Nota corta. Detección mediante PCR multiplex y caracterización de cepas no toxigénicas de Pseudomonas syringae pv. phaseolicola de distintas zonas de España

The efficient control of halo blight, caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. phaseolicola, is primarily based on the use of pathogen-free seed. Detection of the pathogen in seeds is currently carried out with high-sensitive methods based on the detection by PCR of genes involved in the biosynthesis of phaseolotoxin, which was believed to be produced by all strains of the pathogen with epidemiological importance. However, field epidemics of halo blight in the county of Castilla y León, Spain, are often associated to nontoxigenic isolates of P. syringae pv. phaseolicola, which cannot be detected using current molecular and serological methods. The results presented in this work show the existence of nontoxigenic isolates of P. syringae pv. phaseolicola in areas other than Castilla y León, indicating the need to establish a reliable methodology for seed certification. A simple two-step methodology is presented with the aim to identify both types of isolates that is based on a multiplex enrichment PCR of seed soakates and on pathogenicity assays.El control eficiente de la grasa de la judía causada por Pseudomonas syringae pv. phaseolicola se basa principalmente en la utilización de semilla libre del patógeno. La detección del patógeno en semilla se efectúa mediante métodos altamente sensibles basados en la detección por PCR de los genes responsables de la biosíntesis de la faseolotoxina, la cual, hasta ahora, se consideraba que era sintetizada por todas las cepas del patógeno con importancia epidemiológica. Sin embargo, en la Comunidad de Castilla y León, España, las epidemias de grasa de la judía en campo se asocian frecuentemente con cepas no toxigénicas de P. syringae pv. phaseolicola, que no pueden ser detectadas con los métodos moleculares y serológicos actuales. Los resultados presentados en este trabajo demuestran la existencia de aislados no toxigénicos de P. syringae pv. phaseolicola en zonas distintas de Castilla y León, lo que implica la necesidad de establecer una metodología fiable para la certificación de semillas de judía. Con este propósito, se presenta un sencillo protocolo en dos fases que permite la identificación de los dos tipos de aislados, y que se basa en una PCR multiplex con enriquecimiento a partir de extractos de semilla y en ensayos de patogenicidad

Comparative flood damage model assessment: towards a European approach

There is a wide variety of flood damage models in use internationally, differing substantially in their approaches and economic estimates. Since these models are being used more and more as a basis for investment and planning decisions on an increasingly large scale, there is a need to reduce the uncertainties involved and develop a harmonised European approach, in particular with respect to the EU Flood Risks Directive. In this paper we present a qualitative and quantitative assessment of seven flood damage models, using two case studies of past flood events in Germany and the United Kingdom. The qualitative analysis shows that modelling approaches vary strongly, and that current methodologies for estimating infrastructural damage are not as well developed as methodologies for the estimation of damage to buildings. The quantitative results show that the model outcomes are very sensitive to uncertainty in both vulnerability (i.e. depth–damage functions) and exposure (i.e. asset values), whereby the first has a larger effect than the latter. We conclude that care needs to be taken when using aggregated land use data for flood risk assessment, and that it is essential to adjust asset values to the regional economic situation and property characteristics. We call for the development of a flexible but consistent European framework that applies best practice from existing models while providing room for including necessary regional adjustments

Mapping and Assessment of forest Ecosystem and Their Services. Applications and guidance for decision making in the framework of MAES

The aim of this report is to illustrate by means of a series of case studies the implementation of mapping and assessment of forest ecosystem services in different contexts and geographical levels. Methodological aspects, data issues, approaches, limitations, gaps and further steps for improvement are analysed for providing good practices and decision making guidance. The EU initiative on Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystems and their Services (MAES), with the support of all Member States, contributes to improve the knowledge on ecosytem services. MAES is one of the building-block initiatives supporting the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2000

Implications of global warming and urban land use change on flooding in Europe

This paper presents an integrated methodology to assess the implications of climate change and urban land use changes on future flood damage in Europe. To determine changes in flood hazard due to global warming, high resolution regional climate simulations from the HIRHAM model were used to drive the hydrological model LISFLOOD. Calculated flood inundation extents and depths were transformed into direct monetary damage using flood depth-damage functions and land use information. For each country Expected Annual Damages (EAD) were calculated from the damage-probability functions. To account for flood protection the damage-probability functions were truncated at design return periods based on the country GDP. Results indicate that, under the A2 scenario, most countries in Europe will see an increase in EAD in the coming century. For EU27 as a whole, current EAD of 6.5 billion is projected to reach 18 billion (in constant prices of 2006) by the end of this century under the A2 scenario. For the region of Madrid, future developments in urban land use were simulated with the cellular automata (CA)-based model MOLAND. Damage calculations based on the future land use patterns for this region show that the effect of increased exposure due to urban expansion far outweighs the effect of climate change

Monitoring landslides from optical remotely sensed imagery: the case history of Tessina landslide, Italy.

--