Blacktip Research Articles

Nelsonia goldmani(Rodentia: Cricetidae)

AbstractNelsonia goldmani Merriam, 1903 is a cricetid rodent commonly called Goldman’s diminutive woodrat. It is a woodrat of medium size with grayish dorsal pelage; the characteristic long tail is covered with long hairs and ends with a black tip. Nelsonia goldmani is one of two species in the genus Nelsonia. It is endemic to the central-west highlands of Mexico, recorded in a few localities of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt at elevations from 2,000 to 3,100 m. It inhabits areas near rocky ravines, cliffs, and hillsides with coniferous, pine–oak, and cloud forests. Nelsonia goldmani is listed as “Endangered” (EN) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources due to its fragmented distribution and the decrease in the quality and extent of its habitat.

A contribution on the morphometrics of the thick-clawed crayfish Pontastacus pachypus (Rathke, 1837) (Decapoda, Astacoidea, Astacidae)

The thick–clawed crayfish Pontastacus pachypus (Rathke, 1837) is an endangered, and the least known, crayfish species in Europe. Currently, detailed information regarding the morphology, ecology and reproduction of thick–clawed crayfish is outdated. This study presents, for the first time, detailed photographs of the thick-clawed crayfish, and updated information on distinctive morphological characters and morphometric analysis. New specifications of the carapace and appendage morphological characteristics were established as: 1) the rostrum is long, sharply pointed and has three pairs of distinctive sub-apical lateral spines, 2) two well–developed pairs of post–orbital ridge on the carapace are ended by prominent spine; 3) each finger of chelae ends with a black sharp tip. Among the 18 morphometric indices, carapace width to the total length (CPW/TL), abdomen width to the total length (ABW/TL) and claw height to the claw width (CLH/CLW) clearly differentiate P. pachypus from the other representatives of Astacus genus (A. colchicus and A. astacus) and P. leptodactylus (P<0.05). Comparison of individual indices between P. pachypus and P. leptodactylus revealed that almost all indices differed significantly except head length to the total length (HEL/TL) and rostrum length to the total length (ROL/TL). This study contributes to the identification of the thick–clawed crayfish for the purpose of conservation and protection of its localities.

Incidence of Botryosphaeria dothidea on mango fruits

Mango (Mangifera indica L.) is the world’s fifth most important fruit crop with production of about 54.83 million metric tonnes. India contributes over 45 percent in Global production, where Uttar Pradesh is number one mango producer state with productivity of 17.14 tonnes /ha and production around 4.55 million tonnes. Occurrence of black tip disorder of mango fruits is common in India but similar symptoms on the shoulder region of mango cv. Langra fruits followed by dropping of affected fruits was first observed at Saharanpur during 2012. Incidence of disease was regularly monitored in several districts of Uttar Pradesh and pathogenic involvement of Botryosphaeria dothidea was confirmed. The incidence of B. dothidea was found widespread on mango cvs. Langra, Chousa, Dashehari, and it was also found highly pathogenic to mango cv. Amrapali in pathogenicity test. In-vitro testing indicated that the pathogen can be managed by the application of commonly used pre-harvest spray fungicides (propineb, propiconazole and difenoconazole).

Dynamic characteristic analysis of acoustic black hole in typical raft structure

Abstract As a hot content of research in recent years, acoustic black holes have bright application prospects in the field of vibration and noise reduction. In this article, based on the acoustic black hole theory, we carry out a study on the dynamic characteristics of a typical raft structure. The manuscript gives the simplified method of the acoustic black hole model, verifies the validity of the method by the structure natural frequency and vibration response, and discusses the influence of the main parameters such as acoustic black hole tip cutoff ratio and damping thickness ratio on the vibration characteristics of the raft frame structure. The better values of the parameters were applied to the raft structure on this basis, and the results showed that the peak value of some frequency points decreased by about 10 dB after the acoustic black hole was laid in the raft structure, which improved the vibration isolation performance of the raft.

Morphometric Characteristics of Galekan Cattle Breed Base on Principle Component Analysis (PCA)

This study obtained morphometric information on Galekan cattle and compared phenotypic characteristics of Galekan cattle with local breed based on previous studies. This research was a case study with purposive sampling using the snowball sampling technique. The material used was 60 cattle of Galekan cattle which were kept in the Technical Unit (UPT) at Dongko and Panggul Sub Districts. The variables observed included qualitative characteristics and quantitative characteristics of morphometric components and body weight. T2-Hotelling test, descriptive statistics, and principal component analysis are used for quantitative data. The results showed that the qualitative characteristics of Galekan cattle were dominated by light brown body color with smear body color border, black backline, black vulva, black tail tip, face color as same as dominant body color, black muzzle, black upper and lower lips, smear white eye area, dark eye circles, black eyelashes, and black ear lines. The characteristics of the body shape of Galekan cattle have upward horns, no hump, and thin dewlap. The results of the T2-Hotelling analysis in UPT showed a significant difference (p <0.05) compared to other cattle in Dongko and Panggul Sub Districts. Principal component analysis (PCA) of Galekan cattle can be characterized by body weight, chest girth, depth chest, Ossa vertebrae lumbales, Ossa metatarsal, and Ossa vertebrae thoracicae.

The effect of salinity stress on the amount of proline, chlorophyll and sodium and potassium ions in different rice cultivars in hydroponic environment

Introduction Among the cereals, rice is the most important human food source after wheat and has a major place in human nutrition in terms of production and cultivation. This plant is susceptible to salt stress and its response to salt stress varies with growth stages, concentration and duration of impact. Materials and methods This study was carried out in factorial experiment in a completely randomized design with three replications in the research greenhouse of Sari University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources in 1977-98. The first factor was 71 rice genotypes and the second factor was salinity stress with 4 levels. The germinated seeds were transferred to hydroponic medium to prepare the culture medium from Yoshida nutrient solution (Yoshida et al., 1994). Chlorophyll extraction of rice leaf by Arnon method (1997), Proline amino acid extraction from leaf tissue by Bets et al. (1973) and for determination of sodium and potassium ions from leaf by Hamada and Elnai method (1994) used. The data obtained from these traits were analyzed by SAS and SPSS statistical software and compared by means of Duncan's multiple range test and clustering of genotypes by cluster analysis of tolerant cultivars based on this. Attributes were identified. Results and discussion Results of analysis of variance for different physiological traits under salinity stress showed that genotype, salinity and their interaction effects were statistically significant at the 5% probability level for all measured traits. Comparison of mean salinity levels in all measured traits was significant at 5% probability level. It showed that proline amino acid content and leaf tissue sodium content increased with increasing salinity and zero (normal) level with minimum and salinity level 9 The highest Ds was obtained and the chlorophyll pigment and potassium content of leaf tissue decreased with increasing salinity level and the highest (zero) level and the lowest salinity level was 9 dS / m. Within plant cells, proline acts as an osmotic preserving agent between the cytoplasm and the cell vacuole, and proline protects the plant against free radical damage. In the present experiment, proline content increased significantly with increasing salinity dose. This increase was higher in tolerant cultivars than in susceptible cultivars. An important effect of increasing salinity is leaf senescence and the main factor causing leaf senescence is the decrease in chlorophyll content under salinity stress. In this study, total chlorophyll a, chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b also decreased significantly under salinity stress, which was in line with the results of Bori Boncast et al. (2013) and (Wijita et al., 2018). Higher concentrations of potassium ions in the leaves of tolerant cultivars exposed to salinity can be a adaptive response to high potassium ion storage in stomach cells in salinity stress (Fallah 2015). Aerial is one of the mechanisms of plant tolerance against salinity stress. The results of this study are in line with the results of Hong et al. (2012).Conclusions The results of this study showed that salinity stress significantly decreased chlorophyll pigment and leaf potassium ion content and significantly increased proline amino acid and sodium ion content of leaf. Mean comparison between cultivars under salinity stress showed that Shastak Mohammadi, Nemat, Tarom Ghali, GASMAL, Neda, Roshan, NONABOKRA, FL478, Dilmani and Barley at 9 dS m-1 were the most tolerant cultivars to salinity and salinity stress. Saleh, Rashti Cold, IRBLZFU, IR39595, IR29, Black tip and Dorfak at 9 dSm-1 were the most susceptible cultivars to salinity stress. Acknowledgements Thanks to Sari University of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the Genetics and Plant Breeding Laboratory for providing some of the cost of this research as well as for providing plant specimens.

THE PRODUCTION PERFORMANCE OF FODDER SORGHUM ACCORDING TO IRRIGATION SHEETS AND LAND COVER

The objective of the present work was to evaluate the productivity and efficiency of the use of the water in the culture of sorghum forager (BRS Black Tip) under different blades of irrigation (50; 75; 100; 125 and 150% of the evapotranspiration of the culture, ETc) associates the different levels of covering deceased (mulch) (0.00; 2.50; 3.75; 5.00 and 6.25 cm). The experimental delineation was made use in subdivided parcels, 5 x 5 with 5 repetitions, having totalized 125 experimental units. It was analyzed: productivity of cool mass, productivity of dry substance, productivity of seed, weight of 100 seed, weight of the seed for panicle, efficiency of use of the water in the production of cool mass in (kg m-3 and R$ m-3). For the results it was possible to conclude that, the factors of production in irrigation blades and in bagana coverage had been promising for the productivity of the culture of sorgo; The significant effect for efficiency in the use of the water in the 0 variable of productivity of cool biomass and dry substance in kg m-3 and R$ m-3, indicate this being a promising culture for the region, associated with the adopted techniques of culture in the present work.

Qualitative and quantitative characteristics of Andaman local duck

Qualitative and quantitative traits are useful descriptors of any breeds under inhabited agro-ecological conditions. Hence, the present study was undertaken to characterize the local duck populations in Andaman based on morphology and morphometric observations under field conditions. Morphology for Drake and Ducks was noted by visual observation. Body measurements (cm) were recorded on length and width of bill and head, length of body, neck, and shank, wingspan, and body circumference. The overall mean values were (cm); 4.01±0.07 (bill length), 1.54±0.04 (bill width), 8.42±0.20 (head length), 3.70±0.36 (head width), 20.32±0.95 (neck length), 48.52±0.58 (body length), 82.27±0.50 (wingspan), 37.75±0.93 (body circumference) and 3.37±0.06 (shank length). Drakes of Andaman local ducks were having more values than ducks. The common bill colour was yellow with black tip, shank and web were yellow, and skin was mostly black. The plumage colour patterns were gray, black, and chocolate in different parts of the body. A white band on the neck was commonly found. The present study generates the baseline information which may be useful for formulation of systematic breeding policy to exploit potentiality of these local ducks and their conservation.

Size Structure and Sex Ratio of Black Tip Reef Shark (<i>Carcharhinus melanopterus</i>) Landed in the TPI Paotere of Makassar City and TPI Beba of Takalar Regency, Province South Sulawesi

Carcharhinus melanopterus in the southern waters of the Makassar Strait is caught with bottom longlines and bottom gill nets as bycatch, caught throughout the year without any management arrangements. The research objective was to obtain information about the size structure and sex ratio of C. melanopterus in the southern waters of the Makassar Strait. The method used is a survey method. Sample measurements were carried out at TPI Paotere Makassar City and TPI Beba Takalar Regency, South Sulawesi Province from July to September 2020. Measurement of total body length (TL:cm) and determining the sex ratio were carried out directly in the field. The results of the study on 144 sample fish showed that the total length range for C. melanopterus landed at the Paotere TPI was the same as those landed at the Beba TPI at sizes between 58 - 135 cm TL with an average length of 91.18 ± 3.32 cm TL and sizes between 51 - 139 cm TL with an average length of 91.1±2.21 cm TL for both male and female sex, respectively.The comparison of C. melanopterus landed in the two fish landing sites was in a balanced state but the male sex was smaller than the female sex.The sex ratio of male and female C. melanopterus is balanced. Most (69.44%) female C. melanopterus caught were relatively young.

LACTOCOCCUS LACTIS STRAINS FROM INTESTINAL ORGAN OF BLACK TIPS SHARK CARCHARHINUS LIMBATUS PRODUCING NISIN-LIKE BACTERIOCIN ACTIVE AGAINST SHRIMP AND FISH PATHOGENS (VIBRIO PARAHAEMOLYTICUS AND VIBRIO ALGINOLYTICUS)

Shark can be a potential source for host-associated probiotics destined to be used in aquaculture. In this study, intestinal tissues of Black tip shark (Carcharhinus limbatus) was used as the source sample for inhibition screening based on spot-on-lawn and agar well diffusion methods. Out of the 80 isolates, only four showed antagonistic activities against selected indicator strains. All of the 4 isolates FA1, FA2, FA3 and FA4 were found to be Gram positive coccus, non-spore former, oxidase and catalase negatives, as well as lactose fermenters. The isolate FA1, FA2, FA3 and FA4 were found to demonstrate broad range of inhibitory spectrum on gram-positive indicator bacterium (Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus) and the gram-negative bacterium (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhimurium, Vibrio alginolyticus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus); with the highest inhibition zone at 20.0±0.1 mm, recorded on V. parahaemolyticus. The genotype of the isolates was characterized using 16S rRNA sequencing. Each sequence with a given GenBank (NCBI) accession number (MN975529 for FA1; MN982712 for FA2; MN982711 for FA3; and MN982710 for FA4) showed at least 99% similarity with Lactococcus lactis subspecies. The crude cell free supernatant (CFS) of the isolates potentially contained a putative bacteriocin displaying nisin-like properties. The pH and catalase treatments showed that neither organic acid nor hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) was the inhibitory component. An almost 95% inactivation of the CFS’s antimicrobial activity was observed following treatment with trypsin suggested a presence of proteinaceous agent. Growth and inhibition studies on all isolated strains demonstrated that the inhibition properties were growth associated, with maximum inhibition achieved at ~20.0 ± 0.1 mm (or ~168 ± 17 AU/ml) at 17 hours by FA2 strain against V. parahaemolyticus. A study on the mode of inhibition demonstrated a bactericidal killing against V. parahaemolyticus. The isolation of Lactococcus lactis strain from shark is rather unique since it was commonly reported to be isolated from human and animals. These strains show bacteriocinogenic properties, broad spectrum inhibition, and more importantly, they are able to antagonise some pathogens implicated in fish or shrimp diseases. Therefore, these strains have potential for use as probiotics in aquaculture.

Thickening of The Blekok Finger Bone (Ardeola speciosa)

Ardeola speciosa, also known as the Blekok bird, is an Aves group that has the Ardeola order. Ardeola speciosa has a size of about 46 cm, long strands of white fur on the front and back of the head to the back. The back color is blacker. Lower body and pure is white wings. It has a gray and yellow beak with a black tip. The beak is yellow with a black tip. And has yellow feet. Each leg on Ardeola speciosa has four toes consisting of segments on each finger. On this occasion we will examine the fingers of the Blekok bird. This research was used to examine the thickening of the finger bones, before being examined the finger bones were cleaned until clean and visible bones, then cut each finger in a transverse position carefully so that the part under study was not damaged. Then it is observed in each bone whether there is thickening in the bone wall.

Keragaman Sifat Kualitatif pada Sapi Silangan PO dan Belgian Blue Menggunakan Analisis Komponen Utama

The purpose of this study was to determine the diversity of qualitative traits in PO, Belgian Blue and PO-Belgian Blue crosses using principal component analysis. The total samples of cattle used were 36 consisting of 8 heads Belgian Blue (4 males and 4 females), 17 heads Belgian PO-Belgian cross-breed (11 males and 6 females) and 11 PO heads (all females)). The diversity of qualitative traits observed were 17 characteristics namely plain body-color (WTP), combination body-color (WTK), horned (MT), humped (MP), sagging (MG), black tail tip color (WUEH), white tail tip color (WUEH), black eyelash color (WBMH), white eyelash color (WBMP), circle hair head (PRK), circle hair back (PRP), circle hair bracket (PRB), black nail color (WKH), nail color white (WKP), double muscle (PG), black muzzle (WMH) and white muzzle (WMP). Qualitative data were analyzed descriptively by calculating the proportion value, while the determinant variables of each breed were analyzed using the principal component analysis method (AKU) with the Minitab version 7 program. The results showed that the characteristics of qualitative traits in PO, Belgian Blue, and PO-Belgian Blue cross-breed cattle have a high diversity. PO and Belgian Blue cattle breeds can be clearly distinguished based on the characteristics of qualitative traits, whereas PO-Belgian Blue crossbred cattle have clusters that are close to PO cattle clusters. Found character traits for each cattle breed in both PO, Belgian Blue, and PO-Belgian Blue cross-breed. There are three characteristics of qualitative traits possessed in each cow nation, namely the variable circle hair head (PRK), circle hair back (PRP) and horned characters (MT). Based on the results obtained that the qualitative traits in cattle can be used as a distinguishing character between PO, Belgian Blue, and PO-Blue Belgian cross cattle breeds.

The experimental study on low frequency sound transmission characteristics of the acoustic black hole

The acoustic black hole has good sound insulation performance in low frequency range. The transmission and insulation characteristics of acoustic black hole is investigated by experiments. First, we study the transmission and insulation characteristics of the acoustic black hole by numerical simulation. Second, we studied the sound transmission characteristic of multi-level acoustic black hole. Finally, the sound transmission and insulation characteristics of the acoustic black hole are studied by experiments. The influence of the acoustic black hole tip’s diameter on sound insulation coefficient is studied. The sound transmission characteristics of the first, two and three level acoustic black holes are also studied by experiments. Our numerical results show that low frequency acoustic energy can be effectively focused at the tip of the acoustic black hole, and can be effectively insulated by the acoustic black hole. Our numerical results are verified by the experimental results. Our study can provide a feasible method for controlling the low frequency noise.

First Report of Diaporthe foeniculina Causing Black Tip and Necrotic Spot on Hazelnut Kernel in Chile

First Report of <i>Diaporthe foeniculina</i> Causing Black Tip and Necrotic Spot on Hazelnut Kernel in Chile

Similar bacterial communities on healthy and injured skin of black tip reef sharks

BackgroundSharks are in severe global decline due to human exploitation. The additional concern of emerging diseases for this ancient group of fish, however, remains poorly understood. While wild-caught and captive sharks may be susceptible to bacterial and transmissible diseases, recent reports suggest that shark skin may harbor properties that prevent infection, such as a specialized ultrastructure or innate immune properties, possibly related to associated microbial assemblages. To assess whether bacterial community composition differs between visibly healthy and insulted (injured) shark skin, we compared bacterial assemblages of skin covering the gills and the back from 44 wild-caught black-tip reef sharks (Carcharhinus melanopterus) from the Amirante Islands (Seychelles) via 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing.ResultsShark skin-associated bacterial communities were diverse (5971 bacterial taxa from 375 families) and dominated by three families of the phylum Proteobacteria typical of marine organisms and environments (Rhodobacteraceae, Alteromonadaceae, Halomonadaceae). Significant differences in bacterial community composition of skin were observed for sharks collected from different sites, but not between healthy or injured skin samples or skin type (gills vs. back). The core microbiome (defined as bacterial taxa present in ≥50% of all samples) consisted of 12 bacterial taxa, which are commonly observed in marine organisms, some of which may be associated with animal host health.ConclusionThe conserved bacterial community composition of healthy and injured shark skin samples suggests absence of severe bacterial infections or substantial pathogen propagation upon skin insult. While a mild bacterial infection may have gone undetected, the overall conserved bacterial community implies that bacterial function(s) may be maintained in injured skin. At present, the contribution of bacteria, besides intrinsic animal host factors, to counter skin infection and support rapid wound healing in sharks are unknown. This represents clear knowledge gaps that should be addressed in future work, e.g. by screening for antimicrobial properties of skin-associated bacterial isolates.

The Whiteness of the Weasel

The Whiteness of the Weasel E. J. Myers (bio) We are not alone. I've known since boyhood that houses often have critters—that the structures we humans perceive as ours often contain other denizens who don't happen to share this proprietary attitude. The resulting interspecies disagreement often leads to conflict. During twenty-five years of residence in suburban New Jersey, for instance, I fought a low-intensity war against the squirrels on the property that my wife and I owned there. These cute troublemakers persistently invaded and nested in our attic, and I resolutely set traps to catch and relocate them to a nearby nature preserve. The result: nearly three hundred squirrels deported over the course of a quarter century. Following this and other experiences, I'm not surprised that when we moved to Vermont, the old house we bought would appeal to wildlife, nor am I shocked to hear scratchy sounds coming from the ceiling and the walls. Neither am I astonished one January morning when Edith announces: "There's a rat in the bathroom!" She utters these words emphatically but without alarm. "A rat? Are you sure?" "It's big, it's white, and it has huge black eyes." Having closed the door, Edith has trapped this critter in the room. [End Page 131] I'm puzzled by her description. It's true that a large rodent might well be a rat, but I'm surprised by the color. Most wild rats are gray, brown, or black. I've never heard of one that's white. I tell Edith I'll investigate; I ease into the bathroom; I look around. I sit on the closed toilet for a while and wait in silence. There's neither sight nor sound of an intruding animal. I don't doubt that she has spotted something, but whatever she saw has somehow escaped. A day later, after Edith has left Vermont for a work assignment, I prepare the house for my own week out of town. One of my chores is to move firewood from the attached garage into the house and then stock two racks near the wood stoves. I make multiple trips into the garage. On my third or fourth trip, something catches my attention: a rustling sound in the far right corner. I can't see what's making it. Then, after fifteen or twenty seconds, I catch sight of the intruder. A small creature, long and lithe, emerges from beneath the ride-on mower and slinks into view. Altogether white except for its black eyes and the black tip of its tail, this animal rears up on hind legs and stares at me. I grasp that it's a weasel of some sort. I'm struck at once by its beauty. This animal is agile, supple, and alert. Despite my total ignorance of weasels, I decide that this one is female. She stares at me with interest but without any sign of alarm. I realize just then what has drawn her out: a bag of frozen garbage that I had carelessly left on the garage floor the previous night. One corner has been chewed open. This little beast has clearly been exploring the trash. Even as I watch, she scampers over to the bag, pokes her head inside, and returns to pilfering whatever she can extract. I step closer. She startles at once and darts under the mower. There's no sign of her for several minutes. Impatient, I return to my task of stocking firewood. Each time I return to the garage, however, I find her exploring the garbage, so I walk over, surprise her with my approach, pick up the bag, and remove it. My later visits to the garage show her still present as she attempts to figure out what happened to her smorgasbord. It's clear to me that I can't let this animal remain here. For all I know, she is the source of the scratching sounds that Edith and I heard on the second floor. Spotting one such creature probably means that [End Page 132] others are present—an entire family, even. Very well, then: they have to go...

Climate change: impact, and mitigation strategies for tropical and subtropical fruits

Global warming and climate change is the greatest concern of mankind in the 21st century. Climate change is projected to cause an increase in temperature, variations in rainfall, and an increase in frequency of extreme events such as heat, cold waves, frost days, droughts, floods, etc. Various plant processes like vegetative growth, flowering, fruiting and fruit quality are highly vulnerable to climate changes. Two major parameters of climate changes that have far reaching implications on plants are more erratic rainfall patterns and unpredictable high temperature spells which are consequently expected to reduce crop productivity. Drought reduced fruit set and increased fruit cracking in pomegranate and litchi. An increase in atmospheric temperature and change of rainfall pattern affected the banana cultivation in some countries. In various fruit crops, moisture stress and high temperature during flowering strongly influences the pollen and ovule quality and consequently the fruit set and yield. The promotion of stigma and stamen sterility in papaya is mainly because of the higher temperature, which caused flower drops as well as sex changes in female and hermaphrodite flowers. Flower drop is quite common in mango, guava, litchi and other fruits, if low temperature prevails during flowering. Studies have clearly shown that the population abundance, geographic range and pollination activities of important pollinator species like bees, moths, and butterflies are declining considerably with changing climate. Higher temperature during fruit growth and development increased the incidence of several physiological disorders like spongy tissue and black tip in mango, cracking of fruits, granulation in citrus, etc. Pest ecology of certain crops is changing due to climate change. Fruit fly in guava, carambola, citrus, etc. is becoming alarming due to hot and humid conditions. Warm and humid conditions are also favorable for pests like beetles, bugs and other sucking pests and diseases like mildew, blight, etc. Development of new varieties with higher yield potential and resistance to multiple stresses (drought, flood, salinity) should be the key to maintain yield. Improvement in germplasm of important tropical and subtropical fruit crops for heat stress tolerance should be one of the targets of breeding programs. Location specific soil and water conservation models, protocol for organic farming, conservation horticulture, development of biotic and abiotic stress tolerance rootstocks, etc., are some of the strategies to mitigate the impact of climate change. This paper briefly discussed the impact and mitigation strategies of climate change on tropical and subtropical fruits.

Ectomycorrhiza Status of Castanopsis buruana Miq. in The Field

Castanopsis buruana Miq. is one of the important species, growing in Indonesian lowland forest. The plant is used as source of wood and highly nutritious nuts. Castanopsis is reported to be associated with ectomycorrhiza, although the C. buruana Miq. which grows in Indonesian tropical rain forest has not been known for its ectomycorrhiza status. The objective of this research was to study the ectomycorrhiza status of C. buruana Miq. which grows in Sulawesi forest as endemic species. Samples were collected from C. buruana Miq. in Grand Forest Park Nipa-Nipa, Kendari. Collection of samples in the field was conducted with line transect technique using root tracing method. Ectomycorrhiza morphotype, root anatomy and root colonization analyses used method of Colour Atlas of Ectomycorrhizae, microtome and gridline intersection, respectively. Analysis results showed that roots of C. buruana Miq. formed eight different root tip morphotypes. Percentage of ectomycorrhiza colonization of the eight morphotypes varied and were categorized into 3 groups, namely <5%, 5-10% and > 50%. Unramified black root tip morphotype exhibites the highest colonization percentage (53,76%) compared to the others root tip morphotype observed.

Detection and Identification of Fungal Infections in Intact Wheat and Sorghum Grain Using a Hand-Held Raman Spectrometer.

Global population growth drives increasing food demand, which is anticipated to increase by at least 20% over the next 15 years. Rapid detection and identification of plant pathogens allows for up to a 50% increase in the total agricultural yield worldwide. Current molecular methods for pathogen diagnostics, such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR), are costly, time-consuming, and destructive. These limitations recently catalyzed a push toward developing minimally invasive and substrate general techniques that can be used in the field for confirmatory detection and identification of plant pathogens. Raman spectroscopy (RS) is a noninvasive, nondestructive, and label-free technique that can be used to determine chemical structure of analyzed specimens. In this study, we demonstrate that by using a hand-held Raman spectrometer, we can identify whether wheat or sorghum grains are healthy or not and identify present plant pathogens. We show that RS enables diagnosis of simple diseases, such as ergot, that are caused by one pathogen, as well as complex diseases, such as black tip or mold, which are induced by several different pathogens. The combination of chemometric analysis and RS allows for distinguishing between healthy and infected grains with high accuracy. We also show that RS can be used to determine states of disease development on grain. These results demonstrate that Raman-based approach for disease detection on plants is sample agnostic.

Vis- and NIR-Based Instruments for Detection of Black-Tip Damaged Wheat Kernels: A Comparative Study

Abstract. Black-tip (BT) is a non-mycotoxic fungus that attacks wheat kernels, forming a dark brown or black sooty area at the tip of the kernel. Visual inspection, which is the approved reference method for determining the amount of BT in wheat, requires substantial time and has high potential for subjective evaluation. Three spectrometers covering the spectral ranges 950-1636 nm (Spec1), 600-1045 nm (Spec2), and 380-780 nm (Spec3) were evaluated for their ability to predict the presence of BT. Kernels were quantified into four levels: (A) sound, (B) low black-tip symptoms (BTS), (C) high BTS, and (D) BT damaged (BTD). Discriminant classification models were developed to evaluate combinations of levels. The combinations were (1) levels A, B, C, and D separately; (2) A, B+C, and D; and (3) A+B and C+D. Spectral data for 2,760 kernels obtained from 23 hard red winter (HRW) wheat samples, each comprising 30 kernels that were visually selected for each of the four levels of black-tip severity (A, B, C, and D), were collected with each spectrometer. Discriminant calibration models for each spectrometer and classification category were developed based on (1) three combinations of 17 HRW wheat samples, with the six remaining samples used for independent validation, and (2) combinations of 20 randomly selected kernels from each of the 23 HRW wheat samples as calibration samples, with the remaining ten kernels used as validation samples. Discriminant analysis was based on five wavelengths for each model. Spectra pretreatment was the standard normal variate (SNV). Results showed that all three spectrometers were capable of detecting BT damage on wheat kernels. BT classification accuracy was observed to have been affected by wheat varieties for Spec1 and Spec2 (both with NIR wavelengths) but not for Spec3, which was entirely in the visible region. The two-category classification (A+B, C+D) provided higher accuracy than the three-category (A, B+C, D) and four-category (A, B, C, D) classifications. Based on the percent correct classification and Youden’s index, Spec2 performed better in detecting sound and BTD wheat kernels, with classification accuracies of the best two-category classification calibration model ranging from 85.6% to 87.5%, compared to Spec1 at 74.8% to 78.4% and Spec3 at 76.7% to 79.2%. This study also showed the potential of using a five-wavelength model, which equates to the potential for developing simple, less expensive, high-speed photoelectric detection instruments. These instruments can serve as important tools in plant breeding, grading, or grain processing facilities to enable BT detection and, with proper selection of wavelengths, may also find applications in simultaneous single-kernel detection, measurement, and segregation of other chemical characteristics, such as protein and starch content. Keywords: Black-tip damage, NIR, VIS, Spectroscopy, Wheat. Keywords: Black-tip damage, NIR, VIS, Spectroscopy, Wheat.