Protective and curative effect of neem (Azadirachta indica) formulations on the development of root-knot nematode Meloidogyne javanica in roots of tomato plants

Two types of neem formulations, crude and refined, were tested. The crude form was neem leaves and neem cakes (a by-product left after the extraction of oil from neem seed) and one of the neem-refined products was "aza". The protective and curative soil application of these formulations significantly reduced the number of egg masses and eggs per egg mass on tomato roots. Protective application of neem crude formulations (leaves and cake) did not reduce the invasion of juveniles whereas aza at 0.1% w/w did. Curative application of neem formulations significantly reduced the number of egg masses and eggs per egg mass as compared with the control. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Flooding tolerance in four 'Garrigue' landscape plants: implications for their future use in the urban landscapes of north-west Europe?

Within a changing climate, Mediterranean ‘Garrigue’ xerophytes are increasingly recommended as suitable urban landscape plants in north-west Europe, based on their capacity to tolerate high temperature and reduced water availability during summer. Such species, however, have a poor reputation for tolerating waterlogged soils; paradoxically a phenomenon that may also increase in north-west Europe due to predictions for both higher volumes of winter precipitation, and short, but intensive periods of summer rainfall. This study investigated flooding tolerance in four landscape ‘Garrigue’ species, Stachys byzantina, Cistus × hybridus, Lavandula angustifolia and Salvia officinalis. Despite evolving in a dry habitat, the four species tested proved remarkably resilient to flooding. All species survived 17 days flooding in winter, with Stachys and Lavandula also surviving equivalent flooding duration during summer. Photosynthesis and biomass production, however, were strongly inhibited by flooding although the most tolerant species, Stachys quickly restored its photosynthetic capacity on termination of flooding. Overall, survival rates were comparable to previous studies on other terrestrial (including wetland) species. Subsequent experiments using Salvia (a species we identified as ‘intermediate’ in tolerance) clearly demonstrated adaptations to waterlogging, e.g. acclimation against anoxia when pre-treated with hypoxia. Despite anecdotal information to the contrary, we found no evidence to suggest that these xerophytic species are particularly intolerant of waterlogging. Other climatic and biotic factors may restrict the viability and distribution of these species within the urban conurbations of north-west Europe, but we believe increased incidence of flooding per se should not preclude their consideration.

Understanding 2H/1H systematics of leaf wax n-alkanes in coastal plants at Stiffkey saltmarsh, Norfolk, UK

Interpretation of sedimentary n-alkyl lipid d2H data is complicated by a limited understanding of factors controlling interspecies variation in biomarker 2H/1H composition. To distinguish between the effects of interrelated environmental, physical and biochemical controls on the hydrogen isotope composition of n-alkyl lipids, we conducted linked d2H analyses of soil water, xylem water, leaf water and n-alkanes from a range of C3 and C4 plants growing at a UK saltmarsh (i) across multiple sampling sites, (ii) throughout the 2012 growing season, and (iii) at different times of the day. Soil waters varied isotopically by up to 35& depending on marsh sub-environment, and exhibited site-specific seasonal shifts in d2H up to a maximum of 31 per mil. Maximum interspecies variation in xylem water was 38 per mil, while leaf waters differed seasonally by a maximum of 29 per mil. Leaf wax n-alkane 2H/1H, however, consistently varied by over 100 per mil throughout the 2012 growing season, resulting in an interspecies range in the ewax/leaf water values of -79 per mil to –227 per mil. From the discrepancy in the magnitude of these isotopic differences, we conclude that mechanisms driving variation in the 2H/1H composition of leaf water, including (i) spatial changes in soil water 2H/1H, (ii) temporal changes in soil water 2H/1H, (iii) differences in xylem water 2H/1H, and (iv) differences in leaf water evaporative 2H-enrichment due to varied plant life forms, cannot explain the range of n-alkane d2H values we observed. Results from this study suggests that accurate reconstructions of palaeoclimate regimes from sedimentary n-alkane d2H require further research to constrain those biological mechanisms influencing species-specific differences in 2H/1H fractionation during lipid biosynthesis, in particular where plants have developed biochemical adaptations to water-stressed conditions. Understanding how these mechanisms interact with environmental conditions will be crucial to ensure accurate interpretation of hydrogen isotope signals from the geological record.

Evaluation of Fungal Burden and Aflatoxin Presence in Packed Medicinal Plants Treated by Gamma Radiation

This study was developed to evaluate the fungal burden, toxigenic molds, and mycotoxin contamination and to verify the effects of gamma radiation in four kinds of medicinal plants stored before and after 30 days of irradiation treatment. Eighty samples of medicinal plants (Peumus boldus, Camellia sinensis, Maytenus ilicifolia. and Cassia angustifolia) purchased from drugstores, wholesale, and open-air markets in Sao Paulo city, Brazil, were analyzed. The samples were treated using a (60)Co gamma ray source (Gammacell) with doses of 5 and 10 kGy. Nonirradiated samples were used as controls of fungal isolates. For enumeration of fungi on medicinal plants, serial dilutions of the samples were plated in duplicate onto dichloran 18% glycerol agar. The control samples revealed a high burden of molds, including toxigenic fungi. The process of gamma radiation was effective in reducing the number of CFU per gram in all irradiated samples of medicinal plants after 30 days of storage, using a dose of 10 kGy and maintaining samples in a protective package. No aflatoxins were detected. Gamma radiation treatment can be used as an effective method for preventing fungal deterioration of medicinal plants subject to long-term storage.

Development of a sequential injection-square wave voltammetry method for determination of paraquat in water samples employing the hanging mercury drop electrode

This work describes the development and optimization of a sequential injection method to automate the determination of paraquat by square-wave voltammetry employing a hanging mercury drop electrode. Automation by sequential injection enhanced the sampling throughput, improving the sensitivity and precision of the measurements as a consequence of the highly reproducible and efficient conditions of mass transport of the analyte toward the electrode surface. For instance, 212 analyses can be made per hour if the sample/standard solution is prepared off-line and the sequential injection system is used just to inject the solution towards the flow cell. In-line sample conditioning reduces the sampling frequency to 44 h(-1). Experiments were performed in 0.10 M NaCl, which was the carrier solution, using a frequency of 200 Hz, a pulse height of 25 mV, a potential step of 2 mV, and a flow rate of 100 mu L s(-1). For a concentration range between 0.010 and 0.25 mg L(-1), the current (i(p), mu A) read at the potential corresponding to the peak maximum fitted the following linear equation with the paraquat concentration (mg L(-1)): ip = (-20.5 +/- 0.3) Cparaquat -(0.02 +/- 0.03). The limits of detection and quantification were 2.0 and 7.0 mu g L(-1), respectively. The accuracy of the method was evaluated by recovery studies using spiked water samples that were also analyzed by molecular absorption spectrophotometry after reduction of paraquat with sodium dithionite in an alkaline medium. No evidence of statistically significant differences between the two methods was observed at the 95% confidence level.

COMPARISON OF PARTIAL SHADING LOSSES IN FREE FIELD PV-PLANTS WITH DIFFERENT ARRAY CONFIGURATIONS

A common problem when planning large free field PV-plants is optimizing the ground occupation ratio while maintaining low shading losses. Due to the complexity of this task, several PV-plants have been built using various configurations. In order to compare the shading losses of different PV technologies and array designs, empirical performance data of five free field PV-plants operating in Germany was analyzed. The data collected comprised 140 winter days from October 2011 until March 2012. The relative shading losses were estimated by comparing the energy output of selected arrays in the front rows (shading-free) against that of shaded arrays in the back rows of the same plant. The results showed that landscape mounting with mc-Si PV-modules yielded significantly better results than portrait one. With CIGS modules, making cross-table strings using the lower modules was not beneficial as expected and had more losses than a one-string-per-table layout. Parallel substrings with CdTe showed relatively low losses. Among the two CdTe products analyzed, none showed a significantly better performance.

Sourgrass densities affecting the initial growth and macronutrient content of coffee plants

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Oviposition of Quesada gigas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) in coffee plants

Branches of coffee-plant were collected in Sao Sebastiao do Paraiso County, Minas Gerais State, at the Experimental Station of the Agricultural Research Company (Empresa de Pesquisa Agropecuaria de Minas Gerais - EPAMIG), with the aim of studying various aspects of oviposition by Quesada gigas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae). The number of branches with Q. gigas egg nests was analyzed, as well as the number of nests per branch, the eggs per nest and the diameter of the egg nest location on the branch. The preference for oviposition either on alive or dry branches and the size of the egg were assessed. Egg-laying occurred only on dry branches. The mean of the branch diameter on which the egg nests occurred was 2.5 +/- 0.53 mm. The number of eggs per nest averaged 13.2 +/- 4.9, and the number of egg nests per branch was 2.2 +/- 1.74. The eggs were 1.9 +/- 0.08 mm long by 0.5 +/- 0.04 mm wide. The largest diameters of the branches containing egg nests were found on the upper third of the trees, as well as the greatest amount of branches with egg nests, of egg nests per branch and of eggs per nest. The correlation relationship between all of the experiment variables was positive.

De solutione problematum diophanteorum per números integros : o primeiro trabalho de Euler sobre equações diofantinas

The present dissertation analyses Leonhard Euler´s early mathematical work as Diophantine Equations, De solutione problematum diophanteorum per números íntegros (On the solution of Diophantine problems in integers). It was published in 1738, although it had been presented to the St Petersburg Academy of Science five years earlier. Euler solves the problem of making the general second degree expression a perfect square, i.e., he seeks the whole number solutions to the equation ax2+bx+c = y2. For this purpose, he shows how to generate new solutions from those already obtained. Accordingly, he makes a succession of substitutions equating terms and eliminating variables until the problem reduces to finding the solution of the Pell Equation. Euler erroneously assigns this type of equation to Pell. He also makes a number of restrictions to the equation ax2+bx+c = y and works on several subthemes, from incomplete equations to polygonal numbers

Tolerance to iron chlorosis in non-grafted quince seedlings and in pear grafted onto quince plants

Grafting is a technique that may affect plant tolerance to iron chlorosis in plants cultivated for their fruit. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the tolerance of non-grafted quince seedlings and pear grafted onto quince plants cultivated in pots with alkaline soil. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse at the University of Cordoba, Spain, in pots (3 L) filled with alkaline soil, with one plant per pot. The treatments consisted of two genotypes, quince (Cydonia oblonga Mill) semi-woody rooted cuttings, cultivar BA29, and pear (Pyrus Communis L.), cultivar Ercolini, grafted onto quince cultivar BA29 (rootstock), and two nutrient solutions with and without iron (80 mu M Fe-EDDHA) arranged in a completely random design with eight repetitions. Each pot received 250 mL of the nutrient solution on June 3rd, 2010. Chlorophyll indirect measurements and the main stem length were evaluated for six weeks after the commencement of the treatments. During the last week, the main stem dry matter weight and the leaf total iron content were determined. It was found that grafting pear seedlings onto quince rootstock resulted in a higher tolerance to iron deficiency than when quince was not grafted. Non-grafted quince plants without iron in the nutrient solution, compared to the results with its application, showed low SPAD (Soil-Plant Analyses Development) values and resulted in plants with a lower leaf iron content and lower dry matter production; however, decreased seedling stem growth was observed only in the last week of cultivation.

A nested-PCR assay for detection of Xylella fastidiosa in citrus plants and sharpshooter leafhoppers

Aims: Detection of Xylella fastidiosa in citrus plants and insect vectors.Methods and Results: Chelex 100 resin matrix was successfully standardized allowing a fast DNA extraction of X. fastidiosa. An amplicon of 500 bp was observed in samples of citrus leaf and citrus xylem extract, with and without symptoms of citrus variegated chlorosis, using PCR with a specific primer set indicating the presence of X. fastidiosa. The addition of insoluble acid-washed polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVPP) prior to DNA extraction of insect samples using Chelex 100 resin together with nested-PCR permitted the detection of X. fastidiosa within sharpshooter heads with great sensitivity. It was possible to detect up to two bacteria per reaction. From 250 sharpshooter samples comprising four species (Dilobopterus costalimai, Oncometopia facialis, Bucephalogonia xanthopis and Acrogonia sp.), 87 individuals showed positive results for X. fastidiosa in a nested-PCR assay.Conclusions: the use of Chelex 100 resin allowed a fast and efficient DNA extraction to be used in the detection of X. fastidiosa in citrus plants and insect vectors by PCR and nested-PCR assays, respectively.Significance and Impact of the study: the employment of efficient and sensitive methods to detect X. fastidiosa in citrus plants and insect vectors will greatly assist epidemiological studies.

Growth regulator losses from cotton plants due to rainfall

Reguladores de crescimento aplicados às plantas de algodoeiro (Gossypium hirsutum L.) podem ser lavados em função da ocorrência de chuvas. Chuvas que ocorrem próximas à época de aplicação podem ocasionar elevada perda e necessidade de reaplicação dos produtos visando à taxa de crescimento desejada. Avaliou-se o efeito do intervalo de tempo entre a ocorrência de chuva simulada e a aplicação de cloreto de mepiquat e cloreto de chlormequat no algodoeiro no crescimento das plantas, além de estimar a necessidade de reaplicação dos reguladores. Plantas de algodão foram cultivadas em vasos de 12 L que permaneceram em casa de vegetação. Os reguladores de crescimento foram aplicados 40 dias após a emergência, quando 50% das plantas apresentavam botão floral. A chuva foi simulada 1, 2, 4, 6 e 24 horas após a aplicação dos reguladores. Determinou-se a altura das plantas antes da aplicação dos produtos e a cada 3 dias até o 30º dia. Na colheita, foi avaliado o número de ramos e estruturas reprodutivas, com posterior determinação da massa da matéria seca. Também foi determinado o crescimento acumulado e taxa de crescimento das plantas. Os dois reguladores reduziram a massa da matéria seca das plantas, independente do intervalo para ocorrência da chuva. O crescimento excessivo das plantas foi controlado, porém, com eficiência reduzida quanto menor o intervalo para simulação de chuva. em todos os períodos avaliados houve perda de produtos, com necessidade de reaplicação. A taxa de reaplicação de cloreto de mepiquat para os diferentes intervalos de chuva foi, em média, 17% maior.

Perdas de cloreto de mepiquat no algodoeiro por chuva simulada

No Brasil, a cotonicultura localiza-se em regiões onde o índice de precipitação pluvial é de aproximadamente 2.000 mm anuais. A aplicação de reguladores de crescimento em condições com esse índice faz com que o produto aplicado seja lavado antes de ser absorvido pelas plantas. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito da lavagem do cloreto de mepiquat aplicado no algodoeiro, por chuvas simuladas em diferentes períodos após a aplicação do produto. O trabalho foi realizado em casa de vegetação, utilizando vasos de 12 L, com três plantas da cultivar DeltaOpal. No aparecimento do primeiro botão floral, aplicou-se cloreto de mepiquat na dose de 12,5 g ha-1 de i.a. Os tratamentos consistiram de duas lâminas de chuva, 10 e 20 mm, a 0, 2, 4, 8, 16 e 32 horas após aplicação do produto e sem chuva, com quatro repetições. Uma chuva de 10 mm foi suficiente para lavar o produto das folhas independentemente do tempo de ocorrência após a aplicação do regulador. Se houver ocorrência de chuva 0, 2, 4, 8, 16 e 32 horas após a aplicação do produto, a reposição deve ser de 131, 125, 120, 110, 93 e 70 mL ha-1, respectivamente.

Cotton response to mepiquat chloride and temperature

Gibberellin inhibitor growth regulators are used for cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) canopy manipulation to avoid excess growth and yield losses. However, under temperatures below or over the optimum for cotton production the effect of mepiquat chloride (MC) has not always been significant. In this experiment, cotton plants were grown in growth chambers to study the response to MC as affected by temperature and to determine if an increase in dose could overcome the temperature effects. Mepiquat chloride was applied at rates of 0, 15 and 30 g ai ha-1 at the pinhead square stage. Plants were then grown under three temperature regimes: 25/15 °C, 32/22 °C, and 39/29 °C (day/night temperatures) for 51 days. Higher temperatures increased plant height, reproductive branches, fruit number, fruit abscission, and photosynthesis per unit area, but decreased leaf area and chlorophyll. The largest effect of MC on plant height was observed when the daily temperature was 32 °C, with nights of 22 °C, which was also best for plant growth. High temperatures not only decreased the effectiveness of MC on plant height control, but also caused lower dry matter and fruit number per plant. Low temperatures (25/15 ºC) decreased cotton growth and fruit retention, but a higher concentration of MC was required per unit of growth reduction as compared with 32/22 ºC. At high temperatures, the rate of MC to be applied must be disproportionately increased, because either plant growth is impaired by high temperature lessening the effect of MC, or degradation of MC within the plant is too rapid.