Viral Threats to Fruit and Vegetable Crops in the Caribbean.

Viruses pose major global challenges to crop production as infections reduce the yield and quality of harvested products, hinder germplasm exchange, increase financial inputs, and threaten food security. Small island or archipelago habitat conditions such as those in the Caribbean are particularly susceptible as the region is characterized by high rainfall and uniform, warm temperatures throughout the year. Moreover, Caribbean islands are continuously exposed to disease risks because of their location at the intersection of transcontinental trade between North and South America and their role as central hubs for regional and global agricultural commodity trade.

First report of sweepoviruses infecting L. cultivars and landraces in Trinidad.

Root crops, referred to as ground provisions in the Caribbean, are traditional staples in Trinidad. One widely consumed example is sweet potato (Ipomeas batatas L.).

First report of cucurbit yellow stunting disorder virus infecting cucurbit crops in Jamaica.

The increasing prevalence of whitefly-transmitted viruses affecting cucurbit crops has emerged as a significant concern for global cucurbit production. Two of the most widely prevalent threats in the Americas are cucurbit yellow stunting disorder virus (CYSDV) and cucurbit chlorotic yellows virus (CCYV) (Crinivirus, Closteroviridae). These viruses induce similar foliar symptoms on cucurbit crops (Mondal et al.

Coffee Berry Borer, (Ferrari) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae): Activity and Infestation in the High Mountain and Blue Mountain Regions of Jamaica.

Jamaica produces coffee marketed as Blue Mountain and high mountain (grown outside the Blue Mountains). Since the discovery of the coffee berry borer (CBB; ) in Jamaica in 1978, chemical control has traditionally been the primary approach used to protect the crop from the pest. However, in the last 20 years, there has been an effort to shift towards more sustainable management strategies.

Physicochemical and biochemical characterization of transgenic papaya modified for protection against Papaya ringspot virus.

Background: Papaya, a nutritious tropical fruit, is consumed both in its fresh form and as a processed product worldwide. Major quality indices which include firmness, acidity, pH, colour and size, are cultivar dependent. Transgenic papayas engineered for resistance to Papaya ringspot virus were evaluated over the ripening period to address physicochemical quality attributes and food safety concerns.

Opportunities and constraints to biotechnological applications in the Caribbean: transgenic papayas in Jamaica and Venezuela.

In this opinion article, we briefly review the status of crop biotechnology research-with emphasis on the development of GM crops-in Jamaica and Venezuela. We focus on the transgenic papayas developed for both countries, and examine the factors hindering not only the development and application of this biotechnological commodity for the improvement of agricultural productivity, but also on the challenges influencing societal acceptance of the technology.

Comparative effects of dietary administered transgenic and conventional papaya on selected intestinal parameters in rat models.

Transformation of agricultural crops with novel genes has significantly advanced disease-resistance breeding, including virus resistance through the expression of virus sequences. In this study, the effects of long-term, repeated exposure to transgenic papayas carrying the coat protein gene of Papaya ringspot virus and conventional non-transgenic papaya on the histology and selected biochemical parameters of the intestinal tract were compared. For 3 months, male and female Wistar rats received diets containing transgenic or non-transgenic papaya at twice the equivalent of the average daily consumption of fresh papayas.

Effects of ubiquitin system alterations on the formation and loss of a yeast prion.

The yeast prion [PSI+] is a self-propagating amyloidogenic isoform of the translation termination factor Sup35. Overproduction of the chaperone protein Hsp104 results in loss of [PSI+]. Here we demonstrate that this effect is decreased by deletion of either the gene coding for one of the major yeast ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes, Ubc4, or the gene coding for the ubiquitin-recycling enzyme, Ubp6.

Field Resistance of Coat Protein Transgenic Papaya to Papaya ringspot virus in Jamaica.

Transgenic papayas (Carica papaya) containing translatable coat protein (CP) or nontranslatable coat protein (CP) gene constructs were evaluated over two generations for field resistance to Papaya ringspot virus in a commercial papaya growing area in Jamaica. Reactions of R CP transgenic lines included no symptoms and mild or severe leaf and fruit symptoms. All three reactions were observed in one line and among different lines.

Comparative development and impact of transgenic papayas in Hawaii, Jamaica, and Venezuela.

We present data concerning the creation of transgenic papayas resistant to Papaya ringspot virus (PRSV) and their adoption by three different countries: the United States (e.g., Hawaii), Jamaica, and Venezuela.