Biotechnological advances in the diagnosis, interaction, and treatment of Phytophthora diseases of citrus (2023)

Horticultural Science, Volume 310, 2023, Item 111768

Current knowledge about watering plants in greenhouses is limited and most irrigation measures are based on evapotranspiration (ET) estimated using external climatic conditions. Furthermore, the Penman-Monteith (PM) model's estimation of plant water demand assumes complete soil coverage by plants and does not typically account for partial coverage, which changes during the growth of annual plants. The main objectives of the present research were: (i) the development and application of estimates of irrigation needs for greenhouse pepper crops during their growth based on internal meteorological conditions and real-time plant characteristics; and (ii) to study the impact of this irrigation on yield. The experiments were conducted in two consecutive seasons in greenhouse pepper crops in the Jordan Valley region of eastern Israel. Four irrigation treatments were applied based on four different ET models: (i) PM model for external reference evapotranspiration based on FAO56 methodology, also referred to as commercial treatment; (ii) PMrb model for pepper plants, which is a standard PM model in which boundary layer drag replaces aerodynamic drag; (iii) Shuttleworth-Wallace Layer (SWL) model which considers soil and plants as separate interactive layers; (iv) Shuttleworth-Wallace Patch (SWP) model considering soil and plants as independent patches. The commercial treatment used external climatic conditions from a nearby meteorological station, while the other three treatments used internal meteorological conditions measured inside the greenhouse. The results showed a high correlation (R²> 0.88) between leaf area index, vegetation cover percentage and plant height during plant growth. Using the same greenhouse meteorological conditions, the seasonal ET estimated by the PMrb model, which accounts for full vegetation cover, was 21-28% larger than the SWL and SWP models, which accounts for partial plant cover. Irrigation doses were derived from ET multiplied by crop coefficients derived in a previous study for the same crop and structures. Using average data from the two seasons, we found that seasonal irrigation based on the two SW models was 5-15% lower than that based on PMrb and 35-42% lower than commercial irrigation. The water use efficiency of the commercial treatment was the lowest while it was about 0.02 ton m for the other treatments^-3and about 40% higher than retail. We conclude that irrigating annual crops based on splitting ET into evaporation and transpiration based on crop cover and utilizing internal climatic conditions allows for water savings without significant yield loss.

Horticultural Science, Volume 310, 2023, Item 111784

Pitaya (Hylocereus polyrhizus), also known as dragon fruit, is an exotic and prized fruit high in fiber and vitamins, the quality of which is often related to attributes such as soluble solids, moisture content, and acidity. Traditional analysis techniques (e.g. gas chromatograph-mass spectrometry - GC-MS) for physico-chemical quantification are expensive and not environmentally friendly. This work proposes a rapid and non-destructive assessment of pitaya quality using inexpensive near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and electronic noses (E-Nose). Classification models using either NIR spectra or E-Nose data as predictors demonstrated greater than 90% accuracy in classifying samples by their durability index level (SLI30, 50, 80 and 100). Total titratable acidity (TA) and pH could be estimated using partial least squares regression (PLSR) and NIR spectra as predictors with a coefficient of determination (R²_P) of 0.89 and 0.83, and root mean square error (RMSEP) of 0.03 and 0.23, respectively. Similarly, PLSR models for predicting TA and pH were achieved using E-nose dataR²_Pof 0.85 and 0.86 and RMSEP of 0.04 and 0.22, respectively. RPD and RER values ​​for NIRS show that all predictors can be used to at least distinguish between low and high values. The results show that low-cost NIRS-based devices and a novel low-cost E-Nose could be used in combination to predict TSS, pH, TA, moisture and phenols, and to classify pitaya by shelf life. stages of life.

Horticultural Science, Volume 310, 2023, Item 111762

Grafting is an innovative and cost-effective technique commonly used in nightshade crops such as tomatoes (Solanum-Tomato L.). However, the incompatibility limits the far-reaching grafting approaches in sustainable food production worldwide. Early and precise detection of slip intolerance is of great importance, since slip compatibility between rootstock and scion is a prerequisite for successful grafting. The current study examined graft incompatibility in tomato autografts (Roma tomato to Roma tomato), intraspecific transplantation (Roma tomato to superred tomato) and interspecific transplantation (Roma tomato to eggplant and pepper plant) at 4, 8 and 8 16 DAG (days post-transplant) to study physiological, biochemical and metabolic changes at the graft junction that could be used as markers for graft incompatibility. The results showed that intraspecific grafts among the grafted combinations exhibited strong resistance to oxidative damage from low hydrogen peroxide accumulation, minimal membrane permeability, and lipid peroxidation coupled with high antioxidant activity compared to other grafted combinations, while interspecific grafts with low survival rates showed high accumulation of Total phenol and flavonoid content showed in all three grafting stages (4, 8 and 16 DAG). During histological studies of graft junctions, an apparently long area of ​​adhesion at the graft junction of autografts and intraspecific grafts was observed, while interspecific grafts show a small line of adhesion. These structural, physiological, and metabolic variations can regulate incompatibility and serve as markers for early detection of graft incompatibility. These findings may further aid in the development of molecular-level markers valuable for rootstock development programs.

Horticultural Science, Volume 310, 2023, Item 111760

Cytoplasmic Male Sterility (CMS) andFertility Restorer(Rf) breeding systems can reduce the cost of producing F₁Hybrid seeds in crop plants. However, the cultivation of the restorer lines is not easy and can be assigned to the current molecular markersRfThe gene is not very versatile as different genes regulate recovery. In this study, 11 SNPs were identified in the previous oneRfGene mapping regions near the 3' end of pepper chromosome 6 were used to develop the molecular markers of competitive allele-specific PCR (KASP). The results indicated that KS23 was suggested to refer to theRfGenes with restoring genotype A/A and conserving genotype G/G. There was 91.6% concordance for KS23 between the genotyping results in F₂individuals. In addition, the accuracy of KS23 reached 100% among six restorer lines and 67.8% among 44 inbred lines in universality. These results provided an efficient and labor-saving KASP markerRf, which will be beneficial for breeding restorer lines and the usefulness of the CMS/Rf system in the production of F₁Hybridsamen in Pfeffer.

Horticultural Science, Volume 310, 2023, Item 111723

The use of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) to increase Se uptake and accumulation in crops is a promising recent approach to biofortification. However, most studies have focused on a specific dose of PGPR or Se, while the synergistic effects of simultaneously changing the concentration of both exogenous Se and PGPR on plant growth and Se bioaccumulation are rarely examined. In this study, the combined treatments of 0-2 mg L⁻¹Se and (3.83-11.3)×10⁷KBE ml⁻¹PGPR strainEnterobacter sp.EG16 were used for the hydroponic experiments of pak choi (Brassica rapa) to study the mutual effects on plant growth and Se uptake. The growth of pak choi in terms of plant height, number of leaves and root tips was promoted by the combination of 7.65 × 10⁷KBE ml⁻¹EG16 and no more than 1 mg L⁻¹by Se Growth was significantly inhibited when the concentration of EG16 was increased to 11.3x10⁷KBE ml⁻¹. Chlorophyll content, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and peroxidase (POD) activities were also enhanced under the same combination of Se and EG16 concentrations. In addition, the Se content of aboveground plant parts and intact plants increased significantly with increasing concentrations of EG16 and Se. Selenomethionine (SeMet), methylselenocysteine ​​(SeMeCys), and selenocystine (SeCys2) were the main organo-Se compounds detected in bok choy, accounting for almost 90% when supplied with selenite. Among these compounds, SeMet accounted for a high percentage and SeCys2 for a relatively low percentage in most treatments. The two forms were inversely related, probably because the transformation was driven by EG16. On the other hand, the SeMeCys fraction was significantly affected by different concentrations of exogenous Se and EG16. Selenate was also detected, indicating selenite oxidation. In terms of both plant biomass and nutrient quality, the combined formulation of 1 mg L⁻¹Se and 7.65×10⁷KBE ml⁻¹of EG16 is a promising agent for the production of Se-enriched vegetables.

Horticultural Science, Volume 310, 2023, Item 111773

Glyphosate (GLY)-based herbicides are the most commonly used, and while it is acknowledged that GLY is rapidly degraded on contact with soil, recent studies show that the accumulation of its residues in soil can inhibit the growth of non-target crops. Knowing that soil properties such as organic matter (OM) content affect the bioavailability of pesticides, this study aimed to determine the role of soil OM in preventing GLY phytotoxicity using tomatoes (Solanum-TomatoL.) as a model cultivar. For this purpose, plants grew for 28 days in soils with different concentrations of OM [2.5; 5.0; 10 and 15% (m/m)] contaminated or not with GLY (10 mgkg⁻¹). Then biometric parameters, oxidative stress markers [lipid peroxidation (LP); hydrogen peroxide (H₂Ö₂); proline] and several physiological indicators [total sugars, amino acids and soluble proteins; glutamine synthetase (GS) and nitrate reductase (NR)] were evaluated. According to the results, GLY significantly reduced plant growth in all tested soils, especially in those with lower OM content (2.5 and 5.0%), as evidenced by an increase in LP in shoots and proline in shoots and roots, and a decrease in Total sugar in both organs. In contrast, GLY exposure of plants in OM-enriched soils (10 and 15%) did not significantly alter cellular redox status, while contributing to higher levels of total amino acids in shoots. Endpoints related to nitrogen (N) metabolism were not significantly affected by GLY independent of soil OM. Overall, the results seem to indicate that soils with a higher OM content, 10 and 15%, can attenuate non-target phytotoxicity of GLY, possibly by reducing herbicide bioavailability and/or by stimulating defense mechanisms, thereby reducing plant growth and improve physiological performance.