A MSFD complementary approach for the assessment of pressures, knowledge and data gaps in Southern European Seas : the PERSEUS experience

PERSEUS project aims to identify the most relevant pressures exerted on the ecosystems of the Southern European Seas (SES), highlighting knowledge and data gaps that endanger the achievement of SES Good Environmental Status (GES) as mandated by the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). A complementary approach has been adopted, by a meta-analysis of existing literature on pressure/impact/knowledge gaps summarized in tables related to the MSFD descriptors, discriminating open waters from coastal areas. A comparative assessment of the Initial Assessments (IAs) for five SES countries has been also independently performed. The comparison between meta-analysis results and IAs shows similarities for coastal areas only. Major knowledge gaps have been detected for the biodiversity, marine food web, marine litter and underwater noise descriptors. The meta-analysis also allowed the identification of additional research themes targeting research topics that are requested to the achievement of GES. 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license.peer-reviewe

“Parasitic Weeds: Biology and Control” Special Issue Editors Summary

We are happy to summarize this important Special Issue (SI) of MDPI Plants—“Parasitic Weeds: Biology and Control” [...

The Influence of the Plant Growth Regulator Maleic Hydrazide on Egyptian Broomrape Early Developmental Stages and Its Control Efficacy in Tomato under Greenhouse and Field Conditions

Broomrapes (Phelipanche spp. and Orobanche spp.) are holoparasitic plants that cause tremendous losses of agricultural crops worldwide. Broomrape control is extremely difficult and only amino acid biosynthesis-inhibiting herbicides present an acceptable control level. It is expected that broomrape resistance to these herbicides is not long in coming. Our objective was to develop a broomrape control system in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) based on the plant growth regulator maleic hydrazide (MH). Petri-dish and polyethylene-bag system experiments revealed that MH has a slight inhibitory effect on Phelipanche aegyptiaca seed germination but is a potent inhibitor of the first stages of parasitism, namely attachment and the tubercle stage. MH phytotoxicity toward tomato and its P. aegyptiaca-control efficacy were tested in greenhouse experiments. MH was applied at 25, 50, 75, 150, 300, and 600 g a.i. ha-1 to tomato foliage grown in P. aegyptiaca-infested soil at 200 growing degree days (GDD) and again at 400 GDD. The treatments had no influence on tomato foliage or root dry weight. The total number of P. aegyptiaca attachments counted on the roots of the treated plants was significantly lower at 75 g a.i. ha-1 and also at higher MH rates. Phelipanche aegyptiaca biomass was close to zero at rates of 150, 300, and 600 g a.i. ha-1 MH. Field experiments were conducted to optimize the rate, timing and number of MH applications. Two application sequences gave superior results, both with five split applications applied at 100, 200, 400, 700, and 1000 GDD: (a) constant rate of 400 g a.i. ha-1; (b) first two applications at 270 g a.i. ha-1 and the next three applications at 540 g a.i. ha-1. Based on the results of this study, MH was registered for use in Israel in 2013 with the specified protocol and today, it is widely used by most Israeli tomato growers

The Effects of Herbicides Targeting Aromatic and Branched Chain Amino Acid Biosynthesis Support the Presence of Functional Pathways in Broomrape

It is not clear why herbicides targeting aromatic and branched-chain amino acid biosynthesis successfully control broomrapes—obligate parasitic plants that obtain all of their nutritional requirements, including amino acids, from the host. Our objective was to reveal the mode of action of imazapic and glyphosate in controlling the broomrape Phelipanche aegyptiaca and clarify if this obligatory parasite has its own machinery for the amino acids biosynthesis. P. aegyptiaca callus was studied to exclude the indirect influence of the herbicides on the parasite through the host plant. Using HRT – tomato plants resistant to imidazolinone herbicides, it was shown that imazapic is translocated from the foliage of treated plants to broomrape attachments on its roots and controls the parasite. Both herbicides inhibited P. aegyptiaca callus growth and altered the free amino acid content. Blasting of Arabidopsis thaliana 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) and acetolactate synthase (ALS) cDNA against the genomic DNA of P. aegyptiaca yielded a single copy of each homolog in the latter, with about 78 and 75% similarity, respectively, to A. thaliana counterparts at the protein level. We also show for the first time that both EPSPS and ALS are active in P. aegyptiaca callus and flowering shoots and are inhibited by glyphosate and imazapic, respectively. Thus leading to deficiency of those amino acids in the parasite tissues and ultimately, death of the parasite, indicating the ability of P. aegyptiaca to synthesize branched-chain and aromatic amino acids through the activity of ALS and EPSPS, respectively

Novel Mutation in the Acetohydroxyacid Synthase (AHAS), Gene Confers Imidazolinone Resistance in Chickpea Cicer arietinum L. Plants

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is an important crop in crop-rotation management in Israel. Imidazolinone herbicides have a wide spectrum of weed control, but chickpea plants are sensitive to acetohydroxyacid synthase (AHAS; also known as acetolactate synthase [ALS]) inhibitors. Using the chemical mutagen ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS), we developed a chickpea line (M2033) that is resistant to imidazolinone herbicides. A point mutation was detected in one of the two genes encoding the AHAS catalytic subunit of M2033. The transition of threonine to isoleucine at position 192 (203 according to Arabidopsis) conferred resistance of M2033 to imidazolinones, but not to other groups of AHAS inhibitors. The role of this substitution in the resistance of line M2033 was proven by genetic transformation of tobacco plants. This resistance showed a single-gene semidominant inheritance pattern. Conclusion: A novel mutation, T192I (T203I according to Arabidopsis), providing resistance to IMI herbicides but not to other groups of AHAS inhibitors, is described in the AHAS1 protein of EMS-mutagenized chickpea line M2033

Characterization of a Chickpea Mutant Resistant to Phelipanche aegyptiaca Pers. and Orobanche crenata Forsk

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is a major pulse crop in Israel grown on about 3000 ha spread, from the Upper Galilee in the north to the North-Negev desert in the south. In the last few years, there has been a gradual increase in broomrape infestation in chickpea fields in all regions of Israel. Resistant chickpea cultivars would be simple and effective solution to control broomrape. Thus, to develop resistant cultivars we screened an ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) mutant population of F01 variety (Kabuli type) for broomrape resistance. One of the mutant lines (CCD7M14) was found to be highly resistant to both Phelipanche aegyptiaca and Orobanche crenata. The resistance mechanism is based on the inability of the mutant to produce strigolactones (SLs)—stimulants of broomrape seed germination. LC/MS/MS analysis revealed the SLs orobanchol, orobanchyl acetate, and didehydroorobanchol in root exudates of the wild type, but no SLs could be detected in the root exudates of CCD7M14. Sequence analyses revealed a point mutation (G-to-A transition at nucleotide position 210) in the Carotenoid Cleavage Dioxygenase 7 (CCD7) gene that is responsible for the production of key enzymes in the biosynthesis of SLs. This nonsense mutation resulted in a CCD7 stop codon at position 70 of the protein. The influences of the CCD7M14 mutation on chickpea phenotype and chlorophyll, carotenoid, and anthocyanin content were characterized

Conflict and Art

Μια διεθνούς χαρακτήρα εικαστική έκθεση - ορόσημο με θέμα «Τέχνη: Απάντηση στην Σύγκρουση; - Art Communicating Conflict Resolution» εγκαινιάζεται την Τετάρτη 29 Ιουνίου 2022 και ώρα 19:30, στη Δημοτική Πινακοθήκη Θεσσαλονίκης Casa (Villa) Bianca, με έργα 39 διεθνούς φήμης καλλιτεχνών απ' όλο τον κόσμο, μεταξύ των οποίων του Νέλσον Μαντέλα αλλά και ελλήνων και κυπρίων καλλιτεχνών. Η έκθεση διοργανώνεται στο πλαίσιο του «Conflict and Art», μιας διεθνούς πρωτοβουλίας με επικεφαλής τη Θεσσαλονικιά Βάσια Δεληγιάννη, επιμελήτρια τέχνης - μουσειολόγο και καλλιτέχνιδα που ζεί και εργάζεται στην Ουάσιγκτον DC, στις ΗΠΑ. Παράλληλα με την έκθεση και με την υποστήριξη των φορέων «UNESCO Chair in Intercultural Policy for an Αctive Citizenship and Solidarity» - Πανεπιστήμιο Μακεδονίας, «UNESCO Hellenic National Commission» και «UN Region Information Center for Western Europe», διοργανώνεται ένα μονοήμερο διεθνές συνέδριο με θέμα «Τέχνη και επίλυση συγκρούσεων : Ένας διαπολιτισμικός διάλογος - Art Communicating Conflict Resolution: An Intercultural Dialogue ». Το συνέδριο θα πραγματοποιηθεί την Πέμπτη 30 Ιουνίου 2022, από τις 10:00 π.μ. έως τις 17:00 μ.μ., στην Αίθουσα Δημοτικού Συμβουλίου του Δήμου Θεσσαλονίκης. Κατά τη διάρκεια του συνεδρίου θα γίνει παρουσίαση του βιβλίου με τίτλο: «Μπορεί η τέχνη να βοηθήσει στην επίλυση συγκρούσεων; - Can Art aid in Resolving Conflicts?». Το βιβλίο αποτέλεσε πηγή έμπνευσης για την πρωτοβουλία «Conflict and Art» και είναι το αποτέλεσμα της συνεργασίας ακαδημαϊκών καθηγητών από τις ΗΠΑ και από το Ισραήλ, του Jerry Wind από το Wharton School του Πανεπιστημίου της Πενσυλβάνια (UPenn) και των OmatLev-Er και Noam Latar από το Πανεπιστήμιο IDC Herzliya. Πάνω από 100 κορυφαίοι και ανερχόμενοι ακαδημαϊκοί, καλλιτέχνες και άνθρωποι του πολιτισμού από όλο τον κόσμο επιχειρούν στο βιβλίο αυτό να εξερευνήσουν τον δυνητικά εποικοδομητικό ρόλο της τέχνης στην επίλυση συγκρούσεων και στη δημιουργία γεφυρών μεταξύ αντίπαλων ομάδων. Ο καθηγητής καθηγητής Noam Latar θα παρευρεθεί στο συνέδριο και θα παρουσιάσει ο ίδιος το βιβλίο. Η έκθεση της πρωτοβουλίας «Conflict and Art» παρουσιάστηκε για πρώτη φορά στην Αθήνα τον Ιούλιο του 2019 και πρόκειται να ταξιδέψει στην Κύπρο, στο Ισραήλ, στη Γαλλία και στις ΗΠΑ. Η έκθεση της Θεσσαλονίκης είναι εμπλουτισμένη με περισσότερα έργα και παρουσιάζεται σε μια ιδιαίτερα δύσκολη συγκυρία για την παγκόσμια ειρήνη, τροφοδοτώντας διαχρονικά ερωτήματα για τον ρόλο της τέχνης στην επίλυση των συγκρούσεων. Διοργανώνεται με την υποστήριξη του Δήμου Θεσσαλονίκης και της Αντιδημαρχίας Πολιτισμού και Τουρισμού και θα διαρκέσει έως τις 31 Ιουλίου 202