Factors Affecting the Infection of Sweet Cherry () Fruit by .

Powdery mildew caused by is the most important fungal disease of sweet cherries in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. In this study, several factors related to disease epidemiology were evaluated. The experiments were conducted to investigate flower susceptibility to infection by in planta and in vitro inoculation.

Biocontrol potential of native yeast strains against and aflatoxin production in pistachio.

is the main aflatoxin producer in food and feed and has wide ecological niches. Contamination of food products such as pistachio nuts and aflatoxin secretion directly affects food safety and international food product trades. Abilities of 13 yeast strains isolated from 200 soil and pistachio nut samples collected in Iranian orchards to reduce the growth of as well as aflatoxin production were assessed in dual culture, volatile and non-volatile compounds tests.

DNA barcoding for the identification of mold species in bakery plants and products.

Mold identification at the species level in environmental samples is a major challenge. Molecular techniques have been widely used for fungal classification, but as most primers are genus-specific, it is laborious to identify unknown samples. In this study, a PCR-based method for the identification of mold at the species level was developed.

Risk Factors for Bud Perennation of Podosphaera macularis on Hop.

The hop powdery mildew fungus Podosphaera macularis persists from season to season in the Pacific Northwestern United States through infection of crown buds because only one of the mating types needed to produce the ascigerous stage is presently found in this region. Bud infection and successful overwintering of the fungus leads to the emergence of heavily infected shoots in early spring (termed flag shoots). Historical data of flag shoot occurrence and incidence in Oregon and Washington State during 2000 to 2017 were analyzed to identify their association with the incidence of powdery mildew, growers' use of fungicides, autumn and winter temperature, and other production factors.

Production and application of high quality stable isotope-labeled human immunoglobulin G1 for mass spectrometry analysis.

Here, we describe the production of stable isotope-labeled human immunoglobulin G1 ([ C]-hIgG1) using [ C]-L-lysine/arginine-labeled hIgG1. The fermentation process was run in shake flasks containing labeled arginine and lysinethat were incorporated into the produced recombinant hIgG1. The [ C]-hIgG1 was purified, and label incorporation was determined to be >99% at all lysine and arginine moieties.

Hop Powdery Mildew Control Through Alteration of Spring Pruning Practices.

Podosphaera macularis, the causal agent of hop powdery mildew, is a recurrent threat to hops in the Pacific Northwest because of the potential to reduce cone yield and quality. Early-season pruning is a common practice in hop production for horticultural reasons. Studies were conducted over a 3-year period in a commercial hop yard to quantify the effect of pruning method and timing on disease development, yield, and cone quality factors.

Interaction of Basal Foliage Removal and Late-Season Fungicide Applications in Management of Hop Powdery Mildew.

Canopy management is an important aspect of control of powdery mildew diseases and may influence the intensity of fungicide applications required to suppress disease. In hop, powdery mildew (caused by Podosphaera macularis) is most damaging to cones when infection occurs during bloom and the juvenile stages of cone development. Experiments were conducted over 3 years to evaluate whether fungicide applications could be ceased after the most susceptible stages of cone development (late July) without unduly affecting crop yield and quality when disease pressure was moderated with varying levels of basal foliage removal.

Distribution and Characterization of Podosphaera macularis Virulent on Hop Cultivars Possessing R6-Based Resistance to Powdery Mildew.

Host resistance, both quantitative and qualitative, is the preferred long-term approach for disease management in many pathosystems, including powdery mildew of hop (Podosphaera macularis). In 2012, an epidemic of powdery mildew occurred in Washington and Idaho on previously resistant cultivars whose resistance was putatively based on the gene designated R6. In 2013, isolates capable of causing severe disease on cultivars with R6-based resistance were confirmed in Oregon and became widespread during 2014.

Aspergillus flavus diversity on crops and in the environment can be exploited to reduce aflatoxin exposure and improve health.

Humans and animals are exposed to aflatoxins, toxic carcinogenic fungal metabolites, through consumption of contaminated food and feed. Aspergillus flavus, the primary causal agent of crop aflatoxin contamination, is composed of phenotypically and genotypically diverse vegetative compatibility groups (VCGs). Molecular data suggest that VCGs largely behave as clones with certain VCGs exhibiting niche preference.

Relationships between in vivo and in vitro aflatoxin production: reliable prediction of fungal ability to contaminate maize with aflatoxins.

Aflatoxins are highly carcinogenic mycotoxins frequently produced by Aspergillus flavus. Contamination of maize with aflatoxins imposes both economic and health burdens in many regions. Identification of the most important etiologic agents of contamination is complicated by mixed infections and varying aflatoxin-producing potential of fungal species and individuals.

Outbreak of an acute aflatoxicosis in Kenya in 2004: identification of the causal agent.

Maize contaminated with aflatoxins has been implicated in deadly epidemics in Kenya three times since 1981, but the fungi contaminating the maize with aflatoxins have not been characterized. Here we associate the S strain of Aspergillus flavus with lethal aflatoxicoses that took more than 125 lives in 2004.