Identification and expression analysis of nuclear factor Y transcription factor genes under drought, cold and Eldana infestation in sugarcane (Saccharum spp. hybrid).

Background: The Nuclear Factor Y (NF-Y) transcription factor (TF) gene family plays a crucial role in plant development and response to stress. Limited information is available on this gene family in sugarcane.

Objectives: To identify sugarcane NF-Y genes through bioinformatic analysis and phylogenetic association and investigate the expression of these genes in response to abiotic and biotic stress.

Overexpression of the Small Ubiquitin-Like Modifier protease OTS1 gene enhances drought tolerance in sugarcane (Saccharum spp. hybrid).

Sugarcane is an economically important crop plant across the globe as it is the primary source of sugar and biofuel. Its growth and development are greatly influenced by water availability; therefore, in periods of water scarcity, yields are severely compromised. Small Ubiquitin-Like Modifier (SUMO) proteases play an important role in stress responses by regulating the SUMO-related post-translational modification of proteins.

The 5-azacytidine-induced epimutagenesis of sugarcane (Saccharum spp. hybrids) for aluminium tolerance.

A protocol for generating aluminium (Al) tolerant sugarcane using 5-azacytidine (5-azaC)-induced epimutagenesis was developed. Eight (8) plantlets per gram of cultivar N51 calli were generated from the 5-azaC (100 μM) and Al (1.5-50 mM) treatment (+Az + Al) when compared with 104 plantlets from non-mutagenised, no Al control treatment.

Does Host Plant Drive Variation in Microbial Gut Communities in a Recently Shifted Pest?

Biotic interactions can modulate the responses of organisms to environmental stresses, including diet changes. Gut microbes have substantial effects on diverse ecological and evolutionary traits of their hosts, and microbial communities can be highly dynamic within and between individuals in space and time. Modulations of the gut microbiome composition and their potential role in the success of a species to maintain itself in a new environment have been poorly studied to date.

Efficacy of Biopesticides in the Management of the Cotton Bollworm, (Noctuidae), under Field Conditions.

Cotton is one of the most valuable materials in the world, popularly used in the clothing industry and other products. However, its production is limited by the high infestation of insect pests. A study was conducted to evaluate the effects of different biopesticides on the control of the African bollworm () under cotton field conditions.

First report of orange rust caused by on sugarcane in South Africa.

In February 2022, rust-like lesions were observed on commercial sugarcane cultivar N76 in the North Coast area of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (29°23'45.95"S; 31°10'3.91"E).

Formulation of Artificial Diets for Mass-Rearing Walker (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) Using the Carcass Milling Technique.

The carcass milling technique (CMT) formulates specific diets from nutrient analyses of species to be reared and their natural host plants. The first of four diets developed used the minimum ingredient specifications (MS) of published diets for Eldana saccharina. The remaining were based on the ideal amino acid composition and profile (IAAP) of its second (IAAP2), third/fourth (IAAP3/4) and fifth/sixth (IAAP5/6) instar larvae.

The Addition of Sterols and Cryoprotectants to Optimize a Diet Developed for Walker (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) Using the Carcass Milling Technique.

Various combinations and concentrations of cholesterol (C) and stigmasterol (S) were added into a base diet developed for Eldana saccharina. Survival of inoculated neonate was high on all diets (>92% at day 20 and >95% at day 27). Fastest larval development occurred on the minimum specification (MS) (+1.

Nitrogen fertiliser value of biogas slurry and cattle manure for maize ( L.) production.

Recovery of nutrients from biogas slurry (BGS) as a soil amendment, on low input smallholder farms in sub-Saharan Africa, could improve agricultural production and minimize contribution of the agroecosystems to CO emissions. Comparative effects of BGS and cattle manure (CM) on maize dry matter, grain yield, uptake of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K), and soil total N, extractable P and exchangeable K after harvest were studied, relative to chemical fertiliser (CF). The field experiment was conducted in the 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 growing seasons and was arranged in a randomized complete block design replicated four times with (i) BGS, (ii) CM and (iii) CF as the treatments.

The Potential of Cryotherapy to Remove Sugarcane Mosaic Virus from Sugarcane (Saccharum spp. hybrids) Shoot Tips.

Background: Virus-free sugarcane is difficult to achieve due to the multiple vegetative propagation cycles employed commercially. In vitro culture using small (1 mm) meristematic shoot tips has eliminated viruses but survival is low with small explants.

Objective: Droplet-Vitrification (D-V) and V-Cryoplate protocols were investigated for the elimination of Sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV) from large (c.

DNA barcoding for bio-surveillance of emerging pests and species identification in Afrotropical Prioninae (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae).

DNA barcoding has been succesfully used for bio-surveillance of forest and agricultural pests in temperate areas, but has few applications in the tropics and particulary in Africa. (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) is a Prioninae species that is locally causing extensive damage in commercially-grown sugarcane in the KwaZulu-Natal Province in South Africa. Due to the risk of spread of this species to the rest of southern Africa and to other sugarcane growing regions, clear and easy identification of this pest is critical for monitoring and for phytosanitary services.

Impact of chemical mutagenesis using ethyl methane sulphonate on tepary bean seedling vigour and adult plant performance.

Tepary bean is an important food legume. The genetic improvement of the crop is limited by a narrow genetic base but this genetic base can be broadened through induced mutagenesis. This study was designed to determine the (i) effects of chemical mutagenesis using ethyl methane sulfonate (EMS) on M seedlings (ii) the adult plant performance of M - M generations and (iii) the relationships between growth attributes at the seedling and adult plant stage.

A new virus of the family Tombusviridae infecting sugarcane.

Many viral diseases of sugarcane negatively affect yield. A sugarcane accession originating from South Africa exhibiting mosaic symptoms was processed for high-throughput sequencing. Bioinformatic analysis revealed two known sugarcane viruses and a contig of around 2,800 nucleotides resembling umbra-like viruses of the family Tombusviridae.

Identification of novel semen and saliva specific methylation markers and its potential application in forensic analysis.

Differential DNA methylation in human tissues has been widely used to develop markers for body fluid identification in forensics. In the present study, identification of potential tissue specific differentially methylated regions (tDMRs) was based on mining differentially expressed genes in surrogate tissues for blood, saliva, semen and vaginal fluid. Genes specifically over expressed in one of the surrogate tissues viz: blood, salivary glands, testis, prostrate, cervix, uterus and ovary were identified from genome wide expression datasets.

Ethnicity, age and disease-associated variation in body fluid-specific CpG sites in a diverse South African cohort.

Tissue-specific differential DNA methylation has been an attractive target for the development of markers for discrimination of body fluids found at crime scenes. Though mostly stable, DNA methylation patterns have been shown to vary between different ethnic groups, in different age groups as well as between healthy and diseased individuals. To the best of our knowledge, none of the markers for body fluid identification have been applied to different ethnic groups to ascertain if variability exists.

The development of an improved artificial diet for the mass rearing of Eldana saccharina Walker (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae).

Background: This study determined the nutrient requirements of Eldana saccharina Walker (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), a serious sugarcane pest in South Africa, to develop a more efficient artificial diet for mass-rearing purposes for sterile moth production. Diets tested consisted of a minimum specification (MS) diet representing a diet formulated according to the minimum specification of a summary of published diets, which yielded satisfactory results; an ideal amino acid profile (IAAP) diet, where amino acid composition was based on the profile of amino acids in the 2 (IAAP2) and 5 /6 (IAAP5/6) instar larvae; and lastly two diets based on the nutrient composition of the natural diet of the insects, papyrus (PAP) and sugarcane (SC). Six treatments with 50 replications were randomly allotted to 300 25 mL plastic screw-top vials.

The Effect of Oxygen Limitation on a Xylophagous Insect's Heat Tolerance Is Influenced by Life-Stage Through Variation in Aerobic Scope and Respiratory Anatomy.

Temperature has a profound impact on insect fitness and performance via metabolic, enzymatic or chemical reaction rate effects. However, oxygen availability can interact with these thermal responses in complex and often poorly understood ways, especially in hypoxia-adapted species. Here we test the hypothesis that thermal limits are reduced under low oxygen availability - such as might happen when key life-stages reside within plants - but also extend this test to attempt to explain that the magnitude of the effect of hypoxia depends on variation in key respiration-related parameters such as aerobic scope and respiratory morphology.

The sugarcane mitochondrial genome: assembly, phylogenetics and transcriptomics.

Background: Chloroplast genomes provide insufficient phylogenetic information to distinguish between closely related sugarcane cultivars, due to the recent origin of many cultivars and the conserved sequence of the chloroplast. In comparison, the mitochondrial genome of plants is much larger and more plastic and could contain increased phylogenetic signals. We assembled a consensus reference mitochondrion with Illumina TruSeq synthetic long reads and Oxford Nanopore Technologies MinION long reads.

Towards a global DNA barcode reference library for quarantine identifications of lepidopteran stemborers, with an emphasis on sugarcane pests.

Lepidopteran stemborers are among the most damaging agricultural pests worldwide, able to reduce crop yields by up to 40%. Sugarcane is the world's most prolific crop, and several stemborer species from the families Noctuidae, Tortricidae, Crambidae and Pyralidae attack sugarcane. Australia is currently free of the most damaging stemborers, but biosecurity efforts are hampered by the difficulty in morphologically distinguishing stemborer species.

First Screening of Entomopathogenic Nematodes and Fungus as Biocontrol Agents against an Emerging Pest of Sugarcane, (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae).

(Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) is an emerging pest of sugarcane in South Africa. The larvae of this cerambycid beetle live within the sugarcane stalk and drill galleries that considerably reduce sugar production. To provide an alternative to chemical control, entomopathogenic nematodes and fungus were investigated as potential biological control agents to be used in an integrated pest management system.

A mosaic monoploid reference sequence for the highly complex genome of sugarcane.

Sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) is a major crop for sugar and bioenergy production. Its highly polyploid, aneuploid, heterozygous, and interspecific genome poses major challenges for producing a reference sequence.

Assessing the Likelihood of Gene Flow From Sugarcane ( Hybrids) to Wild Relatives in South Africa.

Pre-commercialization studies on environmental biosafety of genetically modified (GM) crops are necessary to evaluate the potential for sexual hybridization with related plant species that occur in the release area. The aim of the study was a preliminary assessment of factors that may contribute to gene flow from sugarcane ( hybrids) to indigenous relatives in the sugarcane production regions of Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal provinces, South Africa. In the first instance, an assessment of wild relatives was conducted based on existing phylogenies and literature surveys.

Agronomic evaluation and molecular characterisation of the acetolactate synthase gene in imazapyr tolerant sugarcane (Saccharum hybrid) genotypes.

Mutagenesis had no effect on number of stalks/plot, stalk height, fibre and sucrose content of mutants. Imazapyr tolerance is likely due to a S622N mutation in the acetolactate synthase gene. The herbicidal compound imazapyr is effective against weeds such as Cynodon and Rottboellia species that constrain sugarcane production.