Assessment of cold resistance in <i>Momordica charantia</i> L. accessions according to pollen germination at low temperatures <i>in vitro</i>

Background. Bitter melon (Momordica charantia L.) is a vegetable and medicinal crop new for Russia. Its high heat demand is the main factor limiting the possibilities of its cultivation in a temperate continental climate. Evaluation and selection of more cold-resistant accessions is required for breeding new cultivars and expanding production. Previously obtained data attest to a possibility of assessing cold hardiness in the mature male gametophyte phase in vitro.Materials and methods. Eight bitter melon accessions, including parent forms, F1  hybrids and cv. ‘Gosha’, were grown in the unheated film greenhouse of the Central Siberian Botanical Garden, Novosibirsk (54°49’ N, 83°06’ E) for evaluation and selection for cold resistance. The ratio of pollen germination in vitro on a 15% polyethylene glycol solution with a molecular weight of 6000 (PEG 6000) with the addition of boric acid (0.006%) at a temperature of 10°C for 24 h to the same indicator at 25°C / 3 h (in %) was used as a criterion of cold resistance.Results. The cultivar ‘Gosha’, the accession Okinawa green from Japan, and the F1 hybrid (Feng Guang × Okinawa green) had the highest cold resistance, with the values of 59.7; 53.8 and 48.2%, respectively. The inheritance of cold resistance in F1 , assessed by the pollen germination index, depending on the crossing combination, changed from intermediate in two hybrids [F1 Feng Guang × Gosha) and F1 Feng Guang × Okinawa green)] to overdominant (positive heterosis) in the hybrid F1 (Feng Guang × Okinawa white)

Characterization of the core bacteriobiome in the rhizosphere of greenhouse vegetables: taxonomic diversity and putative functions

The aim of the study. The aim was to profile 16S rRNA gene diversity and to assess functional potential of bacterial assemblages in the rhizosphere of some unconventional vegetables grown in protected greenhouse conditions in West Siberia. Location and time of the study. Novosibirsk, Russia, 2016. Methodology. At the end of the growing season in the middle of September the rhizosphere soil was collected from the plants of wax gourd (Benincasa hispida), bitter melon (Momordica charantia), kiwano (Cucumis metuliferus) and cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) grown on peat-based substrate in a polyethylene-protected greenhouse that has been in operation for more than 40 years. The metagenomic DNA was extracted and amplified with V3-V4 primers for 16S rRNA genes, and the amplicons sequenced with Illumina MiSeq. The obtained OTUs tables were used to predict putative functions by running through the FAPROTAX database. Main results. The rhizosphere bacteriobiome was dominated by Proteobacteria (32±11% of the total number of sequence reads), Acidobacteria (23±7%) and Actinobacteria (18±3%) phyla, together accounting for about three quarters of the rhizosphere bacteriobiome. In total 20 bacterial phyla were found. The rhizosphere bacteriobiome was surprisingly diverse with Shannon index ranging 7.0–7.5. The number of the observed operational taxonomic units (OTUs) per sample was very high, ranging 4,500–4,900, and the potential number of OTUs estimated as 5,100–5,700; all those OTUs were evenly and equitably represented in the bacteriobiome, and dominance indices (Simpson dominance and Berger-Parker) were very low. The main dominant OTU represented Bradyrhizobiaceae family and accounted for just 1% on average. Overall the study identified 27 OTUs belonging to the Bradyrhizobiaceae family, but only four of them were ascribed to nitrogen fixation by FAPROTAX. Function prediction by FAPROTAX also suggested that bacteriobiome had a marked potential for the carbon cycle, denitrification, aromatic compound and plant polymer degradation, but no plant pathogens. The biggest difference in rhizosphere bacteriobiome diversity was observed between the bitter melon and the other three vegetable crops: bitter melon had much increased abundance of Arthrobacter and Sphingomonas as compared with wax gourd, kiwano and cowpea, and increased number of bacterial species associated with aromatic compounds degradation. Conclusion. Based on the finding that the studied rhizosphere bacteriobiomes were very diverse, we conclude that the crops were able to recruit diverse microbiota from the peat-based soil substrate, which, in its turn, means that diverse soil substrate microbiota has been sustained over several decades of the greenhouse operation. All crops apparently shaped distinct bacteriobiomes in their rhizosphere, which ideally should be included into studies of plant-associated bacterial diversity profiles for breeding and sustainable production.The aim of the study. The aim was to profile 16S rRNA gene diversity and to assess functional potential of bacterial assemblages in the rhizosphere of some unconventional vegetables grown in protected greenhouse conditions in West Siberia. Location and time of the study. Novosibirsk, Russia, 2016. Methodology. At the end of the growing season in the middle of September the rhizosphere soil was collected from the plants of wax gourd (Benincasa hispida), bitter melon (Momordica charantia), kiwano (Cucumis metuliferus) and cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) grown on peat-based substrate in a polyethylene-protected greenhouse that has been in operation for more than 40 years. The metagenomic DNA was extracted and amplified with V3-V4 primers for 16S rRNA genes, and the amplicons sequenced with Illumina MiSeq. The obtained OTUs tables were used to predict putative functions by running through the FAPROTAX database. Main results. The rhizosphere bacteriobiome was dominated by Proteobacteria (32±11% of the total number of sequence reads), Acidobacteria (23±7%) and Actinobacteria (18±3%) phyla, together accounting for about three quarters of the rhizosphere bacteriobiome. In total 20 bacterial phyla were found. The rhizosphere bacteriobiome was surprisingly diverse with Shannon index ranging 7.0–7.5. The number of the observed operational taxonomic units (OTUs) per sample was very high, ranging 4,500–4,900, and the potential number of OTUs estimated as 5,100–5,700; all those OTUs were evenly and equitably represented in the bacteriobiome, and dominance indices (Simpson dominance and Berger-Parker) were very low. The main dominant OTU represented Bradyrhizobiaceae family and accounted for just 1% on average. Overall the study identified 27 OTUs belonging to the Bradyrhizobiaceae family, but only four of them were ascribed to nitrogen fixation by FAPROTAX. Function prediction by FAPROTAX also suggested that bacteriobiome had a marked potential for the carbon cycle, denitrification, aromatic compound and plant polymer degradation, but no plant pathogens. The biggest difference in rhizosphere bacteriobiome diversity was observed between the bitter melon and the other three vegetable crops: bitter melon had much increased abundance of Arthrobacter and Sphingomonas as compared with wax gourd, kiwano and cowpea, and increased number of bacterial species associated with aromatic compounds degradation. Conclusion. Based on the finding that the studied rhizosphere bacteriobiomes were very diverse, we conclude that the crops were able to recruit diverse microbiota from the peat-based soil substrate, which, in its turn, means that diverse soil substrate microbiota has been sustained over several decades of the greenhouse operation. All crops apparently shaped distinct bacteriobiomes in their rhizosphere, which ideally should be included into studies of plant-associated bacterial diversity profiles for breeding and sustainable production

Genetic resources of vegetable crops: from breeding non-traditional crops to functional food

In this review, the authors considered the promising species of vegetable crops for introduction and breeding in the Russian Federation. An attempt was made to assess the possibilities of their breeding improvement from the standpoint of the presence of traits that limit large-scale production. Species that could potentially serve as sources of a high content of functional food ingredients (FFI) have been identified and characterized. For the successful introgression of these species in the Russian Federation, we proposed the methodological approaches including the assessment of the potential cold resistance of thermophilic crops in the mature male gametophyte in vitro (e. g., asparagus bean). The increase in the biodiversity of vegetable plants and improving of their nutritional value should be recognized as one of the main tasks, along with the growth of crop productivity. It is proposed to use the ratio of the total number of the registered cultivars of a particular crop to the number of years since the first cultivar of that crop has been included in the State Register of Breeding Achievements Admitted for Use as a measure of demand. It is advisable to formalize the trait“high content of FFI” in crops, taking as a basis, for example, a 2–4-fold excess of the content of any FFI or their complex in a cultivar over the crop’s standard (reference) value. Such varieties should be included in the State Register of Breeding Achievements Approved for Use as a separate list. The purpose of their separation in the State Register is to ensure the potential interest of investors and business structures in the sale of functional food on the market. The paper discusses in detail the most promising species of introduced vegetable crops from five families (Brassicaceae, Amaranthaceae, Solanaceae, Leguminosae, Cucurbitaceae). The following species are proposed as potential sources of high FPI content: Brassica oleracea ssp. oleracea, B. oleraceae var. alboglabra, B. rapa ssp. chinensis, B. rapa ssp. narinosa, B. rapa ssp. nipposinica, B. rapa ssp. rapa, B. uncea, Cochlearia officinalis, Lepidium sativum, Amaranthus caudatus, A. cruentus, A. hypochondriacus, A. dubius, A. tricolor, lividus, species in the genus Physalis L., Momordica charantia, Benincasa hispida, Cucumis metuliferus, Vigna unguiculata

Study of nodulation and nitrogen fixation in two cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.] cultivars inoculated with different strains of Bradyrhizobium sp.

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp.) is a vegetable legume with promise for agricultural production in Russia. The impact of inoculation with three strains of Bradyrhizobium sp. from the All Russian Institute of Agricultural Microbiology (St. Petersburg) on nodulation and nitrogen fixation on two cowpea cultivars, Sibirskiy razmer and Yunnanskaya, has been explored All the strains used made both cultivars produce nitrogen fixing nodules. Differences between the varieties in the ability to form nodules and fix nitrogen following exposure to the different strains have been identified. High variation of the nodulation ability of both cultivars has been observed: at the beginning of flowering, the number of nodules per plant was 4–47 in Sibirskiy razmer and 17–117 in Yunnanskaya. Uninoculated vigna roots used as the control did not form nodules. At the beginning of flowering (48 days after inoculation) Sibirskiy razmer plants inoculated with strain 164 0503 (03) had the highest nodule weight per plant (0.79 g) and N2 fixation rates (5155.3 nmol С2H4/plant/h). The corresponding measures in Yunnanskaya were 1.41 g and 5255.5 nmol С2H4/plant/h following exposure to strain 162 0501 (01) and 4673.0 nmol С2H4/plant/h following exposure to strain (03). Analysis showed a correlation between nitrogen fixation rate and nodule weight (pcs./plant), r = 0.78 (p &gt; 0.95). Data obtained suggest that effective symbioses are achieved between Sibirskiy razmer and strain 03 as well as between Yunnanskaya and strain 01

ГРИБНЫЕ ЗАБОЛЕВАНИЯ СПАРЖЕВОЙ ВИГНЫ НА ЮГЕ ЗАПАДНОЙ СИБИРИ

Increasing popularity of asparagus bean (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.) − a new for Russia vegetable crop requires comprehensive study including resistance to biotic environmental factors. Composition of pathogens of germinating seeds, plants (roots, leaves, stems, fruits) of large collection of asparagus bean from the N.I. Vavilov All-Russian Institute of Plant Genetic Resources (VIR) and the Bioresource Scientific Collection of the CSBG SB RAS UNU No. USU 440534 have been investigated. Plants of 87 samples of asparagus bean were grown in the unheated plastic film greenhouse on the south of Western Siberia (54 ° N lat. 83 ° E) and examined for infestations of diseases in the Central Siberian Botanical Garden and Novosibirsk State Agrarian University (Novosibirsk). The infection of seeds with pathogenic micromycetes was determined according to GOST 12044-93 (similar to common beans) using the methods of mycological analysis and the Petri-dish moist chambers, also on Chapek media and KDA media. The main pathogenic micromycetes are: on germinating seeds − species of the genera Fusarium, Aspergillus, Penicillium, Alternaria, Mucor, Botrytis cinerea, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum; on seedlings − Fusarium solani; during fruiting on fruits and stems − B. cinerea and S. sclerotiorum; on the root collar − S. sclerotiorum. The dominant forms of white mold were stem, root collar, fruits. Five samples that showed a high level of resistance to B.cinerea and S.sclerotiorum have been selected. System for asparagus bean disease surveillance which should be built in the calendar-phenological sequence, has been recommended.Спаржевая вигна [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.] – новая для России овощная культура, возрастающая популярность которой требует ее всестороннего изучения, включая устойчивость к биотическим факторам среды. В Центральном Сибирском ботаническом саду СО РАН и Новосибирском госагроуниверситете (г. Новосибирск) впервые изучили состав возбудителей и степень поражения болезнями прорастающих семян, растений (корневая система, листья, стебли, плоды) ее большой коллекции из ВНИИ им. Н.И. Вавилова и биоресурсной научной коллекции ЦСБС СО РАН УНУ № USU 440534, включающей 87 сортообразцов в условиях необогреваемой пленочной теплицы на юге Западной Сибири (54°с. ш. 83°в. д.). Зараженность семян вигны патогенными микромицетами определяли по ГОСТ 12044-93 (аналогично фасоли) методами микологического анализа и «влажной камеры». Микологический анализ семян проводили на универсальных питательных средах Чапека и КДА. Этиологию пятнистостей и гнилей устанавливали методами прямого микроскопирования и «влажной камеры». Основные патогенными микромицетами на вигне в Сибири являются: на прорастающих семенах – виды родов Fusarium, Aspergillus, Penicillium, Alternaria, Mucor, Botrytis cinerea, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum; на сеянцах – Fusarium solani; в период плодоношения на плодах и стеблях – B. cinerea и S. sclerotiorum; на корневой шейке – S. sclerotiorum. К основным грибным заболеваниям вигны в условиях защищенного грунта юга Западной Сибири относились белая и серая гнили, вызываемые, соответственно, S. sclerotiorum и B. cinerea. Доминирующие формы проявления белой гнили – стеблевая, прикорневая, плодовая. Выделены 5 сортообразцов, показавших высокий уровень устойчивости к B.cinerea и S.sclerotiorum. Рекомендована система надзора за болезнями вигны, которая должна строиться в календарно-фенологической последовательности

Concept of producing of the Russian national system of functional food

Statistics show negative forecasts of the demographic indicators of the Russian population including their size and health. The human habitat which has been deteriorating in recent decades causes cardinal changes in the assortment and variety of food and significantly contributes to the reduction of their biological value. The depletion of food products (FP) of vegetable and animal origin in vital mineral elements, vitamins and other physiologically active components represents a serious long-term threat to human health and the national security. Industrial methods of enriching FP have certain limitations: a narrow set of micronutrients, their interaction among themselves and accessibility for not all groups of the population. One way to reduce the negative consequences is through the introduction and breeding of new for Russia species and varieties of agricultural plants and organize a mass production of functional foods (FF) that contribute to the prevention and/or suspension of the development of dangerous diseases and slowing down the aging process. The solution of this multifaceted problem lies in changing the consumption structure of foods and their chemical composition conditioned by both the assortment of grown plant species and cultivars of food plants, as well as the composition and quality of soils, fertilizers and the conditions for crop cultivation. Taking into account the prevailing demographic situation in the Russian Federation, it is necessary to create a comprehensive national program for the allocation of new high-content sources of FF ingredients based on traditional and underutilized crops, cultivars and forms of cereal, vegetable and fruit crops and their inclusion in agricultural production as well as existing and newly created technological processes in food industry. The advantages of creating and developing a national system of the functional food in Russia will be: the improvement of public health and life expectancy, the reduction of the Federal Compulsory Medical Insurance Fund expenditures and the development of business structures involved in the production of the FF

Влияние режима закалки контрастными температурами на всходы новых для России теплолюбивых овощных культур

Under conditions of low temperature, seedlings of heat-loving vegetable crops are more strongly affected by various pathogenic micromycetes, and the content of photosynthetic pigments in the leaves of plants decreases. Using fungicides cannot constantly interrupt the spread of pathogens and the death of plants. The authors determined the effect of the hardening regime, including the four-day keeping of germinating seeds of Momordica (Momordica charantia L.), asparagus cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.), kiwano (Cucumis metuliferus E. Mey. ex Naudin), Benincasa (Benincasa hispida (Thunb.) Cogn.) and anguria (Cucumis anguria L.) at a variable temperature during the day - hardening (10℃) at night and optimal (30℃) during the day for keeping pigments in leaves and damage to seedlings by pathogenic micromycetes at low temperatures (6–15 ℃). This effect allowed authors to assess the therm adaptive potential in experiments conducted in 2018–2022. Microbiological analysis of the soil on PDA medium (potato dextrose agar) showed the presence of Fusarium spp. in the amount of 290 CFU/g of earth. The trap method revealed the presence of Pythium Pringsh in the soil. The most significant reduction in the death of seedlings was achieved in seedlings of anguria - 29 times, Kivano, Benincasa and cowpea - 2.5, 2.0 and 1.3 times, respectively. Periodic hypothermia in 3 cultures out of 5 - Kiwano, Cowpea, and Benincasa - reduced the ascorbic acid content in the leaves by 17%, 36% and 3%. The range of photosynthetic pigments - chlorophylls (a + b) in the variant with hardening increased, respectively, in 4 (except cowpea) crops out of 5 by 8–40%, and carotenoids in 3 crops - Momordica, Anguria and Benincasa - by 46, 3 and 8% respectively. The ratio of chlorophylls a/b in most cultures, both in control (at the optimum temperature) and after low-temperature exposure, was close to 2.0. Only in Anguria did this ratio decrease from 2.8 to 2.1. Asparagus cowpea showed a decrease in the content of both ascorbic acid (by 36%) and photosynthetic pigments (chlorophylls and carotenoids) - by 6–8% in the hardening option.В условиях низкой температуры всходы теплолюбивых овощных культур сильнее поражаются различными патогенными микромицетами, а в листьях растений снижается содержание фотосинтетических пигментов. Использование фунгицидов не всегда способно прервать распространение патогенов и гибель растений. Для оценки термоадаптивного потенциала в опытах, проведенных в 2018–2022 гг., определяли влияние режима закалки, включающего четырехдневное выдерживание прорастающих семян момордики (Momordica charantia L.), спаржевой вигны (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.), кивано (Cucumis metuliferus E. Mey. ex Naudin), бенинказы (Benincasa hispida (Thunb.) Cogn.) и ангурии (Cucumis anguria L.) при переменной в течение суток температуре – закаливающей (10℃) ночью и оптимальной (30℃) днем, на содержание пигментов в листьях и поражение сеянцев патогенными микромицетами в условиях пониженных температур (6–15 ℃). Микробиологический анализ почвы на среде КДА показал наличие  Fusarium spp.  в количестве 290 КОЕ/г почвы. Методом ловушек выявлено присутствие в почвогрунте Pythium Pringsh. Наибольшее снижение гибели всходов достигнуто у сеянцев ангурии –  в 29 раз, кивано, бенинказы и вигны – в 2,5; 2,0 и 1,3 раза соответственно. Периодическая гипотермия у 3 культур из 5 − кивано, вигны, бенинказы – снизила содержание аскорбиновой кислоты в листьях соответственно на 17; 36 и 3%.  Содержание фотосинтетических пигментов ‒ хлорофиллов (a + b) в варианте с закалкой увеличилось соответственно у 4 (за исключением вигны) культур из 5 на 8–40%, а каротиноидов у 3 – момордики, ангурии и бенинказы – на 46; 3 и 8% соответственно. Соотношение хлорофиллов a/b у большинства культур как в контроле (при оптимальной температуре), так и после низкотемпературного воздействия было близким к 2,0. Лишь у ангурии это соотношение уменьшилось с 2,8 до 2,1.  Спаржевая вигна показала уменьшение содержания в варианте закалки как аскорбиновой кислоты (на 36%), так и фотосинтетических пигментов (хлорофиллов и каротиноидов) – на 6–8%

FUNGAL DISEASES OF ASPARAGUS VIGNA IN THE SOUTH OF WESTERN SIBERIA

Increasing popularity of asparagus bean (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.) − a new for Russia vegetable crop requires comprehensive study including resistance to biotic environmental factors. Composition of pathogens of germinating seeds, plants (roots, leaves, stems, fruits) of large collection of asparagus bean from the N.I. Vavilov All-Russian Institute of Plant Genetic Resources (VIR) and the Bioresource Scientific Collection of the CSBG SB RAS UNU No. USU 440534 have been investigated. Plants of 87 samples of asparagus bean were grown in the unheated plastic film greenhouse on the south of Western Siberia (54 ° N lat. 83 ° E) and examined for infestations of diseases in the Central Siberian Botanical Garden and Novosibirsk State Agrarian University (Novosibirsk). The infection of seeds with pathogenic micromycetes was determined according to GOST 12044-93 (similar to common beans) using the methods of mycological analysis and the Petri-dish moist chambers, also on Chapek media and KDA media. The main pathogenic micromycetes are: on germinating seeds − species of the genera Fusarium, Aspergillus, Penicillium, Alternaria, Mucor, Botrytis cinerea, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum; on seedlings − Fusarium solani; during fruiting on fruits and stems − B. cinerea and S. sclerotiorum; on the root collar − S. sclerotiorum. The dominant forms of white mold were stem, root collar, fruits. Five samples that showed a high level of resistance to B.cinerea and S.sclerotiorum have been selected. System for asparagus bean disease surveillance which should be built in the calendar-phenological sequence, has been recommended

Characterization of the core bacteriobiome in the rhizosphere of greenhouse vegetables: taxonomic diversity and putative functions

The aim of the study. The aim was to profile 16S rRNA gene diversity and to assess functional potential of bacterial assemblages in the rhizosphere of some unconventional vegetables grown in protected greenhouse conditions in West Siberia. Location and time of the study. Novosibirsk, Russia, 2016. Methodology. At the end of the growing season in the middle of September the rhizosphere soil was collected from the plants of wax gourd (Benincasa hispida), bitter melon (Momordica charantia), kiwano (Cucumis metuliferus) and cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) grown on peat-based substrate in a polyethylene-protected greenhouse that has been in operation for more than 40 years. The metagenomic DNA was extracted and amplified with V3-V4 primers for 16S rRNA genes, and the amplicons sequenced with Illumina MiSeq. The obtained OTUs tables were used to predict putative functions by running through the FAPROTAX database. Main results. The rhizosphere bacteriobiome was dominated by Proteobacteria (32±11% of the total number of sequence reads), Acidobacteria (23±7%) and Actinobacteria (18±3%) phyla, together accounting for about three quarters of the rhizosphere bacteriobiome. In total 20 bacterial phyla were found. The rhizosphere bacteriobiome was surprisingly diverse with Shannon index ranging 7.0–7.5. The number of the observed operational taxonomic units (OTUs) per sample was very high, ranging 4,500–4,900, and the potential number of OTUs estimated as 5,100–5,700; all those OTUs were evenly and equitably represented in the bacteriobiome, and dominance indices (Simpson dominance and Berger-Parker) were very low. The main dominant OTU represented Bradyrhizobiaceae family and accounted for just 1% on average. Overall the study identified 27 OTUs belonging to the Bradyrhizobiaceae family, but only four of them were ascribed to nitrogen fixation by FAPROTAX. Function prediction by FAPROTAX also suggested that bacteriobiome had a marked potential for the carbon cycle, denitrification, aromatic compound and plant polymer degradation, but no plant pathogens. The biggest difference in rhizosphere bacteriobiome diversity was observed between the bitter melon and the other three vegetable crops: bitter melon had much increased abundance of Arthrobacter and Sphingomonas as compared with wax gourd, kiwano and cowpea, and increased number of bacterial species associated with aromatic compounds degradation. Conclusion. Based on the finding that the studied rhizosphere bacteriobiomes were very diverse, we conclude that the crops were able to recruit diverse microbiota from the peat-based soil substrate, which, in its turn, means that diverse soil substrate microbiota has been sustained over several decades of the greenhouse operation. All crops apparently shaped distinct bacteriobiomes in their rhizosphere, which ideally should be included into studies of plant-associated bacterial diversity profiles for breeding and sustainable production.The aim of the study. The aim was to profile 16S rRNA gene diversity and to assess functional potential of bacterial assemblages in the rhizosphere of some unconventional vegetables grown in protected greenhouse conditions in West Siberia. Location and time of the study. Novosibirsk, Russia, 2016. Methodology. At the end of the growing season in the middle of September the rhizosphere soil was collected from the plants of wax gourd (Benincasa hispida), bitter melon (Momordica charantia), kiwano (Cucumis metuliferus) and cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) grown on peat-based substrate in a polyethylene-protected greenhouse that has been in operation for more than 40 years. The metagenomic DNA was extracted and amplified with V3-V4 primers for 16S rRNA genes, and the amplicons sequenced with Illumina MiSeq. The obtained OTUs tables were used to predict putative functions by running through the FAPROTAX database. Main results. The rhizosphere bacteriobiome was dominated by Proteobacteria (32±11% of the total number of sequence reads), Acidobacteria (23±7%) and Actinobacteria (18±3%) phyla, together accounting for about three quarters of the rhizosphere bacteriobiome. In total 20 bacterial phyla were found. The rhizosphere bacteriobiome was surprisingly diverse with Shannon index ranging 7.0–7.5. The number of the observed operational taxonomic units (OTUs) per sample was very high, ranging 4,500–4,900, and the potential number of OTUs estimated as 5,100–5,700; all those OTUs were evenly and equitably represented in the bacteriobiome, and dominance indices (Simpson dominance and Berger-Parker) were very low. The main dominant OTU represented Bradyrhizobiaceae family and accounted for just 1% on average. Overall the study identified 27 OTUs belonging to the Bradyrhizobiaceae family, but only four of them were ascribed to nitrogen fixation by FAPROTAX. Function prediction by FAPROTAX also suggested that bacteriobiome had a marked potential for the carbon cycle, denitrification, aromatic compound and plant polymer degradation, but no plant pathogens. The biggest difference in rhizosphere bacteriobiome diversity was observed between the bitter melon and the other three vegetable crops: bitter melon had much increased abundance of Arthrobacter and Sphingomonas as compared with wax gourd, kiwano and cowpea, and increased number of bacterial species associated with aromatic compounds degradation. Conclusion. Based on the finding that the studied rhizosphere bacteriobiomes were very diverse, we conclude that the crops were able to recruit diverse microbiota from the peat-based soil substrate, which, in its turn, means that diverse soil substrate microbiota has been sustained over several decades of the greenhouse operation. All crops apparently shaped distinct bacteriobiomes in their rhizosphere, which ideally should be included into studies of plant-associated bacterial diversity profiles for breeding and sustainable production

Polarization REsearch for Fusion Experiments and Reactors - The PREFER Collaboration: Purposes and Present Status

The PREFER (Polarization REsearch for Fusion Experiments and Reactors) collaboration aims to address the know–hows in different fields and techniques to the challenging bet on fusion with polarized fuel. The efforts on a variety of duties and goals are shared between different research groups, indicated here by underlining in the authors’ list the scientific responsibles. Starting from still open questions of fusion reaction physics, as for example the study of D+D spin–dependent cross–sections (Vasilyev) to the acceleration of polarized ions from laser-induced plasmas (Büscher), there are many connections between the involved research groups. The collaboration is also tackling the production of nuclear polarized molecules, recombined from a polarized atomic beam (Engels), and its cryogenic condensation and transport (Ciullo). Other options for the production of polarized fuel are investigated in parallel, like spin separation of molecules in polarized molecular beam sources (Toporkov), or via photodissociation of molecules into polarized hydrogen/deuterium atoms (Rakitzis). The status of the different fields under investigation and the connections between these topics and the different research groups will be provided