Studies on pathogenicity and host resistance of Exserohilum turcicum and Fusarium spp. on maize (Zea mays L.) cultivated in tropical and temperate climate zones

In the last 60 years, maize production has increased worldwide, reaching 1.14 billion tons in 2018. Maize production in Europe and South America was about 110 and 130 million tons in 2018, respectively. The demand for highly productive maize is observed in both tropical and temperate zones. Thus, the selection of plants from different maturity groups and high yield production are required from breeding programs. Besides highly productive plants, other agronomical traits such as resistance to pest and diseases needs to be considered during selection. Globally, some of the most important diseases affecting maize are northern corn leaf blight (NCLB), and Gibberella and Fusarium ear rot (GER and FER, respectively). Host resistance to E. turcicum is based on qualitative or quantitative sources, while for GER and FER only quantitative resistance is available in commercial hybrids. The quantitative resistance is more durable; however, it is more laborious to introgress into breeding lines. Northern corn leaf blight (NCLB) is an important disease in maize-producing areas worldwide. The symptoms of NCLB, whose causal agent is the ascomycete Exserohilum turcicum (teleomorph Setosphaeria turcica), are characterized by elliptical grey-green lesions. High disease severity can cause yield losses up to 40% (Levy und Pataky 1992). The main control methods applied for NCLB control are fungicide applications and the cultivation of resistant hybrids. Qualitative resistance has been widely used to control NCLB in many countries through the deployment of Ht genes. The race assessment from isolates collected in Argentina and Brazil during 2017, 2018 and 2019 revealed a high frequency of race 0 isolates (83% and 65% in Argentina and Brazil, respectively). In those countries, Ht genes are not being used extensively to control NCLB. This information is important for breeding programs and may help with disease management. Favorable weather conditions for NCLB development are long dewy periods and moderate temperatures. These optimum conditions for disease development can be observed in temperate regions as well as in mid-altitude regions in the tropics. The comparison of E. turcicum isolates in response to temperatures varied in vitro and in vivo between 15 and 30°C demonstrating that the aggressiveness of South American isolates was higher than that of European isolates. The multivariate analysis confirmed that South American isolates are better adapted to higher temperatures by grouping them separately. In conclusion, E. turcicum populations may adapt quickly to environmental changes. The plasticity in adapting to environmental conditions of E. turcicum may decrease the durability of resistance. Studies on the pathogenesis of E. turcicum in the differential maize line B37 with and without the resistance genes Ht1, Ht2, Ht3 and Htn1 were conducted for different stages of infection and disease development from penetration (0-1 dpi), until full symptom expression (14-18 dpi). Symptomological analysis demonstrated that Ht1 expressed necrotic lesions with chlorosis, Ht2 displayed chlorosis and small lesions, Ht3 resulted in chlorotic spots and Htn1 express wilt-type lesions. Histological studies conducted with Chlorazol Black E staining indicated that the pathogen was able to penetrate xylem vessels at 6 dpi in compatible interactions and strongly colonized the mesophyll at 12 dpi, which is considered the crucial process differentiating susceptibility from resistance. Additionally, lower disease levels, low fungal DNA content at 10 and 14 dpi, and the delayed progress of infection in compatible interactions with resistant lines imply that the Ht genes are associated with or confer additional quantitative resistance. Physiological studies showed a reduction in the photosynthetic rate, transpiration, stomatal conductance and instantaneous carboxylation efficiency in the incompatible interaction at 5 dpi. At 14 dpi, the strong necrosis displayed in the resistance reaction by B37Ht1 resulted in the reduction of photosynthesis as observed for B37. However, leaf area, aerial and root dry biomass were not reduced in inoculated plants at 28 dpi. Additionally, high rates of peroxide localization were observed in inoculated plants at 3 and 6 dpi, corroborating data on peroxidase activity. In fact, Ht1, Ht3 and Htn1 reduced pathogen sporulation whereas Ht2 reduced the number and size of lesions. All phenotypical studies demonstrated that Ht genes confer distinct resistance mechanisms. The resistance phenotype expressed by Ht2 may change according to environmental conditions. There are reports on the influence of low post-inoculation temperature (22/18°C) and low light intensity (324 and 162 µmol m-2 s-1) on resistance expressed by this gene. Our objective was to prove that temperature has no influence on the resistance conferred by the Ht2-gene against E. turcicum. Therefore, maize plants were pre-exposed to warm (30/25°C) and moderate (20/15°C) temperature regimes for 10 days before inoculation. There was no influence of pre-inoculation temperature on the expression of resistance by Ht2. The resistance conferred by the Ht2 gene was confirmed by quantifying the fungal DNA in planta at 21 dpi. Changes in resistance phenotypes may be related to pathogen aggressiveness factors. GER and FER can cause qualitative yield losses due to mycotoxin production. GER is mainly caused by Fusarium graminearum and FER by F. verticillioides. GER is more frequent in regions with colder temperatures and high precipitation, and is more prevalent in Germany, while FER occurrence is favored by warm and dry weather conditions and is more prevalent in Brazil. In general, F. graminearum was more aggressive than F. verticillioides, which support affirmations about systemic colonization by F. verticillioides. With regard to tropical and temperate hosts, the German isolates were more aggressive than the Brazilian isolates when inoculated in the tropical lines. Additionally, tropical lines pre-exposed to higher temperatures presented higher disease severity when compared to plants exposed to mild temperatures. In general, the cultivation of resistant hybrids remains a successful strategy for controlling NCLB, GER and FER. The optimization of resistance resources is fundamental for maintaining the durability of resistance.2021-11-1

Penetration by Botryosphaeriaceae species in avocado, guava and persimmon fruit during postharvest

Botryosphaeriaceae species have a wide host range and a worldwide distribution. These fungal species can colonize several plant organs, such as the trunk, leaves and fruit. Some Botryosphaeriaceae species cause important diseases on persimmon, avocado and guava fruit. However, there is a lack of information regarding the mechanisms of penetration by Botryosphaeriaceae species on these tropical and subtropical fruits. This study aimed to better understand the mechanisms involved in fungal penetration, host specificity and aggressiveness of Botryosphaeria dothidea, Lasiodiplodia pseudotheobromae and Neofusicoccum parvum on avocado (Persea americana), guava (Psidium guajava) and persimmon (Diospyros kaki) fruit. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) image analysis showed that in avocado fruit, the three studied Botryosphaeriaceae species penetrated through lenticels. In guava fruit, penetration through stomata was verified for Botryosphaeria dothidea and Neofusicoccum parvum. In persimmon fruit, an appressoria-like structure was observed for B. dothidea, which suggests direct penetration. Disease incidence in wounded fruit was 24% higher than in non-wounded fruit. L. pseudotheobromae and N. parvum showed differences in aggressiveness in guava fruit. The longest incubation period was observed for N. parvum inoculated on guava, with an average of 4.5 days, and the shortest incubation period was verified for B. dothidea inoculated on avocado, with an average of 2.8 days. The area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC) did not differ between Botryosphaeriaceae species on avocado, whereas on guava and persimmon fruit, the AUDPC was lower for B. dothidea. The information regarding penetration mechanisms and aggressiveness is important to improve postharvest disease control strategies.EEA BalcarceFil: Ludwig Navarro, Barbara. University of São Paulo. Luiz de Queiroz Agriculture College. Department of Plant Pathology and Nematology; Brasil.Fil: Edwards Molina, Juan Pablo. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Balcarce; Argentina.Fil: Edwards Molina, Juan Pablo. University of São Paulo. Luiz de Queiroz Agriculture College. Department of Plant Pathology and Nematology; Brasil.Fil: Nogueira Júnior, Antonio F. University of São Paulo. Luiz de Queiroz Agriculture College. Department of Plant Pathology and Nematology; Brasil

Assessment of physiological races of Exserohilum turcicum isolates from maize in Argentina and Brazil

Northern corn leaf blight (NCLB) is one of the most important diseases in maize worldwide. It is caused by the fungus Exserohilum turcicum, which exhibits a high genetic variability for virulence, and hence physiological races have been reported. Disease control is based mainly on fungicide application and host resistance. Qualitative resistance has been widely used to control NCLB through the deployment of Ht genes. Known pathogen races are designated according to their virulence to the corresponding Ht gene. Knowledge about of E. turcicum race distribution in maize-producing areas is essential to develop and exploit resistant genotypes. Maize leaves showing distinct elliptical grey-green lesions were collected from maize-producing areas of Argentina and Brazil, and 184 monosporic E. turcicum isolates were obtained. A total of 66 isolates were collected from Argentina during 2015, 2018 and 2019, while 118 isolates from Brazil were collected during 2017, 2018 and 2019. All isolates were screened on maize differential lines containing Ht1, Ht2, Ht3 and Htn1 resistance genes. In greenhouse experiments, inoculated maize plants were evaluated at 14 days after inoculation. Resistance reaction was characterized by chlorosis, and susceptibility was defined by necrosis in the absence of chlorosis. The most frequent race was 0 in both Argentina (83%) and Brazil (65%). Frequencies of race 1 (6% and 24%) and race 23N (5% and 10%) were very low in Argentina and Brazil, respectively. The high frequency of race 0 isolates provides evidence that qualitative resistance based on the tested Ht genes is not being used extensively in Argentina and Brazil to control NCLB. This information may be relevant for growers and breeding programs as the incidence of NCLB is increasing in both countries.EEA PergaminoFil: Navarro, Barbara Ludwig. Georg-August-Universität Göttingen. Division of Plant Pathology and Crop Protection. Department of Crop Sciences; AlemaniaFil: Ramos Romero, Lucía. Georg-August-Universität Göttingen. Division of Plant Pathology and Crop Protection. Department of Crop Sciences; AlemaniaFil: Ramos Romero, Lucía. The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited; Nueva ZelandaFil: Kistner, María Belén. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Pergamino. Departamento de Maíz; ArgentinaFil: Kistner, María Belén. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Iglesias, Juliana. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Pergamino. Departamento de Maíz; Argentina.Fil: Iglesias, Juliana. Universidad Nacional del Noroeste de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Escuela de Agrarias, Naturales y Ambientales; ArgentinaFil: Von Tiedemann, Andreas. Georg-August-Universität Göttingen. Division of Plant Pathology and Crop Protection. Department of Crop Sciences; Alemani

New genetic loci link adipose and insulin biology to body fat distribution.

Body fat distribution is a heritable trait and a well-established predictor of adverse metabolic outcomes, independent of overall adiposity. To increase our understanding of the genetic basis of body fat distribution and its molecular links to cardiometabolic traits, here we conduct genome-wide association meta-analyses of traits related to waist and hip circumferences in up to 224,459 individuals. We identify 49 loci (33 new) associated with waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index (BMI), and an additional 19 loci newly associated with related waist and hip circumference measures (P < 5 × 10(-8)). In total, 20 of the 49 waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for BMI loci show significant sexual dimorphism, 19 of which display a stronger effect in women. The identified loci were enriched for genes expressed in adipose tissue and for putative regulatory elements in adipocytes. Pathway analyses implicated adipogenesis, angiogenesis, transcriptional regulation and insulin resistance as processes affecting fat distribution, providing insight into potential pathophysiological mechanisms

Penilaian Kinerja Keuangan Koperasi di Kabupaten Pelalawan

This paper describe development and financial performance of cooperative in District Pelalawan among 2007 - 2008. Studies on primary and secondary cooperative in 12 sub-districts. Method in this stady use performance measuring of productivity, efficiency, growth, liquidity, and solvability of cooperative. Productivity of cooperative in Pelalawan was highly but efficiency still low. Profit and income were highly, even liquidity of cooperative very high, and solvability was good

Juxtaposing BTE and ATE – on the role of the European insurance industry in funding civil litigation

One of the ways in which legal services are financed, and indeed shaped, is through private insurance arrangement. Two contrasting types of legal expenses insurance contracts (LEI) seem to dominate in Europe: before the event (BTE) and after the event (ATE) legal expenses insurance. Notwithstanding institutional differences between different legal systems, BTE and ATE insurance arrangements may be instrumental if government policy is geared towards strengthening a market-oriented system of financing access to justice for individuals and business. At the same time, emphasizing the role of a private industry as a keeper of the gates to justice raises issues of accountability and transparency, not readily reconcilable with demands of competition. Moreover, multiple actors (clients, lawyers, courts, insurers) are involved, causing behavioural dynamics which are not easily predicted or influenced. Against this background, this paper looks into BTE and ATE arrangements by analysing the particularities of BTE and ATE arrangements currently available in some European jurisdictions and by painting a picture of their respective markets and legal contexts. This allows for some reflection on the performance of BTE and ATE providers as both financiers and keepers. Two issues emerge from the analysis that are worthy of some further reflection. Firstly, there is the problematic long-term sustainability of some ATE products. Secondly, the challenges faced by policymakers that would like to nudge consumers into voluntarily taking out BTE LEI

Genome-wide association identifies nine common variants associated with fasting proinsulin levels and provides new insights into the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: Proinsulin is a precursor of mature insulin and C-peptide. Higher circulating proinsulin levels are associated with impaired β-cell function, raised glucose levels, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Studies of the insulin processing pathway could provide new insights about T2D pathophysiology. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We have conducted a meta-analysis of genome-wide association tests of ∼2.5 million genotyped or imputed single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and fasting proinsulin levels in 10,701 nondiabetic adults of European ancestry, with follow-up of 23 loci in up to 16,378 individuals, using additive genetic models adjusted for age, sex, fasting insulin, and study-specific covariates. RESULTS: Nine SNPs at eight loci were associated with proinsulin levels (P < 5 × 10(-8)). Two loci (LARP6 and SGSM2) have not been previously related to metabolic traits, one (MADD) has been associated with fasting glucose, one (PCSK1) has been implicated in obesity, and four (TCF7L2, SLC30A8, VPS13C/C2CD4A/B, and ARAP1, formerly CENTD2) increase T2D risk. The proinsulin-raising allele of ARAP1 was associated with a lower fasting glucose (P = 1.7 × 10(-4)), improved β-cell function (P = 1.1 × 10(-5)), and lower risk of T2D (odds ratio 0.88; P = 7.8 × 10(-6)). Notably, PCSK1 encodes the protein prohormone convertase 1/3, the first enzyme in the insulin processing pathway. A genotype score composed of the nine proinsulin-raising alleles was not associated with coronary disease in two large case-control datasets. CONCLUSIONS: We have identified nine genetic variants associated with fasting proinsulin. Our findings illuminate the biology underlying glucose homeostasis and T2D development in humans and argue against a direct role of proinsulin in coronary artery disease pathogenesis

Search for stop and higgsino production using diphoton Higgs boson decays

Results are presented of a search for a "natural" supersymmetry scenario with gauge mediated symmetry breaking. It is assumed that only the supersymmetric partners of the top-quark (stop) and the Higgs boson (higgsino) are accessible. Events are examined in which there are two photons forming a Higgs boson candidate, and at least two b-quark jets. In 19.7 inverse femtobarns of proton-proton collision data at sqrt(s) = 8 TeV, recorded in the CMS experiment, no evidence of a signal is found and lower limits at the 95% confidence level are set, excluding the stop mass below 360 to 410 GeV, depending on the higgsino mass

Severe early onset preeclampsia: short and long term clinical, psychosocial and biochemical aspects

Preeclampsia is a pregnancy specific disorder commonly defined as de novo hypertension and proteinuria after 20 weeks gestational age. It occurs in approximately 3-5% of pregnancies and it is still a major cause of both foetal and maternal morbidity and mortality worldwide1. As extensive research has not yet elucidated the aetiology of preeclampsia, there are no rational preventive or therapeutic interventions available. The only rational treatment is delivery, which benefits the mother but is not in the interest of the foetus, if remote from term. Early onset preeclampsia (<32 weeks’ gestational age) occurs in less than 1% of pregnancies. It is, however often associated with maternal morbidity as the risk of progression to severe maternal disease is inversely related with gestational age at onset2. Resulting prematurity is therefore the main cause of neonatal mortality and morbidity in patients with severe preeclampsia3. Although the discussion is ongoing, perinatal survival is suggested to be increased in patients with preterm preeclampsia by expectant, non-interventional management. This temporising treatment option to lengthen pregnancy includes the use of antihypertensive medication to control hypertension, magnesium sulphate to prevent eclampsia and corticosteroids to enhance foetal lung maturity4. With optimal maternal haemodynamic status and reassuring foetal condition this results on average in an extension of 2 weeks. Prolongation of these pregnancies is a great challenge for clinicians to balance between potential maternal risks on one the eve hand and possible foetal benefits on the other. Clinical controversies regarding prolongation of preterm preeclamptic pregnancies still exist – also taking into account that preeclampsia is the leading cause of maternal mortality in the Netherlands5 - a debate which is even more pronounced in very preterm pregnancies with questionable foetal viability6-9. Do maternal risks of prolongation of these very early pregnancies outweigh the chances of neonatal survival? Counselling of women with very early onset preeclampsia not only comprises of knowledge of the outcome of those particular pregnancies, but also knowledge of outcomes of future pregnancies of these women is of major clinical importance. This thesis opens with a review of the literature on identifiable risk factors of preeclampsia

Measurement of associated W plus charm production in pp collisions at √s=7 TeV

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