Resistance to the SDHI fungicides boscalid and fluopyram in Podosphaera xanthii from commercial cucurbit fields in Spain

Powdery mildew elicited by Podosphaera xanthii is a devastating disease of cucurbits worldwide and one of the most important diseases affecting these crops in Spain. Application of fungicides is the main control practice for managing P. xanthii; however, isolates resistant to multiple classes of site-specific fungicides have been recently reported in the Spanish cucurbit powdery mildew population. Succinate dehydrogenase inhibitors (SDHIs) constitute a relatively novel class of fungicides registered for powdery mildew control representing new alternatives for cucurbit growers. In the present study, 30 P. xanthii isolates were used to determine the effective concentration that reduces mycelial growth by 50% (EC50) to boscalid and fluopyram. The present study was also conducted to obtain discriminatory doses to monitor SDHI fungicide resistance in 180 P. xanthii isolates collected from several commercial cucurbit fields in Spain during 2017-2018. Three SDHI resistance patterns were observed in our population, which include patterns I (resistance to boscalid), II (resistance to fluopyram), and III (resistance to boscalid and fluopyram). The amino acid changes associated with these resistance patterns in the Sdh protein were also examined. Based on our results, SDHI fungicides are good alternatives for cucurbit powdery mildew control, although they should be applied with caution.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tec

Resistance to SDHI fungicides in Botrytis cinerea from strawberry fields in Spain

Gray mold, caused by Botrytis cinerea Pers., is one of the most economically important diseases of strawberries and its control involves the application of fungicides throughout the strawberry growing season. Succinate dehydrogenase inhibitors (SDHIs) constitute a novel class of fungicides representing new alternatives for strawberry growers. In the present study, B. cinerea isolates were used to determine the effective concentration that reduces mycelial growth by 50% (EC50) and to obtain discriminatory doses to monitor SDHI fungicides over the course of three-year monitoring period. The overall frequencies of resistance to the SDHI fungicides boscalid, fluopyram, fluxapyroxad and penthiopyrad were 56.9, 6.9, 12.9, and 24.6%, respectively. Four SDHI resistance patterns were observed in our population. Patterns I (resistance to boscalid) and II (resistance to boscalid and penthiopyrad) were associated with the amino acid substitutions H272R/Y; pattern III (resistance to boscalid, fluxapyroxad, and penthiopyrad) was associated only with the H272Y mutation; and finally, pattern IV (resistance to boscalid, fluopyram, fluxapyroxad and penthiopyrad) was associated with the N230I allele in the SdhB subunit. For gray mold management, it is suggested that the simultaneous use of boscalid and penthiopyrad should be limited to one application per season. The use of fluxapyroxad and fluopyram could be used as valid SDHI alternatives for our strawberry growers, but they should be applied with caution.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Reuse of Wastewater in Golf Courses

El espectacular aumento de campos de golf en el levante español durante las últimas décadas unido a la creciente preocupación sobre la sostenibilidad de los recursos hídricos ha suscitado un intenso debate sobre la relación entre los campos de golf y complejos inmobiliarios asociados y sus necesidades hídricas. Así, este artículo hará referencia a las tipologías emergentes de complejos urbanísticos ligados a campos de golf como punto de partida de análisis. A continuación, se hará un repaso a las necesidades de riego de un campo de golf y las posibilidades de reutilización, estimando el número de viviendas necesarias en el complejo urbanístico para que el campo de golf se pueda regar íntegramente con los efluentes depurados de las viviendas anexas al campo —2.000-3.000 viviendas—. El tema finalizará con un repaso a la legislación sobre el riego de campos de golf.The dramatic numerical increase of golf courses in the last decades in eastern Spain, along with the growing concern about the sustainability of water resources, has sparked an intense debate about the relationship between golf courses and real estate development over the demand for water. Thus, this article will focus on the emerging types of housing complexes linked to golf as a starting point for analysis. Next, we will consider the application of reused water for irrigating golf courses by estimating the number of homes in the real estate development complex —approximately 2.000 to 3.000— required to keep the sporting field watered with treated effluent from those private residences. Finally, the article provides an overview of legislation related to reused water and the irrigation of golf courses.El contenido de este artículo es fruto de la financiación de tres proyectos de investigación. El primero fue llevado a cabo desde el Departamento de Geografía Humana de la Universidad de Alicante gracias a un convenio con el Ministerio de Medio Ambiente en 2006. Este trabajo, titulado “Impacto territorial de los campos de golf y operaciones asociadas en el levante español” fue dirigido por José Ramón Navarro-Vera y Armando Ortuño-Padilla. El segundo fue parte del proyecto titulado “Procesos recientes de urbanización y gestión sostenible del agua: una exploración sobre las relaciones en la costa mediterránea de la Península Ibérica (1990-2008)”, financiado por el CYCIT en 2009 (CSO2009-12772-03-03) y dirigido por María Hernández, miembro del Instituto de Geografía de la Universidad de Alicante. El tercero, titulado “Urbanización y metabolismo hídrico en la costa de Alicante: análisis de tendencias en el periodo 2000-2010” (CSO2012-36997-C02-02), financiado por el Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad en el marco de los Programas de Investigación no orientados. Además, Patricia Fernández-Aracil es beneficiaria de las ayudas para contratos destinados a la formación predoctoral, enmarcadas en el Programa Propio del Vicerrectorado de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación para el fomento de la I+D+i en la Universidad de Alicante

COMPARATIVE STUDY OF LIBERALIZATION PROCESS OF PASSENGERS RAILWAY MARKET IN SPAIN AND ENGLAND

[EN] This article provides an overview of the privatization of railway passengers market in Spain through a background to the most relevant cases studies in Europe, particularly the liberalization process in England. The English case study is a paradigmatic example to assess how the liberalization process was developed and its effect in the present. This assessment has been undertaken to analyse the railway franchise structure, ticketing measures, role of national and regional authorities, etc. and possible analogies to be adapted to the case of Spain. Firstly, this article reviews the origin of the privatization of the railway market in both Spain and England, describing every phase of the liberalization and the success of every stage. Secondly, a critical approach assessment exposes those market failures of the liberalization process in England that caused negative impacts on society. In addition, the role of the Government is analysed to measure their implication in order to solve that situation. Furthermore, the paper expounds a wide analysis of the rail ticketing in England, its effects on increased passenger number. Finally, this article proposes some measures to be followed on the privatization of passenger rail market in Spain, as well as some key concepts to guarantee its success as taken from the case studies that have been reviewed.Fernández Morote, G.; Ortuño Padilla, A.; Fernández Aracil, P. (2016). COMPARATIVE STUDY OF LIBERALIZATION PROCESS OF PASSENGERS RAILWAY MARKET IN SPAIN AND ENGLAND. En XII Congreso de ingeniería del transporte. 7, 8 y 9 de Junio, Valencia (España). Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 553-560. https://doi.org/10.4995/CIT2016.2016.3522OCS55356

Coordinated role of chitin-triggered immunity suppression mechanisms of Podosphaera xanthii.

Fungal pathogens are the main destructive microorganisms for terrestrial plants and pose increasing challenges for global agricultural production. Chitin is a vital building block for fungal cell walls and a widely effective inducer for plant immunity that, through chitin-triggered immunity, can defend against fungi attack. That is why the phytopathogenic fungi have developed different virulence factors that allow them to suppress the activation of this defensive response. In this study, the molecular mechanisms of chitin-triggered suppression, previously identified in the cucurbit powdery mildew Podosphaera xanthii, have been evaluated in detail. These mechanisms consist of the modification of chitin immunogenic oligomers (CDA), the binding to these oligomers (CHBE) and their degradation (EWCAs). For this, the RNA interference (RNAi) technology, which consists of the application of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) designed to suppress the expression of target genes, was used. The preliminary results obtained using this strategy significantly reduces the development of the fungus and the symptoms of powdery mildew disease in melon, suggesting that chitin signaling suppression mechanisms are essential for the development of P. xanthii. This work was supported by AEI (PDC2021-121373-C21).Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

The combined function of Podosphaera xanthii's mechanisms to suppress immunity triggered by chitin.

Fungal pathogens are the main destructive microorganisms for terrestrial plants and pose increasing challenges for global agricultural production. Chitin is a vital building block for fungal cell walls and a widely effective inducer for plant immunity. Chitin-triggered immunity is a powerful plant defense response against fungi. Therefore, phytopathogenic fungi have developed different virulence factors that allow them to suppress the activation of this defensive response. In this study, we intend to evaluate the molecular mechanisms of suppression the chitin-triggered previously identified in Podosphaera xanthii, the main causal agent of powdery mildew in cucurbits. These mechanisms consist of the modification of chitin immunogenic oligomers (CDA), the binding to these oligomers (CHBE) and their degradation (EWCAs). For this, we used RNA interference (RNAi) technology, which consists of the application of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) designed to suppress the expression of the PxCDA and PxEWCA genes, which would result in the reduction of the three mechanisms of suppression of chitin signaling mentioned above, since CDA and CHBE proteins are products of the same PxCDA gene. Application of dsRNA was carried out using leaf disc assays and infiltration of melon cotyledons. The preliminary results obtained indicate that the application of dsRNA significantly reduces the development of the fungus and the symptoms of powdery mildew disease in melon, suggesting that chitin signaling suppression mechanisms are essential for the development of P. xanthii.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

EL FOMENTO DE LA EDUCACIÓN Y LA CULTURA EN LOS ESTUDIANTES MEDIANTE CONCURSOS DE ENTRETENIMIENTO EN LAS TVs EDUCATIVAS

LA PRESENTE PROPUESTA DE TRABAJO DE FIN DE GRADO TIENE COMO FINALIDAD ACERCAR LA CULTURA DE LA COMUNIDAD VALENCIANA A LOS MÁS JÓVENES A TRAVÉS DE LA PARRILLA A LA CARTA DE LA TELEVISIÓN EDUCATIVA Y CULTURAL EN LÍNEA, CREA TELEVISIÓN. PARA ELLO, SE PROPONE UN FORMATO TELEVISIVO DE ENTRETENIMIENTO, CONCRETAMENTE EL CONCURSO ¿DIGNO DE SER CONCURSANTE¿, QUE INCLUYE CONTENIDOS EDUCATIVOS Y CULTURALES PRESENTADOS DE UNA FORMA LÚDICA, PARTICIPATIVA Y DINÁMICA. SE PRETENDE POTENCIAR LA TELEVISIÓN COMO INSTRUMENTO SOCIABILIZADOR, EDUCATIVO Y CULTURAL.THE PURPOSE OF THIS FINAL DEGREE PROJECT PROPOSAL IS TO BRING THE CULTURE OF THE VALENCIAN COMMUNITY CLOSER TO THE YOUNGEST. PERFORMING THIS TASK THROUGH A TELEVISION ENTERTAINMENT FORMAT EMBODIED IN A CONTEST CALLED DIGNO DE SER CONCURSANTE WHICH INCLUDES EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL CONTENT. THIS PROJECT AIMS TO PROMOTE THE USE OF EDUCATIONAL TELEVISION AS A SOURCE OF INFORMATION AND TRAINING. THIS CONTEST WILL HAVE A PLACE IN CREA TV USING ITS DIFFUSION CHANNEL ON THE YOUTUBE INTERACTIVE PLATFORM

The potential of the emerging RNAi strategy, called SIGS, in the control of Botrytis cinerea in horticultural crops

Botrytis cinerea, the causal agent of the gray mold disease, is one of the main limiting factors of horticultural crops production worldwide, consuming up to 40% of fungicides in its control. However, this fungus has been categorized by FRAC (Fungicide Resistance Action Committee) as a phytopathogen with a high risk for fungicide resistance development, a fact that has been demonstrated in our country. In addition, and according to the "farm to fork" strategy of the recent European Green Deal, the diversity of fungicides available to growers will be reduced by 50% in 2030. For this reason, alternative control tools and molecules with fungicide activity are, more than ever, needed to control this important disease. In this study, we intend to check if the efficacy of the emerging RNA interference (RNAi) strategy, called "spray-induced gene silencing" (SIGS), could be a valid sustainable solution and an alternative to the use of conventional fungicides for the control of B. cinerea. For this purpose, several double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) has been designed against targets genes involved in the virulence/pathogenicity of the fungus. Preliminary results, obtained in in vivo assays, indicated that the application of dsRNAs significantly reduces the development of the fungus, demonstrating the potential of the SIGS technique for the control of B. cinerea. On the other hand, and to improve the application of these oligonucleotides in the field, their encapsulation to create nanoparticles will be carried out. If we succeed, new molecules with fungicidal action, could be included into the several strategies carried out to obtain a sustainable plant protection control programs in the fieldUniversidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

The potencial of the RNAi technology, via SIGS, in the control of Botrytis cinerea in horticultural crops

Botrytis cinerea is one of the most important limiting factors for crop production worldwide, as it demonstrated by the enormous annual intake of fungicides used for their control to avoid crop losses. However, this fungus has been categorized by FRAC as a high-risk pathogen for fungicide resistance development. Another problem is related with the diversity of fungicides available to growers, which according with the current European legislation on pesticides and the European Green Deal, will be reduced by 50% by 2030. For all this, new low-impact sustainable solutions, obtained through new phytoprotection tools, to control B. cinerea are needed. In this study, we intend to check if some emerging strategies such as RNA interference technology (RNAi) could be valid sustainable solution and alternative to the use of conventional chemical fungicides for the control of B. cinerea in crops of relevance. To achieve this goal, the SIGS (spray-induced gene silencing) approach, which concerns the exogenous application of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), was tested. For it, ten double-stranded RNA (dsRNAs) were designed against the fungicide target’s genes and genes encoding proteins involved in virulence/pathogenicity of this fungus. The preliminary results obtained in in vitro tests have shown that the application of the different dsRNAs, individually and in combination, have significantly reduced the development of the fungus on different culture media. In addition, this reduction was very promising on detached fruit and in planta assays, demonstrating the potential of this technique in the control of B. cinerea. On the other hand, the sustained release of the dsRNA-fungicides using nanoparticles as a carrier or stabilizer has also been analyzed.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Use of oligonucleotides for the control of Botrytis cinerea in horticultural crops.

Botrytis cinerea, the causal agent of the gray mold disease, is one of the main limiting factors of horticultural crops production worldwide, consuming up to 40% of fungicides in its control. However, this fungus has been categorized by FRAC (Fungicide Resistance Action Committee) as a phytopathogen with a high risk for fungicide resistance development, a fact that has been demonstrated in our country. In addition, and according to the "farm to fork" strategy of the recent European Green Deal, the diversity of fungicides available to growers will be reduced by 50% in 2030. For this reason, alternative control tools and molecules with fungicide activity are needed to B. cinerea control. In this study, the efficacy of emerging strategies using oligonucleotides with antifungal effect has been explored. Preliminary results, obtained in in vivo assays, have shown a significantly reduction of the fungal development, demonstrating the potential of these oligonucleotides to be novel candidates to include in the different strategies of integrated control programs of the gray mold disease. This work has been funded by: AYUDAS A LA I+D+i, EN EL ÁMBITO DEL PLAN ANDALUZ DE INVESTIGACIÓN, DESARROLLO E INNOVACIÓN (PAIDI 2020). Project code: PY20_00048Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech