A TaqMan Assay Allows an Accurate Detection and Quantification of spp., the Causal Agents of Tomato Wilt and Rot Diseases.

In tomato plants, spp. have been increasingly associated with several wilt and rot diseases that are responsible for severe yield losses. Here, we present a real-time PCR TaqMan MGB (Minor Groove Binder) assay to detect and discriminate spp.

Advances in Plant-Pathogen Interaction: New Challenges for Sustainable Disease Management.

Plant pathogens cause huge losses and have been an important constraint to a worldwide increase in crop production and productivity [...

Defense Strategies: The Role of Transcription Factors in Tomato-Pathogen Interaction.

Tomato, one of the most cultivated and economically important vegetable crops throughout the world, is affected by a panoply of different pathogens that reduce yield and affect product quality. The study of tomato-pathogen system arises as an ideal system for better understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying disease resistance, offering an opportunity of improving yield and quality of the products. Among several genes already identified in tomato response to pathogens, we highlight those encoding the transcription factors (TFs).

An Overview of the Application of Viruses to Biotechnology.

Viruses may cause devastating diseases in several organisms; however, they are simple systems that can be manipulated to be beneficial and useful for many purposes in different areas. In medicine, viruses have been used for a long time in vaccines and are now being used as vectors to carry materials for the treatment of diseases, such as cancer, being able to target specific cells. In agriculture, viruses are being studied to introduce desirable characteristics in plants or render resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses.

A Bipartite Geminivirus with a Highly Divergent Genomic Organization Identified in Olive Trees May Represent a Novel Evolutionary Direction in the Family .

Olea europaea Geminivirus (OEGV) was recently identified in olive in Italy through HTS. In this work, we used HTS to show the presence of an OEGV isolate in Portuguese olive trees and suggest the evolution direction of OEGV. The bipartite genome (DNA-A and DNA-B) of the OEGV-PT is similar to Old World begomoviruses in length, but it lacks a pre-coat protein (AV2), which is a typical feature of New World begomoviruses (NW).

High throughput sequencing unravels tomato-pathogen interactions towards a sustainable plant breeding.

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is one of the most economically important vegetables throughout the world. It is one of the best studied cultivated dicotyledonous plants, often used as a model system for plant research into classical genetics, cytogenetics, molecular genetics, and molecular biology. Tomato plants are affected by different pathogens such as viruses, viroids, fungi, oomycetes, bacteria, and nematodes, that reduce yield and affect product quality.

Plant-Pathogen Interaction.

Plant diseases result in severe losses to natural plant systems, and also cause problems for economics and production in agricultural systems [...

Transcriptomic Profiling of Skeletal Muscle Reveals Candidate Genes Influencing Muscle Growth and Associated Lipid Composition in Portuguese Local Pig Breeds.

Gene expression is one of the main factors to influence meat quality by modulating fatty acid metabolism, composition, and deposition rates in muscle tissue. This study aimed to explore the transcriptomics of the muscle in two local pig breeds with distinct genetic background using next-generation sequencing technology and Real-Time qPCR. RNA-seq yielded 49 differentially expressed genes between breeds, 34 overexpressed in the Alentejano (AL) and 15 in the Bísaro (BI) breed.

Plant Viruses: From Targets to Tools for CRISPR.

Plant viruses cause devastating diseases in many agriculture systems, being a serious threat for the provision of adequate nourishment to a continuous growing population. At the present, there are no chemical products that directly target the viruses, and their control rely mainly on preventive sanitary measures to reduce viral infections that, although important, have proved to be far from enough. The current most effective and sustainable solution is the use of virus-resistant varieties, but which require too much work and time to obtain.

Endophytic Fungi as Potential Biological Control Agents against Grapevine Trunk Diseases in Alentejo Region.

Grapevine trunk diseases (GTDs) are the most widespread fungal diseases, affecting grapevines in all the major growing regions of the world, and their complete eradication is still not possible. Aiming to search alternatives to avoid the spread and high incidence of these diseases, the present work intended to molecularly identify the grapevine endophytic community, the phytopathogenic fungi associated with GTDs in vineyards within the Alentejo region, and to test potential antagonist microorganisms as biological control candidates against GTDs-associated fungi. Grapevine endophytic community showed a wide variety of fungi in GTDs' asymptomatic and symptomatic plants, nine of them previously described as GTDs-associated fungi.

Comparative Transcriptomic Analysis of Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue from Local Pig Breeds.

When compared to modern lean-type breeds, Portuguese local Alentejano (AL) and Bísaro (BI) pig breeds present a high potential for subcutaneous and intramuscular fat (IMF) deposition which contributes for better meat quality. The aim of this work was to explore the genome function to better understand the underlying physiological mechanisms associated with body fat accretion. Dorsal subcutaneous fat samples were collected at slaughter from adult animals ( = 4 for each breed) with ~150 kg body weight.

Effect of Tillage System and Cover Crop on Maize Mycorrhization and Presence of .

The sustainability of agriculture requires the adoption of agricultural soil conservation practices with positive impacts on soil quality, which can promote beneficial soil microbiota like arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and its diversity. This study aims to assess the influence of the presence of intact extraradical mycelium as a preferential source of inoculum of the native AMF in order to guarantee a better colonization as well as its possible bioprotective effect against . In order to vary the available extraradical mycelium, two experiments, with and without cover crop, were carried out, in which two tillage systems and two maize varieties were studied.

Effect of Long-Term Fungicide Applications on Virulence and Diversity of spp. Associated to Olive Anthracnose.

In this study, the presence and variability of spp. was evaluated by comparing fungal isolates obtained from olive trees under long-time phytosanitary treatments with trees without any phytosanitary treatments (treated and untreated, respectively). Olive fruits of trees of the highly susceptible 'Galega vulgar' cultivar growing in the Alentejo region were used as samples.

Fungal Communities Associated with Peacock and Cercospora Leaf Spots in Olive.

and are two of the most important olive fungal pathogens causing leaf spots: peacock spot, and cercosporiosis, respectively. In the present study, fungal communities associated with the presence of these pathogens were investigated. Overall, 300 symptomatic and asymptomatic trees from different cultivars were sampled from Alentejo, Portugal.

Establishment of a Sensitive qPCR Methodology for Detection of the Olive-Infecting Viruses in Portuguese and Tunisian Orchards.

Sensitive detection of viruses in olive orchards is actually of main importance since these pathogenic agents cannot be treated, their dissemination is quite easy, and they can have eventual negative effects on olive oil quality. The work presented here describes the development and application of a new SYBR Green-based real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) analysis for specific and reliable quantification of highly spread olive tree viruses: (OLV-1) (TNV-D), (OMMV), and (OLYaV). qPCR methodology revealed high specificity and sensitivity, estimated in the range of 0.

Diversity and Functionality of Culturable Endophytic Bacterial Communities in Chickpea Plants.

The aims of this study were to isolate, identify and characterize culturable endophytic bacteria from chickpea ( L.) roots grown in different soils. In addition, the effects of rhizobial inoculation, soil and stress on the functionality of those culturable endophytic bacterial communities were also investigated.

Spatial and temporal variation of fungal endophytic richness and diversity associated to the phyllosphere of olive cultivars.

Fungal endophytes are micro-organisms that colonize healthy plant tissues without causing disease symptoms. They are described as plant growth and disease resistance promoters and have shown antimicrobial activity. The spatial-temporal distribution of endophytic communities in olive cultivars has been poorly explored.

Olive Mild Mosaic Virus Coat Protein and P6 Are Suppressors of RNA Silencing, and Their Silencing Confers Resistance against OMMV.

RNA silencing is an important defense mechanism in plants, yet several plant viruses encode proteins that suppress this mechanism. In this study, the genome of the (OMMV) was screened for silencing suppressors. The full OMMV cDNA and 5 OMMV open reading frames (ORFs) were cloned into the Gateway binary vector pK7WG2, transformed into , and agroinfiltrated into 16C plants.

Fungal endophytic communities associated to the phyllosphere of grapevine cultivars under different types of management.

Fungal endophytes present in different asymptomatic grapevine plants (Vitis vinifera L.) located in different vineyards within Alentejo, a highly important viticulture region in Portugal, were identified in this study. Sampled grapevine plants included the three most representative cultivars in the region, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Aragonez, growing under two different modes of management, conventional and biological.

Antagonistic activity of fungi of Olea europaea L. against Colletotrichum acutatum.

Fungi naturally present in olive trees were identified and tested for their antagonistic potential against Colletotrichum acutatum. A total of 14 isolates were identified, 12 belonged to genera Alternaria, Epicoccum, Fusarium, Aspergillus, Anthrinium, Chaetomium, Diaporthe, Nigrospora, one to family Xylariaceae and one was unclassified. All fungal isolates showed some inhibitory action over the growth of C.

Specific amino acids of Olive mild mosaic virus coat protein are involved in transmission by Olpidium brassicae.

Transmission of Olive mild mosaic virus (OMMV) is facilitated by Olpidium brassicae (Wor.) Dang. An OMMV mutant (OMMVL11) containing two changes in the coat protein (CP), asparagine to tyrosine at position 189 and alanine to threonine at position 216, has been shown not to be Olpidium brassicae-transmissible owing to inefficient attachment of virions to zoospores.