Apple is the most important fruit tree in West Azarbaijan province of Iran. In a survey of apple orchards, a disease with crown and collar canker and necrosis symptoms was observed in three young ...apple orchards in Urmia, affecting 15% and 1% of 'Red Delicious' and 'Golden Delicious' cultivars, respectively. A fungus with typical characteristics of the asexual morph of Cytospora was regularly isolated from the diseased tissues. Morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analyses inferred from the combined dataset of the ITS-rDNA, parts of LSU, tef1-α, rpb2, and act1 genes revealed that the isolates represent a new species of Cytospora, described herein as Cytospora balanejica sp. nov.. The pathogenicity of all isolates was confirmed on apple cv. 'Red Delicious' based on Koch's postulates. Also, the reaction of 12 other apple cultivars was assessed against five selected isolates with the highest virulence. The results showed that except for cv. 'Braeburn', which did not produce any symptoms of the disease, the other 11 cultivars showed characteristic disease symptoms including sunken and discolored bark and wood. The mean length of the discolored area was different among the 11 so-called susceptible cultivars, hence cvs. 'M4' and 'Golden Delicious' showed the highest and the lowest lesion length, respectively. Moreover, the aggressiveness of the five tested isolates was different, and the isolates BA 2-4 and BA 3-1 had the highest and lowest aggressiveness, respectively. Based on our observations on the potential ability of the fungus to cause disease on young and actively growing apple trees, it will be a serious threat to apple cultivation and industry.
Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is one of the most destructive fungal pathogens infecting a wide array of plant species worldwide. Management of this pathogen relies on the coordinated use of fungicides and ...resistant host cultivars with other control measures, but the effectiveness of these methods requires knowledge of the genetic variability and structure of the fungal populations. To provide insight into the genetic diversity and structure of this pathogen in West Azarbaijan province of Iran, a total of 136 isolates were collected from symptomatic sunflower and cabbage plants within fields in three regions and analysed using inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers and intergenic spacer (IGS) region of the rRNA gene sequences. A total of 83 ISSR multilocus genotypes (MLGs) were identified, some of which were shared among at least two regional or host populations but in a low frequency. High genotypic diversity, low levels of clonal fraction, and random association of ISSR loci in a region indicated a low level of clonal reproduction, and possibly a high level of sexually recombining life cycle for the pathogen in the province. Marker analyses revealed that the pathogen was spatially homogeneous among fields, and thus similar control measures, such as the choice of resistant cultivars and fungicides, may effectively manage S. sclerotiorum within the region. Four IGS haplotypes (IGS1-IGS4) were detected within populations with IGS3 being the most prevalent haplotype. The low IGS haplotype diversity, the absence of spatial structure, and shared MLGs among populations may suggest a single introduction and subsequent dispersal of S. sclerotiorum within West Azarbaijan province.
There is a growing trend towards enhancing the post-harvest shelf life and maintaining the nutritional quality of horticultural products using eco-friendly methods. Raspberries are valued for their ...diverse array of phenolic compounds, which are key contributors to their health-promoting properties. However, raspberries are prone to a relatively short post-harvest lifespan. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of exogenous melatonin (MEL; 0, 0.001, 0.01, and 0.1 mM) on decay control and shelf-life extension. The results demonstrated that MEL treatment significantly reduced the fruit decay rate (P ≤ 0.01). Based on the findings, MEL treatment significantly increased titratable acidity (TA), total phenolics content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and total anthocyanin content (TAC). Furthermore, the MEL-treated samples showed increased levels of rutin and quercetin content, as well as antioxidant activity as measured by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ferric reduction activity potential (FRAP). Additionally, the samples exhibited higher levels of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) and catalase (CAT) enzymes compared to the control samples. Moreover, the levels of pH, total soluble solids (TSS), and IC
were decreased in the MEL-treated samples (P ≤ 0.01). The highest amount of TA (0.619 g/100 ml juice), rutin (16.722 µg/ml juice) and quercetin (1.467 µg/ml juice), and PAL activity (225.696 nm/g FW/min) was observed at 0.001 mM treatment, while, the highest amount of TAC (227.235 mg Cy-g/100 ml juice) at a concentration of 0.01 mM and CAT (0.696 u/g FW) and TAL activities (9.553 nm/100 g FW) at a concentration of 0.1 mM were obtained. Considering the lack of significant differences in the effects of melatonin concentrations and the low dose of 0.001 mM, this concentration is recommended for further research. The hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA) divided the treatments into three groups based on their characteristics. Based on the Pearson correlation between TPC, TFC, TAC, and TAA, a positive correlation was observed with antioxidant (DPPH and FRAP) and enzyme (PAL and CAT) activities. The results of this study have identified melatonin as an eco-friendly compound that enhances the shelf life of raspberry fruits by improving phenolic compounds, as well as antioxidant and enzyme activities.
Chemical composition, antifungal and antioxidant properties of essential oil extracted from
Cuminum cyminum
from Iran was studied. GC–MS analysis revealed the presence of 18 components, with ...3-caren-10-al and cuminal as the principal constituents. Hierarchical cluster analysis and antioxidant capacities showed that this essential oil made a single group at 64 unit distinct from other reported essential oils extracted from cumin in the literature and was with high antioxidant activity 150 µL exhibiting strong reducing power; 2200 (FRAP) μmol/L Fe
+2
during 15 min and ~ 89 DPPH % at 60 min. The antifungal effects of the essential oil against three postharvest fungal pathogens,
Botrytis cinerea
,
Aspergillus niger
and
Penicillim expansum
revealed that at concentrations of ≥ 750 µL/L, the mycelial growth of the tested fungi were completely inhibited. Overall, the essential oil derived from this new cumin chemovar could be a promising candidate for its utilization as a natural preservative.
Essential oils (EOs) are some of the outstanding compounds found in
that can exert antifungal, phytotoxic, and insecticidal activities, which encourage their exploration and potential use for ...agricultural and food purposes. The essential oils (EO) obtained from
collected in the East Azerbaijan Province (Iran) were characterized using a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. Thymol was the most important compound (60.48%), although 35 other active compounds were identified in the EO. Significant amounts of carvacrol (3.08%),
-cymene (5.56%), and γ-terpinene (6.67%) were found in the EO. The
EO was tested against important phytopathogenic fungi (
, and
). The antifungal assay showed that the use of ≥500 ppm of EO resulted in a fungicidal effect against all funguses tested. In a similar way, the use of ≥500 ppm of EO inhibited the germination of all crop weed seeds (
L. and
L.) and their subsequent growth, which demonstrated its herbicidal effect. Finally, the insecticidal capacity of
EO was also observed against selected insects (
and
).
was more susceptible to the effect of EO (LC
= 4.78 µL/L air) than
(LC
= 13.20 µL/L air). The obtained results of the present study can provide new safe resources to the development of new products for the food, agriculture, and pharmaceutical industries.
Removing plant pathogens with the sun as a free, available, clean, and sustainable source of energy is interesting. However, there is no data for disinfecting major plant pathogenic bacteria such as ...Pseudomonas syringae and Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. michiganensis by solar ultraviolet radiation. To obtain the required time for killing these bacteria at different temperatures, a bacterial suspension of active growing cells (approximately 107 CFU mL-1) was prepared and subjected to heat inside a water bath. The minimum required time for killing both of the bacteria was achieved 420, 45, and 15 min at 50, 55, and 60 °C, respectively. To examine the effect of solar ultraviolet radiation, the bacteria suspensions inside a quartz tube were exposed to the sun on a horizontal surface at the constant temperature of 50 °C within the water bath (water depth: 0.1 m). Both of the bacteria were killed after one hour by receiving 95.481 kJ m-2 ultraviolet and 2.79315 MJ m-2 solar radiation doses. The synergy of heat and solar UV could considerably reduce the killing time of the bacteria (7 to 1 hours) at 50 °C. The recommended solar UV dose is 95.481 kJ m-2 for this condition.
Pythium sensu stricto (s.s.) and Globisporangium species are important components of the soil microbial community and exhibit diverse lifestyles, including mycoparasitism. However, a comprehensive ...understanding of the species diversity of these mycoparasites in the West Azarbaijan province of Iran is lacking. In this study, a total of 114 mycoparasitic Pythium s.s. and Globisporangium isolates were obtained from agricultural soils collected from six regions in the province. Through DNA barcoding, all Globisporangium isolates were identified as G. nunn, while the barcode markers were insufficient to accurately resolve species boundaries in Pythium s.s. By combining morphological and multilocus sequence data, five species within the genus Pythium s.s. were identified: P. salmasense sp. nov., a potentially new species, and three known species, P. acanthicum, P. ornamentatum, and P. periplocum. Pythium ornamentatum was the most common species and found in all regions studied, followed by G. nunn and P. acanthicum, which were both isolated from four regions. While the isolates of G. nunn showed no mycoparasitic activity against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, all Pythium s.s. species were capable of infecting the hyphae of this pathogen. The existence of mycoparasitic species is promising for biological control of soil‐borne fungal pathogens in the province. The widespread occurrence of P. ornamentatum, G. nunn, and P. acanthicum may suggest their adaptation to local soil and environmental conditions, indicating their potentially superior effectiveness in controlling plant diseases across different regions if used as biocontrol agents.
In this study, six mycoparasitic species of Pythium s.s. and Globisporangium, including P. salmasense sp. nov. and one potentially new species, were identified based on morphological, cultural, and sequence data. While the isolates of G. nunn exhibited no mycoparasitic activity against hyphae of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, all Pythium s.s. species were able to parasitize the hyphae of this pathogen. Pythium ornamentatum, G. nunn, and P. acanthicum were the most common species found in different regions of West Azarbaijan province in Iran.
In this study, the diversity of Alternaria species in section Nimbya associated with symptomatic plants in the Cyperaceae and Juncaceae families was assessed. Multilocus sequence analyses of the rDNA ...internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and parts of Alternaria major allergen (Alt a 1), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), second largest subunit of RNA polymerase II (RPB2), and translation elongation factor 1-alpha (TEF1) genes revealed the presence of two previously known species, A. scirpivora and A. caricicola, and three new species, which are described here as A. cypericola, sp. nov., A. heyranica, sp. nov., and A. junci-acuti, sp. nov. These new species were characterized morphologically with respect to the dimensions of conidia, the number of pseudosepta in mature conidia, and the type of conidium apical beak. According to the results of phylogenetic analyses, the presence of long, filiform true beak is not a reliable morphological indicator for grouping species in sections Alternantherae and Nimbya and phylogenetic species recognition should be used. All identified species were described, illustrated, and their morphology and phylogenetic relationships with other species in Alternaria section Nimbya were discussed.
Phytopythium is a globally distributed genus, species of which occur in various ecological niches. Despite their importance as plant pathogens, information on species diversity and their distribution ...in West Azarbaijan Province of Iran is limited. This study aimed to investigate the taxonomy and plant pathogenicity of Phytopythium isolates recovered from soils in the province. A polyphasic taxonomy based on morphological, cultural, and multilocus sequence data revealed two new species, described here as P. babaiaharii and P. longitubum. In addition, a putatively new species and five known species, P. boreale, P. carbonicum, P. mercuriale, P. ostracodes, and P. vexans, were found in the studied region. Phytopythium ostracodes, P. mercuriale, and P. boreale were the three most frequent species isolated from soil, although P. mercuriale was only found in one field. Among the studied species, P. mercuriale, P. ostracodes, and P. vexans exhibited various levels of pathogenicity on sugar beet, sunflower, and tomato, and P. boreale was documented for first time as a plant pathogen. Phytopythium ostracodes was highly aggressive on sugar beet and sunflower but lowly aggressive on tomato, whereas P. vexans exhibited high aggressiveness toward the three crop plants. Both P. boreale and P. mercuriale were found to be lowly aggressive on the host plants. The results indicated that members of Phytopythium, particularly plant-pathogenic species, are common in arable soils of West Azarbaijan Province and can pose a threat to agricultural crops in the region.
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