Specific antibody production using recombinant proteins to elucidate seed transmission and nuclear localization of Coguvirus citrulli and Coguvirus henanense in radicles of watermelon crop.

Watermelon crinkle leaf-associated virus 1 (WCLaV-1) and WCLaV-2, both belonging to the genus Coguvirus (family Phenuiviridae), have been identified in watermelon plants in Brazil. To study tissue tropism and the potential for seed transmission of these viruses, we initially planned to produce specific antibodies. However, difficulties in isolating and propagating the virus in host plants hindered the purified virus preparations.

First report of Moroccan watermelon mosaic virus in pumpkin plants in Brazil.

Cucurbita moschata is widely cultivated in Brazil, and zucchini lethal chlorosis virus, squash mosaic virus, papaya ringspot virus, watermelon mosaic virus have been reported as viral pathogens in this crop in Brazil. The leaf samples of C. moschata showing mosaic, blistering, and yellowing symptoms were collected from a commercial field in Petrolina, Pernambuco state and a commercial field in Juazeiro, Bahia state, in February 2023.

Landscapes of Biochemical Warfare: Spatial Self-Organization Woven from Allelopathic Interactions.

Evidence shows that diversity and spatial distributions of biological communities are largely driven by the race of living organisms in their adaptation to chemicals synthesized by their neighbors. In this report, the emergence of mathematical models on pure spatial self-organization induced by biochemical suppression (allelopathy) and competition between species were investigated through numerical analysis. For both random and patched initial spatial distributions of species, we demonstrate that warfare survivors are self-organized on the landscape in Turing-like patterns driven by diffusive instabilities of allelochemicals.

Chitinase from the Latex of L. Displays Antifungal Activity by Inducing ROS Generation and Structural Damage to the Fungal Cell Wall and Plasma Membrane.

Background: Chitinases are plant defense-related proteins with a high biotechnological potential to be applied in agriculture.

Objectives: This study aimed to purify a chitinase from the latex of Ficus benjamina.

Methods: An antifungal class I chitinase, named FbLx-Chi-1, was purified from the latex of Ficus benjamina after precipitation with 30-60% ammonium sulfate and affinity chromatography on a chitin column and antifungal potential assay against phytopathogenic fungi important to agriculture.

Development of superabsorbent hydrogel based on Gum Arabic for enhanced removal of anxiolytic drug from water.

The growing consumption of anxiolytic drugs like diazepam (DZP) has aggravated the problem of persistent organic pollutants in water. Due to its characteristics, the removal of DZP from water and wastewater is a challenging task. As an effort to deals with this issue, in this study, we report the development of a hydrogel based on Gum Arabic (GA) grafted with poly(acrylic acid) (GA-g-PAAc) to be used in the adsorptive removal of DZP from water.