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Strawberry production in Florida and South Carolina is affected by two major diseases, anthracnose fruit rot (AFR) and Botrytis fruit rot (BFR), caused by Colletotrichum acutatum and Botrytis cinerea, respectively. The effective management of both diseases traditionally relied on weekly fungicide applications. However, to improve timing and reduce the number of fungicide sprays, many growers follow the Strawberry Advisory System (StAS), a decision support system for forecasting fungicide applications based on environmental conditions and previously developed models. The objective of this study was to perform a meta-analysis to determine the effectiveness of the StAS for AFR and BFR management compared with a calendar-based spray program. Thirty-nine trials were conducted from 2009 to 2014 in Florida and South Carolina commercial strawberry fields. Meta-analysis was conducted to quantify the treatment effects on four effect sizes, ail based on the difference in response variables for StAS and the calendar-based treatments in each trial. The mean difference in BFR incidence, AFR incidence, yield, and number of marketable fruit between the two treatments was not significantly different from 0 (P < 0.05). However, the number of fungicide applications per season was reduced by a median of seven when using the StAS, a 50% reduction in sprays compared with the calendar-based approach. Effect sizes were not influenced by location or the favorability of the environment for disease development. These findings indicate that use of StAS in commercial fields is effective in controlling fruit rot diseases with no reduction in yield while substantially reducing fungicide applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The attachment of endospores to Meloidogyne spp. males and second stage juveniles (J2) was evaluated in two different in vitro assays of seven isolates of Pasteuria penetrans from Florida, USA. In the first assay, endospores of all seven isolates adhered to J2 but not males of M. arenaria race 1. In the second assay, two isolates differed in the specificity of spore attachment to J2 of six Meloidogyne spp. Isolate B4, from Pratylenchus scribneri, showed a similar degree of attachment to J2 of M. arenaria race 2, M. javanica (two populations) and to M. incognita race 3, but did not attach to males of seven species. Isolate P100, from Meloidogyne sp., had high rates of attachment to M. javanica from Rio Grande do Sul State and to M. paranaensis, but lower rates to M. arenaria and M. javanica from Parana State. These data indicate that attachment ability depends not only on the Meloidogyne species but also on the particular population of a species. The high rate of attachment to male but not J2 M. hapla indicates that endospore attachment may also depend upon nematode stage, species, race and population and on Pasteuria isolate. Germinated endospores attached to male M. hapla were examined by scanning electron microscopy but few had successfully penetrated the cuticle. Adhesion des endospores de Pasteuria penetrans aux males et juveniles de Meloidogyne spp. - L'adhesion des spores de Pasteuria penetrans aux males et juveniles de deuxieme stade (J2) de Meloidogyne spp. a ete evaluee lors de deux differents tests in vitro comprenant sept isolats de P. penetrans provenant de Floride, USA. Lors du premier test les endospores des sept isolats ont adhere aux J2 mais non aux males de M. arenaria race 1. Lors du second test deux isolats se sont distingues quant a la specificite de l'adhesion de leurs spores aux J2 de six des especes de Meloidogyne. L'isolat B4, provenant de Pratylenchus scribneri, montre un taux d'adhesion similaire vis-a-vis des J2 de M. arenaria race 2, M. javanica (deux populations) et M. incognita race 3, mais n'adhere aux males d'aucune des sept especes. L'isolat P 100, provenant de Meloidogyne sp., Montre un taux d'adhesion eleve vis-a-vis tant de M. javanica provenant de l'Etat de Rio Grande del Sul que de M. paranensis mais ce taux est faible vis-a-vis de M. arenaria et M. javanica originaires de l'Etat du Parana. Ces donnees indiquent que la faculte d'adhesion depend non seulement de l'espece de Meloidogyne en cause mais egalement de la population particuliere de cette espece. Le taux eleve d'adhesion vis-a-vis des males, mais non des J2, de M. hapla indique que cette adhesion peut dependre du stade de developpement du nematode, de son espece, race ou population ainsi que de l'isolat lui-meme de P. penetrans. Les endospores fixees aux males de M. hapla, et ayant germe, ont ete examinees en microscopie electronique a balayage: peu d'entre elles avaient reussi a traverser la cuticule. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & Aims: Steatosis is a frequent histologic finding in chronic hepatitis C (CHC), but it is unclear whether steatosis is an independent predictor for liver fibrosis. We evaluated the association between steatosis and fibrosis and their common correlates in persons with CHC and in subgroup analyses according to hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype and body mass index., Methods: We conducted a meta-analysis on individual data from 3068 patients with histologically confirmed CHC recruited from 10 clinical centers in Italy, Switzerland, France, Australia, and the United States., Results: Steatosis was present in 1561 patients (50.9%) and fibrosis in 2688 (87.6%). HCV genotype was 1 in 1694 cases (55.2%), 2 in 563 (18.4%), 3 in 669 (21.8%), and 4 in 142 (4.6%). By stepwise logistic regression, steatosis was associated independently with genotype 3, the presence of fibrosis, diabetes, hepatic inflammation, ongoing alcohol abuse, higher body mass index, and older age. Fibrosis was associated independently with inflammatory activity, steatosis, male sex, and older age, whereas HCV genotype 2 was associated with reduced fibrosis. In the subgroup analyses, the association between steatosis and fibrosis invariably was dependent on a simultaneous association between steatosis and hepatic inflammation., Conclusions: In this large and geographically different group of CHC patients, steatosis is confirmed as significantly and independently associated with fibrosis in CHC. Hepatic inflammation may mediate fibrogenesis in patients with liver steatosis. Control of metabolic factors (such as overweight, via lifestyle adjustments) appears important in the management of CHC.