Fungal diseases on tomato plant under greenhouse condition

The cultivation of crops in the greenhouse is the most intensive form of horticultural production. Greenhouse climatic conditions provide an ideal condition for the development of many foliar, stem and soil-borne plant diseases. Diseases are a major limiting factor for vegetable that cause serious yield reduction leading to severe economic losses. Fungi enter plants through natural openings such as stomata and through wounds caused by pruning, harvesting, hail, insects, other diseases, and mechanical damage. This chapter provides an overview of the most important diseases of tomato plants. Some of the diseases that will cover in this chapter are the follow: Early blight late, Septoria leaf spot, Late blight, Fusarium wilt, Verticillium wilt, Anthracnose, Buckeye rot, and Southern blight. For each disease, main symptoms and disease development are described. This review is based on combined information derived from available literature and expertise knowledge. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.101116

Assessing multiple years' spatial variability of crop yields using satellite vegetation indices

Assessing crop yield trends over years is a key step in site specific management, in view of improving the economic and environmental profile of agriculture. This study was conducted in a 11.07 ha area under Mediterranean climate in Northern Italy to evaluate the spatial variability and the relationships between six remotely sensed vegetation indices (VIs) and grain yield (GY) in five consecutive years. A total of 25 satellite (Landsat 5, 7, and 8) images were downloaded during crop growth to obtain the following VIs: Normalized Dierence Vegetation Index (NDVI), EnhancedVegetation Index (EVI), Soil AdjustedVegetation Index (SAVI), Green Normalized Dierence Vegetation Index (GNDVI), Green Chlorophyll Index (GCI), and Simple Ratio (SR). The surveyed crops were durum wheat in 2010, sunflower in 2011, bread wheat in 2012 and 2014, and coriander in 2013. Geo-referenced GY and VI data were used to generate spatial trend maps across the experimental field through geostatistical analysis. Crop stages featuring the best correlations between VIs and GY at the same spatial resolution (30 m) were acknowledged as the best periods for GY prediction. Based on this, 2\u20134 VIs were selected each year, totalling 15 VIs in the five years with r values with GY between 0.729** and 0.935**. SR and NDVI were most frequently chosen (six and four times, respectively) across stages from mid vegetative to mid reproductive growth. Conversely, SAVI never had correlations high enough to be selected. Correspondence analysis between remote VIs and GY based on quantile ranking in the 126 (30 m size) pixels exhibited a final agreement between 64% and 86%. Therefore, Landsat imagery with its spatial and temporal resolution proved a good potential for estimating final GY over dierent crops in a rotation, at a relatively small field scale

Growth and physiological response of two biomass sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) genotypes bred for different environments, to contrasting levels of soil moisture

A better understanding of plant mechanisms in response to drought is a strong premise to achieving high yields while saving unnecessary water. This is especially true in the case of biomass crops for non-food uses (energy, fibre and forage), grown with limited water supply. In this frame, we investigated growth and physiological response of two genotypes of biomass sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) to contrasting levels of soil moisture in a pot experiment carried out in a greenhouse. Two water regimes (high and low water, corresponding to 70% and 30% field capacity) were applied to JS-2002 and Trudan-8 sorghum genotypes, respectively bred for dry sub-tropical and mild temperate conditions. Two harvests were carried out at 73 and 105 days after seeding. Physiological traits (transpiration, photosynthesis and stomatal conductance) were assessed in four dates during growth. Leaf water potential, its components and relative water content were determined at the two harvests. Low watering curbed plant height and aboveground biomass to a similar extent (ca. 70%) in both genotypes. JS-2002 exhibited a higher proportion of belowground to aboveground biomass, i.e., a morphology better suited to withstand drought. Despite this, JS-2002 was more affected by low water in terms of physiology: during the growing season, the average ratio in transpiration, photosynthesis and stomatal conductance between droughty and well watered plants was, respectively, 0.82, 0.80 and 0.79 in JS-2002; 1.05, 1.08 and 1.03 in Trudan-8. Hence Trudan-8 evidenced a ca. 20% advantage in the three traits. In addition, Trudan-8 could better exploit abundant moisture (70% field capacity), increasing aboveground biomass and water use efficiency. In both genotypes, drought led to very low levels of leaf water potential and relative water content, still supporting photosynthesis. Hence, both morphological and physiological characteristics of sorghum were involved in plant adaptation to drought, in accordance with previous results. Conversely, the common assumption that genotypes best performing under wet conditions are less suited to face drought was contradicted by the results of the two genotypes in our experiment. This discloses a potential to be further exploited in programmes of biomass utilization for various end uses, although further evidence at greenhouse and field level is needed to corroborate this finding

Growth, yield and quality attributes of guar (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba L.) genotypes grown under different planting dates in a semi-arid region of Pakistan

Guar (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba L.) is grown in semi-arid regions worldwide as a forage, vegetable, and green manure crop. An experiment was conducted to evaluate growth, forage yield and nutritional quality of guar genotypes grown under different sowing dates. To this end, seven genotypes, viz., Desi Punjab, Farmi Punjab, Desi Sindh, Farmi Sindh, BR-90, BR-2017 and Baluchistan were grown at three sowing times (mid-May, late-May and early-June) during the two years 2020 and 2021. Results showed that maximum leaf area and pods per plant were recorded in genotype Farmi Punjab, while maximum fresh and dry forage yield were archived in genotype ‘BR-90’. Similarly, maximum crude protein in the forage and gum content in mature seeds, were also recorded in BR-90. In addition, mid-May was proved to be the best sowing time for guar genotypes studied in view of achieving maximum morphological traits, fresh and dry forage yield and forage quality, compared to later planting times. Moreover, late sowing caused reduction in yield and other related attributes. It is perceived that synthetic guar variety BR-90 and planting time at mid-May are the best for semi-arid region of Punjab, Pakistan

Melatonin Induced Cold Tolerance in Plants: Physiological and Molecular Responses

Cold stress is one of the most limiting factors for plant growth and development. Cold stress adversely affects plant physiology, molecular and biochemical processes by determining oxidative stress, poor nutrient and water uptake, disorganization of cellular membranes and reduced photosynthetic efficiency. Therefore, to recover impaired plant functions under cold stress, the application of bio-stimulants can be considered a suitable approach. Melatonin (MT) is a critical bio-stimulant that has often shown to enhance plant performance under cold stress. Melatonin application improved plant growth and tolerance to cold stress by maintaining membrane integrity, plant water content, stomatal opening, photosynthetic efficiency, nutrient and water uptake, redox homeostasis, accumulation of osmolytes, hormones and secondary metabolites, and the scavenging of reactive oxygen species (ROS) through improved antioxidant activities and increase in expression of stress-responsive genes. Thus, it is essential to understand the mechanisms of MT induced cold tolerance and identify the diverse research gaps necessitating to be addressed in future research programs. This review discusses MT involvement in the control of various physiological and molecular responses for inducing cold tolerance. We also shed light on engineering MT biosynthesis for improving the cold tolerance in plants. Moreover, we highlighted areas where future research is needed to make MT a vital antioxidant conferring cold tolerance to plants

Mulberry based zinc nano-particles mitigate salinity induced toxic effects and improve the grain yield and zinc bio-fortification of wheat by improving antioxidant activities, photosynthetic performance, and accumulation of osmolytes and hormones

Salinity stress (SS) is a challenging abiotic stress that limits crop growth and productivity. Sustainable and cost effective methods are needed to improve crop production and decrease the deleterious impacts of SS. Zinc (Zn) nanoparticles (NPs) have emerged as an important approach to regulating plant tolerance against SS. However, the mechanisms of SS tolerance mediated by Zn-NPs are not fully explained. Thus, this study was performed to explore the role of Zn-NPs (seed priming and foliar spray) in reducing the deleterious impacts of SS on wheat plants. The study comprised different SS levels: control, 6 and 12 dS m−1, and different Zn-NPs treatments: control, seed priming (40 ppm), foliar spray (20 ppm), and their combination. Salinity stress markedly reduced plant growth, biomass, and grain yield. This was associated with enhanced electrolyte leakage (EL), malondialdehyde (MDA), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), sodium (Na), chloride (Cl) accumulation, reduced photosynthetic pigments, relative water contents (RWC), photosyntetic rate (Pn), transpiration rate (Tr), stomata conductance (Gs), water use efficiency (WUE), free amino acids (FAA), total soluble protein (TSP), indole acetic acid (IAA), gibberellic acid (GA), and nutrients (Ca, Mg, K, N, and P). However, the application of Zn-NPs significantly improved the yield of the wheat crop, which was associated with reduced abscisic acid (ABA), MDA, H2O2 concentration, and EL, owing to improved antioxidant activities, and an increase in RWC, Pn, Tr, WUE, and the accumulation of osmoregulating compounds (proline, soluble sugars, TSP, and FAA) and hormones (GA and IAA). Furthermore, Zn-NPs contrasted the salinity-induced uptake of toxic ions (Na and Cl) and increased the uptake of Ca, K, Mg, N, and P. Additionally, Zn-NPs application substantially increased the wheat grain Zn bio-fortification. Our results support previous findings on the role of Zn-NPs in wheat growth, yield, and grain Zn bio-fortification, demonstrating that beneficial effects are obtained under normal as well as adverse conditions, thanks to improved physiological activity and the accumulation of useful compounds. This sets the premise for general use of Zn-NPs in wheat, to which aim more experimental evidence is intensively being sought. Further studies are needed at the genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic level to better acknowledge the mechanisms of general physiological enhancement observed with Zn-NPs application

Applications of Ketogenic Diets in Patients with Headache: Clinical Recommendations

Headaches are among the most prevalent and disabling neurologic disorders and there are several unmet needs as current pharmacological options are inadequate in treating patients with chronic headache, and a growing interest focuses on nutritional approaches as non-pharmacological treatments. Among these, the largest body of evidence supports the use of the ketogenic diet (KD). Exactly 100 years ago, KD was first used to treat drug-resistant epilepsy, but subsequent applications of this diet also involved other neurological disorders. Evidence of KD effectiveness in migraine emerged in 1928, but in the last several year's different groups of researchers and clinicians began utilizing this therapeutic option to treat patients with drug-resistant migraine, cluster headache, and/or headache comorbid with metabolic syndrome. Here we describe the existing evidence supporting the potential benefits of KDs in the management of headaches, explore the potential mechanisms of action involved in the efficacy in-depth, and synthesize results of working meetings of an Italian panel of experts on this topic. The aim of the working group was to create a clinical recommendation on indications and optimal clinical practice to treat patients with headaches using KDs. The results we present here are designed to advance the knowledge and application of KDs in the treatment of headaches

Potent In Vitro Activity of Citrus aurantium Essential Oil and Vitis vinifera Hydrolate Against Gut Yeast Isolates from Irritable Bowel Syndrome Patients\u2014The Right Mix for Potential Therapeutic Use

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Biodiversity of prokaryotic communities in sediments of different sub-basins of the Venice lagoon

Microbial community structure and diversity in the wide and shallow Venice lagoon were assessed, before the construction of mobile dams, in nine stations representative of different four sub-basins previously selected on the basis of international guidelines for sediment quality. The sediments were mostly anoxic and colonised by microbial communities whose species richness was quantitatively correlated to total elemental sulphur and acid volatile sulphide. Automated Ribosomal Intergenic Spacer Analysis clustered the stations in three groups. One station for each group has been hence analysed in detail for bacterial and archaeal diversity by the screening of 16S rRNA gene clone libraries. The dominance of Gammaproteobacteria clones (84% with a high proportion of Vibrionaceae, indicator of urban pollution) determined a significant divergence of the station adjacent to industrial and metropolitan areas. Bacteroidetes were widespread especially where prairies of aquatic plants are located. The other two analysed stations were dominated by bacterial taxa implicated in the sulphur cycle: the anoxygenic photosynthetic Chromatiales, sulphate and sulphur reducing Desulfobacterales and Desulfuromonadales, and members of the Alpha- and Epsilonproteobacteria