Evaluation of the Effects of Nanoclay Addition on the Corrosion Resistance of Bituminous Coating

Abstract In this study, the corrosion resistance of a bituminous coating reinforced with different ratios of nanoclay pigment was studied. To make nanocomposite coatings, 2, 3, and 4 wt.% of clay (Cloisite Na + ) were incorporated into water emulsified bitumen. The coatings were applied to steel 37. Optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to characterize the nanocomposite structure. In order to investigate the anticorrosion behavior of the coatings, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and direct current polarization techniques were used. The results show that the coatings containing nanoclay have better performance compared to the neat bitumen. Moreover, it was revealed that the corrosion resistance of the nanocomposite increased as the clay loading increased up to 4 wt.%

Prevalence of Tobacco mosaic virus in Iran and Evolutionary Analyses of the Coat Protein Gene

The incidence and distribution of Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) and related tobamoviruses was determined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay on 1,926 symptomatic horticultural crops and 107 asymptomatic weed samples collected from 78 highly infected fields in the major horticultural crop-producing areas in 17 provinces throughout Iran. The results were confirmed by host range studies and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. The overall incidence of infection by these viruses in symptomatic plants was 11.3%. The coat protein (CP) gene sequences of a number of isolates were determined and disclosed to be a high identity (up to 100%) among the Iranian isolates. Phylogenetic analysis of all known TMV CP genes showed three clades on the basis of nucleotide sequences with all Iranian isolates distinctly clustered in clade II. Analysis using the complete CP amino acid sequence showed one clade with two subgroups, IA and IB, with Iranian isolates in both subgroups. The nucleotide diversity within each sub-group was very low, but higher between the two clades. No correlation was found between genetic distance and geographical origin or host species of isolation. Statistical analyses suggested a negative selection and demonstrated the occurrence of gene flow from the isolates in other clades to the Iranian population

Assessment of genotypic diversity among Fusarium culmorum populations on wheat in Iran

Fusarium culmorum is one of the most important causal agents of crown rot of wheat in the north and northwest of Iran. Eight pairs of single-locus microsatellite primers were used to analyze genomic DNA of 88 isolates of F. culmorum collected from wheat fields in five provinces of Iran. Thirty-three alleles were detected among eight simple sequence repeat (SSR) loci, ranging from 2–6 alleles (with an average of 4.125 alleles/locus). Eighty-four multilocus genotypes were detected among 88 isolates of F. culmorum, indicating a high level of genetic diversity among isolates. Nei’s gene diversity of populations ranged from 0.355 to 0.561 with an average of 0.47. The greatest genetic similarity (0.8409) was detected between the Qazvin-East Azarbaijan and Golestan populations, the greatest genetic distance was between the Tehran and Golestan populations. These results show that SSR is a convenient and rapid technique for the analysis of genetic diversity and strain differentiation of F. culmorum

A comparison between Pseudomonas aureofaciens (chlororaphis) and P. fluorescens in biological control of cotton seedling damping-off disease

Due to the importance of the biological control of plant diseases, testing and introducing new biocontrol-active microorganisms is a major concern among plant pathologists. The causal agent of cotton seedling damping-off disease is Rhizoctonia solani. In this regard, we tried to investigate the antagonistic activities of Pseudomonas aureofaciens (chlororaphis) 30–84 (phenazine producing wild type and non-phenazine producing mutant) strains on R. solani, in comparison with some isolates of P. fluorescent under both in vitro (laboratory) and in vivo (greenhouse) conditions. In the laboratory experiment, the inhibitory effects of all the bacteria, on the growth of R. solani, were evaluated using the dual culture procedure. Results showed that five isolates of P. fluorescent along with both strains of P. aureofaciens significantly inhibited the growth of R. solani. Effective bacterial antagonists were then evaluated in a greenhouse experiment where cotton seeds were coated with their suspensions and were sown in pasteurised field-soil. The soil had been pre-inoculated with a virulent isolate of R. solani. The efficacy of the bacterial antagonists was evaluated by counting the number of surviving seedlings in different treatments, at 15 and 60 days after sowing, for determining pre- and post-emergence damping-off incidence. According to the results of the greenhouse experiment, at both intervals, two isolates of P. fluorescens along with both strains of P. aureofaciens caused significant increases in the number of healthy seedlings, in comparison with the untreated control, and a commonly used fungicide (carboxin-thiram). The efficacy of phenazine producing a wild type strain of P. aureofaciens was higher than its non-phenazine producing mutant, indicating that phenazine plays an important role in the antagonistic activity of P. aureofaciens. Effective bacterial antagonists were then studied for their antagonistic mechanisms. The results showed that all four bacteria employed different mechanisms. The bacteria produced siderophore, and volatile metabolites and non-volatile metabolites, in their antagonistic activities. The results of this study suggest that P. auerofaciens may be a new biocontrol agent for controlling cotton seedling mortality disease

A comparison between Pseudomonas aureofaciens (chlororaphis) and P. fluorescens in biological control of cotton seedling damping-off disease

Due to the importance of the biological control of plant diseases, testing and introducing new biocontrol-active microorganisms is a major concern among plant pathologists. The causal agent of cotton seedling damping-off disease is Rhizoctonia solani. In this regard, we tried to investigate the antagonistic activities of Pseudomonas aureofaciens (chlororaphis) 30–84 (phenazine producing wild type and non-phenazine producing mutant) strains on R. solani, in comparison with some isolates of P. fluorescent under both in vitro (laboratory) and in vivo (greenhouse) conditions. In the laboratory experiment, the inhibitory effects of all the bacteria, on the growth of R. solani, were evaluated using the dual culture procedure. Results showed that five isolates of P. fluorescent along with both strains of P. aureofaciens significantly inhibited the growth of R. solani. Effective bacterial antagonists were then evaluated in a greenhouse experiment where cotton seeds were coated with their suspensions and were sown in pasteurised field-soil. The soil had been pre-inoculated with a virulent isolate of R. solani. The efficacy of the bacterial antagonists was evaluated by counting the number of surviving seedlings in different treatments, at 15 and 60 days after sowing, for determining pre- and post-emergence damping-off incidence. According to the results of the greenhouse experiment, at both intervals, two isolates of P. fluorescens along with both strains of P. aureofaciens caused significant increases in the number of healthy seedlings, in comparison with the untreated control, and a commonly used fungicide (carboxin-thiram). The efficacy of phenazine producing a wild type strain of P. aureofaciens was higher than its non-phenazine producing mutant, indicating that phenazine plays an important role in the antagonistic activity of P. aureofaciens. Effective bacterial antagonists were then studied for their antagonistic mechanisms. The results showed that all four bacteria employed different mechanisms. The bacteria produced siderophore, and volatile metabolites and non-volatile metabolites, in their antagonistic activities. The results of this study suggest that P. auerofaciens may be a new biocontrol agent for controlling cotton seedling mortality disease

Application of new bioformulations of Pseudomonas aureofaciens for biocontrol of cotton seedling damping-off

Pseudomonas aureofaciens (30-84) is a phenazine producing bacterium and reported as asuccessful biocontrol agent of some plant fungal pathogens. In the present study, the possibility of biological control of cotton damping-off caused by Rhizoctonia solani (AG-4) through phenazine production by the 30-84 strain, was investigated. In the search for the development of bioformulations of Pa (m) (PhzR–) and Pa (w) (PhzR+) strains of 30-84, four new carriers including soybean meal (SM), cottonseed meal (CM), rice bran (RB), and talc powder (TAL) were selected. The efficacy of bacterial formulations in reducing disease incidence was evaluated in four intervals (15, 30, 45, and 60 days after sowing), and compared with each bacterial suspension efficacy under green-house conditions. The results revealed that organic carriers were more effective than talc powder. It was also found that all the bioformulations were more efficient than each bacterial suspension. The most effective in reducing disease incidence was Pa (w) + RB. In contrast, Pa (m), Pa (m) + TAL, and Pa (m) + RB did not significantly suppress the disease in comparison with the infested control. Thus, phenazine production as a main biocontrol mechanism of P. aureofaciens (30-84) may be affected by the kind of carriers used for the bioformulation development

Fusarium ershadii sp. nov., a Pathogen on Asparagus officinalis and Musa acuminata

Two Fusarium strains, isolated from Asparagus in Italy and Musa in Vietnam respectively, proved to be members of an undescribed clade within the Fusarium solani species complex based on phylogenetic species recognition on ITS, partial RPB2 and EF-1α gene fragments. Macro- and micro-morphological investigations followed with physiological studies done on this new species: Fusarium ershadii sp. nov can be distinguished by its conidial morphology. Both isolates of Fusarium ershadii were shown to be pathogenic to the monocot Asparagus officinalis when inoculated on roots and induced hollow root symptoms within two weeks in Asparagus officinalis seedlings. In comparison mild disease symptoms were observed by the same strains on Musa acuminata seedlings

Fusarium ershadii sp. nov., a Pathogen on Asparagus officinalis and Musa acuminata

Two Fusarium strains, isolated from Asparagus in Italy and Musa in Vietnam respectively, proved to be members of an undescribed clade within the Fusarium solani species complex based on phylogenetic species recognition on ITS, partial RPB2 and EF-1α gene fragments. Macro- and micro-morphological investigations followed with physiological studies done on this new species: Fusarium ershadii sp. nov can be distinguished by its conidial morphology. Both isolates of Fusarium ershadii were shown to be pathogenic to the monocot Asparagus officinalis when inoculated on roots and induced hollow root symptoms within two weeks in Asparagus officinalis seedlings. In comparison mild disease symptoms were observed by the same strains on Musa acuminata seedlings