Improvement of Alternaria Leaf Blotch and Fruit Spot of Apple Control through the Management of Primary Inoculum

Alternaria spp. is the causal agent of apple leaf blotch and fruit spot, diseases of recent appearance in Spain. The overwinter inoculum of Alternaria spp. is the source of primary infections in apple, thus the aim of this work was to optimize the control of infection through two environmentally friendly inoculum-management strategies, the removal of winter fallen leaves and the treatment of leaves with the biological agent Trichoderma asperellum to inhibit or prevent inoculum development in commercial orchards. The results of commercial orchard trials showed that leaf aspiration and application of T. asperellum on the ground have efficacy to reduce fruit spot between 50 and 80% and leaf blotch of between 30 and 40% depending on the year. The efficacies on the reduction of leaf blotch were slightly lower than of fruit spot. Disease reduction has been related to a reduction of total spores released during the season. Results of dynamics of spore release indicate that factors influencing spore release were rainfall and temperature. In conclusion, the use of environmentally friendly strategies combined with standard fungicides, and with monitoring environmental conditions, might allow a reduction in the number of phytosanitary applications, thus achieving the goal of reducing their use.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Effect of bolus viscosity on the safety and efficacy of swallowing and the kinematics of the swallow response in patients with oropharyngeal dysphagia: white paper by the European Society for Swallowing Disorders (ESSD)

Background: Fluid thickening is a well-established management strategy for oropharyngeal dysphagia (OD). However, the effects of thickening agents on the physiology of impaired swallow responses are not fully understood, and there is no agreement on the degree of bolus thickening. Aim: To review the literature and to produce a white paper of the European Society for Swallowing Disorders (ESSD) describing the evidence in the literature on the effect that bolus modification has upon the physiology, efficacy and safety of swallowing in adults with OD. Methods: A systematic search was performed using the electronic Pubmed and Embase databases. Articles in English available up to July 2015 were considered. The inclusion criteria swallowing studies on adults over 18 years of age; healthy people or patients with oropharyngeal dysphagia; bolus modification; effects of bolus modification on swallow safety (penetration/aspiration) and efficacy; and/or physiology and original articles written in English. The exclusion criteria consisted of oesophageal dysphagia and conference abstracts or presentations. The quality of the selected papers and the level of research evidence were assessed by standard quality assessments. Results: At the end of the selection process, 33 articles were considered. The quality of all included studies was assessed using systematic, reproducible, and quantitative tools (Kmet and NHMRC) concluding that all the selected articles reached a valid level of evidence. The literature search gathered data from various sources, ranging from double-blind randomised control trials to systematic reviews focused on changes occurring in swallowing physiology caused by thickened fluids. Main results suggest that increasing bolus viscosity (a) results in increased safety of swallowing, (b) also results in increased amounts of oral and/or pharyngeal residue which may result in post-swallow airway invasion, (c) impacts the physiology with increased lingual pressure patterns, no major changes in impaired airway protection mechanisms, and controversial effects on oral and pharyngeal transit time, hyoid displacements, onset of UOS opening and bolus velocity—with several articles suggesting the therapeutic effect of thickeners is also due to intrinsic bolus properties, (d) reduces palatability of thickened fluids and (e) correlates with increased risk of dehydration and decreased quality of life although the severity of dysphagia may be an confounding factor. Conclusions: The ESSD concludes that there is evidence for increasing viscosity to reduce the risk of airway invasion and that it is a valid management strategy for OD. However, new thickening agents should be developed to avoid the negative effects of increasing viscosity on residue, palatability, and treatment compliance. New randomised controlled trials should establish the optimal viscosity level for each phenotype of dysphagic patients and descriptors, terminology and viscosity measurements must be standardised. This white paper is the first step towards the development of a clinical guideline on bolus modification for patients with oropharyngeal dysphagia

First Report of Colletotrichum chrysophilum Causing Apple Bitter Rot in Spain

Bitter rot of apple (Malus × domestica Borkh.) is a cosmopolitan disease affecting fruit and causes considerable losses worldwide. In September 2020, symptoms of bitter rot were observed on ‘Pink Lady’ apples in two orchards (~2.5 ha each) in Gualta, Catalonia, Spain (42.03803 N, 3.09831 E, and 42.03942 N, 3.10931 E). Early symptoms consisted of light brown and sunken circular lesions (1-4 mm) that enlarged over time, later becoming dark brown and water soaked, and extending cone-shaped toward the core. Sporulation was mostly noticed in larger lesions. Estimated incidence was 2% and 20% of 150 trees surveyed in each orchard, respectively. Twenty-one fungal isolates were obtained from diseased fruit by culturing small pieces of necrotic tissue on potato dextrose agar (PDA) amended with rifampicin at 50 mg/liter. Colonies on PDA looked identical. They were cottony, initially light-gray colored on top and darkening with age; colony reverse initially cream colored and darkening with age. Conidia were produced in orange acervular masses on Spezieller Nährstoffarmer Agar, and were aseptate, hyaline, cylindrical with obtuse ends, and measuring 10.1 to 14.7 × 4.5 to 7.1 μm (average 13.1 ± 1.04 × 5.3 ± 0.67 μm [mean ± SD], n = 50), with a mean length/width ratio 2.6 ± 0.39 (n = 16 isolates). Perithecia were not observed. Based on the conidial morphology, the isolates were tentatively identified as belonging to the Colletotrichum gloeosporioides species complex (Weir et al. 2012). Total genomic DNA was extracted from all isolates and six nuclear regions were amplified and partially sequenced: the internal transcribed spacer region of rDNA (ITS), the mating type protein 1-2-1 gene and the Mat1-2-1-Apn2 intergenic spacer region (ApMAT), actin (ACT), calmodulin (CAL), glyceraldehyde 3-P dehydrogenase (GAPDH), and tubulin (TUB2). The sequences for each region were 100% identical across all isolates. BLAST searches in GenBank showed 99-100% identity with sequences of various C. chrysophilum W.A.S. Vieira, W.G. Lima, M.P.S. Câmara & V.P. Doyle strains including the ex-type CMM4268 (Vieira et al. 2017). Sequences of the representative isolate CJL1080 were deposited in GenBank (ACT, MZ488944; ApMAT, MZ442299; CAL, MZ488945; GAPDH, MZ488946; ITS, MZ443972; TUB2, MZ442300). A multilocus phylogenetic analysis through Bayesian inference conducted with the obtained sequences and reference ones (Khodadadi et al. 2020) revealed that our isolates clustered well within C. chrysophilum, as suggested by BLAST results. To confirm Koch’s postulates, isolates CJL1080 and CJL1095 were inoculated on ‘Pink Lady’ apples. Six surface-sterilized fruits per isolate were wound-inoculated four times each with either 20 μl of a conidial suspension (105 conidia/ml) or sterile distilled water (control). After 7 days of incubation in a moist chamber at 22°C, symptoms compatible with Colletotrichum infection were observed around the wounds, whereas control inoculations remained symptomless. The fungus was reisolated from all the lesions and identified through its morphological traits and DNA sequencing (ApMat, CAL, and GAPDH). No fungus was isolated from the controls. Taxa of the C. gloeosporioides species complex causing bitter rot have been recently reported in Europe (Grammen et al. 2019; Nodet et al. 2019). This is the first report of C. chrysophilum causing apple bitter rot in Spain, which expands the knowledge on the geographic distribution of this important pathogen of apple in Europe.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Evaluation of a revision of the BSPcast decision support system for control of brown spot of pear

Control of brown spot of pear requires fungicide treatments of pear trees during the growing season. Scheduling fungicide sprays with the Brown spot of pear forecasting system (BSPcast) provides signifcant fungicide savings but does not increase the effcacy of disease control. Modifcations in BSPcast were introduced in order to increase system performance. The changes consisted of: (1) the use of a daily infection risk (Rm≥0.2) instead of the 3-day cumulative risk (CR≥0.4) to guide the fungicide scheduling, and (2) the inclusion of the effect of relative humidity during interrupted wetness periods. Trials were performed during 2 years in an experimental pear orchard in Spain. The modifications introduced did not result in increased disease control efficacy, compared with the original BSPcast system. In one year, no reduction in the number of fungicide applications was obtained using the modified BSPcast system in comparison to the original system, but in the second year the number of treatments was reduced from 15 to 13. The original BSPcast model overestimated the daily infection risk in 6.5% of days with wetness periods with low relative humidity during the wetness interruption, and in these cases the modified version was more adequate.  &nbsp

Natural history of swallow function during the three-month period after stroke

Oropharyngeal dysphagia is a prevalent complication following stroke (PS-OD), and one that is sometimes spontaneously recovered. This study describes the natural history of PS-OD between admission and three months post-stroke, and the factors associated with its prevalence and development. PS-OD was assessed with the volume- iscosity swallow test (V-VST) in all stroke patients on admission and at the three-month follow-up. We analyzed clinical, demographic, and neuroanatomical factors of 247 older post-stroke patients (National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) = 3.5 ± 3.8), comparing among those with PS-OD the ones with and without spontaneous recovery. PS-OD prevalence on admission was 39.7% (34.0% impaired safety; 30.8%, efficacy) and 41.7% (19.4% impaired safety; 39.3%, efficacy) at three months. Spontaneous swallow recovery occurred in 42.4% of patients with unsafe and in 29.9% with ineffective swallow, associated with younger age and optimal functional status. However, 26% of post-stroke patients developed new signs/symptoms of ineffective swallow related to poor functional, nutritional and health status, and institutionalization. PS-OD prevalence on admission and at the three-month follow-up was very high in the study population. PS-OD is a dynamic condition with some spontaneous recovery in patients with optimal functional status, but also new signs/symptoms can appear due to poor functionality. Regular PS-OD monitoring is needed to identify patients at risk of nutritional and respiratory complications

Effect of a gum-based thickener on the safety of swallowing in patients with poststroke oropharyngeal dysphagia

Altres ajuts: This work has been supported by Danone Nutricia Research, Fundació Salut del Consorci Sanitari del Maresme, Furega (Fundació per a la Recerca en Gastroenterologia) and Centro de Investigación en Red en Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBERehd).Background: Increasing viscosity with thickening agents is a valid therapeutic strategy for oropharyngeal dysphagia (OD). To assess the therapeutic effect of a xanthan gum-based thickener (Nutilis Clear) at six viscosities compared with thin liquid in poststroke OD (PSOD) patients. Methods: A total of 120 patients with PSOD were studied in this controlled, multiple-dose, fixed-order, and single-blind study using videofluoroscopy (VFSS). A series of boluses of 10 mL thin liquid and 2000, 1400, 800, 450, 250, and 150 mPa s viscosities were given in duplicate, interrupted in case of aspiration. We assessed the safety and efficacy of swallow and the kinematics of the swallow response. Key Results: A total of 41.2% patients had safe swallow at thin liquid which significantly increased for all viscosities from 71.9% at 150 mPa s to 95.6% at 1400 mPa s (P <.001). PAS score (3.7 ± 2.3) at thin liquid was also reduced by increasing bolus viscosity (P <.001). The prevalence of patients with aspiration at thin liquid was 17.5% and decreased at all viscosities (P <.01), except at 150 mPa s. Increasing viscosity shortened time to laryngeal vestibule closure (LVC) at all viscosities (P <.01) and reduced bolus velocity at ≥450 mPa s (P <.05). The prevalence of patients with pharyngeal residue at each viscosity 37.7%-44.7% was similar to that at thin liquid (41.2%). Conclusions and Inferences: The prevalence of unsafe swallow with thin liquids is very high in PSOD. Increasing shear bolus viscosity with this xanthan gum-based thickener significantly increased the safety of swallow in patients with PSOD in a viscosity-dependent manner without increasing the prevalence of pharyngeal residue

Rhizosphere Acidification as the Main Trait Characterizing the Differential In Vitro Tolerance to Iron Chlorosis in Interspecific Pyrus Hybrids

Physiological responses of different interspecific Pyrus hybrids and an open pollinated Pyrus communis ‘Williams’ (Pcw) grown under in vitro culture conditions simulating lime induced chlorosis were studied. The hybrids were derived from crosses between the ‘Pyriam’ pear rootstock and four Pyrus species of the Mediterranean region, namely P. amygdaliformis Vill. (Pa), P. amygdaliformis persica Bornme. (Pap), P. communis cordata (Desv.) Hook. (Pcc), and P. elaeagrifolia Pall (Pe), all known for their higher field tolerance to iron-chlorosis than P. communis. Twenty hybrids and one open pollinated Pcw were micropropagated, and plantlets were in vitro characterized for their physiological responses to iron-deficiency conditions. Rooted plantlets were transferred to a culture medium with 2 µM Fe3+ DTPA and 10 or 20 mM NaHCO3. These physiological responses were scored at 1, 3, 7, and 28 days from the start of the in vitro assay. Leaf total chlorophyll content, the capacity of roots to acidify the medium, reduced iron, and exudates of phenolic acids and organic acids were analyzed in each media and time sample. Leaf chlorophyll levels for the clones derived from Pcc were the highest, especially under the highest bicarbonate concentration, followed by those derived from Pap and Pa. The higher chlorophyll content of Pcc clones were related with their higher capacity to acidify the media but not with their iron reduction capacity at the root level. On the other hand, hybrid clones derived from Pe showed a higher Fe3+ reduction ability than clones from all the other species during the whole assay but only when the bicarbonate concentration was lower. The exudation of phenolic acids by the roots was higher in Pcw than in the other species, and this response might explain why the total chlorophyll levels in Pcw clones are similar to those of Pe and Pa ones. These results with Pyrus spp. bring more evidence in support of the idea that iron reduction capacity at the root level is not directly related with a higher tolerance to iron deficiency caused by the high pH of calcareous soils. Instead, the ability to acidify the rhizosphere is the trait of choice for the selection of the pear hybrid clones better adapted to lime induced chlorosis. In addition, the in vitro assay to select the Pyrus clones for tolerance to iron chlorosis could be shortened to one week of culture in 10 mM NaHCO3, measuring the leaf chlorophyll level, acidification of the culture medium, and exudation of phenolic acids as the physiological responses to predict tolerance to lime-induced chlorosisinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Propuestas técnicas para el cultivo ecológico de manzana

Researchers of two experimental centres of two regions of Spain, IRTA (Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia Agroaliment&agrave;ries) in Catalonia and SERIDA (Servicio Regional de Investigaci&oacute;n y Desarrollo Agroalimentario) in Asturias, have been working together in some organic fruit production projects with the principal aim of finding the best use of the production methods and to put the technical proposals available for the growers. Trials have been devoted to evaluate resistant and standard apple cultivars under local conditions, to asses strategies to prevent apple scab and rosy apple aphid damages, to find the best products for fruit thinning and to find the best method for groundcover management to prevent weed competition with apple trees and to promote conservation biological control. The general goal was to generate the knowledge to get a high quality apple production taking into account the environment, and producers and consumers health aspects. According to the obtained results and providing that much more experimental work should be done, it is shown that organic fruit production is feasible.Ante la creciente necesidad de puesta a punto de t&eacute;cnicas de cultivo de manzano en agricultura ecol&oacute;gica (AE), el IRTA (Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia Agroaliment&agrave;ries) de Catalu&ntilde;a y el SERIDA (Servicio Regional de Investigaci&oacute;n y Desarrollo Agroalimentario) de Asturias han aunado esfuerzos para estudiar los puntos cr&iacute;ticos de la producci&oacute;n y proponer soluciones t&eacute;cnicas al sector productor. Las investigaciones que se presentan se han centrado en el estudio de la adaptaci&oacute;n a las condiciones locales de variedades resistentes y de algunas de las principales variedades comerciales, en la evaluaci&oacute;n de t&eacute;cnicas de control del moteado y del pulg&oacute;n ceniciento, en el desarrollo de itinerarios pr&aacute;cticos para reducir la alternancia de cosechas y obtener frutos de buen calibre y calidad, y en el manejo de cubiertas arvenses para limitar la competencia de la vegetaci&oacute;n espont&aacute;nea y propiciar la conservaci&oacute;n de los enemigos naturales y el control biol&oacute;gico de las plagas. Se trata, en definitiva, de disponer de alternativas de manejo que permitan obtener una manzana de la m&aacute;xima calidad producida de manera respetuosa con el medio ambiente y la salud, en el marco de una orientaci&oacute;n agroecol&oacute;gica. A la vista de los resultados, se muestra que la producci&oacute;n ecol&oacute;gica de manzana es factible, aunque ser&aacute; necesario seguir profundizando en la optimizaci&oacute;n del sistema de producci&oacute;n