ATR-FTIR spectroscopy non-destructively detects damage-induced sour rot infection in whole tomato fruit

Main conclusion ATR-FTIR spectroscopy with subsequent multivariate analysis non-destructively identifies plant–pathogen interactions during disease progression, both directly and indirectly, through alterations in the spectral fingerprint. Plant–environment interactions are essential to understanding crop biology, optimizing crop use, and minimizing loss to ensure food security. Damage-induced pathogen infection of delicate fruit crops such as tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) are therefore important processes related to crop biology and modern horticulture. Fruit epidermis as a first barrier at the plant–environment interface, is specifically involved in environmental interactions and often shows substantial structural and functional changes in response to unfavourable conditions. Methods available to investigate such systems in their native form, however, are limited by often required and destructive sample preparation, or scarce amounts of molecular level information. To explore biochemical changes and evaluate diagnostic potential for damage-induced pathogen infection of cherry tomato (cv. Piccolo) both directly and indirectly, mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy was applied in combination with exploratory multivariate analysis. ATR-FTIR fingerprint spectra (1800–900 cm−1) of healthy, damaged or sour rot-infected tomato fruit were acquired and distinguished using principal component analysis and linear discriminant analysis (PCA–LDA). Main biochemical constituents of healthy tomato fruit epidermis are characterized while multivariate analysis discriminated subtle biochemical changes distinguishing healthy tomato from damaged, early or late sour rot-infected tomato indirectly based solely on changes in the fruit epidermis. Sour rot causing agent Geotrichum candidum was detected directly in vivo and characterized based on spectral features distinct from tomato fruit. Diagnostic potential for indirect pathogen detection based on tomato fruit skin was evaluated using the linear discriminant classifier (PCA–LDC). Exploratory and diagnostic analysis of ATR-FTIR spectra offers biological insights and detection potential for intact plant–pathogen systems as they are found in horticultural industries

Productivity of determinate growth tomato lines tolerant to heat under the organic system Produtividade de linhagens de tomate rasteiro tolerantes ao calor sob o sistema orgânico

The objective of the present work was to evaluate the productive response of heat tolerant lines of determinate growth tomato under the organic production system. The experiment was carried out in the Instituto de Ciências Agrárias of UFMG, Montes Claros, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. The experimental design was of randomized complete blocks with eight treatments and four replications. The treatments consisted of eight heat tolerant processing type tomato lines obtained from the Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center (AVRDC), China: CLN1621L, CLN1621F, CLN1621E, CLN1466P, CLN2026E, CLN2026D, CLN2026C and CLN2001C. There was an inverse relationship between the average weight of the fruits and the number of fruits per plant. The highest average fruit weight of some lines was compensated by the lowest quantity of fruits, in such a way that there were no significant differences among the lines. Symptoms of nutritional deficiency and incidences of pests and diseases were not verified in any of the studied lines. All lines presented potential for genetic improvement research and cultivation using organic production systems under higher temperature conditions.<br>O objetivo do presente trabalho foi avaliar o desempenho produtivo de linhagens de tomate rasteiro tolerantes ao calor sob o sistema orgânico de produção. O experimento foi realizado no Núcleo de Ciências Agrárias da UFMG, Montes Claros-MG. Foi utilizado o delineamento em blocos casualizados com oito tratamentos e quatro repetições. Os tratamentos consistiram de oito linhagens de tomate do tipo rasteiro tolerantes ao calor obtidos na Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center (AVRDC), China: CLN1621L, CLN1621F, CLN1621E, CLN1466P, CLN2026E, CLN2026D, CLN2026C e CLN2001C. Houve uma relação inversa entre o peso médio dos frutos e o número de frutos produzidos por planta. O maior peso médio de frutos de algumas linhagens foi compensado pelo menor número de frutos, de tal forma que não houve diferenças significativas entre as linhagens. Não foram constatados sintomas de deficiência nutricional e incidências de pragas e doenças nas linhagens estudadas. Todas as linhagens apresentam potencial para pesquisas de melhoramento genético e cultivo em sistemas orgânicos de produção em condições de temperatura mais elevada

Staphylococcus epidermidis in the human skin microbiome mediates fermentation to inhibit the growth of Propionibacterium acnes: implications of probiotics in acne vulgaris

Increasing evidence demonstrates that commensal microorganisms in the human skin microbiome help fight pathogens and maintain homeostasis of the microbiome. However, it is unclear how these microorganisms maintain biological balance when one of them overgrows. The overgrowth of Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes), a commensal skin bacterium, has been associated with the progression of acne vulgaris. Our results demonstrate that skin microorganisms can mediate fermentation of glycerol, which is naturally produced in skin, to enhance their inhibitory effects on P. acnes growth. The skin microorganisms, most of which have been identified as Staphylococcus epidermidis (S. epidermidis), in the microbiome of human fingerprints can ferment glycerol and create inhibition zones to repel a colony of overgrown P. acnes. Succinic acid, one of four short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) detected in fermented media by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis, effectively inhibits the growth of P. acnes in vitro and in vivo. Both intralesional injection and topical application of succinic acid to P. acnes-induced lesions markedly suppress the P. acnes-induced inflammation in mice. We demonstrate for the first time that bacterial members in the skin microbiome can undergo fermentation to rein in the overgrowth of P. acnes. The concept of bacterial interference between P. acnes and S. epidermidis via fermentation can be applied to develop probiotics against acne vulgaris and other skin diseases. In addition, it will open up an entirely new area of study for the biological function of the skin microbiome in promoting human health