Crinum x powellii ‘Album’ belongs to the Amaryllidaceae medicinal plant family that produces a range of structurally diverse alkaloids with potential therapeutic properties. The optimal conditions for in vitro tissue growth, morphogenesis, and alkaloid biosynthesis remain unclear. Auxin and light play critical roles in regulating plant growth, development, and alkaloid biosynthesis in several Amaryllidaceae plants. Here, we have succeeded in showing, for the first time, that the combination of auxin and light significantly influence C. x powellii “Album” in vitro tissue growth, survival, and morphogenesis compared to individual treatments. Furthermore, this combination also upregulates the expression of alkaloid biosynthetic genes and led to an increase in the content of certain alkaloids, suggesting a positive impact on the defense and therapeutic potential of the calli. Our findings provide insights into the regulation of genes involved in alkaloid biosynthesis in C. x powellii “Album” callus and underline the potential of auxin and light as tools for enhancing their production in plants. This study provides a foundation for further exploration of C. x powellii “Album” calli as a sustainable source of bioactive alkaloids for pharmaceutical and agricultural applications. Furthermore, this study paves the way to the discovery of the biosynthetic pathway of specialized metabolites from C. x powellii “Album”, such as cherylline and lycorine.

The use of protoplasts in plant biology has become a convenient tool for the application of transient gene expression. This model system has allowed the study of plant responses to biotic and abiotic stresses, protein location and trafficking, cell wall dynamics, and single-cell transcriptomics, among others. Although well-established protocols for isolating protoplasts from different plant tissues are available, they have never been used for studying plant cells using cryo electron microscopy (cryo-EM) and cryo electron tomography (cryo-ET). Here we describe a workflow to prepare root protoplasts from Arabidopsis thaliana plants for cryo-ET. The process includes protoplast isolation and vitrification on EM grids, and cryo-focused ion beam milling (cryo-FIB), with the aim of tilt series acquisition. The whole workflow, from growing the plants to the acquisition of the tilt series, may take a few months. Our protocol provides a novel application to use plant protoplasts as a tool for cryo-ET.

Cannabis (Cannabis sativa L.) stands as a historically significant and culturally important plant, embodying economic, social, and medicinal relevance for human societies. However, years of prohibition and stigmatization have hindered the cannabis research community, which is hugely undersized and suffers from a scarcity of understanding of cannabis genetics and how key traits are expressed or inherited. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive phenotypic characterization of 176 drug-type cannabis accessions, representative of Canada’s legal market. We assessed germination methods, evaluated various traits including agronomic, morphological, and cannabinoid profiles, and uncovered significant variation within this population. Notably, the yield displayed a negative correlation with maturity-related traits but a positive correlation with the fresh biomass. Additionally, the potential THC content showed a positive correlation with maturity-related traits but a negative correlation with the yield. Significant differences were observed between the plants derived from regular female seeds and feminized seeds, as well as between the plants derived from cuttings and seeds for different traits. This study advances our understanding of cannabis cultivation, offering insights into germination practices, agronomic traits, morphological characteristics, and biochemical diversity. These findings establish a foundation for precise breeding and cultivar development, enhancing cannabis’s potential in the legal market.

Amaryllidaceae alkaloids (AAs) are a large group of plant specialized metabolites with diverse pharmacological properties. Norbelladine is the entry compound in AAs biosynthesis and is produced from the condensation of tyramine and 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde (3,4-DHBA). There are two reported enzymes capable of catalyzing this reaction in-vitro, both with low yield. The first one, norbelladine synthase (NBS), was shown to condense tyramine and 3,4-DHBA, while noroxomaritidine/norcraugsodine reductase (NR), catalyzes a reduction reaction to produce norbelladine. To clarify the mechanisms involved in this controversial step, both NBS and NR homologs were identified from the transcriptome of Narcissus papyraceus and Leucojum aestivum, cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. Enzymatic assays performed with tyramine and 3,4-DHBA with each enzyme separately or combined, suggested that NBS and NR function together for the condensation of tyramine and 3,4-DHBA into norcraugsodine and further reduction into norbelladine. Using molecular homology modeling and docking studies, we predicted models for the binding of tyramine and 3,4-DHBA to NBS, and of the intermediate norcraugsodine to NR. Moreover, we show that NBS and NR physically interact in yeast and in-planta, that both localize to the cytoplasm and nucleus and are expressed at high levels in bulbs, confirming their colocalization and co-expression thus their ability to work together in the same catalytic route. Finally, their co-expression in yeast led to the production of norbelladine. In all, our study establishes that both NBS and NR participate in the biosynthesis of norbelladine by catalyzing the first key steps associated in the biosynthesis of the Alzheimer’s drug galanthamine.

Adoption of soil health indicators to assess physical, biological, and chemical properties involves adapting their interpretation for a specific region using scoring functions. Accordingly, we used data provided from 1166 soil samples distributed between fine-, medium-, and coarse-textured soils, collected in agricultural areas across the province of Quebec, Canada, and analyzed for 15 soil health indicators. Scoring functions were calculated according to the means and standard deviations obtained for each soil health indicator by textural group. Three scoring types were used: “more-is-better”, “less-is-better”, and “optimum-is-best”. The results showed that 12 indicators were significantly influenced by soil texture and need separate scoring functions, except for wet aggregate stability, penetration resistance of the surface hardness (0–15 cm), and pH. This led to the development of one to three scoring functions for each soil health indicator. Correlation analysis between soil health indicators was also investigated to better understand relationships between soil physical, biological, and chemical properties. We observed that soil biological indicators were moderately to strongly correlated with each other (r = 0.59–0.74) and with soil physical indicators (r = 0.60–0.76). Overall, the results of this study led to the development of new scoring functions based on soil texture to interpret soil health indicators objectively and accurately for the benefit of Quebec farmers and agricultural stakeholders. The findings of this study demonstrated the need to adapt scoring functions to better account for the impact of regional factors on agricultural soils for the interpretation of soil health indicators.

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is one of the most important vegetables in the world. Its extensive cultivation has made this plant the target of many viral, fungal, and bacterial diseases. Among them, the bacterial canker of tomato caused by Clavibacter michiganensis (Cm) has been named one of the most devastating diseases affecting the tomato industry worldwide. It can significantly reduce the yields and profitability of this crop. One of the big challenges we found when working with Cm and trying to characterize the virulence of different isolates was the lack of a consensus methodology to inoculate tomato plants, how to fertilize them and characterize Cm virulence. This research aimed to identify an artificial inoculation method to induce bacterial canker on tomato plants in greenhouse conditions to homogenize the results of different studies with Cm. We compared two inoculation methods, including the scalpel and syringe method with two levels of fertilization, low and high fertilization. After evaluating several variables like the percentage of necrotic leaves and the height of the plants, the results showed that the syringe inoculation with low fertilization was the most effective inoculation method allowing the development of a multilevel scale that can be used to study the interaction between tomato plants and Cm isolates.

Syrphid flies (Diptera, Syrphidae) play important ecological roles as pollinators, pest control agents, and decomposers. Communities are influenced by environmental variables such as land use. However, these interactions are poorly studied in urban landscapes. We used pan traps in community gardens, cemeteries, and parks in Montreal, Canada, to investigate syrphid fly communities in an urban landscape and describe how site surface area and heat island cover shape these communities. We estimated the species richness of communities and the occupancy patterns of three syrphid functional groups (insectivores, terrestrial saprophagous, and aquatic saprophagous). We captured 1,791 specimens from 48 species. Species richness increased with site surface area but did not vary with the level of urbanisation. The occupancy of the three groups did not change with site surface area. Syrphid flies of the terrestrial saprophagous group were less likely to occur on sites with high urbanisation, but the occupancy of insectivore and aquatic saprophagous groups did not vary with the variable.Implications for insect conservation Our results highlight that cities can harbour diversified syrphid fly communities and that certain functional groups are tolerant to urbanisation pressures. Our study suggests that conservation measures targeting syrphid flies in cities must be adapted to functional traits and larval requirements.

Fusarium head blight (FHB), caused by Fusarium graminearum, is one of the most destructive wheat diseases worldwide. FHB infection can dramatically reduce grain yield and quality due to mycotoxins contamination. Wheat resistance to FHB is quantitatively inherited and many low-effect quantitative trait loci (QTL) have been mapped in the wheat genome. Synthetic hexaploid wheat (SHW) represents a novel source of FHB resistance derived from Aegilops tauschii and Triticum turgidum that can be transferred into common wheat (T. aestivum). In this study, a panel of 194 spring Synthetic Hexaploid Derived Wheat (SHDW) lines from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) was evaluated for FHB response under field conditions over three years (2017–2019). A significant phenotypic variation was found for disease incidence, severity, index, number of Fusarium Damaged Kernels (FDKs), and deoxynivalenol (DON) content. Further, 11 accessions displayed < 10 ppm DON in 2017 and 2019. Genotyping of the SHDW panel using a 90 K Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) chip array revealed 31 K polymorphic SNPs with a minor allele frequency (MAF) > 5%, which were used for a Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) of FHB resistance. A total of 52 significant marker-trait associations for FHB resistance were identified. These included 5 for DON content, 13 for the percentage of FDKs, 11 for the FHB index, 3 for disease incidence, and 20 for disease severity. A survey of genes associated with the markers identified 395 candidate genes that may be involved in FHB resistance. Collectively, our results strongly support the view that utilization of synthetic hexaploid wheat in wheat breeding would enhance diversity and introduce new sources of resistance against FHB into the common wheat gene pool. Further, validated SNP markers associated with FHB resistance may facilitate the screening of wheat populations for FHB resistance.

The physical properties of peat substrates from eight tree nurseries were characterized to determine bulk density, air-filled porosity, saturated hydraulic conductivity, pore effectiveness, relative gas diffusivity and chemical properties. There were significant variations among nurseries both in growth of white spruce [Picea glauca (Moench) Voss] seedlings (1+0) and substrate properties. Shoot dry mass and root collar diameter were negatively correlated with air-filled porosity and saturated hydraulic conductivity, whereas root dry mass was positively correlated with bulk density. Seedling growth increased with increasing substrate bulk density up to ~0.11 g cm−3, above which value conditions may become limiting to plant performance. Our results suggest that there was no growth limitation due to restricted aeration (Ds D0−1 > 0.005 m2 s−1 m−2 s for all substrates except one) and that over-aeration reduced seedling growth under dry irrigation management.

During more than five centuries of human colonization, 50% of original peatlands in Azores have been destroyed or degraded, mainly due to pasture use, resulting in landscape changes and a loss of ecosystem biodiversity and services. This study aims to identify the most effective measures in the recovery and detect initial responses (2 years). These are the first restoration experiments, carried out in a background of complete absence of strategies adapted for Azores pastured peatlands. In a post-pastured peatland, 24 experiments were implemented, repeated in more degraded (northern) and more natural (southern) areas. The experiments were combinations of restoration measures, with the introduction of Juniperus brevifolia, Calluna vulgaris and Sphagnum palustre and the use of management techniques to control herbaceous cover (alien-rich herbaceous cover competing with Sphagnum or peatland natural shrubs): intensive and extensive grazing and grass cutting. Principal response curves and redundancy analyses were used to assess changes in the flora and the physicochemical parameters. Globally there was an increase in Sphagnum cover and a decrease in herbaceous species. This was accompanied by an increase in organic matter and a decrease in nitrogen. In more natural parcels (large artificially divided areas where different experiments were implemented), the most positive tendencies were associated with the combination of J. brevifolia planting and grass cutting. In more degraded areas, treatments had a lower impact, as the results tended to be similar to the control, pointing to an important natural regenerative succession dynamic that overlapped the response to the implemented treatments.

Wild bees are declining worldwide, and many species are now threatened with extinction. Decline is caused by a combination of threats, including disease spillover from managed bees that reduces health of wild bees. An increasing number of studies thus aim to characterize bee health. The common approaches, however, require sacrificing tens to hundreds of individual bees per site or species, with reports of several thousand individuals collected per study. Considering the widespread need to assess bee health, this sampling approach is not sustainable, especially for endangered populations or species. Here, we propose a non-destructive method to assess parasite loads of wild-caught bumble bees. The standard protocol consists of net-capturing individual bumble bees and placing them in a 10 cm (diameter) petri dish to collect faeces. Although this approach is frequently used in laboratory settings, it is not in the field, because of the low success in collecting faeces. Placing bumble bees in a previously refrigerated cooler, we significantly improved faecal collection in the field from 76% with the standard protocol to 86% with the cooler protocol. We also successfully identified spores and cells of two common gut parasites Crithidia spp. and Vairimorpha spp. in faecal samples. The efficacy of the cooler protocol, combined to the low-cost and widespread availability of the equipment should promote its use in field studies. Implication for insect conservation: As there are calls to reduce destructive sampling methods in bee research, using the updated cooler protocol will contribute to achieving this goal. This opens future avenues of combining this non-destructive approach to assess bee health with molecular tools.

Evidence points out that increasing plant productivity associated with greater erect shrub abundance alters soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks in the Arctic. However, the underlying plant economic traits remain poorly examined, which limits our understanding of plant–environment interactions driving tundra carbon cycling. We explored how erect shrub abundance leads to SOC variation in a High Arctic tundra (Bylot Island, Nunavut, Canada), where the only erect shrub, Salix richardsonii, has settled along currently active and abandoned channel zones of alluvial fans. The effects of vegetation and local environmental changes on SOC were evaluated through a paired sampling of soil materials and plant aboveground functional traits associated with plant carbon supply and nutrient demand processes. The occurrence of S. richardsonii, characterized by a tenfold increase in aboveground biomass, induced a 28% increase in SOC compared to adjacent plots dominated by prostrate shrubs and graminoids. Yet, this vegetation effect was solely observed along active channels, where higher SOC was associated with greater leaf and stem biomass. A path analysis showed that shrub leaf area index and total leaf nutrient content best represented plant carbon supply and nutrient demand dynamics, respectively, and jointly regulated SOC variation. This study underscores that vegetation structural changes associated with increasing erect shrub abundance in the Arctic can promote soil organic carbon storage, but that this pattern may be mediated by strong plant–environment interactions. Accounting for changes in functional traits driving plant carbon supply and nitrogen demand proves important for a better mechanistic understanding of how shrubification impacts tundra carbon cycling.

Main conclusion: Ammonium sulfate is well known to salt out proteins at high concentrations. The study revealed that it can serve to increase by 60% the total number of identified carbonylated proteins by LC–MS/MS.

Abstract: Protein carbonylation is a significant post-translational modification associated with reactive oxygen species signaling in animal and plant cells. However, the detection of carbonylated proteins involved in signaling is still challenging, as they only represent a small subset of the proteome in the absence of stress. In this study, we investigated the hypothesis that a prefractionation step with ammonium sulphate will improve the detection of the carbonylated proteins in a plant extract. For this, we extracted total protein from the Arabidopsis thaliana leaves and subjected the extract to stepwise precipitation with ammonium sulfate to 40%, 60%, and 80% saturation. The protein fractions were then analyzed by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry for protein identification. We found that all the proteins identified in the non-fractionated samples were also found in the prefractionated samples, indicating no loss was incurred during the prefractionation. About 45% more proteins were identified in the fractionated samples compared to the non-fractionated total crude extract. When the prefractionation steps were combined with the enrichment of carbonylated proteins labeled with a fluorescent hydrazide probe, several carbonylated proteins, which were unseen in the non-fractionated samples, became visible in the prefractionated samples. Consistently, the prefractionation method allowed to identify 63% more carbonylated proteins by mass spectrometry compared to the number of carbonylated proteins identified from the total crude extract without prefractionation. These results indicated that the ammonium sulfate-based proteome prefractionation can be used to improve proteome coverage and identification of carbonylated proteins from a complex proteome sample.

Vertical farming is experiencing significant growth, and the optimization of artificial lighting is essential for enhancing the sustainability of this growing system. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine how light segmentation, the incorporation of a low-intensity lighting phase known as the light compensation point (LCP) instead of the traditional dark phase, and variations in the light spectrum impact the agricultural outcomes of organically cultivated leafy greens. In controlled growth chamber environments, a variety of leafy plant species (Spinacia oleracea L., Ocimum basilicum, Beta vulgaris L., Lactuca sativa L. cv. ‘Garrison’ and ‘Blade’, Brassica rapa cv. ‘Japonica’ and ‘Chinensis’, Brassica juncea cv. ‘Scarlet Frills’ and ‘Wasabina’, Eruca sativa and Perilla frutescens L.) were subjected to four light treatments with varying intensities and durations of lighting, while in a second experiment, five different spectral growing conditions were compared. Irrespective of the plant species, shortening the length of the diel cycle by extending the cumulative daily lighting to 20–24 h per day (5L/1N [5 h at 261 µmol m−2 s−1 + 1 h darkness for a total of 20 h of light per day] and 5L/1LCP [5 h at 256 µmol m−2 s−1 + 1 h LCP at 20 µmol m−2 s−1 for a total of 24 h of light per day]) led to an average increase of +12% in height, fresh weight (+16%), dry weight (+23%), and specific leaf weight (+11%), compared to the control plants (18L/6N; 18 h at 289 µmol m−2 s−1 + 6 h darkness) and 6L/6LCP plants (6 h at 418 µmol m−2 s−1 + 6 h LCP at 20 µmol m−2 s−1 for a total of 24 h of light per day) during the first harvest. This also resulted in better light utilization, expressed as increased fresh (+16%) and dry (+24%) biomass per mol of light received. Conversely, the studied light spectral treatments had no effect on the growth parameters of the four selected species. In conclusion, our study showed that reducing light intensity while extending the photoperiod could potentially represent a cost-effective LED strategy for the indoor cultivation of organically or conventionally grown leafy greens.

Micropropagation is widely used in horticulture to provide large numbers of genetically similar, disease-free plants. The intent is to produce high-quality genetically identical planting material to ensure uniformity. However, this method can result in somaclonal variation, which refers to the increased rate of unusual phenotypic developments that result from genetic mutations or epigenetic alterations. While some mutations can be visually identified due to morphological or physiological defects, many are difficult to assess based on observation alone. Various DNA markers have been employed to assess the genetic fidelity of plants. However, these techniques have limited genome coverage, which makes it challenging to determine the overall genetic fidelity of the clones. Despite this, markers have widely been employed to assess genetic fidelity and to make claims that the process produces true-to-type plants. Genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) can sequence and genotype thousands of markers from multiple individuals simultaneously and is now a common and low-cost technique. In this study, the efficacy of GBS versus simple sequence repeats (SSRs) in evaluating genetic fidelity in a clonal population of micropropagated cannabis plants was compared. The SSR analysis resulted in eight readable markers indicating negligible genetic diversity. In contrast, the GBS analysis identified over 9000 variants in cannabis clones, revealing genetic diversity within clonal lines across multiple subcultures. This study demonstrated the increased precision of sequencing-based technologies for detecting somaclonal mutations and highlighted the limitations of using SSRs or similar markers to evaluate genetic fidelity in these systems.

While evidence of insect pollinator declines accumulates, little is known about the pollinator communities that are most vulnerable to population fluctuations and may require conservation actions. Among the main reasons for this lack of knowledge about the status and trends of native pollinators are the time, cost, and expertise required to collect and identify wild insect pollinators (bees, more specifically). Here, we discuss how leveraging the complementarity of community science and taxonomist expertise can help overcome these challenges and provide perspective and insights from launching the large-scale monitoring program Abeilles citoyennes. The overall objective of this community science project is to monitor wild bee (Apoidea) and hover fly (Syrphidae) diversity in the province of Quebec, Canada, and study the effects of landscape composition on their communities. From 2019 to 2021, 131 volunteers collected insects at 161 sites across the province. A total of 13,558 bees and 2,486 hover flies were collected and identified to species. The project protocol and potential data uses are presented, along with a discussion of the benefits and challenges of using an expert-assisted community science approach for pollinator monitoring and opportunities for improvement.

Since it inhabits young leaves and buds of strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duchesne) crowns, cyclamen mite (Phytonemus pallidus Banks) is a difficult pest to control with biological or chemical means once it is present in a field. Controlled atmosphere temperature treatment (CATT) is a successful technique that has been commercially used in the Netherlands for nearly 2 decades to disinfect strawberry nursery stock, including elimination of cyclamen mite. During CATT, plants are treated at 35 °C, 50% CO2, and 10% O2 under high relative humidity for 48 h. The objective of this study was to test CATT against P. pallidus in North America at a scale that can be easily used on-farms by strawberry growers. Two greenhouse experiments were conducted where infested trayplants were treated with CATT or the acaricide abamectin, and P. pallidus number were compared to control plants. Plants were destructively sampled after 4 weeks, and CATT reduced mobile forms of P. pallidus by 99.9% in both experiments. Abamectin used in the first experiment had an efficacy of 95.5%. Our findings suggest that CATT is effective at nearly eliminating P. pallidus from strawberry planting material, and its application could reduce risks of field infestations and the need for multiple acaricide applications. While our results are encouraging, additional research is needed to assess the effects of CATT on strawberry plant survival, growth, and fruit production.

Frass, the residual material resulting from the bioconversion of organic matter by black soldier fly larvae (BSFL), has gained attention as a sustainable alternative to conventional fertilizers due to its high nutrient content. Additionally, frass has been found to possess antifungal properties, which can help control plant pathogens affecting horticultural crops. In this study, frass from BSFL reared on the Gainesville diet, a universally employed reference/control diet, was investigated in vitro for its effect on the growth of seven important fungal/oomycete pathogens. Dual culture overlay assays clearly showed that fresh Gainesville diet extract, as well as BSFL frass extract derived from this diet, contained microorganisms producing compound(s) that strongly inhibit(s) the mycelial growth of fungal/oomycete plant pathogens. Fungi and bacteria were then isolated from the fresh Gainesville diet and BSFL frass using the serial dilution technique. Among the different fungi/bacteria isolated, the isolate GV1-11 in Gainesville diet and FGV15-6 in frass demonstrated strong antifungal/anti-oomycete activity. Both isolates were genetically identified by whole-genome sequencing as Bacillus velezensis, a bacterium used as a biocontrol agent, strongly suggesting that B. velezensis, which is present in the Gainesville diet, can survive the process of BSFL rearing and is one of the key factors contributing to the observed antifungal and anti-oomycete activity in the resulting frass. This work underlines the importance of the inherent microbial characteristics of feedstocks on the antifungal/anti-oomycete activity of frass and points out the possibility of exploiting frass to control plant pathogens affecting horticultural crops.

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) cultivars developed for improved digestibility by conventional breeding or genetically modified (GM) have not been evaluated in eastern Canada. This study compared yield, nutritive value, and profitability of two reduced-lignin GM cultivars, three conventionally selected for low lignin or high-pectin, and one population with improved stem degradability, with two commercially adapted cultivars as controls. Alfalfa was harvested at the early bud (intensive management) or early flower (extensive management) stage of development during the first post-seeding year at three sites and the second post-seeding year at one site. All cultivars/population had similar annual dry matter (DM) yield, except for lower DM yield (−20%) of the improved stem degradability population. Conventionally selected cultivars for improved digestibility did not differ from control cultivars for in vitro DM digestibility (IVTD) and neutral detergent fiber digestibility (NDFd). Reduced-lignin GM cultivars, however, had a greater IVTD and NDFd (+10%), and less lignin (-10%) than control cultivars at the same stage of development. Reduced-lignin GM cultivars under extensive management had similar NDFd and greater annual DM yield (+1 to 2 Mg DM ha−1), but reduced total digestible nutrients (−41 to 44 g kg−1 DM), in comparison to control cultivars under intensive management. Using partial budget analysis the comparison of more digestible GM cultivars to the control cultivars resulted in an increase in annual farm net profits ranging from CAD$7.4 to $79.6 cow−1 yr−1 depending on stage of development at harvest. Further investigations are needed to quantify performance of dairy cows fed cultivars with improved digestibility.

In the current study, a new hybrid machine learning (ML)-based model was developed by integrating a convolution neural network (CNN) with a random forest (RF) to forecast pesticide use on golf courses in Québec, Canada. Three main groups of independent variables were used to estimate pesticide use on golf courses, expressed as actual active ingredient rate (AAIR): (i) coordinates (i.e., longitude and latitude of the golf course), (ii) characteristics of the golf courses (i.e., pesticide type and the number of holes), and (iii) meteorological variables (i.e., total precipitation, P, and average temperature, T). The meteorological variables were collected from the Google Earth Engine by developing a JavaScript-based Code. On the basis of the different periods of total precipitation and average temperature, four different scenarios were defined. A data bank with more than 40,000 samples was used to calibrate and validate the developed model such that 70% of all samples were randomly selected to calibrate the model, while the remainder of the samples (i.e., 30%) that did not have any role in calibration were employed to validate the model’s generalizability. A comparison of different scenarios indicated that the model that considered the longitude and latitude of the golf course, pesticide type, and the number of holes in golf courses as well as total precipitation and average temperature from May to November as inputs (R = 0.997; NSE = 0.997; RMSE = 0.046; MAE = 0.026; NRMSE = 0.454; and PBIAS (%) = −0.443) outperformed the other models. Moreover, the sensitivity analysis result indicated that the total precipitation was the most critical variable in AAIR forecasting, while the average temperature, pesticide types, and the number of holes were ranked second to fourth, respectively.

Background Pseudozyma flocculosa is a highly efficient biocontrol agent (BCA) of powdery mildews whose mode of action remains elusive. It is known to secrete unique effectors during its interaction with powdery mildews but effectors have never been shown to be part of the arsenal of a BCA. Here, we characterize the role of the effector Pf2826 released by Pseudozyma flocculosa during its tripartite interaction with barley and the pathogen fungus Blumeria graminis f. sp. hordei. Results We utilized CRISPR-Cas9-based genome editing and confirmed that secreted P. flocculosa effector Pf2826 is required for full biocontrol activity. We monitored the localization of the effector Pf2826 with C-terminal mCherry tag and found it localized around the haustoria and on powdery mildew spores. His-tagged Pf2826 recombinant protein was expressed, purified, and used as bait in a pull-down assay from total proteins extracted during the tripartite interaction. Potential interactors were identified by LC–MS/MS analysis after removing unspecific interactions found in the negative controls. A two-way yeast two-hybrid assay validated that Pf2826 interacted with barley pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins HvPR1a and chitinase and with an effector protein from powdery mildew. Conclusions In contrast to the usual modes of action of competition, parasitism, and antibiosis ascribed to BCAs, this study shows that effector pf2826 plays a vital role in the biocontrol activity of P. flocculosa by interacting with plant PR proteins and a powdery mildew effector, altering the host–pathogen interaction.

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) crops are often cultivated in coarse-textured soils with low soil organic matter (SOM), and high nitrate leaching risk. Incorporating shrub willow chips into soil could enhance soil properties, while temporally immobilizing N and thus reducing N leaching. We performed a laboratory incubation study and a field experiment to evaluate the effects of shrub willow chips applied at increasing rates in the fall after the potato harvest on C, N and P cycling, soil pH and moisture, and on barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) yield in the following year. In comparison with the control, willow chip incorporation at the rates of 40 Mg ha-1 and 60 Mg ha-1 increased total C content, but it did not affect the activity of C cycling enzymes. Willow chip addition at these rates also induced nitrate immobilization and reduced barley grain yield and total N uptake, but increased the activity of N cycling enzymes (β-1,4-N-acetylglucosaminidase and leucine aminopeptidase). Mehlich-3 extractable P content and phosphomonoesterase activity were not affected by willow chip addition. Our results suggest that shrub willow chips increased total organic C and immobilized N following their incorporation and can thus mitigate nitrate leaching after the potato harvest. The N immobilization was short-lived and was not observed over second winter. We recommend to seed a forage legume in the spring following shrub willow chip incorporation. Willow chip incorporation is an effective means of increasing soil organic carbon.

Broccoli is a vegetable that offers valuable components, such as glucosinolates (GLS), flavonoids, and hydroxycinnamic acids (HCA), for our daily food intake. These substances have been associated with reducing the risk of cancer and cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Broccoli florets are also highly perishable, given their elevated respiration rates and their sensitivity to ethylene. Experiments have been carried out on broccoli to investigate the consequences of abiotic stress post-harvest treatments in retarding the senescence process. Nevertheless, the influence of these treatments on the phytochemicals of broccoli has not been extensively examined. Florets of broccoli (Brassica oleracea) were exposed to an atmosphere consisting of 10,000 µL.L−1 ethanol at room temperature for 30 min and 120 min. The exposure to methyl jasmonate (MeJA) treatments was carried out at room temperature using 1 µL.L−1 for 45 min and 180 min. The yellowing of florets was delayed using 10,000 µL.L−1 of ethanol at both exposure times as compared to untreated florets, and the chlorophyll titers were also superior with both doses over the control. The total phenols of the florets increased by 15% and 18% with the application of the hormetic and high doses, respectively, throughout the storage period compared to unexposed broccoli. The GLS and HCA yields were also increased by both ethanol doses. The exposure of florets to 1 µL.L1 MeJA for 45 min resulted in delayed yellowing of florets; however, longer exposures resulted in yellowing after 21 d and significantly (p < 0.05) increased respiration rates relative to untreated florets. Overall antioxidant capacity of the florets was significantly reduced with both doses of methyl jasmonate; however, HCA titers were increased at both doses. The amount of total glucobrassicins within broccoli was increased following exposure of florets to both doses, but no significant differences in glucoraphanin content were observed. As a conclusion, the ethanol treatment could indeed delay senescence and lead to the induction of phytochemicals. In contrast, MeJA’s effect on quality is not quite substantial; it can, however, be used to improve the phytochemical content of florets, particularly indole-type GLS.

Wildflowers in uncultivated field margin are important resources supporting both pest and non-pest thrips populations in agroecosystems. Environmental factors related to wildflowers have never been used as predictors to model pest thrips density in adjacent crops. Wild and cultivated flowers were sampled in strawberry field agroecosystem in Orléans Island, near Quebec City, Canada. Pest flower thrips Frankliniella intonsa and F. tritici had a wide wildflower host range, with preferences toward Leucanthemum vulgare, Trifolium pratense, Sonchus asper, and Cichorium intybus. Regression modeling revealed significant positive relationships between pest thrips density on specific wildflowers (Vicia cracca, Sinapis arvensis, S. asper, C. intybus, L. vulgare) and their density in strawberry flowers. Furthermore, thrips density within the crop decreased with distance from uncultivated field margin. Regarding crop management, knowing the associations between thrips pests and preferred wild flora as well as their spatial distribution in strawberry fields is an undeniable advantage.

Plant biostimulants are substances or microorganisms aimed at promoting plant growth by increasing the mineral nutrition efficiency, tolerance to environmental stress, and crop quality traits. This new category of crop inputs has been capturing the interest of both researchers and agriculture takeholders in light of the promising effects they could have on crop productivity and sustainability. This study investigated a variety of biostimulants for their effect on germination rates, plant health, chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, SPAD index, and growth of baby leaf lettuce and Batavia lettuce submitted to biotic (absence/presence of Pythium ultimum in the growing medium) or abiotic (0, 40, 80, and 120 mM NaCl L−1 concentrations and −0.5, −2, −4, and −6 kPa water potentials) stresses when grown in a greenhouse under conventional and organic cultivation. The results obtained show that lettuce response to biostimulants was influenced by the type or level of stress applied and the growing system used. The effects of the tested biostimulants varied from strongly detrimental to strongly beneficial.