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The SO2-generating pads contain different concentrations of sodium metabisulfite, which absorbs water from the grapes’ transpiration, releasing SO2 gas, and there are slow-(SlowSO2) and dual (DualSO2)-releasing pads (fast release in the first 48 h and slow for up to 60 days). The ultra-fast SO2-generating pad (FieldSO2) releases the SO2 quickly for up to 6 h, and it was designed to be used soon after the harvest and until the grapes’ packaging. The goal was to study the effect of FieldSO2 associated with SlowSO2 and DualSO2 pads on gray mold incidence and physicochemical and appearance characteristics of ‘Italia’ table grapes. Grapes were harvested from a commercial vineyard in Parana, Brazil, in 2020 and 2021, and packaged in cardboard boxes, and the treatments were as follows: control (without SO2-generating pads); FieldSO2 + SlowSO2; and FieldSO2 + DualSO2. After 30, 45, 60, 75, and 90 days of cold storage (1 ± 1 °C), the grapes were assessed for gray mold incidence, mass loss, shattered berries, stem browning, and filamentous fungi on the surface. The use of FieldSO2 associated with SO2-generating pads is effective in controlling gray mold on ‘Italia’ table grapes, especially the treatment FieldSO2 + DualSO2, which provides the lowest incidence of the disease up to 90 days of cold storage, while the combination with SlowSO2 results in intermediate efficacy. Treatments combining these SO2-generating pads extend the postharvest shelf life of ‘Italia’ grapes, with few shattered berries, low mass loss and freshness of the rachis without impairing the bunch’s appearance.

Soybean is the primary source of vegetable protein and is used for various purposes, mainly to feed animals. This crop can have diverse seed coat colors, varying from yellow, black, brown, and green to bicolor. Black seed coat cultivars have already been assigned as favorable for both seed and grain production. Thus, this work aimed to identify genes associated with soybean seed quality by comparing the transcriptomes of soybean seeds with contrasting seed coat colors. The results from RNA-seq analyses were validated with real-time PCR using the cultivar BRS 715A (black seed coat) and the cultivars BRS 413 RR and DM 6563 IPRO (yellow seed coat). We found 318 genes differentially expressed in all cultivars (freshly harvested seeds and seeds stored in cold chamber). From the in silico analysis of the transcriptomes, the following genes were selected and validated with RT-qPCR: ACS1, ACSF3, CYP90A1, CYP710A1, HCT, CBL, and SAHH. These genes are genes induced in the black seed coat cultivar and are part of pathways responsible for ethylene, lipid, brassinosteroid, lignin, and sulfur amino acid biosynthesis. The BRSMG 715A gene has almost 4times more lignin than the yellow seed coat cultivars. These attributes are related to the BRSMG 715A cultivar’s higher seed quality, which translates to more longevity and resistance to moisture and mechanical damage. Future silencing studies may evaluate the knockout of these genes to better understand the biology of soybean seeds with black seed coat.

The study was conducted at the Mata dos Godoy State Park in Londrina, state of Paraná, Brazil. Baited pitfall traps were installed in the forest, in adjacent abandoned pasture land, and on the borders between these two environments. Every two weeks, from June 1999 to May 2000, the traps were placed for 24 hours and the material was collected every 12 hours. The 4687 specimens of Scarabaeinae collected belong to 13 genera and 27 species. The most frequent species were Onthophagus catharinensis (Paulian, 1936) (22.1%), Onthophagus hirculus (Mannerhein, 1829) (20.1%), Dichotomius mormon (Ljungh, 1799) (13.1%), Sulcophanaeus menelas (Laporte, 1840) (12.8%), and Eurystemus parallelus (Dalman, 1824) (10.6%). The other species collected amounted to less than 4.7%. The difference in numbers of specimens collected in the three environments was not significant (K(2.72) = 0.63, p = 0.729). The distribution patterns of species composition for the different environments (ANOSIM R = 0.29, p < 0.01) and activity periods (ANOSIM R = 0.18, p < 0.01) were different. Sulcophanaeus menelas, Canthidium aff. trinodosum, O. hirculus, and E. parallelus were the most abundant species, being predominantly diurnal; the first three species were more active on abandoned pasture. Most of the Dichothomius assifer (Eschscholtz, 1822) and D. mormon specimens were captured at night. The latter species was the most abundant in edges, whereas D. assifer, Scybalochantum aff. zischkai, and O. catharinensis can be considered bioindicators because they were either exclusively or highly predominant in the best preserved areas. A larger number of individuals was observed from December 1999 through March 2000, which is the time of the year when adults of Scarabaeinae normally emerge and fly, in the studied region. The highest diversity (88.89%) was observed in February.

The SO2-generating pads contain different concentrations of sodium metabisulfite, which absorbs water from the grapes' transpiration, releasing SO2 gas, and there are slow-(SlowSO2) and dual (DualSO2)-releasing pads (fast release in the first 48 h and slow for up to 60 days). The ultra-fast SO2-generating pad (FieldSO2) releases the SO2 quickly for up to 6 h, and it was designed to be used soon after the harvest and until the grapes' packaging. The goal was to study the effect of FieldSO2 associated with SlowSO2 and DualSO2 pads on gray mold incidence and physicochemical and appearance characteristics of 'Italia' table grapes. Grapes were harvested from a commercial vineyard in Parana, Brazil, in 2020 and 2021, and packaged in cardboard boxes, and the treatments were as follows: control (without SO2-generating pads); FieldSO2 + SlowSO2; and FieldSO2 + DualSO2. After 30, 45, 60, 75, and 90 days of cold storage (1 ± 1 °C), the grapes were assessed for gray mold incidence, mass loss, shattered berries, stem browning, and filamentous fungi on the surface. The use of FieldSO2 associated with SO2-generating pads is effective in controlling gray mold on 'Italia' table grapes, especially the treatment FieldSO2 + DualSO2, which provides the lowest incidence of the disease up to 90 days of cold storage, while the combination with SlowSO2 results in intermediate efficacy. Treatments combining these SO2-generating pads extend the postharvest shelf life of 'Italia' grapes, with few shattered berries, low mass loss and freshness of the rachis without impairing the bunch's appearance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A podridão da uva madura causada por Colletotrichum spp. é uma ameaça ao cultivo de uvas sob condições de alta precipitação e temperaturas elevadas. Devido à carência de informações disponíveis sobre medidas de controle desta doença em uva rústica de mesa ‘Niágara Rosada’, este trabalho teve como objetivo responder às seguintes questões: a) em quais estádios fenológicos a aplicação de fungicidas tem maior eficiência no seu controle? b) quais fungicidas e produtos biológicos apresentam maior eficiência no seu controle? c) os componentes lado e alvo de pulverização da videira influenciam no seu controle? e d) a erradicação do inóculo por remoção de restos culturais, aplicação de ureia no solo ou aplicação de calda sulfocálcica influenciam no seu controle? Para responder essas questões, foram realizados quatro experimentos em blocos casualizados, em parreirais comerciais localizados em Rosário do Ivaí, PR, Brasil, durante as safras de 2016 a 2020. No primeiro experimento avaliou-se a aplicação de fungicidas nas fases fenológicas: a) pleno florescimento; b) fim do florescimento; c) bagas no estágio de grão de ervilha; d) início do fechamento do cacho (meia baga); e) início do amadurecimento do cacho; f) metade do amadurecimento do cacho; e g) início e metade do amadurecimento do cacho. No segundo experimento avaliou-se a aplicação de diferentes fungicidas e produtos biológicos. No terceiro experimento, realizado em arranjo fatorial 2×2, avaliaram-se os seguintes fatores e níveis: a) alvos de aplicação (direcionada aos cachos, e direcionada aos ramos e aos cachos); e b) modos de aplicação (em um lado da videira somente e nos dois lados da videira). No quarto experimento, realizado em arranjo fatorial 2×2×2, avaliaram-se os seguintes fatores e níveis: a) fonte de inóculo – cachos mumificados da safra anterior (removidos ou não); b) aplicação de ureia no solo para degradação dos restos culturais (aplicada ou não); e c) aplicação de calda sulfocálcica após a poda de inverno (aplicada ou não). No fim do ciclo produtivo, foi avaliada a incidência de podridão da uva madura em todos os experimentos. Os dados foram submetidos à análise de variância e as médias comparadas pelo teste de Fisher (LSD) a 5% de significância. A pulverização de fungicidas nos estádios fenológicos fim do florescimento, grão ervilha e amadurecimento, direcionada aos cachos em um lado da videira, reduziu a incidência de podridão da uva madura nos cachos de ‘Niágara Rosada’, podendo ser utilizados os seguintes fungicidas: metiram em mistura com piraclostrobina, associado ou não ao fosfito de potássio ou ao biofungicida a base de Bacillus amyloliquefaciens cepa d-747, trifloxistrobina em mistura com tebuconazol, tebuconazol, tetraconazole, captana, folpete. A remoção de cachos mumificados da safra anterior reduziu a incidência da doença.

Horticulture has established its importance in many aspects including innovation, improving land use, promoting crop diversification, generating employment, and providing food to the world population [...]

The objective of this study was to determine the duration of the main phenological stages, plant growth development, yield, and cone quality of hop cultivars grown under artificial light (17 h per day) during vegetative development (early season) in a subtropical climate region. The study was conducted in Palotina, Paraná, Brazil (24° S), during the 2021 and 2022 growing seasons. The plants were cultivated in a 5.5 m high trellis system with artificial light supplementation during vegetative development. The hop cultivars Hallertau Mittelfrüher, Mapuche, Northern Brewer, Spalter, and Yakima Gold were used in the treatments. The duration of the phenological stages, vegetative growth (plant height, fresh mass of the plants, number of lateral branches per plant), components of productive yield (number of cones per side branch, number of cones per plant, fresh mass, length, and width of the cone, production of fresh cones per plant, and yield), and chemical components of the cones (alpha- and beta-acid contents, and essential oil concentrations) were recorded. The duration of the phenological stages was visually evaluated, and plant growth was analyzed using non-linear log-logistic regression. The remaining data were subjected to analysis of variance and the means were compared using Tukey’s test. The data were also subjected to multivariate analysis using the principal components test, correlation analysis, and hierarchical grouping. The cultivar Mapuche was considered an early hop in both seasons, and the cultivars Spalter and Yakima Gold were considered early cultivars in the second season. In both seasons, the productive yield components were positively correlated with the precocity of the cultivars, in which Mapuche in the 2021 season and Mapuche, Spalter, and Yakima Gold in the 2022 season had the highest mean of the number of cones per side branch and per plant, production per plant, and productivity. The cultivar Yakima Gold had a positive correlation with the chemical quality of cones, alpha and beta acid contents, and essential oil concentrations, for both seasons.

Luminescent termite mounds caused by colonization of the luminescent larvae of the click beetle Pyrearinus termitilluminans (Costa, 1982) are well reported in Cerrado ecosystems (savannas) in central west Brazil (Costa 982). Although luminous termite mounds were occasionally reported in the Amazon forest, they have not been studied as extensively. Here we report for the first time, luminescent larvae of Pyrearinus sp. living inside Canga (clayish) caves in the National Forest of Carajas near an iron mine in Pará state. The luminescence display in the cave is very similar to that of luminous termite mounds infested by P. termitilluminans larvae, and is apparently used to attract flying insects. We also report the occurrence of luminous termite mounds inside the Amazon forest inhabited by larvae of Pyrearinus fragilis {Costa 1978) and P. termitilluminans in three different localities (Caseara-TO, Canaã do Carajás-PA, and Juruena-MT) and in a forested area in Cerrado (Novo Santo Antônio-MT). The distinct habitats and molecular phylogenetic analysis indicate the occurrence of two lineages of P. termitilluminans, which are adapted to savanna and forest termite mounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fungus-gnats of the genus Arachnocampa are unique among bioluminescent insects for displaying blue-green bioluminescence, and are responsible for one of the most beautiful bioluminescence spectacles on the roofs of the Waitomo Caves. Despite morphological studies showing that Arachnocampa larval lanterns involve specialization of the Malpighian tubules, the biochemical origin of their bioluminescence remains enigmatic. Using a cDNA library previously constructed from lanterns of the New Zealand glowworm A. luminosa, we carried out the first transcriptional analysis of ~ 500 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) to identify putative candidate proteins for light production, and to better understand the molecular physiology of the lanterns and their relationship with Malpighian tubule physiology. The analysis showed an abundance of hexamerin-like proteins, as well as luciferase-like enzymes, indicating a possible critical role for these proteins in bioluminescence. These findings were corroborated by proteomic analysis of lantern extracts, which showed the presence of hexamerins and luciferase-like enzymes. Other gene products typical of Malpighian tubules, such as detoxifying enzymes, were also found. The results support the existence of an evolutionary link between Malpighian tubule detoxification and the origin of bioluminescence in these Diptera. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Huanglongbing (HLB) is a destructive disease, associated with psyllid-transmitted phloem-restricted pathogenic bacteria, which is seriously endangering citriculture worldwide. It affects all citrus species and cultivars regardless of the rootstock used, and despite intensive research in the last decades, there is no effective cure to control either the bacterial species (Candidatus Liberibacter spp.) or their insect vectors (Diaphorina citri and Trioza erytreae). Currently, the best attempts to manage HLB are based on three approaches: (i) reducing the psyllid population by intensive insecticide treatments; (ii) reducing inoculum sources by removing infected trees, and (iii) using nursery-certified healthy plants for replanting. The economic losses caused by HLB (decreased fruit quality, reduced yield, and tree destruction) and the huge environmental costs of disease management seriously threaten the sustainability of the citrus industry in affected regions. Here, we have generated genetically modified sweet orange lines to constitutively emit (E)-β-caryophyllene, a sesquiterpene repellent to D. citri, the main HLB psyllid vector. We demonstrate that this alteration in volatile emission affects behavioral responses of the psyllid in olfactometric and no-choice assays, making them repellent/less attractant to the HLB vector, opening a new alternative for possible HLB control in the field.