(Vaill.) L.: Micromorphology, Essential Oil Composition, and Its Potential as an Alternative Biocontrol Product.

is a Mediterranean evergreen shrub, with silver grey-green tomentose leaves and a strong scent. It has various ethnopharmacological uses and its secondary metabolites have demonstrated antimicrobial, antiviral, pharmaceutical, phytotoxic, and insecticidal activities. Different extracts obtained from aerial parts of this species are known for their allelopathic effect, but similar studies on its essential oil (EO) are lacking.

Synergistic Effects of , 1,3 Dichloropropene and Organic Matter in Controlling the Root-Knot Nematode on Tomato.

Environmental concerns raised by synthetic nematicides are encouraging integrated management strategies based on their combination with non-chemical control tools, such as biocontrol agents and/or organic amendments. In this study, the combination of the fumigant 1,3-dichloropropene (1,3-D) with a commercial formulation of the biocontrol agent (TH) and an organic fertilizer (OF) was investigated in two consecutive tomato crops for its effect on the root-knot nematode and plant growth and yield. The application of 1,3-D was only performed on the first crop, while TH and OF were provided to both crops.

Compost and microbial biostimulant applications improve plant growth and soil biological fertility of a grass-based phytostabilization system.

In this work, a grass-based phytoremediation system integrated with an organic amendment and biostimulants was evaluated for remediating contaminated sites. Plant growth and biological fertility were monitored to assess the efficacy of a vegetative cap used as a safety measure to reduce sanitary and environmental risks of industrially contaminated soils and soil-washing sludges. Both matrices were potentially contaminated with Pb and Zn with an ecological risk index from low to moderate.

Pea-Wheat Rotation Affects Soil Microbiota Diversity, Community Structure, and Soilborne Pathogens.

Intensive cultivation based on monocultures has a significant impact on ecosystem function, and sustainable agriculture must rely on alternative methods, including crop rotation. On the Canadian prairies, the use of pulse crops is a common practice, but few studies have investigated the impact on soil microorganisms. Here, we studied the effect of pea, wheat, pea-wheat rotation, and fallow in bulk soil bacterial and fungal communities.

Temperature Differentially Influences the Capacity of Species to Induce Plant Defense Responses in Tomato Against Insect Pests.

Species of the ecological opportunistic, avirulent fungus, are widely used in agriculture for their ability to protect crops from the attack of pathogenic fungi and for plant growth promotion activity. Recently, it has been shown that they may also have complementary properties that enhance plant defense barriers against insects. However, the use of these fungi is somewhat undermined by their variable level of biocontrol activity, which is influenced by environmental conditions.

Applications on Strawberry Plants Modulate the Physiological Processes Positively Affecting Fruit Production and Quality.

Many spp. are successful plant beneficial microbial inoculants due to their ability to act as biocontrol agents with direct antagonistic activities to phytopathogens, and as biostimulants capable of promoting plant growth. This work investigated the effects of treatments with three selected strains (T22, TH1, and GV41) to strawberry plants on the productivity, metabolites and proteome of the formed fruits.

Antimicrobial activity of harzianic acid against .

The emerging concern about the increase of antibiotic resistance has encouraged research efforts to develop effective alternatives to counteract bacterial infections. Herein, we studied a new perspective to therapeutic treatment against , an opportunistic pathogen documented as the major cause of skin, ear, and post-operative bacterial infections in dogs and cats. Antimicrobial activity of secondary metabolites produced by selected microbial strains belonging to , , and fungal genera has been tested against .

(L.) DC. Yield and Quality as Influenced by Cropping Season, Protein Hydrolysates, and Applications.

Increasing attention is being given to plant biostimulants as a sustainable farming practice aimed to enhance vegetable crop performance. This research was conducted on greenhouse-grown perennial wall rocket ( (L.) DC.

Effect of Bioactive Metabolite Treatments on the Production, Quality, and Protein Profile of Strawberry Fruits.

Fungi of the genus produce secondary metabolites having several biological activities that affect plant metabolism. We examined the effect of three bioactive metabolites (BAMs), namely, 6-pentyl-α-pyrone (6PP), harzianic acid (HA), and hydrophobin 1 (HYTLO1), on yield, fruit quality, and protein representation of strawberry plants. In particular, 6PP and HA increased the plant yield and number of fruits, when compared to control, while HYTLO1 promoted the growth of the roots and increased the total soluble solids content up to 19% and the accumulation of ascorbic acid and cyanidin 3--glucoside in red ripened fruits.

Autotrophic and Heterotrophic Growth Conditions Modify Biomolecole Production in the Microalga (Cyanidiophyceae, Rhodophyta).

Algae have multiple similarities with fungi, with both belonging to the Thallophyt, a polyphyletic group of non-mobile organisms grouped together on the basis of similar characteristics, but not sharing a common ancestor. The main difference between algae and fungi is noted in their metabolism. In fact, although algae have chlorophyll-bearing thalloids and are autotrophic organisms, fungi lack chlorophyll and are heterotrophic, not able to synthesize their own nutrients.

P1 Colonization of Tomato Plants Enhances Both Direct and Indirect Defense Barriers Against Insects.

Numerous microbial root symbionts are known to induce different levels of enhanced plant protection against a variety of pathogens. However, more recent studies have demonstrated that beneficial microbes are able to induce plant systemic resistance that confers some degree of protection against insects. Here, we report how treatments with the fungal biocontrol agent strain P1 in tomato plants induce responses that affect pest insects with different feeding habits: the noctuid moth (Boisduval) and the aphid (Thomas).

Transcriptome and Metabolome Reprogramming in Tomato Plants by T22 Primes and Enhances Defense Responses Against Aphids.

Beneficial fungi in the genus are among the most widespread biocontrol agents of plant pathogens. Their role in triggering plant defenses against pathogens has been intensely investigated, while, in contrast, very limited information is available on induced barriers active against insects. The growing experimental evidence on this latter topic looks promising, and paves the way toward the development of strains and/or consortia active against multiple targets.

Trichoderma harzianum enhances tomato indirect defense against aphids.

Many fungal root symbionts of the genus Trichoderma are well-known for their beneficial effects on agronomic performance and protection against plant pathogens; moreover, they may enhance protection from insect pests, by triggering plant resistance mechanisms. Defense barriers against insects are induced by the activation of metabolic pathways involved in the production of defense-related plant compounds, either directly active against herbivore insects, or exerting an indirect effect, by increasing the attraction of herbivore natural enemies. In a model system composed of the tomato plant, the aphid Macrosiphum euphorbiae and the parasitoid Aphidius ervi, plant metabolic changes induced by Trichoderma harzianum and their effects on higher trophic levels have been assessed.

Metabolomics by Proton High-Resolution Magic-Angle-Spinning Nuclear Magnetic Resonance of Tomato Plants Treated with Two Secondary Metabolites Isolated from Trichoderma.

Trichoderma fungi release 6-pentyl-2H-pyran-2-one (1) and harzianic acid (2) secondary metabolites to improve plant growth and health protection. We isolated metabolites 1 and 2 from Trichoderma strains, whose different concentrations were used to treat seeds of Solanum lycopersicum. The metabolic profile in the resulting 15 day old tomato leaves was studied by high-resolution magic-angle-spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (HRMAS NMR) spectroscopy directly on the whole samples without any preliminary extraction.

Four potato (Solanum tuberosum) ABCG transporters and their expression in response to abiotic factors and Phytophthora infestans infection.

Pleiotropic drug resistant (PDR/ABCG) genes are involved in plant response to biotic and abiotic stresses. In this work, we cloned, from Solanum tuberosum, four PDR/ABCG transporter genes named StPDR1, StPDR2, StPDR3 and StPDR4, which were differentially expressed in plant tissues and cell cultures. A number of different chemically unrelated compounds were found to regulate the transcript levels of the four genes in cultured cells.

Identification of a new biocontrol gene in Trichoderma atroviride: the role of an ABC transporter membrane pump in the interaction with different plant-pathogenic fungi.

Successful biocontrol interactions often require that the beneficial microbes involved are resistant or tolerant to a variety of toxicants, including antibiotics produced by themselves or phytopathogens, plant antimicrobial compounds, and synthetic chemicals or contaminants. The ability of Trichoderma spp., the most widely applied biocontrol fungi, to withstand different chemical stresses, including those associated with mycoparasitism, is well known.