages. The demand for both kokum fruit and its derived products is on the rise within the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. To facilitate genetic enhancement, agronomic management and commercial cultivation, a comprehensive understanding of the periodic growth of kokum is essential. Presently, the Biologische Bundesanstalt, Bundessortenamt and Chemische Industrie (BBCH) phenological scale stands as the most credible and widely adopted framework. In this research endeavour, specific standard codes and descriptions were established for various growth stages of kokum. Utilising an extended BBCH scale ranging from 0 to 9, we delineated seven principal growth stages in kokum: Stage 0 for vegetative bud development, Stage 1 for leaf development, Stage 3 for shoot growth, Stage 5 for reproductive bud development, Stage 6 for flowering, Stage 7 for fruit development and Stage 8 for fruit maturity. Secondary stages were assigned based on observed growth event percentages. The duration and seasonal characteristics of each principal and secondary growth stage were meticulously recorded. This newly developed phenological scale serves as a versatile tool applicable to researchers, breeders and industrialists for enhancing agricultural production and effective scientific communication in the kokum research.