Morphological characterization of Ampelomyces spp., a hyperparasite of Bhendi (Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench) powdery mildew

Ampelomyces is a naturally occurring hyperparasite on powdery mildews. Survey was conducted in major bhendi (Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench) growing districts of Tamil Nadu during June 2014 to assess the incidence of powdery mildew and to collect different isolates of Ampelomyces spp. The results of the survey revealed that the disease incidence ranged from 15.54 to 63.45 %. Ten isolates of Ampelomyces spp. were collect-ed from surveyed areas of powdery mildew. Isolation of Ampelomyces spp. was done from powdery mildew infected bhendi leaf parasitized by Ampelomyces spp. using tissue segment method. All the isolates were identified by their morphological characters. The colour of the colonies in various medium was brownish black to greenish white. Most of the isolates showed radial and fluffy growth pattern with raised growth. The pycnidia of different isolates of Ampelomyces varied in their shape and were mostly ovoid, ellipsoid, cylindrical, pyriform to globose in shape. The size of pycnidia varied from 29.2-72.5×22.4-43.1 ?m. The number of pycnidia was found to be more in isolates viz., TNAU-AQ101 and TNAU-AQ103. Pycnidiospores are hyaline, unicellular and guttulate in shape. The pycnidial production was higher in TNAU-AQ101 and TNAU-AQ103. Application of agrochemicals is one of the oldest and most effective methods to manage powdery mildew disease. However, incessant use of these agrochemicals has many demerits such as development of resistance to pathogens, residual toxicity and environmental pollution. Hence, search for an alternative means for disease management is envisaged. The genus Ampelomyces are the major antagonists as an alternative of Erysiphales fungi being a significant group of phytopathogens

First report on a cluster of colistin-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae strains isolated from a tertiary care center in India : whole-genome shotgun sequencing

Klebsiella pneumoniae is a nosocomial pathogen with clinical importance due to its increasing resistance to carbapenems and colistin. Here, we report the genome sequences of eight colistin-resistant K. pneumoniae strains which might help in understanding the molecular mechanism of the species. The sequence data indicate genomes of ~5.2 to 5.4 Mb, along with several plasmids

Multiple traces of monkeypox detected in non-sewered wastewater with sparse sampling from a densely populated metropolitan area in Asia

The monkeypox virus is excreted in the feces of infected individuals. Therefore, there is an interest in using viral load detection in wastewater for sentinel early surveillance at a community level and as a complementary approach to syndromic surveillance. We collected wastewater from 63 sewered and non-sewered locations in Bangkok city center between May and August 2022. Monkeypox viral DNA copy numbers were quantified using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and confirmed positive by Sanger sequencing. Monkeypox viral DNA was first detected in wastewater from the second week of June 2022, with a mean copy number of 16.4 copies/ml (n = 3). From the first week of July, the number of viral DNA copies increased to a mean copy number of 45.92 copies/ml. Positive samples were Sanger sequenced and confirmed the presence of the monkeypox virus. Our study is the first to detect monkeypox viral DNA in wastewater from various locations within Thailand. Results suggest that this could be a complementary source for detecting viral DNA and predicting upcoming outbreaks

A combination of biocontrol agents improves the management of dry root rot (<em>Macrophomina phaseolina</em>) in greengram

The biocontrol agents Trichoderma viride (strains Tv1 and Tv13), Pseudomonas fluorescens (Pf1 and Py15) and Bacillus subtilis (Bs16) were tested individually and in combination for their effectiveness against root rot of greengram caused by Macrophomina phaseolina. As regards the compatibility of the biocontrol agents with each other, T. viride strains were not compatible with B. subtilis (Bs16), but P. fluorescens strains were compatible with B. subtilis and T. viride. Of the biocontrol agents tested in vitro against M. phaseolina, combinations of P. fluorescens+T. viride (Pf1+Tv1, Pf1+Tv13 and Py15+Tv1) inhibited mycelial growth of the pathogen and they also promoted the growth of the greengram seedlings. A combination of Pf1+Tv1 was most effective in reducing root rot incidence under glass-house and field conditions as compared with other single or combined treatments or the untreated control. The activity of the defense-related enzymes peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase and phenyl alanine ammonia lyase was significantly greater in greengram plants treated with a talc based formulation containing Pf1+Tv1 followed by Pf1+Tv13 and Py15+Tv1, than in plants receiving other treatments or the untreated control. Moreover, a combination of Pf1+Tv1 followed by Pf1+Tv13 and Py15+Tv1 significantly increased yield under glass house and field conditions

Exploration of Multiple Transfer Phenomena within Viscous Fluid Flows over a Curved Stretching Sheet in the Co-Existence of Gyrotactic Micro-Organisms and Tiny Particles

In the present study, the magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) bio-convective flow and heat transfer of nanofluid, due to the swimming of the gyrotactic micro-organisms over a curved stretched sheet, is examined. In addition, thermophoresis and Brownian motion behaviors are also investigated by assuming slip conditions at the boundary. A non-linear system of partial differential equations (PDEs) is reduced to a system of ordinary differential equations (ODEs). For convergent solutions, the obtained ODE system is solved by the use of the BVP4C routine integrated MATLAB package. In addition, the impacts of different influential parameters on motile micro-organisms, temperature, velocity, and concentration profiles are deliberated. The velocity field is observed to be reduced when the slip parameter increases. As the main results, it is demonstrated that the distribution of motile microorganisms against the curvature parameter decreases significantly. Similarly, it is found that the nanofluid parameters (i.e., Brownian motion and thermophoresis parameters) and the Peclet number reduce the motile micro-organisms’ number. On the other hand, it is evidenced that the motile micro-organisms’ distribution can be improved with an increase in bio-convective Schmidt number