First Report of Leaf Spot in Fischer's Ragwort Caused by

During disease surveys from 2019 to 2021, the authors frequently encountered leaf spot symptoms on Fischer's ragwort plants growing at fields at six locations of Gangwon Province, Korea. The symptoms displayed brown to dark brown, circular or irregular spots on the plant leaves. The disease surveys at the six locations revealed 1–90% of diseased leaves of the plants. Phoma sp. was dominantly isolated from the diseased leaf lesions. Seven single-spore isolates of the fungus were selected and identified as Didymella ligulariae by investigation of their cultural, morphological, and molecular characteristics. Artificial inoculation test to Fischer's ragwort leaves was conducted with three isolates of D. ligulariae. The inoculation test revealed that the tested isolates cause leaf spot symptoms in the plants similar to the natural ones. The fungal pathogen has never been reported to cause leaf spot in Fischer's ragwort. Leaf spot of Fischer's ragwort caused by D. ligulariae is first reported in this study

Incidence of Beet Leaf Spot Caused by Neocamarosporium betae in Korea

From June to August 2021, we surveyed diseases affecting beet (Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris) plants in Cheolwon, Hoengseong, and Pyeongchang regions in Gangwon Province, Korea. We observed severe leaf spot symptoms, such as brown to dark circular or irregular spots on the leaves, in plants. Disease incidence in the plant leaves in the fields investigated at the three locations ranged from 1 to 80%. Five single-spore isolates of Phoma sp. were obtained from the diseased leaves and identified as Neocamarosporium betae based on their cultural, morphological, and molecular characteristics. Three isolates of N. betae were subsequently tested to confirm their pathogenicity in beet plants via artificial inoculation. The tested isolates caused leaf spot symptoms in the inoculated plants, similar to those observed in the plants in the investigated fields. Therefore, our findings revealed N. betae as the pathogen causing beet leaf spot in Korea

First Report of Leaf Spot in Water Spinach Caused by Ectophoma multirostrata

Leaf spot symptoms were observed in water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica) plants growing in fields in Ansan and Hongseong, Korea, during disease surveys in 2019 and 2020. The symptoms appeared as brown to dark brown circular or irregular spots on the leaves of the plants. The disease incidence on the plant leaves in the fields investigated at the two locations ranged from 1% to 20%. Five single-spore isolates of Phoma sp. were obtained from lesions of the diseased leaves. All the isolates were identified as Ectophoma multirostrata based on their cultural and morphological characteristics, as well as molecular analysis. Two isolates of E. multirostrata were tested for pathogenicity on water spinach leaves using artificial inoculation. The tested isolates caused leaf spot symptoms in the inoculated plants. These symptoms were similar to those observed in plants from the investigated fields. To our knowledge, this is the first report of E. multirostrata causing leaf spot in water spinach

Stem Rot of Gondre Caused by Rhizoctonia solani AG-2-2(IV)

Stem rot symptoms were observed in Gondre (Cirsium setidens) plants growing in a vinyl greenhouse in Taebaek, Korea during a disease survey in June 2022. The plants presented with dark brown to black rot on the stems at or above the soil line. Severely diseased plants displayed wilt and blight. Disease incidence among these plants ranged from 1 to 5%. Three isolates of Rhizoctonia sp. were obtained from the stem lesions of diseased plants. All isolates were identified as Rhizoctonia solani AG-2-2(IV) based on the morphological and cultural characteristics, results of the anastomosis test, and phylogenetic analysis. The pathogenicity of the isolates to Gondre plants was confirmed using an artificial inoculation test. The lesions induced by the inoculation test were similar to those observed in the investigated vinyl greenhouse. Here, we report a case of R. solani AG-2-2(IV) causing stem rot in Gondre

Seedling Rot of Kamchatka Goatsbeard Caused by Rhizoctonia solani AG-1(ⅠB)

In July 2021, we surveyed diseases affecting wild vegetables grown in Hongcheon, Gangwon Province, Korea. During this survey, we observed severe seedling rot symptoms in Kamchatka goatsbeard (Aruncus dioicus) grown in a vinyl greenhouse. The incidence of the disease in the plant seedlings was 1‒10%. Diseased seedlings from this population were collected, and fungi were isolated from leaf and petiole lesions. Rhizoctonia sp. was consistently isolated from the lesions. We examined the morphological and cultural characteristics and anastomosis groups of nine Rhizoctonia sp. isolates obtained from the lesions. The results revealed that all isolates corresponded to Rhizoctonia solani AG-1(ⅠB). Three isolates of R. solani AG-1( ⅠB) were evaluated to determine their pathogenicity towards Kamchatka goatsbeard seedlings through artificial inoculation. The tested isolates caused rot symptoms on the inoculated plant seedlings. The symptoms were similar to those observed in plant seedlings from the vinyl greenhouse. We found that R. solani AG-1(ⅠB) caused seedling rot of Kamchatka goatsbeard

CDr10b inhibits the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 and inducible nitric oxide synthase induced by lipopolysaccharide

The pathophysiological processes of inflammation can lead to a host of diseases, such as periodontitis, atherosclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and even cancer. The dysregulated inducible nitric oxide synthase ( iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 ( COX- 2) activation play important roles in the development of certain inflammatory diseases. Here, we investigated the effects of CDr10b which is originally developed for a microglia staining probe on inflammation, by modulating NF-kappa B activation and iNOS and COX-2 expression induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in murine macrophages. The CDr10b suppressed NF-kappa B activation and iNOS and COX-2 expression induced by LPS. All the results suggest that CDr10b is a promising novel agent for the treatment of inflammatory diseases. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.112sciescopu

Spiraea prunifolia var. simpliciflora Attenuates Oxidative Stress and Inflammatory Responses in a Murine Model of Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Acute Lung Injury and TNF-α-Stimulated NCI-H292 Cells

Spiraea prunifolia var. simpliciflora (SP) is traditionally used as an herbal remedy to treat fever, malaria, and emesis. This study aimed to evaluate the anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory properties of the methanol extract of SP leaves in tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α-stimulated NCI-H292 cells and in a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury (ALI) mouse model. SP decreased the number of inflammatory cells and the levels of TNF-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-6 in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, and inflammatory cell infiltration in the lung tissues of SP-treated mice. In addition, SP significantly suppressed the mRNA and protein levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 in TNF-α-stimulated NCI-H292 cells. SP significantly suppressed the phosphorylation of the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and p65-nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) in LPS-induced ALI mice and TNF-α-stimulated NCI-H292 cells. SP treatment enhanced the nuclear translocation of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor (Nrf2) with upregulated antioxidant enzymes and suppressed reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated oxidative stress in the lung tissues of LPS-induced ALI model and TNF-α-stimulated NCI-H292 cells. Collectively, SP effectively inhibited airway inflammation and ROS-mediated oxidative stress, which was closely related to its ability to induce activation of Nrf2 and inhibit the phosphorylation of MAPKs and NF-κB. These findings suggest that SP has therapeutic potential for the treatment of ALI

Improved Detection of Low Stratus and Fog at Dawn from Dual Geostationary (COMS and FY-2D) Satellites

A novel method was proposed to detect low stratus and fog (LSF) at dawn during the summertime using near simultaneous observations from dual geostationary-orbit satellites (GEOs): the Korean Communication, Ocean and Meteorological Satellite (COMS; 128.2 degrees East) and the Chinese Feng-Yun-2D (FY-2D; 86.5 degrees East). The orbital positions of the GEOs provided a large difference (around 46.5 degrees) in the viewing zenith angle (VZA) in the study region (122-132 degrees East, 32.5-42.5 degrees North) and high contrast observations at dawn. Numerical simulations were carried out to derive the optical properties of the LSF and the radiative differences between the GEOs due to both the VZA and spectral response function (SRF). The conventional threshold method, which used the visible reflectance at 0.67 microns (R (sub 0.67)) and the brightness temperature difference between 3.7 microns and 11 microns (BTD (sub 3.7-11), had limitations in detecting LSF at dawn due to weak visible light and fast night-to-day transition. We utilized the observed stereo differences (delta R (sub 0.67), delta BTD (sub 3.7-11) between the two GEOs to improve LSF detection. The dual-satellite observations were verified with ground-based data from 45 stations in South Korea co-located with each GEO pixel. The delta R (sub 0.67) threshold value showed better accuracy (78 percent vs. 67 percent) than the conventional R (sub 0.67) threshold method. In addition, the delta BTD (sub 3.7-11) threshold was better (55 percent vs. 38 percent) than the BTD (sub 3.7-11) threshold. The dual-satellite method allowed more reliable LSF detection using the combination of delta R (sub 0.67) and R (sub 0.67), particularly for LSF without cumuliform or high clouds. Our method is applicable to multiple geostationary satellites for continuous LSF monitoring

Elucidating the Chain-Extension Effect on the Exciton-Dissociation Mechanism through an Intra- or Interchain Polaron-Pair State in Push???Pull Conjugated Polymers

We elucidated chain-extension effects of a benzodithiophene (BDT) and thienopyrroledione-based push???pull conjugated polymer (CP) on its exciton-dissociation mechanism within aggregate systems using transient absoption spectroscopy. The side-group extension CP with benzothiophene on the BDT unit induced H-type excitons with excess energy owing to decreased chain stiffness. This led to interchain polaron-pair (PP)-mediated exciton dissociation. The stiff side-group extended with thienothiophene on the BDT unit also induced H-type excitons, but the decreased energy and breadth of the density of states suppressed the interchain PP-mediated exciton dissociation. The main-chain-extension CP with two thiophenes on either side of the BDT unit has a curved structure disturbing the interchain packing. Thus, the driving force of exciton dissociation between the chains decreased, leading to intrachain PP-mediated exciton dissociation. Our findings can facilitate the development of novel CPs to further increase the efficiencies of polymer solar cells