Molecular detection of Thecaphora frezzi in peanut (Arachis Hypogaea L.) seeds

Thecaphora frezii is the causal agent of peanut smut, important disease in the Argentine production area. The pathogen can be dispersed by kernels, through surface contamination or small lesions. The aim of this work was to design specific primers to develop a Polymerase Chain Reaction assay for the detection of Thecaphora frezii in peanuts kernels. The ITS region of four T. frezii isolates was amplified and sequenced. A consensus sequence was obtained and a pair of primers specific for the pathogen, named TF-2F and TF- 2R, was synthesized. The primers were used for specificity and sensitivity tests. The former test involved a PCR using DNA from T. frezii and other seed-transmitted pathogens (S. rolfsi, S. minor, Fusarium solani and S. sclerotiorum). A 190 bp fragment was obtained for the T. frezii isolates, whereas no amplification was observed for the remaining pathogens. For the sensitivity test, positive results were observed at concentrations up to 3x10-4 pg of the target DNA. The specificity of this method, along with its sensitivity, makes it an important tool for epidemiological studies of peanut smut.Inst. Patología VegetalFil: Cazon, Luis Ignacio. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Patología Vegetal; ArgentinaFil: Conforto, Erica Cinthia. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Patología Vegetal; ArgentinaFil: Fernandez, Franco Daniel. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Patología Vegetal; ArgentinaFil: Paredes, Juan Andrés. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Patología Vegetal; ArgentinaFil: Rago, Alejandro Mario Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Patología Vegetal; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Agronomía y Veterinaria; Argentin

Mitogenome and Nuclear-encoded Fungicide-target Genes of Thecaphora frezii - Causal Agent of Peanut Smut

Background: Thecaphora frezii Carranza and Lindquist causes smut disease in peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) resulting in up to 35% yield losses. Fungicides have shown ineffective in controlling the disease; whereas research on the molecular basis of that fungicide resistance has been hindered because of the lack of genetic information about T. frezii. The goal of this work was to provide molecular information about fungicide-target loci in T. frezii, including its mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) and critical nuclear-encoded genes. Results: Here we report the complete annotated mitogenome of T. frezii, a 123,773 bp molecule containing the standard 14 genes that form part of mitochondrial complexes I, III, IV and V, 22 transfer RNAs, small and large subunits of ribosomal RNA, DNA polymerase, ribonuclease P, GII-reverse transcriptase/maturase, nine hypothetical open-reading frames and homing endonucleases (LAGLIDADG, GIY-YIG, HEG). In addition, we report the full-length cDNA sequence of T. frezii cytochrome b (cob) and cytochrome oxidase 1 (cox1) genes; as well as partial sequences of T. frezii succinate dehydrogenase (sdhb), ergosterol biosynthesis (Erg4), cytochrome P450 (cyp51), and beta tubulin (β-tubulin) genes, which are respective targets of strobilurins, quinone oxidation inhibitors, triazoles and beta-tubulin inhibitor fungicides commonly used in the peanut crop. Translation of cob and sdhb genes in this particular T. frezii isolate suggests potential resistance to strobilurin and carboxamide fungicides. Conclusion: The mitogenome and nuclear-encoded gene sequences presented here provide the molecular tools to research T. frezii fungicide-target loci

Efecto de nuevos fungicidas en el control de viruela del maní y el rendimiento del cultivo

Las enfermedades son el principal problema sanitario del maní (Arachis hypogaea L.), siendo viruela (Cercospora arachidicola Hori y Cercosporidium personatum (Berck. & Curt Deighton)) la más importante del mundo, y la que mayores pérdidas produce en nuestra región. Su manejo es a través del control químico, siendo importante evaluar los nuevos fungicidas que se registran en el cultivo. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar el efecto de nuevos fungicidas sobre la intensidad de viruela y el rendimiento de maní. El estudio se realizó en 2015/16 y 2016/17, en General Cabrera y Vicuña Mackenna, Córdoba. Se probaron los tratamientos: T1) Pyraclostrobin(13,3%)+epoxiconazole(5%)(750cc/ha), T2) Trifloxistrobin(18,75%)+prothioconazole(17,5%)(700cc/ha), T3) Azoxistrobina (20%)+difenoconazole(12,5%) (500cc/ha), T4) Difenoconazole(25%)(400cc/ha), T5) Clorotalonil(72%)(1400cc/ha), T6) Fluxapyroxad(5%)+epoxyconazole(5%) + pyraclostrobin(8,1%)(1200cc/ha), T7) Penthiopirad(10%)+picoxystrobin(10%) (800cc/ha), T8) Benzovindiflupyr(15%)+azoxistrobina(30%)(200grs/ha) y T9) Testigo sin fungicida. La evaluación de viruela se realizó cada 15 días desde la primera aplicación considerando su incidencia (% de folíolos afectados) y severidad total (% de área foliar perdida). La producción se evaluó en 2 m2 de cada parcela, determinándose el rendimiento en vainas, granos y granos tamaño confitería. La comparación entre tratamientos se realizó a través de un modelo lineal mixto y test de comparación de medias DGC (p<0,05). En ambas campañas y localidades, se observó que los nuevos fungicidas a base de carboxamidas y clorotalonil presentan un mejor control de viruela y respuesta en el rendimiento de maní respecto a las mezclas de estrobilurinas + triazoles utilizadas en la última década; siendo estos, una alternativa importante para un control correcto de la enfermedad.Diseases are the main sanitary problem for cultivation of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) crop. Among fungal diseases, leaf spot by Cercospora arachidicola Hori y Cercosporidium personatum (Berck. & Curt Deighton) is the most import-ant worldwide, and that which causes the highest production losses in our area. Management of this disease is carried out through chemical control. Thus, it be-comes relevant to assess the effectiveness of new fungicides registered for use in this crop. The aim of this research was to evaluate the effect of new fungicides on the incidence and severity of leaf spot and on peanut yield, under field conditions. The study was carried out during the 2015/16 and 2016/17 seasons in two peanut growing areas, General Cabrera and Vicuña Mackenna, located in the province of Córdoba, Argentina. A randomized complete block design with 4 replicates was used and the treatments were: T1) Pyraclostrobin (13,3%) + epoxiconazole (5%) (750 cc/ha); T2) Trifloxystrobin (18,75%) + prothioconazole (17,5%) (700 cc/ha); T3) Azoxystrobin (20%) + difenoconazole (12,5%) (500 cc/ha); T4) Difenoconazole (25%) (400 cc/ha); T5) Clorotalonil (72%) (1400 cc/ha); T6) Fluxapyroxad (5%) + epoxyconazole (5%) + pyraclostrobin (8,1%) (1200 cc/ha); T7) Penthiopyrad (10 %) + picoxystrobin (10%) (800 cc/ha); T8) Benzovindiflupyr (15%) + azoxystrobin (30%) (200 grs/ha) and T9) Control. The measurement of leaf spot was carried out every 15 days since the first application, considering incidence (% of affected leaflets), and total severity (% of lost leaf area). Production was evaluated in 2 m2 from each plot. Pod yield (kg/ha), grain yield (kg/ha) and confectionary grains yield (kg/ha) were determined. The comparison between treatments was done through a mixed linear model and DGC test for comparison of means (p<0,05).In both seasons and growing areas, it was observed that the new fungicides based on carboxamides and clorotalonil achieved a higher control of leaf spot and caused higher peanut yields, as compared to the mixtures of strobilurins + triazoles that have been being used during the last decade. Consequently, carboxamides and clorotalonil have potential for a proper management of the disease.Instituto de Patología VegetalFil: Oddino, Claudio. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Agronomía y Veterinaria; ArgentinaFil: Giordano, Francisco. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Agronomía y Veterinaria; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Paredes, Juan Andrés. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Patología Vegetal; Argentina.Fil: Cazon, Luis Ignacio. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Patología Vegetal; Argentina.Fil: Giuggia, Jorge. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Agronomía y Veterinaria; ArgentinaFil: Rago, Alejandro Mario Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Patología Vegetal; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Agronomía y Veterinaria; Argentin

Energy Estimation of Cosmic Rays with the Engineering Radio Array of the Pierre Auger Observatory

The Auger Engineering Radio Array (AERA) is part of the Pierre Auger Observatory and is used to detect the radio emission of cosmic-ray air showers. These observations are compared to the data of the surface detector stations of the Observatory, which provide well-calibrated information on the cosmic-ray energies and arrival directions. The response of the radio stations in the 30 to 80 MHz regime has been thoroughly calibrated to enable the reconstruction of the incoming electric field. For the latter, the energy deposit per area is determined from the radio pulses at each observer position and is interpolated using a two-dimensional function that takes into account signal asymmetries due to interference between the geomagnetic and charge-excess emission components. The spatial integral over the signal distribution gives a direct measurement of the energy transferred from the primary cosmic ray into radio emission in the AERA frequency range. We measure 15.8 MeV of radiation energy for a 1 EeV air shower arriving perpendicularly to the geomagnetic field. This radiation energy -- corrected for geometrical effects -- is used as a cosmic-ray energy estimator. Performing an absolute energy calibration against the surface-detector information, we observe that this radio-energy estimator scales quadratically with the cosmic-ray energy as expected for coherent emission. We find an energy resolution of the radio reconstruction of 22% for the data set and 17% for a high-quality subset containing only events with at least five radio stations with signal.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DO

Measurement of the Radiation Energy in the Radio Signal of Extensive Air Showers as a Universal Estimator of Cosmic-Ray Energy

We measure the energy emitted by extensive air showers in the form of radio emission in the frequency range from 30 to 80 MHz. Exploiting the accurate energy scale of the Pierre Auger Observatory, we obtain a radiation energy of 15.8 \pm 0.7 (stat) \pm 6.7 (sys) MeV for cosmic rays with an energy of 1 EeV arriving perpendicularly to a geomagnetic field of 0.24 G, scaling quadratically with the cosmic-ray energy. A comparison with predictions from state-of-the-art first-principle calculations shows agreement with our measurement. The radiation energy provides direct access to the calorimetric energy in the electromagnetic cascade of extensive air showers. Comparison with our result thus allows the direct calibration of any cosmic-ray radio detector against the well-established energy scale of the Pierre Auger Observatory.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DOI. Supplemental material in the ancillary file

Measurement of the cosmic ray spectrum above 4×10184{\times}10^{18} eV using inclined events detected with the Pierre Auger Observatory

A measurement of the cosmic-ray spectrum for energies exceeding $4{\times}10^{18}$ eV is presented, which is based on the analysis of showers with zenith angles greater than $60^{\circ}$ detected with the Pierre Auger Observatory between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2013. The measured spectrum confirms a flux suppression at the highest energies. Above $5.3{\times}10^{18}$ eV, the "ankle", the flux can be described by a power law $E^{-\gamma}$ with index $\gamma=2.70 \pm 0.02 \,\text{(stat)} \pm 0.1\,\text{(sys)}$ followed by a smooth suppression region. For the energy ($E_\text{s}$) at which the spectral flux has fallen to one-half of its extrapolated value in the absence of suppression, we find $E_\text{s}=(5.12\pm0.25\,\text{(stat)}^{+1.0}_{-1.2}\,\text{(sys)}){\times}10^{19}$ eV.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DO

Les droits disciplinaires des fonctions publiques : « unification », « harmonisation » ou « distanciation ». A propos de la loi du 26 avril 2016 relative à la déontologie et aux droits et obligations des fonctionnaires

The production of tt‾ , W+bb‾ and W+cc‾ is studied in the forward region of proton–proton collisions collected at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV by the LHCb experiment, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.98±0.02 fb−1 . The W bosons are reconstructed in the decays W→ℓν , where ℓ denotes muon or electron, while the b and c quarks are reconstructed as jets. All measured cross-sections are in agreement with next-to-leading-order Standard Model predictions.The production of $t\overline{t}$, $W+b\overline{b}$ and $W+c\overline{c}$ is studied in the forward region of proton-proton collisions collected at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV by the LHCb experiment, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.98 $\pm$ 0.02 \mbox{fb}^{-1}. The $W$ bosons are reconstructed in the decays $W\rightarrow\ell\nu$, where $\ell$ denotes muon or electron, while the $b$ and $c$ quarks are reconstructed as jets. All measured cross-sections are in agreement with next-to-leading-order Standard Model predictions

Measurement of the J/ψ pair production cross-section in pp collisions at s=13 \sqrt{s}=13 TeV

The production cross-section of J/ψ pairs is measured using a data sample of pp collisions collected by the LHCb experiment at a centre-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 279 ±11 pb$^{−1}$. The measurement is performed for J/ψ mesons with a transverse momentum of less than 10 GeV/c in the rapidity range 2.0 < y < 4.5. The production cross-section is measured to be 15.2 ± 1.0 ± 0.9 nb. The first uncertainty is statistical, and the second is systematic. The differential cross-sections as functions of several kinematic variables of the J/ψ pair are measured and compared to theoretical predictions.The production cross-section of $J/\psi$ pairs is measured using a data sample of $pp$ collisions collected by the LHCb experiment at a centre-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s} = 13 \,{\mathrm{TeV}}$, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of $279 \pm 11 \,{\mathrm{pb^{-1}}}$. The measurement is performed for $J/\psi$ mesons with a transverse momentum of less than $10 \,{\mathrm{GeV}}/c$ in the rapidity range $2.0<y<4.5$. The production cross-section is measured to be $15.2 \pm 1.0 \pm 0.9 \,{\mathrm{nb}}$. The first uncertainty is statistical, and the second is systematic. The differential cross-sections as functions of several kinematic variables of the $J/\psi$ pair are measured and compared to theoretical predictions

Measurements of prompt charm production cross-sections in pp collisions at s=5 \sqrt{s}=5 TeV

Production cross-sections of prompt charm mesons are measured using data from $pp$ collisions at the LHC at a centre-of-mass energy of $5\,$TeV. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of $8.60\pm0.33\,$pb$^{-1}$ collected by the LHCb experiment. The production cross-sections of $D^0$, $D^+$, $D_s^+$, and $D^{*+}$ mesons are measured in bins of charm meson transverse momentum, $p_{\text{T}}$, and rapidity, $y$. They cover the rapidity range $2.0 < y < 4.5$ and transverse momentum ranges $0 < p_{\text{T}} < 10\, \text{GeV}/c$ for $D^0$ and $D^+$ and $1 < p_{\text{T}} < 10\, \text{GeV}/c$ for $D_s^+$ and $D^{*+}$ mesons. The inclusive cross-sections for the four mesons, including charge-conjugate states, within the range of $1 < p_{\text{T}} < 8\, \text{GeV}/c$ are determined to be \begin{equation*} \sigma(pp\rightarrow D^0 X) = 1190 \pm 3 \pm 64\,\mu\text{b} \end{equation*} \begin{equation*} \sigma(pp\rightarrow D^+ X) = 456 \pm 3 \pm 34\,\mu\text{b} \end{equation*} \begin{equation*} \sigma(pp\rightarrow D_s^+ X) = 195 \pm 4 \pm 19\,\mu\text{b} \end{equation*} \begin{equation*} \sigma(pp\rightarrow D^{*+} X)= 467 \pm 6 \pm 40\,\mu\text{b} \end{equation*} where the uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively.Production cross-sections of prompt charm mesons are measured using data from pp collisions at the LHC at a centre-of-mass energy of 5 TeV. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 8.60 ± 0.33 pb$^{−1}$ collected by the LHCb experiment. The production cross-sections of D$^{0}$, D$^{+}$, D$_{s}^{+}$ , and D$^{∗+}$ mesons are measured in bins of charm meson transverse momentum, p$_{T}$, and rapidity, y. They cover the rapidity range 2.0 < y < 4.5 and transverse momentum ranges 0 < p$_{T}$ < 10 GeV/c for D$^{0}$ and D$^{+}$ and 1 < p$_{T}$ < 10 GeV/c for D$_{s}^{+}$ and D$^{∗+}$ mesons. The inclusive cross-sections for the four mesons, including charge-conjugate states, within the range of 1 < p$_{T}$ < 8 GeV/c are determined to be $\begin{array}{l}\sigma \left( pp\to {D}^0X\right)=1004\pm 3\pm 54\mu \mathrm{b},\\ {}\sigma \left( pp\to {D}^{+}X\right)=402\pm 2\pm 30\mu \mathrm{b},\\ {}\sigma \left( pp\to {D}_s^{+}X\right)=170\pm 4\pm 16\mu \mathrm{b},\\ {}\sigma \left( pp\to {D}^{\ast +}X\right)=421\pm 5\pm 36\mu \mathrm{b},\end{array}$ where the uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively.Production cross-sections of prompt charm mesons are measured using data from $pp$ collisions at the LHC at a centre-of-mass energy of $5\,$TeV. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of $8.60\pm0.33\,$pb$^{-1}$ collected by the LHCb experiment. The production cross-sections of $D^0$, $D^+$, $D_s^+$, and $D^{*+}$ mesons are measured in bins of charm meson transverse momentum, $p_{\text{T}}$, and rapidity, $y$. They cover the rapidity range $2.0<y<4.5$ and transverse momentum ranges $0 < p_{\text{T}} < 10\, \text{GeV}/c$ for $D^0$ and $D^+$ and $1 < p_{\text{T}} < 10\, \text{GeV}/c$ for $D_s^+$ and $D^{*+}$ mesons. The inclusive cross-sections for the four mesons, including charge-conjugate states, within the range of $1 < p_{\text{T}} < 8\, \text{GeV}/c$ are determined to be \sigma(pp\rightarrow D^0 X) = 1004 \pm 3 \pm 54\,\mu\text{b} \sigma(pp\rightarrow D^+ X) = 402 \pm 2 \pm 30\,\mu\text{b} \sigma(pp\rightarrow D_s^+ X) = 170 \pm 4 \pm 16\,\mu\text{b} \sigma(pp\rightarrow D^{*+} X)= 421 \pm 5 \pm 36\,\mu\text{b} where the uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively