ASSESSMENT OF THE ACTION OF DEPOSIT MYCOFLORA ON TRITICUM AESTIVUM L. SEEDS FROM SUCEAVA GENEBANK’S COLLECTION

This study consisted in a phytopathological evaluation of epiphyte and endophyte mycological flora which appeared on Triticum aestivum seeds placed on two types of substrates (CGA medium and blotting paper). The 30 populations of wheat resulted from the active collection of Suceava Genebank and conserved for different time intervals (8, 15 and 18 years), in controlled atmosphere storages (T=+4 0 C; relative air humidity = 30 - 40%). Micromycetes were evaluated by counting the infected seeds and the attack frequency was expressed as a percentage, by visual estimation of seeds surface. The target objectives of the study are to establish the influence of the conservation period on the activity of micromycetes placed on stored seeds and to settle the influence of the substrate type - CGA medium (potato - dextrose - agar) and blotting paper - on the development of fungal pathogens. Seeds studied, placed on CGA medium and blotting paper substrate, after incubation, showed a different degree of infection by fungal pathogens, depending on the type of substrate and the age of seeds. The conservation period influenced fungal pathogens longevity, meaning that the more it’s higher, the level of infection is reduced. On CGA medium, in comparison with blotting paper substrate, after incubation period, was isolated a greater diversity of fungal pathogens

THE INFLUENCE OF THE CONSERVATION PERIOD ON THE ACTIVITY OF MYCOLOGICAL FLORA ON ZEA MAYS SEEDS FROM SUCEAVA GENEBANK’S COLLECTION

The purposes of the study were to establish the influence of the conservation period on the activity of micromycetes placed on stored seeds and to settle the influence of the substrate type - CGA medium (potato - dextrose - agar) and blotting paper - on the development of fungal pathogens. This study consisted in a phytopathological evaluation of epiphyte and endophyte mycological flora which appeared on Zea mays seeds placed on two types of substrates (CGA medium and blotting paper). The 30 populations of corn resulted from the active collection of Suceava Genebank and conserved for different time intervals (8 and 17 years), in controlled atmosphere storages (T=+40C; relative air humidity = 30 - 40%). Seeds studied, placed on CGA medium and blotting paper substrate, after incubation, showed a different degree of infection by fungal pathogens, depending on the type of substrate and the age of seeds. Micromycetes were evaluated by counting the infected seeds and the attack frequency was expressed as a percentage, by visual estimation of seeds surface. The conservation period influenced fungal pathogens longevity, meaning that the more it’s higher, the level of infection is reduced. On CGA medium, compared with blotting paper substrate, after incubation period, was isolated a greater diversity of fungal pathogens. The experimental results of this study answered the following objectives: - identification of fungal microorganisms according to storage period of seeds; - identification of fungal genera depending on the type of substrate used; - setting of correlations between micromycetes identified evolution, seed storage periods and the type of substrate used

Cytogenetic effects induced by deposit mycoflora in Zea mays l. seeds from the collection of suceava genebank

The purpose of our work was to study the cytogenetic effects induced by deposit mycoflora in Zea mays L. (2n = 20) seeds from the collection of Suceava Genebank. Cytogenetic effects were studied by means of classical plant chromosomes methods of study. We have observed that the values of the mitotic indexes are decreasing in accordance with the increasing of the storage age and also with the number of mycoflora species that are infesting the grains. Infestation with specific mycoflora produced a relatively large number, statistically significant by comparison to the controls, of interphasic aberrations and also of chromosomal aberrations in mitosis ana-telophase in all studied probes. Comparing our results with similar published data, we can strongly state that the cytogenetic effects induced by deposit mycoflora in Zea mays L. seeds are similar with those produced by the action of a weak mutagenic agen

Analysis of landrace cultivation in Europe: A means to support in situ conservation of crop diversity

[EN] During the last century, the progressive substitution of landraces with modern, high yielding varieties, led to a dramatic reduction of in situ conserved crop diversity in Europe. Nowadays there is limited and scattered information on where landraces are cultivated. To fill this gap and lay the groundwork for a regional landrace in situ conservation strategy, information on more than 19,335 geo-referenced landrace cultivation sites were collated from 14 European countries. According to collected data, landraces of 141 herbaceous and 48 tree species are cultivated across Europe: Italy (107 species), Greece (93), Portugal (45) and Spain (44) hold the highest numbers. Common bean, onion, tomato, potato and apple are the species of main interest in the covered countries. As from collected data, about 19.8% of landrace cultivation sites are in protected areas of the Natura 2000 network. We also got evidence that 16.7% and 19.3% of conservation varieties of agricultural species and vegetables are currently cultivated, respectively. Results of the GIS analysis allowed the identification of 1261 cells (25 km × 25 km) including all the cultivation sites, distributed across all European biogeographical regions. Data of this study constitute the largest ever produced database of in situ-maintained landraces and the first attempt to create an inventory for the entire Europe. The availability of such resource will serve for better planning of actions and development of policies to protect landraces and foster their use.This project was funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Grant Agreement No: 774271 `Networking, partnerships and tools to enhance in situ conservation of European plant genetic resources' (Farmer's Pride).Raggi, L.; Pacicco, LC.; Caproni, L.; Álvarez-Muñiz, C.; Annamaa, K.; Barata, AM.; Batir-Rusu, D.... (2022). Analysis of landrace cultivation in Europe: A means to support in situ conservation of crop diversity. Biological Conservation. 267. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2022.10946026