Fruitlet core rot disease in 'Queen Victoria' pineapple infructescence triggers local and systemic metabolome reconfigurations

We studied the metabolomes of 'Queen Victoria' pineapples subjected to the fungi-induced fruitlet core rot (FCR) disease, a major quality issue in the pineapple industry. Analyses were carried out on the pulp and skin of individual fruitlets within healthy or black spotted infructescences, in order to profile three types of samples: healthy, infected and asymptomatic fruitlets. Our results reveal distinct responses to FCR in pulp and skin of infected fruitlets, both quantitatively and qualitatively. The pulp displayed much stronger and diverse changes, including the implementation of a local phenolic-based defense reflecting both antimicrobial activity and cell wall turnover. Evidence of strong redox regulation linked to the presence of the pathogen was observed through variations in proline and glutathione-conjugated compounds. Moreover, among the numerous sugar variations, a particular trehalose pattern emerged as an antagonistic issue between the plant and the fungus. The activation of signaling pathways following the fungal attack was also revealed, with the accumulation of pipecolate and alpha-aminobutyrate, involved in defense priming and systemic acquired resistance. Interestingly, we also found significant metabolic changes in asymptomatic fruitlets, similar in nature but smaller in magnitude, demonstrating the existence of a systemic response to infection. This work opens the way to a better understanding of the infection and defense mechanisms involved in FCR and their consequences on organoleptic quality

Unraveling the cryptic Bemisia tabaci species complex: Global phylogenomic analysis reveals evolutionary relationships and biogeographic patterns

Bemisia tabaci is a complex of cryptic agro-economically important pest species characterized by diverse clades, substantial genetic diversity along with strong phylogeographic associations. However, a comprehensive phylogenomic analysis across the entire complex has been lacking, we thus conducted phylogenomic analyses and explored biogeographic patterns using 680 single-copy nuclear genes (SCNs) obtained from whole-genome sequencing data of 58 globally sourced B. tabaci specimens. We constructed both concatenation and coalescent trees using 680 SCNs, which produced highly supported bootstrap values and nearly identical topologies for all major clades. When comparing these concatenation trees with those constructed using mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (mtCOI) and mitochondrial genome, we found conflicting phylogenetic relationships, with the later trees recovering fewer major clades. In a separate comparison between concatenation and coalescent trees, particularly those generated using IQ-TREE, they were found to delineate population relationships more effectively than RaxML. In contrast, coalescent phylogenies were proficient in elucidating geographical dispersal patterns and the reorganization of biological species. Furthermore, we provided a strict consensus tree that clearly defines relationships within most clades, laying a solid foundation for future research on the evolution and taxonomy of B. tabaci. Ancestral range estimates suggested that the ancestral region of the complex is likely situated in equatorial Africa, the Middle East, and Mediterranean regions. Subsequently, the expansion occurred into part of the Palearctic and further into the Nearctic, Neotropical, Indomalayan, and Australasian regions. These findings challenge both previous classifications and origin hypotheses, offering a notably more comprehensive understanding of the global distribution, evolutionary history, diversification, and biogeography of B. tabaci

Unravelling cocoa drying technology: A comprehensive review of the influence on flavor formation and quality

Cocoa quality serves as a differentiating factor that provides monetary and non-monetary benefits to farmers, defined by the genotype, agroecological conditions of cultivation, and the post-harvest processes involved in transforming seeds into cocoa beans, including harvesting, pre-conditioning, fermentation, and drying. Drying plays a crucial role in ensuring the sensory, chemical, and microbiological quality of the beans, as simultaneous mass and heat transfer phenomena occur during this process, along with chemical reactions (both enzymatic and non-enzymatic) that influence the concentration and dynamics of phenolic compounds, organic acids, methylxanthines, and the formation of volatiles, directly impacting flavor development in cocoa beans. This paper comprehensively reviews cocoa drying methods, variables, and equipment and analyzes their impact on these flavor-determining compounds. The findings highlight that drying significantly contributes to the production of differentiated and specialty quality traits. An integral relationship between the methods, operating variables, and drying equipment applied to cocoa and their implications for the volatile and non-volatile compounds is described

Rapport de mission vanillier aux Seychelles - Projet Germination 3 - du 13 au 18 Juillet 2025

Context : The mission was carried out as part of the Germination 3 project " Preservation of agrobiodiversity in the Indian Ocean”. The GERMINATION 3 project, co-financed by the European Union, Région Réunion and Cirad, as part of the INTERREG VI Indian Ocean Program managed by Région Réunion, stands as a key initiative to protect and enhance agricultural plant genetic resources (APGR) in the southwestern Indian Ocean. In a context of climate change and increasing dependence on imports, it is crucial to secure these resources to ensure the resilience of regional agricultural systems. Among the project partners, we collaborate in the Seychelles with the MACCE (Ministry of Agriculture, Climate Change and Environment) to collect and secure the diversity of plants of interest to the Seychelles, such as sweet potatoes, cassava, yams and vanilla. It is then necessary to characterize this diversity (morphologically and/or genetically) for this valorisation and use by farmers and researchers. Main objective : The main objective of the mission was to assist vanilla producers in the Seychelles (Union Estate, La Digue and Mahe farmers): - By participating in the characterization and safeguard of the diversity of cultivated vanilla plants to maintain resilient agricultural systems - By promoting environmentally friendly agricultural practices adapted to local conditions and to global climate changes

Lignocellulosic-based hydrochars: Synthesis, characterization and application in water decontamination

The utilization of lignocellulosic biomass for the production of carbonaceous materials has become increasingly prominent in the fields of environmental engineering and the circular economy. With the establishment of new material sources, waste management has improved, and novel materials are being synthesized with a reduced environmental impact. Consequently, hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) emerges as a sustainable and environmentally friendly thermochemical technique for the treatment of lignocellulosic biomass, particularly agro-industrial waste. HTC produces a carbonaceous material called hydrochar, which has extensive applications in environmental water decontamination processes. Hydrochars derived from agro-industrial waste serve as a sustainable alternative for the reclamation of agro-industrial byproducts and exhibit desirable properties for use in water treatment processes. The abundance of oxygenated functional groups (OFGs) and the presence of persistent free radicals (PFRs) make hydrochar a carbonaceous material suitable for diverse water decontamination applications. This review offers a thorough analysis of the synthesis, characterization, properties, and applications of hydrochars in water decontamination via adsorption and advanced oxidation processes, including heterogeneous photocatalysis and persulfate activation

Thermal decomposition of spent lithium-ion batteries pouch: Investigating kinetic and thermodynamic compensation effects

A deeper understanding of the pyrolysis process for main and additional components in spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) could provide valuable insights for optimizing their recycling processes. This study examined the thermal behavior, kinetics, thermodynamics, and product evolution during the pyrolysis of laminate pouch primarily composed of polypropylene and polyamide. The kinetic compensation effect (KCE) and thermodynamic compensation effect (TCE) were also probed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the conversion. The degradation process was divided into three stages, with total mass loss ranging from 31.14 to 40.28 % and peak temperatures between 419 and 472 °C. The average activation energy was determined to be 118.06 kJ mol−1, with specific values of 99.25, 119.06 and 139.31 kJ mol−1 within conversion rate of 0.10–0.30, 0.35–0.75 and 0.80–0.95, respectively. The pouch conversion followed D1 diffusion mechanism. The KCE was confirmed and reconstructed displayed an excellent fit. Thermodynamic analysis implied that this conversion process was endothermic and non-spontaneous. Enthalpy and entropy relationship demonstrated the existence of TEC with compensation temperature (Tcomp) and experimental temperature (Texp) of 676.20 K and 693.23 K, respectively. In addition, free energy of compensation (ΔGcomp) was found to be 164.51 kJ mol−1, in agreement with experimental binding free energy (ΔGexp) range of 166.48–170.65 kJ mol−1, further confirmed the validity of the adopted mechanism