Optimizing the accession-level quantity of seeds to put into storage to minimize seed (gene)bank regeneration or re-collection.

Seed (gene)banking is an effective way to conserve cultivated and wild plant diversity. However, long-term funding is not always consistently sufficient, and there is a need to both strengthen the effectiveness of genebank operations and maximize cost efficiency. One way to control the cost of maintaining a germplasm collection is to optimize the quantity of seeds per accession that is placed into storage, depending on the expected length of time a seed lot will remain above the viability threshold, expected rates of use for distribution and viability testing and on the requirement to ensure a reserve.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students' views of a career in general practice: a focus group study.

Background: General practice is an essential part of healthcare systems in the UK and internationally but continues to struggle with recruitment. Despite this, few studies have explored factors that influence medical students' career choices around primary care.

Aim: We aimed to revisit factors that had previously been proposed following new ways of working adopted since the COVID-19 pandemic, including the impact of these changes on learning experiences in primary care.

Training healthcare professionals to be ready for practice in an era of social distancing: a realist evaluation.

Background: Programme changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic have impacted variably on preparation for practice of healthcare professional students. Explanations for such variability need exploration. The aim of our study was to understand what clinical learning, whilst under socially distanced restrictions, worked and why (or why not).

Enabling Population Biology Studies of from Onion with Microsatellites.

Stemphylium leaf blight (SLB), caused by the fungus , is dominant within the foliar disease complex affecting onion production in New York (NY). The disease causes premature defoliation and significant reductions in bulb weight and quality. Foliar diseases of onion are usually managed by an intensive fungicide program, but SLB management is complicated by resistance to multiple single-site modes of action.

Identification of the rice Rc gene as a main regulator of seed survival under dry storage conditions.

Seed deterioration during storage results in poor germination, reduced vigour, and non-uniform seedling emergence. The aging rate depends on storage conditions and genetic factors. This study aims to identify these genetic factors determining the longevity of rice (Oryza sativa L.

Confirmation of infecting pyrethrum () in Australia.

Pyrethrum ( (Trevir.) Sch. Bip.

Experimental rice seed aging under elevated oxygen pressure: Methodology and mechanism.

Seed aging during storage results in loss of vigor and germination ability due to the accumulation of damage by oxidation reactions. Experimental aging tests, for instance to study genetic variation, aim to mimic natural aging in a shorter timeframe. As the oxidation rate is increased by elevating the temperature, moisture, and oxygen levels, this study aimed to (1) investigate the effect of experimental rice seed aging by an elevated partial pressure of oxygen (EPPO), (2) elucidate the mechanism of dry-EPPO aging and (3) compare aging under dry-EPPO conditions to aging under traditional moist-controlled deterioration (CD) conditions and to long-term ambient storage.

Seed Moisture Isotherms, Sorption Models, and Longevity.

Seed moisture sorption isotherms show the equilibrium relationship between water content and equilibrium relative humidity (eRH) when seeds are either losing water from a hydrated state (desorption isotherm) or gaining water from a dry state (adsorption isotherm). They have been used in food science to predict the stability of different products and to optimize drying and/or processing. Isotherms have also been applied to understand the physiological processes occurring in viable seeds and how sorption properties differ in relation to, for example, developmental maturity, degree of desiccation tolerance, or dormancy status.

First Report of Halo Blight on Hop Caused by Diaporthe humulicola in New York.

In late July and August 2015, foliar disease was observed in three hop (Humulus lupulus; unknown cultivars) yards in Ontario, Otsego, and Putnam counties, New York (NY). Disease incidence ranged between 70 and 90% of plants, and up to 25% of the leaves per plant were affected. Leaf symptoms were large, necrotic patches with a chlorotic halo (2 to 10 cm diam.

Control of Phoma Leaf Spot and Root Decay of Table Beet in New York.

Disease caused by (syn. , ) results in reductions in plant populations, foliar disease (Phoma leaf spot [PLS]), and root disease and decay in table beet. Disease caused by has reemerged as prevalent in organic table beet production in New York.

A Performance Management System for Long-Term Germplasm Conservation in CGIAR Genebanks: Aiming for Quality, Efficiency and Improvement.

UN Sustainable Development Goal 2 Target 2.5 focuses on the conservation of genetic diversity in soundly managed genebanks. In examining the term "soundly managed", it becomes quickly evident that there is much more to long-term conservation than placing samples of seeds or other germplasm in long-term conservation conditions.

Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Stemphylium Leaf Blight and Potential Inoculum Sources in New York Onion Fields.

Stemphylium leaf blight (SLB) caused by is the dominant foliar disease affecting large-scale onion production in New York. The disease is managed by fungicides, but control failures are prevalent and are attributed to fungicide resistance. Little is known of the relative role of inoculum sources in initiation and spread of SLB epidemics.

Stemphylium Leaf Blight: A Re-Emerging Threat to Onion Production in Eastern North America.

Stemphylium leaf blight (SLB), caused by , is a foliar disease of onion worldwide, and has recently become an important disease in the northeastern United States and Ontario, Canada. The symptoms begin as small, tan to brown lesions on the leaves that can progress to defoliate plants. Crop loss occurs through reduced photosynthetic area, resulting in smaller, lower-quality bulbs.

'I'm just ringing to get a repeat prescription for my contraceptive pill, doctor': developing authentic simulated telephone consultations for medical students.

Within normal surgery hours telephone consultations have been previously shown to make up between 10-20% of patient contacts with General Practitioners (GPs) and to comprise a large proportion of a GP's daily workload. Although obviously very useful, such doctor-patient interactions can be fraught with risk. The General Medical Council (GMC) requires that newly graduated doctors should be adaptable to the challenge of delivering treatment advice and management remotely.

Variation in Seed Metabolites between Two Indica Rice Accessions Differing in Seed Longevity.

For a better understanding of germination after seed storage, metabolite profiling was conducted using hybrid triple quadrupole time-of-flight (QTOF) mass spectrometry. After moisture content (MC) equilibration, seeds of "WAS170" (short-lived) and "IR65483" (long-lived) were stored at 10.9% MC and 45 °C.

Why Seed Physiology Is Important for Genebanking.

Genebank management is a field in its own right; it is multifaceted, requiring a diverse set of skills and knowledge. Seed physiology is one area that is critical to the successful operation of seed genebanks, requiring understanding of seed quality during development and maturation, seed dormancy and germination, and seed longevity in storage of the target species. Careful management of the workflow between these activities, as seeds move from harvest to storage, and the recording and management of all relevant associated data, is key to ensuring the effective conservation of plant genetic resources.

Temporal patterns of seed germination in early spring-flowering temperate woodland geophytes are modified by warming.

Background And Aims: Understorey species in temperate deciduous woodlands such as wild daffodil (Narcissus pseudonarcissus) and common snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis) have complex dormancy: seeds that are shed in late spring require warm summer temperatures for embryo elongation and dormancy alleviation, but then cooler temperatures for germination in autumn. As seasons warm and tree canopies alter, how will different seasonal temperature sequences affect these complex dormancy responses?

Methods: The effect of different sequences of warmer (+5 °C), current or cooler (-5 °C) seasons (summer to spring) on seed germination patterns over seven successive seasons were investigated, with all sequences combined factorially to determine the consequences of differential seasonal temperature change for the temporal pattern of germination (and so seedling recruitment).

Key Results: Little (<1 %, G.

Genome Resource for Two Isolates Causing Stemphylium Leaf Blight of Onion in New York.

Stemphylium leaf blight caused by was recently identified as an emerging disease and dominant in the foliar disease complex affecting onion in New York. Here, we report the genomes of two isolates of , On16-63 and On16-391. The availability of the genomes will accelerate genomic studies of , including population biology, sexual reproduction, and fungicide resistance.

Emergence of Stemphylium Leaf Blight of Onion in New York Associated With Fungicide Resistance.

A complex of foliar diseases affects onion production in New York, including Botrytis leaf blight (), purple blotch (), Stemphylium leaf blight (SLB; ), and downy mildew (). Surveys were conducted in 2015 and 2016 to evaluate the cause of severe premature foliar dieback in New York onion fields. SLB was the most prevalent disease among fields with the greatest incidence, surpassing downy mildew, purple blotch, and Botrytis leaf blight.

Development of a Species-Specific PCR for Detection and Quantification of in Soil Using the Root-Knot Nematode Effector Gene.

The Northern root-knot nematode () is an important soilborne pathogen of numerous agricultural crops in temperate regions. Accurate detection and quantification is vital to supporting informed pest management decisions. However, traditional methods of manual nematode extraction and morphology-based identification are time-consuming and require highly specialized training.

Variation in seed longevity among diverse Indica rice varieties.

Background And Aims: Understanding variation in seed longevity, especially within closely related germplasm, will lead to better understanding of the molecular basis of this trait, which is particularly important for seed genebanks, but is also relevant to anyone handling seeds. We therefore set out to determine the relative seed longevity of diverse Indica rice accessions through storage experiments. Since antioxidants are purported to play a role in seed storability, the antioxidant activity and phenolic content of caryopses were determined.

Spatiotemporal Attributes and Crop Loss Associated with Tan Spot Epidemics in Baby Lima Bean in New York.

Tan spot, caused by the pycnidial fungi Didymella americana and Boeremia exigua var. exigua, is a foliar disease affecting processing baby lima bean production in New York. Tan spot epidemics are prevalent, occur annually, and may result in substantial defoliation.

Further Evidence That the Genebank Standards for Drying Orthodox Seeds May Not Be Optimal for Subsequent Seed Longevity.

Maximizing seed longevity is important for genebanks to efficiently manage their accessions, reducing the frequency of costly regeneration cycles and the loss of genetic integrity. Research on rice seeds has shown that subsequent longevity in air-dry storage can be improved by drying seeds, which are metabolically active at harvest (moisture contents above a critical value close to 16.5%), for an initial period at a higher temperature (40°C-60°C) than that currently recommended by the current genebank standards (5°C-20°C).