Comparison Of Fitness Parameters Research Articles

Mutations and Overexpression of CYP51 Associated with DMI-Resistance in Colletotrichum gloeosporioides from Chili.

Chili anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum spp. is an annual production concern for growers in China. Sterol C14-demethylation inhibitors (DMIs, such as tebuconazole) have been widely used to control this disease for more than three decades. In the current study, of 48 isolates collected from commercial chili farms in Jiangsu Province of China during 2018 and 2019, 8 single-spore isolates were identified as Colletotrichum gloeosporioides and the rest were identified as C. acutatum. To determine whether the DMI resistance of isolates develops in the field, mycelial growth of the 48 isolates was measured in culture medium with and without tebuconazole. In all, 6 of the 8 C. gloeosporioides isolates were resistant to tebuconazole, but all 40 of the C. acutatum isolates were sensitive to tebuconazole. The fitness cost of resistance was low based on a comparison of fitness parameters between the sensitive and resistant isolates of C. gloeosporioides. Positive cross-resistance was observed between tebuconazole and difenconazole or propiconazole, but not prochloraz. Alignment results of the CgCYP51 amino acid sequences from the sensitive and resistant isolates indicated that mutations can be divided into three genotypes. Genotype I possessed four substitutions (V18F, L58V, S175P, and P341A) at the CgCYP51A gene but no substitutions at CgCYP51B, while genotype II had five substitutions (L58V, S175P, A340S, T379A, and N476T) at CgCYP51A, concomitant with three substitutions (D121N, T132A, and F391Y) at CgCYP51B. In addition, genotype III contained two substitutions (L58V and S175P) at CgCYP51A, concomitant with one substitution (T262A) at CgCYP51B. Molecular docking models illustrated that the affinity of tebuconazole to the binding site of the CgCYP51 protein from the resistant isolates was decreased when compared with binding site affinity of the sensitive isolates. Our findings provide not only novel insights into understanding the resistance mechanism to DMIs, but also some important references for resistance management of C. gloeosporioides on chili.

Effects of mineral distribution at mesoscopic scale on solute diffusion in a clay‐rich rock: Example of the Callovo‐Oxfordian mudstone (Bure, France)

The mesostructure (millimeter to micrometer scale) of clay‐rich sedimentary rocks is generally characterized by a connected fine‐grained clay matrix embedding coarser nonclay minerals. We use the Callovo‐Oxfordian clay‐rich rock formation (France) to illustrate how mesostructure influences solute transfer in clay‐rich rocks at larger scales. Using micrometer resolution imaging techniques (SEM and micro‐CT) major mineral phases (clay matrix, carbonates, tectosilicates, and heavy minerals) were mapped both in two dimensional (2‐D) and three dimensional (3‐D) at the mesoscale. Orientation and elongation distributions of carbonate and tectosilicate grains measured on mineral maps reveal an anisotropic mesostructure relative to the bedding plane, in agreement with the geological history of the sedimentary rock. Diffusion simulations were performed based on the 3‐D mineral maps using a random walk method thus allowing direct computation of mesoscopic scale‐related diffusion anisotropy and tortuosity. Considering an isotropic clay matrix, simulated diffusion anisotropy (1.11–1.26) was found lower than the one experimentally measured on macroscopic samples (1.5 to 2), due to the anisotropy feature of pores within the clay matrix. The effects of the mineral content variations on diffusion properties were then investigated by numerical modifications of a mineral map combined with diffusion simulations. Evolution of the tortuosity and diffusion anisotropy with the clay matrix content were successfully interpreted by the Koponen percolation/diffusion model, whereas the Archie approach fails to reproduce diffusion properties at low clay contents. A comparison of fitting parameters with those obtained experimentally indicates that diffusion coefficient variations observed at a large scale could be mainly controlled by the mesostructure.

Application of water–activated carbon isotherm models to water adsorption isotherms of single-walled carbon nanotubes

The objective of this study is to understand the interactions of water with novel nanocarbons by implementing semiempirical models that were developed to interpret adsorption isotherms of water in common carbonaceous adsorbents. Water adsorption isotherms were gravimetrically determined on several single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) and activated carbon samples. Each isotherm was fitted to the Dubinin–Serpinsky (DS) equation, the Dubinin–Astakov equation, the cooperative multimolecular sorption theory, and the Do and Do equations. The applicability of these models was evaluated by high correlation coefficients and the significance of fitting parameters, especially those that delineate the concentration of hydrophilic functional groups, micropore volume, and the size of water clusters. Samples were also characterized by spectroscopic and adsorption techniques, and properties complementary to those quantified by the fitting parameters were extracted from the data collected. The comparison of fitting parameters with sample characterization results was used as the methodology for selecting the most informative and the best-fitting model. We conclude that the Do equation, as modified by Marban et al., is the most suitable semiempirical equation for predicting from experimental isotherms alone the size of molecular clusters that facilitate adsorption in SWNTs, deconvoluting the experimental isotherms into two subisotherms: adsorption onto hydrophilic groups and filling of micropores, and quantifying the concentration of hydrophilic functional groups, as well as determining the micropore volume explored by water. With the exception of the DS equation, the application of other water isotherm models to SWNTs is not computationally tractable. The findings from this research should aid studies of water adsorption in SWNTs by molecular simulation, which remains the most popular tool for understanding the microscopic behavior of water in nanocarbons.