Identification of Putative SNP Markers Associated with Resistance to Egyptian Loose Smut Race(s) in Spring Barley

Loose smut (LS) disease is a serious problem that affects barley yield. Breeding of resistant cultivars and identifying new genes controlling LS has received very little attention. Therefore, it is important to understand the genetic basis of LS control in order to genetically improve LS resistance. To address this challenge, a set of 57 highly diverse barley genotypes were inoculated with Egyptian loose smut race(s) and the infected seeds/plants were evaluated in two growing seasons. Loose smut resistance (%) was scored on each genotype. High genetic variation was found among all tested genotypes indicating considerable differences in LS resistance that can be used for breeding. The broad-sense heritability (H2) of LS (0.95) was found. Moreover, genotyping-bysequencing (GBS) was performed on all genotypes and generated in 16,966 SNP markers which were used for genetic association analysis using single-marker analysis. The analysis identified 27 significant SNPs distributed across all seven chromosomes that were associated with LS resistance. One SNP (S6_17854595) was located within the HORVU6Hr1G010050 gene model that encodes a protein kinase domain-containing protein (similar to the Un8 LS resistance gene, which contains two kinase domains). A TaqMan marker (0751D06 F6/R6) for the Un8 gene was tested in the diverse collection. The results indicated that none of the Egyptian genotypes had the Un8 gene. The result of this study provided new information on the genetic control of LS resistance. Moreover, good resistance genotypes were identified and can be used for breeding cultivars with improved resistance to Egyptian LS

Application of ZnO-nanoparticles to manage Rhizopus soft rot of sweet potato and prolong shelf-life

A reduction in crop spoilage and an increase in shelf-life is the goal of effective disease control methods. This study aimed to assess ZnO-nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) as a safe, new protectant against Rhizopus soft rot of sweet potato. ZnO-NPs had a fungicidal effect against Rhizopus stolonifer when used at concentrations above 50 ppm. The results showed that tubers treated with ZnO-NPs exhibited fewer fungal populations (1.2 CFU per segment) than those that did not receive the treatment. Tubers infected with Rhizopus stolonifer and treated with ZnO-NPs showed no visible decay for up to 15 days, indicating that ZnO-NPs act as a coating layer on tuber surface. The greatest weight loss after 15 days of storage was reported in infected tubers (8.98%), followed by infected tubers treated with ZnO (6.54%) and infected tubers treated with ZnO-NPs (3.79%). The activity of cell-wall degrading enzymes, α-amylase and cellulase, were significantly increased in both infected tubers and those treated with ZnO, compared to the tubers treated with ZnO-NPs. These results confirm that coating with ZnO-NPs is an effective method of protecting sweet potato tubers from infection, maintaining their quality and increasing their shelf-life for up to 2 months in storage

One stone two birds:Endophytes alleviating trace elements accumulation and suppressing soilborne pathogen by stimulating plant growth, photosynthetic potential and defense related gene expression

In the present investigation, we utilized zinc nanoparticles (Zn-NPs) and bacterial endophytes to address the dual challenge of heavy metal (HM) toxicity in soil and Rhizoctonia solani causing root rot disease of tomato. The biocontrol potential of Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens was harnessed, resulting in profound inhibition of R. solani mycelial growth and efficient detoxification of HM through strong production of various hydrolytic enzymes and metabolites. Surprisingly, Zn-NPs exhibited notable efficacy in suppressing mycelial growth and enhancing the seed germination (%) while Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis unveiled key volatile compounds (VOCs) crucial for the inhibition of pathogen. Greenhouse trials underscored significant reduction in the disease severity (%) and augmented biomass in biocontrol-mediated plants by improving photosynthesis-related attributes. Interestingly, Zn-NPs and biocontrol treatments enhanced the antioxidant enzymes and mitigate oxidative stress indicator by increasing H2O2 concentration. Field experiments corroborated these findings, with biocontrol-treated plants, particularly those receiving consortia-mediated treatments, displayed significant reduction in disease severity (%) and enhanced the fruit yield under field conditions. Root analysis confirmed the effective detoxification of HM, highlighting the eco-friendly potential of these endophytes and Zn-NPs as fungicide alternative for sustainable production that foster soil structure, biodiversity and promote plant health

One stone two birds:Endophytes alleviating trace elements accumulation and suppressing soilborne pathogen by stimulating plant growth, photosynthetic potential and defense related gene expression

In the present investigation, we utilized zinc nanoparticles (Zn-NPs) and bacterial endophytes to address the dual challenge of heavy metal (HM) toxicity in soil and Rhizoctonia solani causing root rot disease of tomato. The biocontrol potential of Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens was harnessed, resulting in profound inhibition of R. solani mycelial growth and efficient detoxification of HM through strong production of various hydrolytic enzymes and metabolites. Surprisingly, Zn-NPs exhibited notable efficacy in suppressing mycelial growth and enhancing the seed germination (%) while Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis unveiled key volatile compounds (VOCs) crucial for the inhibition of pathogen. Greenhouse trials underscored significant reduction in the disease severity (%) and augmented biomass in biocontrol-mediated plants by improving photosynthesis-related attributes. Interestingly, Zn-NPs and biocontrol treatments enhanced the antioxidant enzymes and mitigate oxidative stress indicator by increasing H2O2 concentration. Field experiments corroborated these findings, with biocontrol-treated plants, particularly those receiving consortia-mediated treatments, displayed significant reduction in disease severity (%) and enhanced the fruit yield under field conditions. Root analysis confirmed the effective detoxification of HM, highlighting the eco-friendly potential of these endophytes and Zn-NPs as fungicide alternative for sustainable production that foster soil structure, biodiversity and promote plant health

Salt Solution Treatments Trigger Antioxidant Defense Response against Gray Mold Disease in Table Grapes

To obtain a clear understanding of the mode of action of potassium bicarbonate (PB), sodium silicate (SSi) and calcium chelate (CCh) solutions (1%) in inducing resistance to gray mold disease in table grapes, enzymatic and nonenzymatic investigations were carried out. In particular, changes in the activity of the enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and peroxidase (POD), total phenolic content and total flavonoid content were studied. As indirect action, PB, SSi and CCh reduced the incidence of gray mold by 43%, 50% and 41%, respectively. The highest activity of SOD was detected at 48 h in SSi-treated tissue, PB-treated tissue and CCh-treated tissue, and it was 1.7-, 1.4- and 1.2-fold higher, respectively, compared to the control. The APX activity was significantly higher in SSi-treated tissue than in the control at 24, 48 and 72 h and showed an increase in activity 2-fold for all times. Additionally, PB, SSi and CCh increased the activity of POD by 1.4-, 1.2- and 2.7-fold at 48 h posttreatment, respectively. The results showed that CCh was the most pronounced salt to increase both total phenol and flavonoid contents by 1.3 and 2.1, respectively. Additionally, the three tested salts induced an increase in total phenols and total flavonoids at 48 h posttreatment. The obtained result is one more movement towards an overall understanding of the mechanism by which salt solutions act as antimicrobial agents against gray mold of table grapes

Thermostable cellulase biosynthesis from Paenibacillus alvei and its utilization in lactic acid production by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation

Cellulosic date palm wastes may have beneficial biotechnological applications for eco-friendly utilization. This study reports the isolation of thermophilic cellulase-producing bacteria and their application in lactic acid production using date palm leaves. The promising isolate was identified as Paenibacillus alvei by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Maximum cellulase production was acquired using alkaline treated date palm leaves (ATDPL) at 48 h and yielded 4.50 U.mL-1 FPase, 8.11 U.mL-1 CMCase, and 2.74 U.mL-1 β-glucosidase. The cellulase activity was optimal at pH 5.0 and 50°C with good stability at a wide temperature (40-70°C) and pH (4.0-7.0) range, demonstrating its suitability in simultaneous saccharification and fermentation. Lactic acid fermentation was optimized at 4 days, pH 5.0, 50°C, 6.0% cellulose of ATDPL, 30 FPU/ g cellulose, 1.0 g. L-1 Tween 80, and 5.0 g. L-l yeast extract using Lactobacillus delbrueckii. The conversion efficiency of lactic acid from the cellulose of ATDPL was 98.71%, and the lactic acid productivity was 0.719 g. L-1 h-1. Alkaline treatment exhibited a valuable effect on the production of cellulases and lactic acid by reducing the lignin content and cellulose crystallinity. The results of this study offer a credible procedure for using date palm leaves for microbial industrial applications

Global calibration for non-targeted fraud detection in quinoa flour using portable hyperspectral imaging and chemometrics

Quinoa is one of the highest nutritious grains, and global consumption of quinoa flour has increased as people pay more attention to health. Due to its high value, quinoa flour is susceptible to adulteration. Cross-contamination between quinoa flour and other flour can be easily neglected due to their highly similar appearance. Therefore, detecting adulteration in quinoa flour is important to consumers, industries, and regulatory agencies. In this study, portable hyperspectral imaging in the visible near-infrared (VNIR) spectral range (400–1000 nm) was applied as a rapid tool to detect adulteration in quinoa flour. Quinoa flour was adulterated with wheat, rice, soybean, and corn in the range of 0–98% with 2% increments. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) models were developed, and the best model for detecting the % authentic flour (quinoa) was obtained by the raw spectral data with R2p of 0.99, RMSEP of 3.08%, RPD of 8.77, and RER of 25.32. The model was improved, by selecting only 13 wavelengths using bootstrapping soft shrinkage (BOSS), to R2p of 0.99, RMSEP of 2.93%, RPD of 9.18, and RER of 26.60. A visualization map was also generated to predict the level of quinoa in the adulterated samples. The results of this study demonstrate the ability of VNIR hyperspectral imaging for adulteration detection in quinoa flour as an alternative to the complicated traditional method