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BackgroundHypovitaminosis D may be common in tropical countries and is linked to disorders of phospho-calcium metabolism, rickets, muscle pain, immune system deficiencies, and increased susceptibility to microbial infections.ObjectiveTo assess the prevalence of hypovitaminosis D in apparently healthy university workers in Loja, Ecuador.MethodsA cross-sectional study was completed in a private Ecuadorian university from May 2023 to September 2023, involving 440 participants. Data were gathered using a structured questionnaire created to assess risk factors influencing vitamin D levels. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OH)D concentrations were measured utilizing immunoenzymatic methods. Altered states (insufficiency or deficiency) of vitamin D were defined with serum values

Background: Tree tomato (Solanum betaceum Cav.) is a plant introduced to Mexico since colonial times, currently it is found as a crop in backyard orchards in the central mountainous region of Veracruz. Due to its nutraceutical properties, its cultivation is gaining importance worldwide and spreading. However, since there are no established formal crops in Mexico, there are no studies on the pests that may affect the development of this plant. Objective: To identify the plant-parasitic nematodes associated with the rhizospheric soil and root, as well as the determine their abundance in tree tomato plants, located in the Tlacolulan and Xalapa municipalities, in Veracruz state. Methodology: The nematodes were extracted from the soil and roots, fixed, clarified, mounted for identification at the genus level, and quantified. Results: 704 specimens belonging to 14 genera were identified: Criconema, Criconemoides, Filenchus, Fraglenchus, Gracilacus, Helicotylenchus, Malenchus, Meloidogyne, Ogma, Paratylenchus, Pratylenchus, Pratylenchoides, Sakia, and Thada. The most abundant nematodes were Helicotylenchus and Meloidogyne. Implications: Since in five samples we found Meloidogyne individuals, a diagnosis must be made prior to the establishment of new crops to avoid the increase in populations that can affect the performance of the plants. Conclusion: Criconema, Filenchus, Fraglenchus, Malenchus, Ogma, Pratylenchoides, Sakia, and Thada are recorded for the first time associated with this plant.

The increase in the populations of root-knot nematode Meloidogyne enterolobii in various vegetables such as tomatoes grown under greenhouse conditions as well as increasing restrictions on the use of certain chemical nematicides have led to the search for new, effective management strategies, preferably ones that are sustainable biological alternatives. In this work, two formulations of the nematophagous fungus Metarhizium carneum, one concentrated suspension and one wettable powder, were evaluated under greenhouse conditions to reduce the M. enterolobii infestation in tomato plants. In addition, the effectiveness of the liquid formulation of M. carneum was compared with two biological and three chemical commercial nematicides. The results show that the two M. carneum formulations reduced the M. enterolobii population density by 78 and 66% in relation to the control treatment. In comparison, the liquid formulation of M. carneum and Purpureocillium lilacinum treatments reduced nematode population density by 72 and 43%, respectively, while for metam sodium preplanting applications followed by M. carneum applications during the tomato growth stage, the reduction was 96%. The alternate use of some chemical compounds plus the application of M. carneum as a biocontrol is a good starting strategy for managing M. enterolobii populations. These results confirm that M. carneum is a serious candidate for the short-term commercialization of an environmentally friendly biological nematicide.

The disease known as coffee corky-roots associated to the infection by the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne paranaensis is an important issue for coffee crop in several countries. In Mexico, particularly in the Veracruz state, considerable loses are recorded annually in Coffea arabica plantations by corky-root disease. Previous studies have revealed the presence of fungi in coffee corky-root tissues. However, these fungi have not been yet identified. This work aimed to identify at species level the fungi associated to the coffee corky-root symptoms and determine their pathogenicity on coffee plants. Coffee roots with corky-root symptoms were collected in eight sites distributed through the major coffee growing region of Veracruz. Observations of inside cortical root tissues under scanning electron microscope revealed abundant mycelium and conidia in corky-root samples in contrast with absence of any fungi development in healthy roots. Forty-nine fungi strains from internal corky-root tissue were isolated and identified at species level by ITS sequences. Fusarium oxysporum was the most frequent species and the only present in all of the corky-root samples. These strains were selected for the pathogenicity test. All F. oxysporum strains colonized the vascular system of coffee plants although none caused wilting symptoms. Highlights Fusarium oxysporum is a major fungus associated with coffee corky-root disease. None of the oxysporum strains inoculated into the roots of coffee plants caused vascular withering symptoms In the tissues damaged by coffee corky-root disease interact nematodes, fungi and bacteria.

The Meloidogyne-based disease complexes (MDCs) are caused by the interaction of different root-knot nematode species and phytopathogenic fungi. These complexes are devastating several important crops worldwide including tomato and coffee. Despite their relevance, little is known about the role of the bacterial communities in the MDCs. In this study 16s rDNA gene sequencing was used to analyze the bacterial microbiome associated with healthy and infested roots, as well with females and eggs of Meloidogyne enterolobii and M. paranaensis, the causal agents of MDC in tomato and coffee, respectively. Each MDC pathosystems displayed a specific taxonomic diversity and relative abundances constituting a very complex system. The main bacterial drivers of the MDC infection process were identified for both crops at order level. While corky-root coffee samples presented an enrichment of Bacillales and Burkholderiales, the corcky-root tomato samples presented an enrichment on Saprospirales, Chthoniobacterales, Alteromonadales, and Xanthomonadales. At genus level, Nocardia was common to both systems, and it could be related to the development of tumor symptoms by altering both nematode and plant systems. Furthermore, we predicted the healthy metabolic profile of the roots microbiome and a shift that may result in an increment of activity of central metabolism and the presence of pathogenic genes in both crops.

Plants interact with a great variety of microorganisms that inhabit the rhizosphere or the epiphytic and endophytic phyllosphere and that play critical roles in plant growth as well as the biocontrol of phytopathogens and insect pests. Avocado fruit damage caused by the thrips species Scirtothrips perseae leads to economic losses of 12-51% in many countries. In this study, a screening of bacteria associated with the rhizosphere or endophytic phyllosphere of avocado roots was performed to identify bacterial isolates with plant growth-promoting activity in vitro assays with Arabidopsis seedlings and to assess the biocontrol activity of the isolates against Scirtothrips perseae. The isolates with beneficial, pathogenic and/or neutral effects on Arabidopsis seedlings were identified. The plant growth-promoting bacteria were clustered in two different groups (G1 and G3B) based on their effects on root architecture and auxin responses, particularly bacteria of the Pseudomonas genus (MRf4-2, MRf4-4 and TRf2-7) and one Serratia sp. (TS3-6). Twenty strains were selected based on their plant growth promotion characteristics to evaluate their potential as thrips biocontrol agents. Analyzing the biocontrol activity of S. perseae, it was identified that Chryseobacterium sp. shows an entomopathogenic effect on avocado thrips survival. Through the metabolic profiling of compounds produced by bacteria with plant growth promotion activity, bioactive cyclodipeptides (CDPs) that could be responsible for the plant growth-promoting activity in Arabidopsis were identified in Pseudomonas, Serratia and Stenotrophomonas. This study unravels the diversity of bacteria from the avocado rhizosphere and highlights the potential of a unique isolate to achieve the biocontrol of S. perseae.

The use of resistant cultivars and fungicides are common methods to control coffee leaf rust (CLR), the main disease that affects the Arabica coffee crop. In this study, we evaluated the response of grafted and ungrafted plants during the early stage of Hemileia vastatrix infection. We used ungrafted plants of Oro Azteca (resistant cultivar) and Garnica (susceptible cultivar), and grafted plants, combining both as rootstock and graft (Garnica/Oro Azteca and Oro Azteca/Garnica). All plants were inoculated with H. vastatrix uredospores, and we quantified the development of fungal structures in the leaf tissue of inoculated plants using qRT-PCR to measure relative expression of two pathogenesis recognition genes (CaNDR1 and CaNBS-LRR) and three genes associated with the salicylic acid (SA) pathway (CaNPR1, CaPR1 and CaPR5). In Garnica grafted on Oro Azteca, the fungal structures recorded were significantly less than in Garnica ungrafted plants. In addition, the expression of defense-related genes in grafted plants was higher than in ungrafted plants. Our results indicate that the defense response to CLR is strongly influenced by the rootstock employed.

Coffee corky-root disease causes serious damages to coffee crop and is linked to combined infection of Fusarium spp. and root-knot nematodes Meloidogyne spp. In this study, 70 Fusarium isolates were collected from both roots of healthy coffee plants and with corky-root disease symptoms. A phylogenetic analysis, and the detection of pathogenicity SIX genes and toxigenicity Fum genes was performed for 59 F. oxysporum and 11 F. solani isolates. Based on the molecular characterization, seven F. oxysporum and three F. solani isolates were assessed for their pathogenicity on coffee seedlings under optimal watering and water stress miming root-knot nematode effect on plants. Our results revealed that a drastic increment of plant colonization capacity and pathogenicity on coffee plants of some Fusarium isolates was caused by water stress. The pathogenicity on coffee of F. solani linked to coffee corky-root disease and the presence of SIX genes in this species were demonstrated for the first time. Our study provides evidence for understanding the pathogenic basis of F. oxysporum and F. solani isolates on coffee and revealed the presence of SIX and Fum genes as one of their pathogenicity-related mechanisms. We also highlight the relevance of chlorophyll, a fluorescence as an early and high-throughput phenotyping tool in Fusarium pathogenicity studies on coffee.

In the present work the application effect of nematophagous fungus Purpureocillium lilacinum over the availability of soil nutrients and the yield of oats plants, using an agricultural soil was evaluated. Two experiments were conducted under greenhouse conditions, one with soil in natural conditions and other with autoclaved soil. In each experiment were handled two treatments with 20 replicates in a completely randomized design; one with the application of P. lilacinum and the other without the fungus application as a control. The soil chemical characteristics: pH, C, N, P, K, Ca, Fe, Cu and Zn were analyzed at the beginning and at the end of the experiment. The variables evaluated on oat plants were: height, fresh and dry weight, nutrients, number of spikelets per plant and the spikelets weight. There were no significant differences between treatments in plants height, the nutrient content of the soil and plants in both treatments, neither in fresh and dry weight in the experiment with natural conditions soil. The positive effect of fungus application was reflected on the greater fresh and dry weight in the experiment with autoclaved soil and the greater number and weight of spikelets of oat plants in both experiments.

Ambrosia beetles, along with termites and leafcutter ants, are the only fungus-farming lineages within the tree of life. Bacteria harbored by ambrosia beetles may play an essential role in the nutritional symbiotic interactions with their associated fungi; however, little is known about the impact of rearing conditions on the microbiota of ambrosia beetles. We have used culture-independent methods to explore the effect of rearing conditions on the microbiome associated with Xyleborus affinis, Xyleborus bispinatus, and Xyleborus volvulus, evaluating different media in laboratory-controlled conditions and comparing wild and laboratory conditions. Our results revealed that rearing conditions affected the fungal and bacterial microbiome structure and had a strong influence on bacterial metabolic capacities. We propose that the rearing conditions influence the ambrosia-associated fungal and bacterial communities. Furthermore, bacterial microbiome flexibility may help beetles adapt to different substrates.

Se determinaron y clasificaron en grupos tróficos las especies de nematodos asociados a la rizosfera de Solanum tuberosum en suelos altamente infectados por el nematodo dorado de la papa (Globodera rostochiensis) en un ciclo de cultivo, en la zona productora del Cofre de Perote, Veracruz, México. Se identificaron 7 géneros (Aphelenchoides, Aphelenchus, Crassolabium, Mesodorylaimus, Plectus y Steinernema) y 8 especies (Aporcelaimellus obtusicaudatus, Ecumenicus monohystera, Acrobeles mariannae, Acrobeles singulus, Acrobeloides nanus, Cruznema tripartitum, Eucephalobus oxyuroides, y Globodera rostochiensis) en asociación con la rizosfera de papas cultivadas. Crassolabium sp. y E. monohystera se registran por primera vez para México.Nematode species associated with the rhizosphere of Solanum tuberosum were identified and classified into trophic groups from soils highly infected by the golden potato cyst nematode (Globodera rostochiensis) in a single crop cycle in the producing zone on the Cofre de Perote, Veracruz, Mexico. Seven genera (Aphelenchoides, Aphelenchus, Crassolabium, Mesodorylaimus, Plectus and Steinernema) and 8 species (Aporcelaimellus obtusicaudatus, Ecumenicus monohystera, Acrobeles mariannae, Acrobeles singulus, Acrobeloides nanus, Cruznema tripartitum, Eucephalobus oxyuroides, and Globodera rostochiensis) were found in association with the rhizosphere of cultivated potatoes. Crassolabium sp. and E. monohystera are recorded for the first time in México.