Deep network with score level fusion and inference-based transfer learning to recognize leaf blight and fruit rot diseases of eggplant

Eggplant is a popular vegetable crop. Eggplant yields can be affected by various diseases. Automatic detection and recognition of diseases is an important step toward improving crop yields. In this paper, we used a two-stream deep fusion architecture, employing CNN-SVM and CNN-Softmax pipelines, along with an inference model to infer the disease classes. A dataset of 2284 images was sourced from primary (using a consumer RGB camera) and secondary sources (the internet). The dataset contained images of nine eggplant diseases. Experimental results show that the proposed method achieved better accuracy and lower false-positive results compared to other deep learning methods (such as VGG16, Inception V3, VGG 19, MobileNet, NasNetMobile, and ResNet50)

PROTECTING OUR CROPS - APPROACHES FOR PLANT PARASITIC NEMATODE CONTROL

sem resum

Elucidating disease dynamics in the biocontrol of Ailanthus altissima while confirming the host specificity of the vascular wilt pathogen Verticillium nonalfalfae

Ailanthus altissima is a highly invasive exotic tree species entrenched throughout the United States. Since the discovery of a vascular wilt disease of Ailanthus in 2002, caused by the fungus Verticillium nonalfalfae, many studies are investigating its potential as a biocontrol focusing on efficacy, host specificity and disease transmission. This study addresses: the reproductive potential of Ailanthus; if V. dahliae alters Verticillium wilt progression; if hardiness zones influence the individual contributions of two Verticillium spp.; can a unique habitat affect biocontrol efficacy; and can the fungal proteome of V. nonalfalfae allow us to explain differences in host specificity? Cumulative seed production in individual Ailanthus reached ca. 10 and 52 million seeds over a 40-year and 100-year period, respectively. Forested sites inoculated with both Ailanthus pathogenic species of Verticillium experienced the same mortality rates as sites with just V. nonalfalfae alone. When comparing mortality caused by Verticillium wilt in three hardiness zones, it was found that there was no difference in disease progression. Ailanthus established on previous strip mine sites displayed resistance to the pathogen. Tree ring observations and X-ray fluorescence mineral assays indicated high concentrations of iron which inhibited Verticillium infection. Isolates of Verticillium species and strains from different plant hosts displayed differences in pathogenicity to Ailanthus seedlings and had distinct proteomes from each other when analyzed with MALDI-TOF-MS, indicating Verticillium isolates from different sources respond to their host environment differently

Grafting as a Sustainable Means for Securing Yield Stability and Quality in Vegetable Crops

Vegetable growers around the world only collect, on average, half of the yield they would obtain under optimal conditions, known as yield potential. It is estimated that 60–70% of the yield gap is attributable to abiotic factors such as salinity, drought, suboptimal temperatures, nutritional deficiencies, flooding, waterlogging, heavy metals contamination, adverse soil pH and organic pollutants, while the remaining 30–40% is due to biotic factors, especially soilborne pathogens, foliar pathogens, arthropods and weeds. Under climate change forecasts, the pressure of biotic/abiotic stressors on yield is expected to rise and challenge further global food security. To meet global demand, several solutions have been proposed, focusing on the breeding of varieties with greater yield potential, but this one-size-fits-all solution leads to limited benefits. In order to overcome the current situation, grafting of elite scion varieties onto vigorous rootstock varieties has been suggested as one of the most promising drives towards further yield stability. Specifically, the implementation of suitable rootstock × scion × environment combinations in Solanaceous (tomato, eggplant, pepper) and Cucurbitaceous (melon, watermelon, melon) high-value crops represents an untapped opportunity to secure yield stability and reliability under biotic/abiotic stresses. This Special Issue invites Original Research, Technology Reports, Methods, Opinions, Perspectives, Invited Reviews and Mini Reviews dissecting grafting as a sustainable agro technology for enhancing tolerance to abiotic stresses and reducing disease damage. In addition, the following are of interest: potential contributions dealing with genetic resources for rootstock breeding, practices and technologies of rootstock breeding, and rootstock–scion signaling, as well as the physiological and molecular mechanisms underlying graft compatibility. In addition, the effect of grafting on vegetable quality, practical applications and nursery management of grafted seedlings and specialty crops (e.g. artichoke and bean) will be considered within the general scope of the Special Issue. We highly believe that this compilation of high standard scientific papers on the principles and practices of vegetable grafting will foster discussions within this important field

Application of Plant Growth Promoting Microorganism and Plant Growth Regulators in Agricultural Production and Research

Plant growth-promoting microorganisms (PGPM) are groups of rhizosphere microorganisms capable of colonizing the root environment. Some of the microbes that inhabit this zone are bacteria and fungi that are capable of efficiently colonizing roots and rhizosphere soil. These microorganisms can be used as biofertilizers for improving agricultural production even under stressful environmental conditions. In contrast to PGPM, plant growth regulators (PGR) are chemical compounds that significantly affect the growth and differentiation of plant cells and tissues. They function as chemical messengers for intercellular communication and play a vital role in plant signaling networks as they are involved in the plant developmental process and a wide range of biotic and abiotic stress responses. The application of PGPM and plant growth regulators/hormones or the synthesis of PGR and signal transduction, perception, and cross-talk creates a complex network that plays an essential role in the regulation of plant physiological processes. A better understanding of the mechanism of action of PGPM and PGR and their roles in plant growth and development, interaction and independence in their action, and hormonal crosstalk under stresses is essential for agricultural production and research. Therefore, this book has contributions in the form of research and review papers from eminent scientists worldwide and discusses the role of PGPM and PGR in agriculture production and research, their potentials as biocontrol agents, their effects on physicochemical properties of soil, innovation for sustainable agriculture, their role in seed transplanting, and their role in mitigating biotic and abiotic stresses

Abstracts of invited talks, oral and poster presentations given at the 15th Congress of the Mediterranean Phytopathological Union, June 20–23, 2017, in Córdoba, Spain

All abstracts from oral and poster presentation

Abstracts of invited talks, oral and poster presentations given at the 15th Congress of the Mediterranean Phytopathological Union, June 20–23, 2017, in Córdoba, Spain

All abstracts from oral and poster presentation