Development and Application of Low-Cost and Eco-Sustainable Bio-Stimulant Containing a New Plant Growth-Promoting Strain TL13.

The use of beneficial microbes as inoculants able to improve fitness, growth and health of plants also in stress conditions is an attractive low-cost and eco-friendly alternative strategy to harmful chemical inputs. Thirteen potential plant growth-promoting bacteria were isolated from the rhizosphere of wheat plants cultivated under drought stress and nitrogen deficiency. Among these, the two isolates TL8 and TL13 showed multiple plant growth promotion activities as production of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), siderophores, ammonia, and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) deaminase production, the ability to solubilize phosphate as well as exerted antimicrobial activity against plant pathogens as spp.

Ozone gas as a storage treatment to control Gnomoniopsis castanea, preserving chestnut quality.

Background: Chestnuts are gluten-free, low-fat, cholesterol-free products. Postharvest decay reduces chestnut shelf life and can cause severe economic losses. In this study we investigated the effect of ozone (O ) gaseous treatment on chestnut rot caused by Gnomoniopsis castanea and the quality parameters of chestnuts.

Depletion of pentachlorophenol in soil microcosms with Byssochlamys nivea and Scopulariopsis brumptii as detoxification agents.

Pentachlorophenol (PCP) is a toxic compound which is widely used as a wood preservative product and general biocide. It is persistent in the environment and has been classified as a persistent organic pollutant to be reclaimed in many countries. Fungal bioremediation is an emerging approach to rehabilitating areas fouled by recalcitrant xenobiotics.

Assessing the effectiveness of Byssochlamys nivea and Scopulariopsis brumptii in pentachlorophenol removal and biological control of two Phytophthora species.

Bioremediation and biological-control by fungi have made tremendous strides in numerous biotechnology applications. The aim of this study was to test Byssochlamys nivea and Scopulariopsis brumptii in sensitivity and degradation to pentachlorophenol (PCP) and in biological-control of Phytophthora cinnamomi and Phytophthora cambivora. B.

Flufuran, an antifungal 3,5-disubstituted furan produced by Aspergillus flavus link.

A 3,5-disubstituted furan, named flufuran, was isolated from a culture filtrate of a strain of Aspergillus flavus obtained from a chestnut compost created in the same orchard. Flufuran was identified by spectroscopic methods, and its structure was confirmed through the preparation of some key derivatives, also used to test the antifungal activity. At a concentration of 0.

Isolation, characterization and structure-elicitor activity relationships of hibernalin and its two oxidized forms from Phytophthora hibernalis Carne 1925.

Three alpha-elicitins, named hibernalin1, hibernalin2 and hibernalin3 (hib1, hib2 and hib3, respectively), were isolated by reverse phase-low-pressure liquid chromatography from culture filtrates of Phytophthora hibernalis Carne 1925, the causal agent of citrus lemon brown rot. Hib1 proved to be identical to syringicin previously isolated from culture filtrates of Phytophthora syringae. Hib2 and hib3 shared the same primary structure with hib1, but contained, at position 50, Met sulphoxide or sulphone, respectively.

First Report of Phytophthora insolita and P. inflata on Rhododendron in Ohio.

During August 2003, we conducted a statewide survey of rhododendrons to determine if Phytophthora ramorum was present in Ohio ornamental nurseries. In total, 240 samples were randomly collected in 12 nurseries throughout Ohio from rhododendrons showing foliar necrotic lesions and twig dieback symptoms. The samples yielded 51 Phytophthora spp.

High-density genetic linkage maps of Phytophthora infestans reveal trisomic progeny and chromosomal rearrangements.

Detailed analysis of the inheritance of molecular markers was performed in the oomycete plant pathogen Phytophthora infestans. Linkage analysis in the sexual progeny of two Dutch field isolates (cross 71) resulted in a high-density map containing 508 markers on 13 major and 10 minor linkage groups. The map showed strong clustering of markers, particularly of markers originating from one parent, and dissimilarity between the parental isolates on linkage group III in the vicinity of the mating-type locus, indicating a chromosomal translocation.

EST mining and functional expression assays identify extracellular effector proteins from the plant pathogen Phytophthora.

Plant pathogenic microbes have the remarkable ability to manipulate biochemical, physiological, and morphological processes in their host plants. These manipulations are achieved through a diverse array of effector molecules that can either promote infection or trigger defense responses. We describe a general functional genomics approach aimed at identifying extracellular effector proteins from plant pathogenic microorganisms by combining data mining of expressed sequence tags (ESTs) with virus-based high-throughput functional expression assays in plants.