Características morfológícas y patogénicas de aislamientos de Septoria tritici Rob ex Desm

Se analizó el comportamiento cultural y patogénicos de 8 aislamientos de Septoria tritici obtenidos a partir de hojas de trigo colectadas en el campo e infectadas naturalmente. Los diversos aislamientos monospóricos pueden diferenciarse en cultivo artificial por su aspecto, la producción de esporas, la presencia o ausencia de micelio, y el color y la frecuencia de saltaciones observadas en las colonias. Las cepas varían tanto en la abundancia como en el tipo de las esporas producidas bajo condiciones similares. Además de las picnidiosporas de forma y tamaños típicos de la especie, algunas cepas produjeron sólo esporas libres muy pequeñas (microsporas), y otras, macro y mícrosporas dentro des picnidios. Los tipos culturales predominantes de los aislamientos fueron 5: - estromático (mayor frecuencia), - albino pulverulento, - levaduroide, - mixto y - miceliar. Estos tipos culturales, en algunos casos no se mantuvieron estables a través de 3 generaciones de subcultivos. Las inoculaciones efectuadas sobre plantas de trigo en invernáculo, revelaron diferencias altamente significativas en la patogenicidad de ciertas cepas. Se encontró una relacíón entre las características culturales de los aislamientos y la severidad de la enfermedad: los aislamientos de tipo albino y levaduroide fueron los menos virulentos, tanto sobre variedades resistentes como susceptibles. La presente, constitutuye la primer cita de la presencia de esta clase de microsporas de S tritici.This study analyzed the cultural and pathogenic behavior of S tritici isolates from wheat leaves infected and collected in the field. When cultured artificially, monosporic isolates were differenciated in aspect, spore production, presence or absence of mycelium, and in color and frequency of saltation observed in the colonies as shown in table I. The characteristics noted led to the classification of the cultures as mycelial (M), typical (stromatic-pycnidial) (T) (the most frequent), powdery albino (A), yeast-like (Y) and mixed (Mx) (figs 1 and 2). In some cases these cultural types, though pure, did not remain stable after three subculture generations. The variants from the parental type appeared patches or sectorings of the yeast-like and/or the mycelial type. Sometimes these appeared in the first generation, some others in the third generation, with a low frequency of appearance with respect to the parental type. In the greenhouse, inoculation in the form of wheat plants revealed highly significant differences in the pathogenicity of some strains. Correlation of the mean percentages of pycnidial coverage showed a significant difference in isolate pathogenicity levels in the same cultivar and within cultivars (table II). Thus, the existence of physiologic specialization in S tritici is again confirmed. A relationship was found between the isolates’ cultural characteristics and the disease severity: the albino and yeast-like isolates were the least virulent for both the resistant and susceptible cultivars. Under similar conditions the strains varied in spore abundance as in the spore type produced (fig 4). Besides pycnidiospores with shape and size characteristics of the species, some strains produced only very small free spores (microspores), and some others macro and microspores within pycnidia (table III). Microspores produced in vivo were much smaller than those obtained artificially. This is the first report regarding this type of microspore in S tritici

Tetracycline-resistance encoding plasmids from Paenibacillus larvae, the causal agent of American foulbrood disease, isolated from commercial honeys

Paenibacillus larvae, the causal agent of American foulbrood disease in honeybees, acquires tetracycline-resistance via native plasmids carrying known tetracycline-resistance determinants. From three P. larvae tetracycline-resistant strains isolated from honeys, 5-kb-circular plasmids with almost identical sequences, designated pPL373 in strain PL373, pPL374 in strain PL374, and pPL395 in strain PL395, were isolated. These plasmids were highly similar (99%) to small tetracycline-encoding plasmids (pMA67, pBHS24, pBSDMV46A, pDMV2, pSU1, pAST4, and pLS55) that replicate by the rolling circle mechanism. Nucleotide sequences comparisons showed that pPL373, pPL374, and pPL395 mainly differed from the previously reported P. larvae plasmid pMA67 in the oriT region and mob genes. These differences suggest alternative mobilization and/or conjugation capacities. Plasmids pPL373, pPL374, and pPL395 were individually transferred by electroporation and stably maintained in tetracycline-susceptible P. larvae NRRL B-14154, in which they autonomously replicated. The presence of nearly identical plasmids in five different genera of gram-positive bacteria, i.e., Bhargavaea, Bacillus, Lactobacillus, Paenibacillus, and Sporosarcina, inhabiting diverse ecological niches provides further evidence of the genetic transfer of tetracycline resistance among environmental bacteria from soils, food, and marine habitats and from pathogenic bacteria such as P. larvae. [Int Microbiol 2014; 17(1):49-61]Keywords: American foulbrood disease (AFB) · Paenibacillus larvae · tetracycline resistance · plasmids · honeybee

Saprophytic fungi on tomato phylloplane: Effect of fungicides and leaf position on abundance, composition and diversity

Fungal isolations were made from leaves of tomato plants cultivated in greenhouses in an area close to La Plata, Argentina. Three different schemes of fungicide application were evaluated: high frequency preventive sprayings (Commercial Greenhouse I), low frequency preventive applications (Commercial Greenhouse II) and no fungicide spraying (Control Greenhouse). Leaves were sampled immediately after second fruit formation from three levels of the foliage: low, medium and high. Plating dilution was used to isolate fungal species. Total c.f.u. number and species composition and diversity were assessed by the plating dilution technique. Fungal populations were most abundant on leaves from lower parts of the foliage in the Control Greenhouse. Diversity varied according to fungicide application frequency and leaf position in the canopy. Higher values were recorded for lower leaves in the Control Greenhouse compared with upper leaves from Commercial Greenhouse II. Likewise position in the canopy influenced the frequency of some species. The implications for natural biological control are discussed.Centro de Investigaciones de Fitopatologí

Fusarium spp en trigo, capacidad toxicogenica y quimiotaxonomia de las cepas aisladas en la Argentina

Se aislaron e identificaron 91 cepas de Fusarium spp (F graminearum, F equiseti, F moniliforme, F m var anthophilum, F acuminatum, F solani y F oxisporum) a partir de semillas de trigo pan procedentes de 17 localidades trigueras de la República Argentina. Mediante el cultivo de las mismas en arroz pelado y pulido se evaluó la producción de tricotecenos y zearalenona, a los efectos de revelar si existen diferencias regionales en cuanto a su presencia. Se detectaron cepas productoras de tricotecenos del grupo B y zearalenona, no habiéndose hallado productoras del grupo A. De las cepas evaluadas el 82,4% produjeron tricotecenos que se subdividieron en dos grupos: a) las cepas productoras de deoxinivalenol (DON) y su precursor 3 acetil-deoxinivalenol (AcDON) y b) las productoras de nivalenol (NIV) y su precursor 4 acetil-nivalenol o fusarenona-x (FUS-X). Los resultados demostraron que el 48,3% de las cepas fueron productoras de DON, el 7,7% de NIV y el 26,4% tuvieron la capacidad de producir simultaneamente DON y NIV en los cultivos. Al considerar exclusivamente las cepas de F graminearum el 89,4% fueron toxicogénicas, de ellas el 55,9% pertenecieron al quimiotipo DON, 10,3% al quimiotipo NIV y 33,8% produjeron DON y NIV. En cuanto a la zearalenona (ZEA) el 63,2% del total de las cepas fueron productoras de esta toxina, no existiendo ninguna relación entre los grupos DON y NIV con la producción de ZEA. La distribución de las cepas toxicogénicas de Fusarium spp observada en las distintas localidades de la República Argentina, permite inferir la existencia de diferencias regionales en el área triguera.In wheat seeds from 17 different wheat growing sites, 91 Fusarium spp strains (F graminearum, F equiseti, F moniliforme, F m var anthophilum, F acuminatum, F solani and F oxysporum) were isolated and identified. The production of trichothecenes and zearalenone was evaluated after growing them on peeled and polished rice to find out if there were any regional differences in their prevalence. Strains producing trichothecenes of the B group and zearalenone were detected; no producers of the A groups were found. From the strains studied, 82.4% produced trichothecenes, and could be divided into 2 groups: a), deoxynivalenol (DON) producing strains and its precursor 3 acetyldeoxynivalenol (AcDON); and b), nivalenol (NIV) producing strains and its precursor 4 acetylnivalenol or fusarenone-x (FUS-X). The results showed that 48.3% of the strains were DON producers, 7.7% NIV producers and 26.4% produced both DON and NIV. Eighty-nine point four percent Fgraminearum strains were toxigenic; among them 55.9% were DON chemotype, 10.3% NIV chemotype and 33.8% produced DON and NIV. Sixty-three point two percent of the strains also produced zearalenone (ZEA), no relation existing between the DON and NIV groups with regard to ZEA production. The finding of certain toxigenic strains in various sites in Argentina allows us to conclude that regional differences exist

Uncontrollable Modes in Double Wall Panels

Double-glazed windows have a poor transmission loss at low frequency. Since the passive means are more or less exhausted one could think of using an active controller to increase the transmission loss. In the work presented here two speakers in the cavity between the panes are used as actuators. A modal model is derived and validated with data from a laser scanner and measured transfer functions on the structure. From an analysis of this model it is shown that for certain configurations of the double wall panel some modes of the coupled system are uncontrollable and unobservable by speakers and microphones in the cavity, thus limiting the achievable controller performance. This theoretical result is verified by feedforward control experiments on two types of double-glazed windows. For the fully controllable window the transmission loss achieved by the active controller is about twice as large as for the window with uncontrollable modes

High Performances Corrugated Feed Horns for Space Applications at Millimetre Wavelengths

We report on the design, fabrication and testing of a set of high performance corrugated feed horns at 30 GHz, 70 GHz and 100 GHz, built as advanced prototypes for the Low Frequency Instrument (LFI) of the ESA Planck mission. The electromagnetic designs include linear (100 GHz) and dual shaped (30 and 70 GHz) profiles. Fabrication has been achieved by direct machining at 30 GHz, and by electro-formation at higher frequencies. The measured performances on side lobes and return loss meet the stringent Planck requirements over the large (20%) instrument bandwidth. Moreover, the advantage in terms of main lobe shape and side lobes levels of the dual profiled designs has been demonstrated.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in Experimental Astronom

Absence of <i>Pseudomonas syringae</i> pv. <i>actinidiae</i> in kiwifruit leaves and flowers from Buenos Aires Province, Argentina

Argentina has around 1000 ha of kiwifruit orchards in Buenos Aires Province. This country is recognized as free of Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae (Psa). In 2013, the National Sanitary Service (SENASA) imposed measures to avoid the entrance of this pathogen to the kiwifruit production areas. In this way, a vigilance plan was established and the introduction of plant material was regulated. In March 2015, three infected samples with Psa were detected in orchards at the South-East of Buenos Aires Province and they were immediately eradicated by SENASA. The objective of this work was to identify the bacteria associated with kiwifruit leaf spots and flower blights in commercial orchards of Actinidia deliciosa ‘Hayward’ at Buenos Aires Province, during the 2015-2016 growing season. On spring and autumn seasons, plant tissues were collected from a 100 ha area located in the North and South-East of this Province. Bacterial isolates were obtained from flowers and leaves by tissues mashing and inoculation on nutrient agar supplemented with 5% sucrose (NSA). The primary identification of isolates was performed by biochemical and physiological tests. To confirm their identity, duplex-PCR tests were performed, including negative and positive controls (no template and Psa DNA, respectively). From symptomatic and asymptomatic samples, 120 bacterial isolates were obtained. Thirty of these isolates were morphologically similar to Psa, forming white-creamy, convex, domed and mucoid colonies on NSA. Also, all of them were Gram-negative, produced a green fluorescent pigment on King’s B medium and their metabolism was aerobic. However, none of these strains examined produced any bands following the amplification by PCR with Psa specific primers. Our results show the absence of Psa in the analyzed samples. Further studies are needed to identify these non-Psa bacteria associated with kiwifruit leaf spots and flower blights.Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestale

Absence of <i>Pseudomonas syringae</i> pv. <i>actinidiae</i> in kiwifruit leaves and flowers from Buenos Aires Province, Argentina

Argentina has around 1000 ha of kiwifruit orchards in Buenos Aires Province. This country is recognized as free of Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae (Psa). In 2013, the National Sanitary Service (SENASA) imposed measures to avoid the entrance of this pathogen to the kiwifruit production areas. In this way, a vigilance plan was established and the introduction of plant material was regulated. In March 2015, three infected samples with Psa were detected in orchards at the South-East of Buenos Aires Province and they were immediately eradicated by SENASA. The objective of this work was to identify the bacteria associated with kiwifruit leaf spots and flower blights in commercial orchards of Actinidia deliciosa ‘Hayward’ at Buenos Aires Province, during the 2015-2016 growing season. On spring and autumn seasons, plant tissues were collected from a 100 ha area located in the North and South-East of this Province. Bacterial isolates were obtained from flowers and leaves by tissues mashing and inoculation on nutrient agar supplemented with 5% sucrose (NSA). The primary identification of isolates was performed by biochemical and physiological tests. To confirm their identity, duplex-PCR tests were performed, including negative and positive controls (no template and Psa DNA, respectively). From symptomatic and asymptomatic samples, 120 bacterial isolates were obtained. Thirty of these isolates were morphologically similar to Psa, forming white-creamy, convex, domed and mucoid colonies on NSA. Also, all of them were Gram-negative, produced a green fluorescent pigment on King’s B medium and their metabolism was aerobic. However, none of these strains examined produced any bands following the amplification by PCR with Psa specific primers. Our results show the absence of Psa in the analyzed samples. Further studies are needed to identify these non-Psa bacteria associated with kiwifruit leaf spots and flower blights.Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestale

Unexpected hypoxia-dependent erythropoietin secretion during experimental conditions not affecting tissue oxygen supply/demand ratio

Unexpected hypoxia-dependent erythropoietin secretion during experimental conditions not affecting tissue oxygen supply/demand ratio. Although a great deal of evidence supports the hypothesis that plasma erythropoietin (EPO) levels of mammals are related to the oxygen supply to the tissues relative to their oxygen needs, several observations millitate against its inherent simplicity. This study presents our results obtained from in vivo experiments that suggest that hypoxia-dependent EPO production can be altered by conditions which apparently do not modify the tissue oxygen supply/demand ratio. Hypoxia-dependent EPO production rate (EPO-PR), derived from plasma EPO titers and plasma EPO half-lives, were estimated in both transfused-polycythemic and normocy-themic mouse models subjected to different treatments. From calculations of the o2 carrying capacity of blood and body o2 consumption, it was assumed that the tissue supply/demand ratios were similar in both experimental and control mice of the same model at the time of induction of EPO production. The following observations were worth noting: (1) EPO-PRs in transfused polycythemic mice whose erythropoietic rates were stimulated by intermittent exposure to hypobaria (0·5 atm, 18 hr/day × 3 weeks), phenylhydrazine administration (40 mg/kg at weekly intervals × 3 weeks) or repeated rh-EPO injections (1500 U/kg 3 times a week × 3 weeks) before transfusion were more than five times higher than in comparabily polycythemic mice whose erythropoietic rates were not stimulated previously; and (2) EPO-PR in response to hypobaric hypoxia was 2·08 times normal in normocythemic mice with cyclophosphamide (100 mg/kg) induced depression of erythropoiesis, and 0·33 times normal in normocythemic mice with rh-EPO (400 U/kg × 2) induced enhancement of erythropoiesis. Although the results obtained in polycythemic mice are difficult to explain, those from normocythemic mice suggest the existence of a feedback mechanism between EPO-responsive cells and EPO-producing cells. Both demonstrate the existence of experimental conditions in which modulation of the hypoxia-dependent expression of the EPO gene appears to occur. This modulation would be dependent on factors other than oxygen