Processo infeccioso de Pseudocercospora musae e severidade da Sigatoka Amarela da bananeira em função do silício, potássio e cálcio em solução nutritiva

Yellow Sigatoka leaf spot, caused by Pseudocercospora musae (Mycosphaerella musicola), is one of main threats to banana production around the world. However, information regarding the infection process of P. musae and the influence of mineral nutrition on the disease severity could help with cultural control strategies and increase the fruit yield. Therefore, this work aimed to characterize the infectious process of P. musae in banana leaves, to study the effect of silicon (Si) and the interaction between potassium (K) and calcium (Ca) on the Yellow Sigatoka leaf spot severity. In the first study, samples were inoculated on the abaxial leaf surface with P. musae and analyzed at 12, 24, 36, 48, 72, 96, 120, 144, and 168 hours after inoculation (HAI) as well as 36 and 50 days after inoculation (DAI). The conidia germinated between 24 and 36 HAI and penetrated through the stomata between 96 and 120 HAI, or usually from 144 HAI. P. musae colonized intercellularly the spongy parenchyma at 36 DAI and inter- and intracellularly the palisade parenchyma at 50 DAI. The sporulation occurred at 50 DAI on the adaxial leaf surfaces. In the second study, banana plants grown in nutrient solution with 0; 0.5; 1.0; 1.8 and 3.6 mmol L -1 of silicic acid (H 4SiO 4) were inoculated with conidial suspension. The disease severity was assessed and data were integrated in the area under the disease severity progress curve (AUDSPC). The lower AUDSPC was 49.27% for the concentration of 3.05 mmol L -1 of H 4SiO 4 compared to plants grown without Si addition. Regarding silicon accumulation, at 3.6 mmol L -1 H4SiO 4, leaf Si content was 23.53% higher compared to the control. In the third study, plants grown in nutrient solution with 5 K concentrations (1, 2, 4, 6, and, 8 mmol L -1 ) combined with 5 Ca concentrations (1, 3, 5, 7, and, 9 mmol L -1 ), forming 25 treatments, were inoculated with conidial suspension. The disease severity was assessed and the data were integrated in the AUDSPC. There was no interaction between concentrations of K and Ca for AUDSPC, although the AUDSPC increased with the increase of K concentrations from 1 to 6 mmol L -1 . The K increase led to a reduction in chlorophyll a and b contents and in the N, P, Mg, B, Cu, Zn, and, Mn nutrients as well as increased the total plant dry weight.

Influência do etileno na regulação do florescimento de Coffea arabica L.

Coffee is one of the most valuable exported agricultural product worldwide as well as the second most traded commodity after oil. This crop represents a source of employment and considerably accounts for the revenue of the country, besides its undeniable importance for local and world socioeconomical scenery. The quality of the coffee drink is directly related to the fruit ripening stage, which is found in different stages at harvesting due to the sequential flowering, increasing costs with the production and generating a lower-quality beverage. The asynchronous flowering of the coffee tree comes from the uneven development of buds, which can be influenced by environmental factors, taking into account that the anthesis takes place after a water deficit period, followed by precipitation. Changes in the hormone balance have been observed after water deficit and rehydration cycles, and such oscillation on the water status of the plant increased the level of ethylene in some species. This finding led to the association between the requirements at the flowering stage of the coffee tree and the involvement of the ethylene in promoting anthesis. The application of 1- MCP (ethylene action inhibitor) triggered the anthesis in coffee trees. And, in coffee seedlings in greenhouse conditions after a period of water shortage followed by irrigation, the profile of gene expression of the biosynthesis route and signaling of ethylene are changed in leaves and roots. The increased levels of the ethylene precursor (ACC) in roots throughout the dry season and the transportation of this compound into shoots may be the signal to trigger the anthesis in coffee tree after rehydration. Thus, in order to better understand the role of the ethylene in regulation of flowering, we analyzed the effects of the exogenous application of 1-MCP in different physiological characteristics and in the expression of genes related to the ethylene biosynthesis and signaling pathways in coffee leaves and bud from plants under field conditions. The evaluations and tissue sampling were carried out in different times treatments implementation: T1 – control, T2 – 1-MCP+Break-Thru, and T3 – Break-Thru. There was influence of 1-MCP and Break-Thru in gas exchange parameters and of 1-MCP contributed to the increase in relative water content. RT-qPCR analyses showed a different behavior in relation to the profile of gene expression in leaves and buds analyzed in the present study (CaACS1 – like, CaACO1 – like, CaACO4 – like, CaETR4 – like) and the expression levels were changed a few hours (2h) after applying the products. However, there was flowering only in plants treated with 1-MCP, in the absence of rain and irrigation.

Acidovorax citruli: genetic analyses and protocol for its detection in seeds

Bacterial fruit blotch of cucurbits (BFB), caused by the seed borne Gramnegative bacterium Acidovorax citrulli is a serious threat to cucurbit industry worldwide. Since late 1980`s after devastating outbreaks in watermelon fields in southern United States, BFB has spread worldwide and has been reported in other cucurbit crops such as melon, pumpkin, cucumber and squash. To date, there is evidence for the existence of at least two genetically and pathogenically distinct populations of A. citrulli. In Brazil, the first report of BFB was in 1991, in a watermelon field in São Paulo. Although widespread in the country, BFB has been a major problem to melon production. More precisely, BFB has caused significant yield losses to melon production in northeastern Brazil, which concentrates > 90% of the country`s melon production. Despite the management efforts and the recent advances in A. citrulli research, BFB is still a continuous threat to the cucurbit industry, including seed producers, growers and transplant nurseries. To better understand the population structure of A. citrulli strains in Brazil, and to provide a basis for the integrated management of BFB, we used pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) of housekeeping and virulence-associated genes and pathogenicity tests on different cucurbit seedlings to characterize a Brazilian population of A. citrulli strains from different hosts and regions. Additionally, we conducted for the first time a comparative analysis of the A. citrulli group I and II population at genomic level and showed that these two groups differ on their genome sizes due to the presence of eight DNA segments, which are present in group II and absent in group I genomes. We also provide the first evidence to suggest that temperature might be a driver in the ecological adaptation of A. citrulli populations under nutrient-rich or -depleted conditions. Finally, in order to improve the routine detection of A. citrulli on melon seedlots, we designed a new primer set that is able to detect the different Brazilian haplotypes, thus minimizing the risk of false-negatives on PCR-based seed health testing.