Antioxidant Responses of Water-Stressed Cherry Tomato Plants to Natural Biostimulants

[EN] Biostimulants' application to plants can reduce the damage caused by abiotic factors such as drought or salinity and improve crop yield under these stressful conditions. In this work, several biostimulants, namely Terrabion Aminovit® (a commercial product based on amino acids), potassium fulvate, humic acids, and a seaweed extract, were applied to cherry tomato plants using fertigation at two doses of 0.2 and 1.0 g L¿1. The plants were then subjected to a water stress treatment by completely withholding irrigation for 12 days. After the treatments, all plants were harvested to determine several growth and biochemical parameters. Pre-treatment with all biostimulants protected the tomato plants against dehydration, as indicated by a significant increase in leaf water content compared to the non-irrigated controls. Leaf fresh weight and root water content also increased, except in the plants treated with humic acids, by about 2 fold in plants pre-treated with Terrabion Aminovit® and 1.5 fold in the presence of potassium fulvate and the seaweed extract. The water stress treatment caused a significant increase in leaf proline content, up to 113.6 mol g¿1 DW, approximately 18 fold higher than in well-irrigated control plants; this value was significantly lower in Terrabion Aminovit® pre-treated plants but even higher, ca. 180 mol g¿1 DW, in those treated previously with the seaweed extract. These results indicate that proline is a suitable water stress biomarker in tomatoes and that the biostimulants probably differ in their mode of action, suggesting that the effect of the seaweed extract is mediated by proline accumulation. A significant activation of antioxidant enzymes, namely superoxide dismutase, ascorbate peroxidase, and glutathione reductase, was also observed in water-stressed plants; application of the biostimulants resulted in all cases, in a significant reduction in the specific activities of the three enzymes, indicating reduced levels of drought-induced oxidative stress in the plants. We conclude that applying these biostimulants, particularly Terrabion Aminovit®, may help minimise the adverse effects of water stress on tomatoes by maintaining turgor and improving growth through mechanisms still unknown but which appear to involve, at least in part, enhancing the plants¿ antioxidant defence responses.This work was supported by the Centre for Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI), Spanish Government. Project: Prevention of abiotic stress by potassium biostimulant fertilisers.Gil-Ortiz, R.; Naranjo, MÁ.; Atares, S.; Vicente, O. (2023). Antioxidant Responses of Water-Stressed Cherry Tomato Plants to Natural Biostimulants. Agronomy. 13(9). https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy1309231413

Micronutrient Fertiliser Reinforcement by Fulvate Lignosulfonate Coating Improves Physiological Responses in Tomato

[EN] Micronutrients are essential to plants, and enhancing their availability is one of the agronomic challenges to improving crop quality and yield. This study, under controlled greenhouse conditions, compares tomato plants¿ responses to two different micronutrient EDTA-chelated formulations, one of them including a newly developed fulvate¿lignosulfonate coating. Growth, yield, and several physiological parameters, including photosynthetic gas exchange, water-use efficiency, leaf nutrient content, leaf greenness and the effective quantum yield of photosystem II, were measured to compare their efficiency. The results showed that the new coated formulation significantly improved growth and most of the determined physiological parameters. At the end of the experiment, higher foliar levels of Fe (2.4-fold) and Mn (2.9-fold) were measured, revealing increased availability of lignofulfonate-complexed micronutrients compared to the traditional fertiliser. Moreover, the photosynthesis rate and stomatal conductance were 9- and 20-fold higher, respectively, than when using the standard fertiliser. In conclusion, the new coated fulvate¿lignosulfonated fertiliser provided a more suitable source of micronutrients for tomato plant fertilisation, allowing for higher yields, which correlated with a generally improved physiological response.This work was supported by the Centre for Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI), Spanish Government (grant number IDI-20131255). The APC was funded by R.G.-O.Gil Ortiz, R.; Naranjo, MÁ.; Atares, S.; Vicente, O.; Morillon, R. (2023). Micronutrient Fertiliser Reinforcement by Fulvate Lignosulfonate Coating Improves Physiological Responses in Tomato. Agronomy. 13(8). https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy1308201313

Consideraciones empresariales sobre la Acuicultura

Abstract not availabl

Agronomic Assessment of a Controlled-Release Polymer-Coated Urea-Based Fertilizer in Maize

[EN] Increasing nutrient use efficiency of fertilizers is one of the major challenges to improve crop yields and minimize environmental impacts. This work compared the efficacy of a new ecological polymer-coated urea fertilizer and a slow release urea-based traditional fertilizer. Reductions in the N doses of the polymer-coated fertilizer were tested. A comparative study was first carried out by measuring the different physiological and yield parameters at the micro-scale level, and later-on field experiments were performed. Grain yield in the field was significantly higher (20%) when applying the new controlled-release fertilizer than when using the traditional one at the same dose. A 20% reduction in N content in the new fertilizer gave similar physiological and yield responses compared to the traditional fertilizer. We conclude that this new fertilizer can be used in extensive cropping of maize, guaranteeing at least the same yields than traditional fertilizers, with a reduction on the impact on soil properties and nitrogen losses.This research was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, grant number RTC-2014-1457-5, with the project entitled "Los CRFs como alternativa a los fertilizantes tradicionales: buscando una mayor proteccion del medio ambiente" ("CRFs as an alternative to traditional fertilizers: seeking greater protection of the environment").Gil-Ortiz, R.; Naranjo, MÁ.; Ruiz-Navarro, A.; Caballero-Molada, M.; Atares, S.; Garcia, C.; Vicente, O. (2021). Agronomic Assessment of a Controlled-Release Polymer-Coated Urea-Based Fertilizer in Maize. Plants. 10(3):1-15. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants1003059411510

Enhanced Agronomic Efficiency Using a New Controlled-Released, Polymeric-Coated Nitrogen Fertilizer in Rice

[EN] Fertilizer-use efficiency is one of the most critical concerns in rice cultivation to reduce N losses, increase yields, and improve crop management. The e ects of a new polymeric-coated controlled-release fertilizer (CRF) were compared to those of other slow-release and traditional fertilizers in a microscale experiment, which was carried out in cuvettes under partly controlled ambient conditions, and a large-scale field experiment. To evaluate the fertilizer¿s efficiency, nitrogen and water-use efficiency were calculated using the measurement of different photosynthetic and crop yield parameters. Improved responses regarding some of the analyzed physiological and growth parameters were observed for those plants fertilized with the new CRF. In the microscale experiment, significantly increased yields (ca. 35%) were produced in the plants treated with CRF as compared to traditional fertilizer. These results were in accordance with ca. 24% significant increased levels of N in leaves of CRF-treated plants, besides increased P, Fe, Mn, and cytokinin contents. At the field scale, similar yields were obtained with the slow-release or traditional fertilizers and CRF at a 20% reduced N dose. The new controlled-release fertilizer is a urea-based fertilizer coated with lignosulfonates, which is cheaply produced from the waste of pulp and wood industries, containing humic acids as biostimulants. In conclusion, CRF is recommended to facilitate rice crop management and to reduce contamination, as it can be formulated with lower N doses and because it is ecological manufacturing.This research was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, grant number RTC-2014-1457-5, with the project entitled "Los CRFs como alternativa a los fertilizantes tradicionales: buscando una mayor proteccion del medio ambiente" ("CRFs as alternative to traditional fertilizers: looking for a better protection of the environment").Gil-Ortiz, R.; Naranjo, MÁ.; Ruiz-Navarro, A.; Atares, S.; García, C.; Zotarelli, L.; San Bautista Primo, A.... (2020). Enhanced Agronomic Efficiency Using a New Controlled-Released, Polymeric-Coated Nitrogen Fertilizer in Rice. Plants. 9(9):1-17. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9091183S1179

Efficacy of Erwinia amylovora and Xanthomonas campestris pv campestris phages to control fire blight and black rot in vivo

Phytopathogens, such as Erwinia amylovora and Xanthomonas campestris, pose significant threats to agriculture, leading to substantial economic losses. Traditional chemical pesticides can harm soil fertility, contaminate water, and impact non-target organisms such as natural predators and pollinators, highlighting the need for sustainable pest control methods. This study explores the use of bacteriophages as biocontrol agents against E. amylovora, which causes fire blight, and X. campestris pv. campestris, responsible for black rot in cruciferous vegetables. Bacteriophages were isolated from urban wastewater and tested for their lytic activity against these pathogens. Three virulent phages were identified: ɸEF1 and ɸEF2 against E. amylovora and ɸXF1 against X. campestris pv. campestris. Genetic analysis confirmed the absence of known lysogeny-related genes, indicating that these phages are ideal candidates for biocontrol applications. In vitro assays demonstrated significant bacterial population reductions. Specifically, ɸEF1 killed 92.1% of the E. amylovora population at a multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 1 after 3 h, while ɸEF2 reduced the population by 98.1%. When combined in a 1:1 ratio, the two phages reduced E. amylovora populations by 99.7%, and no regrowth of resistant cells was observed, which was not the case when the phages were applied individually. ɸXF1 killed 99.9% of X. campestris pv. campestris populations at an MOI of 1 after 5 h. In vivo experiments using pears and kohlrabi as infection models further validated the phage effectiveness. Treated pears showed reduced fire blight symptoms, and kohlrabi plants exhibited markedly less necrosis from black rot compared to untreated controls

Accidentes mortales en el sector agrario en los últimos 15 años.

El presente trabajo se basa en la recogida y análisis de 1387 accidentes mortales acontecidos en el sector agrario en España desde 2004 al 2018 (ambos incluidos), la mayoría de ellos relacionados con la maquinaria agrícola. Los datos de siniestralidad laboral oficiales del sector tienen poco que ver y enmascaran la realidad, arrojando unos resultados de siniestralidad muy por debajo de la realidad del sector, dando una falsa imagen de seguridad laboral en el sector. Los accidentes mortales son los que tienen una mayor repercusión en los medios apareciendo solo en menor medida los accidentes con resultado de heridos, con la recopilación de estos accidentes mortales y el análisis y estudio de las noticias que los describen se realiza un estudio estadístico que busca sectorizar los accidentes creando grupos en función de distintos factores como el lugar donde se produce el accidente, en qué circunstancias, que máquina o elementos intervienen en el accidente, etc. El objetivo final es el de visibilizar los factores de riesgo presentes con mayor frecuencia en los accidentes mortales. Se busca dar una visión global y mostrar un problema que no se percibe en el conjunto de la sociedad, ya que las noticias constituyen un goteo constante que la mayoría de veces únicamente aparece en los medios de comunicación regionales

Molecularly determined total tumour load in lymph nodes of stage I–II colon cancer patients correlates with high-risk factors. A multicentre prospective study

Stage I–II (pN0) colorectal cancer patients are surgically treated although up to 25 % will eventually die from disease recurrence. Lymph node (LN) status is an independent prognostic factor in colorectal cancer (CRC), and molecular tumour detection in LN of early-stage CRC patients is associated with an increased risk of disease recurrence and poor survival. This prospective multicentre study aimed to determine the relationship between LN molecular tumour burden and conventional high-risk factors in stage I–II colon cancer patients. A total of 1940 LN from 149 pathologically assessed pN0 colon cancer patients were analysed for the amount of tumour cytokeratin 19 (CK19) messenger RNA (mRNA) with the quantitative reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification molecular assay One-Step Nucleic Acid Amplification. Patient’s total tumour load (TTL) resulted from the sum of all CK19 mRNA tumour copies/μL of each positive LN from the colectomy specimen. A median of 15 LN were procured per case (IQR 12;20). Molecular positivity correlated with high-grade (p < 0.01), mucinous/signet ring type (p = 0.017), male gender (p = 0.02), number of collected LN (p = 0.012) and total LN weight per case (p < 0.01). The TTL was related to pT stage (p = 0.01) and tumour size (p < 0.01) in low-grade tumours. Multivariate logistic regression showed independent correlation of molecular positivity with gender, tumour grade and number of fresh LN [AUC = 0.71 (95 % CI = 0.62–0.79)]. Our results show that lymph node CK19 mRNA detection correlates with classical high-risk factors in stage I–II colon cancer patients. Total tumour load is a quantitative and objective measure that may help to better stage early colon cancer patients.Work supported by the Banc de Tumors-Biobanc Hospital Clinic-IDIBAPS and Xarxa de Bancs de Tumors de Catalunya (XBTC), and by grants from the Fundación Científica de la Asociación Española Contra el Cáncer (GCB13131592CAST), Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (SAF2014–54,453-R), Agència de Gestió d’Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca (2014SGR135), and by Sysmex Coorp Spain (Sant Just Desvern, Spain). CIBERehd is funded by the Instituto de Salud Carlos II