Identification and characterization of non-pathogenic Fusarium oxysporum capable of increasing and decreasing Fusarium wilt severity

Fusarium wilt of banana is a potentially devastating disease throughout the world. Options for control of the causal organism, Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense (Foc) are limited. Suppressive soil sites have previously been identified where, despite the presence of Foc, Fusarium wilt does not develop. In order to understand some aspects of this disease suppression, endophytic Fusarium oxysporum isolates were obtained from banana roots. These isolates were genetically characterized and compared with an isolate of Fusarium oxysporum previously identified as being capable of suppressing Fusarium wilt of banana in glasshouse trials. Three additional isolates were selected for glasshouse trials to assess suppression of Fusarium wilt in two different cultivars of banana, Cavendish and Lady Finger. One isolate (BRIP 29089) was identified as a potential biocontrol organism, reducing the disease severity of Fusarium wilt in Lady Finger and Cavendish cultivars. Interestingly, one isolate (BRIP 45952) increased Fusarium wilt disease severity on Cavendish. The implications of an isolate of Fusarium oxysporum, non-pathogenic on banana, increasing disease severity and the potential role of non-pathogenic isolates of Fusarium oxysporum in disease complexes are discussed.

Vermiculite improves early development and survival of low chill stone-fruit embryos rescued in vitro

There are many reports of efficient embryo germination and the method has been optimized to suit subtropical low chill genotypes. However the subsequent growth, vigor, and ability of germinated embryos to develop and survive acclimatization is rarely reported. Many germinated embryos do not survive acclimatization, develop slowly, or fail to develop normally. Methods to improve plant development from in vitro embryo cultures are needed to improve the number of plants that survive to be useful in breeding programs. This paper describes an improved method of embryo rescue that significantly increases embryo shoot and root development that leads to increased plant survival. Four treatments: Woody Plant Media (WPM) solidified with agar, vermiculite with liquid WPM, vermiculite with WPM plus agar, and conventional stratification, were evaluated for embryo growth and subsequent plantlet development and survival for two low-chill peach and one low-chill nectarine cultivar. Highly significant improvements were found for shoot and root development of seedlings germinated in vermiculite based media compared to embryos germinated in conventional agar-based media. Vermiculite with WPM and agar improved plantlet growth subsequent to in vitro culture and significantly increased survival of germinated embryos resulting in more plants reaching the field.

Micropropagation of vegetatively propagated crops: accelerating release of new cultivars and providing an important source of clean planting material

Micropropagation is unequalled for the rapid clonal propagation of improved cultivars from several Australian breeding programmes. This has been particularly true of the pineapple breeding programme, but it has also found an important role in the strawberry breeding programme where high-health mother stock is of paramount concern. In the banana and ginger industries, while access to new cultivars has been of importance, micropropagation has been adopted by the industry to ensure that planting materials are free from serious pests and diseases. Bananas can be used as planting material as early as the first generation ex vitro and is responsible for the establishment of laboratories and nurseries specializing in the production of pathogen-tested plants. The ginger industry, on the other hand, has used micropropagated plants as a source of disease and pest-free stock to establish a clean 'seed' scheme based on the production of conventional planting material.

Estimating Hydrogen Cyanide in Forage Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) by Near-Infrared Spectroscopy

Hydrogen cyanide (HCN) is a toxic chemical that can potentially cause mild to severe reactions in animals when grazing forage sorghum. Developing technologies to monitor the level of HCN in the growing crop would benefit graziers, so that they can move cattle into paddocks with acceptable levels of HCN. In this study, we developed near-infrared spectroscopy (MRS) calibrations to estimate HCN in forage sorghum and hay. The full spectral NIRS range (400-2498 nm) was used as well as specific spectral ranges within the full spectral range, i.e., visible (400-750 nm), shortwave (800-1100 nm) and near-infrared (NIR) (1100-2498 nm). Using the full spectrum approach and partial least-squares (PLS), the calibration produced a coefficient of determination (R-2) = 0.838 and standard error of cross-validation (SECV) = 0.040%, while the validation set had a R-2 = 0.824 with a low standard error of prediction (SEP = 0.047%). When using a multiple linear regression (MLR) approach, the best model (NIR spectra) produced a R-2 = 0.847 and standard error of calibration (SEC) = 0.050% and a R-2 = 0.829 and SEP = 0.057% for the validation set. The MLR models built from these spectral regions all used nine wavelengths. Two specific wavelengths 2034 and 2458 nm were of interest, with the former associated with C=O carbonyl stretch and the latter associated with C-N-C stretching. The most accurate PLS and MLR models produced a ratio of standard error of prediction to standard deviation of 3.4 and 3.0, respectively, suggesting that the calibrations could be used for screening breeding material. The results indicated that it should be feasible to develop calibrations using PLS or MLR models for a number of users, including breeding programs to screen for genotypes with low HCN, as well as graziers to monitor crop status to help with grazing efficiency.

Fish mediate high food web connectivity in the lower reaches of a tropical floodplain river

High levels of hydrological connectivity during seasonal flooding provide significant opportunities for movements of fish between rivers and their floodplains, estuaries and the sea, possibly mediating food web subsidies among habitats. To determine the degree of utilisation of food sources from different habitats in a tropical river with a short floodplain inundation duration (similar to 2 months), stable isotope ratios in fishes and their available food were measured from three habitats (inundated floodplain, dry season freshwater, coastal marine) in the lower reaches of the Mitchell River, Queensland (Australia). Floodplain food sources constituted the majority of the diet of large-bodied fishes (barramundi Lates calcarifer, catfish Neoarius graeffei) captured on the floodplain in the wet season and for gonadal tissues of a common herbivorous fish (gizzard shad Nematalosa come), the latter suggesting that critical reproductive phases are fuelled by floodplain production. Floodplain food sources also subsidised barramundi from the recreational fishery in adjacent coastal and estuarine areas, and the broader fish community from a freshwater lagoon. These findings highlight the importance of the floodplain in supporting the production of large fishes in spite of the episodic nature and relatively short duration of inundation compared to large river floodplains of humid tropical regions. They also illustrate the high degree of food web connectivity mediated by mobile fish in this system in the absence of human modification, and point to the potential consequences of water resource development that may reduce or eliminate hydrological connectivity between the river and its floodplain.