Blossom‐end rot is generally considered a calcium‐related physiological disorder. The results of the previous studies show that several factors such as plant conditions can be effective on the blossom‐end rot incidence. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to investigate the effect of the sink/source ratio on the incidence of the blossom‐end rot of two greenhouse tomato (Solanum lycopersicum

Studies involving the effects of long‐term exposure of plants to cadmium (Cd) are not usual, hence data about Cd‐induced impacts on plant reproductive organs are scarce. The lack of robust information about this matter is surprising and also worrying because it is not yet clear whether (and how strong) Cd influences yield, and quality of fruits and seeds. Such information is necessary to guide strategies

Maize/soybean strip intercropping is a commonly used system throughout China with high crop yields at reduced nutrient input compared to sole maize. Maize is the taller crop, and due to its dominance in light capture over soybean in the intercrop, maize is expected to outperform maize in sole cropping. Conversely, soybean is the subordinate crop and intercropped soybean plants are expected to perform

The control of carrot psyllid Trioza apicalis Förster largely relies on chemical measures, and the current integrated pest management (IPM) strategy is based on pest scouting. The number of active ingredients available for psyllid control will further decline in the coming years. The need for alternative control measures is therefore urgent. In this work the efficiency of different control programs

Rushes, such as soft rush (Juncus effusus L.), hard rush (Juncus inflexus L.) and compact rush (Juncus conglomeratus L.) have become problem species within upland grasslands across the UK and the coastal grasslands of western Norway. Indeed, being largely unpalatable to livestock and having a vigorous reproductive ecology means that they can rapidly come to dominate swards. However, rush dominance

Infection with barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV), caused by strains of virus belonging to the family Luteovirideae including BYDV‐PAV, can result in significant yield losses in autumn sown cereals following transmission by aphid vectors such as Rhopalosiphum padi (Homoptera: Aphididae) and Sitobion avenae (Homoptera: Aphididae). Spatial and temporal variance in the infectivity of alate populations influences

Since 1927, outbreaks of the leafy gall disease caused by Rhodococcus fascians on annual and perennial herbaceous plants have put the ornamental plant industry at risk. More recently, Pistachio Bushy Top Syndrome, a serious disease emerging in the Western USA, has been declared as a natural disaster by the United States Department of Agriculture. Recent developments indicate that the taxonomic position

Viruses limit sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas) production worldwide. Many sweetpotato landraces in East Africa are, however, largely virus-free. Moreover, some plants infected by the prevalent Sweet potato feathery mottle virus (SPFMV) may be able to revert to virus-free status. In this study, we analysed reversion from SPFMV, Sweet potato virus C, Sweet potato mild mottle virus, Sweet potato chlorotic

The use of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) to control multiple pathogens that affect different crops was studied, namely, Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae in kiwifruit, Xanthomonas arboricola pv. pruni in Prunus and Xanthomonas fragariae in strawberry. A screening procedure based on in vitro and in planta assays of the three bacterial pathogens was successful in selecting potential LAB strains as biological

Insect pests can reduce wheat yield by direct feeding and transmission of plant viruses. Here we report results from laboratory and field phenotyping studies on a wide range of wheat, including landraces from the Watkins collection deriving from before the green revolution, more modern cultivars from the Gediflux collection (north-western Europe) and modern UK Elite varieties, for resistance to the

Crop protection is an integral part of establishing food security, by protecting the yield potential of crops. Cereal aphids cause yield losses by direct damage and transmission of viruses. Some wild relatives of wheat show resistance to aphids but the mechanisms remain unresolved. In order to elucidate the location of the partial resistance to the bird cherry-oat aphid, Rhopalosiphum padi, in diploid

Evaluation of crop N status will assist optimal N management of intensive vegetable production. Simple procedures for monitoring crop N status such as petiole sap [NO 3--N], leaf N content and soil solution [NO 3-] were evaluated with indeterminate tomato and muskmelon. Their sensitivity to assess crop N status throughout each crop was evaluated using linear regression analysis against nitrogen nutrition

Many innovations in the development and use of air sampling devices have occurred in plant pathology since the first description of the Hirst spore trap. These include improvements in capture efficiency at relatively high air-volume collection rates, methods to enhance the ease of sample processing with downstream diagnostic methods and even full automation of sampling, diagnosis and wireless reporting

The soft rot Enterobacteriaceae (SRE) Pectobacterium and Dickeya species (formerly classified as pectinolytic Erwinia spp.) cause important diseases on potato and other arable and horticultural crops. They may affect the growing potato plant causing blackleg and are responsible for tuber soft rot in storage thereby reducing yield and quality. Efficient and cost-effective detection and identification

Experiments on the Rothamsted and Woburn Experimental Farms studied the effects on take-all of different break crops and of set-aside/conservation covers that interrupted sequences of winter wheat. There was no evidence for different effects on take-all of the break crops per se but the presence of volunteers, in crops of oilseed rape, increased the amounts of take-all in the following wheat. Severity

Current wheat yield and consumption is considered in the context of the historical development of wheat, from early domestication through to modern plant breeding, the Green Revolution and wheat's place as one of the world's most productive and important crops in the 21st Century. The need for further improvement in the yield potential of wheat in order to meet current and impending challenges is discussed

Free amino acids and reducing sugars participate in the Maillard reaction during high-temperature cooking and processing. This results not only in the formation of colour, aroma and flavour compounds, but also undesirable contaminants, including acrylamide, which forms when the amino acid that participates in the reaction is asparagine. In this study, tubers of 13 varieties of potato (Solanum tuberosum)

A multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay for simultaneous, fast and reliable detection of the main soft rot and blackleg potato pathogens in Europe has been developed. It utilises three pairs of primers and enables detection of three groups of pectinolytic bacteria frequently found in potato, namely: Pectobacterium atrosepticum, Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum together with Pectobacterium

Using specific antisera, it was possible to identify mild (MII-I6) and the O and I strains of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) in tomato plants infected with the mild strain following challenge inoculation with the wild strains. In addition, with single lesion isolates of the MII-I6 and O strains it has been shown that both strains can be assayed simultaneously in mixed isolates on Nicotiana glutinisa based

The reproduction of apterous and alate morphs of the aphids Sitobion avenae and Metopolophium dirhodum is compared on the basis of fecundity in 5- and 10-day periods of adult life. Apterae of both species are consistently more fecund than alatae of comparable weight, producing about three more nymphs on average in any 5-day period. The reproductive differences are related to the number and quality

Botrytis cinerea, Cladosporium spp., Penicillium spp., Aureobasidium pullulans, Mucor mucedo, Phoma state of Didymella applanata, Cryptococcus laurentii var. laurentii, C. albidus var. albidus, Candida sake and Sporobolomyces roseus were consistently present on freshly harvested loganberries. Botrytis cinerea was the main spoilage organism with Mucor mucedo of minor importance. The importance of benomyl-resistant

Twenty-six biochemical tests were used to study cultures of basidiomycetes isolated from roots of fruit-trees and other plants. The results enabled isolates to be placed into one of sixteen groups. Three of these groups were identified as Collybia drucei, Corticium utriculicum and Heteroporus biennis by matching their biochemical reactions with those of isolates from fruiting bodies of these fungi

A description is given of a simple flow cell and modifications to an amino acid autoanalyser. These allow continuous monitoring of the 14C in effluent from chromatographic columns using a standard liquid scintillation counter.

Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis indicated that maize streak (MSV) and cassava latent (CLV) viruses each contain one species of protein and two of RNA. The estimated protein mol. wt is 28000 for MSV and 34000 for CLV. The mol. wts obtained for the two RNA species using formamide-containing gels were the same for the two viruses: 1-7 X 10(6) and 1-3 X 10(6). It is suggested that the viruses have a