Purple Leaf Research Articles

Bio-inspired broadband absorbers induced by copper nanostructures on natural leaves

In this work, two copper-based biometamaterials were engineered using leaves of water cabbage (Pistia stratiotes) and purple bauhinia (Phanera purpurea) as templates. The copper sputtering was implemented to produce a thin copper film on the surface of leaves. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images exhibited the root hair-like nanostructure of water cabbage leaf and single comb-like nanostructure of purple bauhinia leaf. In spite of copper coating, the leaf surfaces of water cabbage and purple bauhinia were black and exhibited excellent light absorption at visible and near infrarrred wavelengths. It was estimated that these two types of leaves could absorb roughly 90% of light. Finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) calculations predicted the low reflectance stemming from the leaf nanostructures and copper coating layer. Because of the low cost of copper as a coating metal and simple procedure, this can be a promising method for quick fabrication of a thin copper film on the leaf nanostructure for application in blackbody or as the light absorbers.

Updating the Quarantine Status of Prunus Infecting Viruses in Australia.

One hundred Prunus trees, including almond (P. dulcis), apricot (P. armeniaca), nectarine (P. persica var. nucipersica), peach (P. persica), plum (P. domestica), purple leaf plum (P. cerasifera) and sweet cherry (P. avium), were selected from growing regions Australia-wide and tested for the presence of 34 viruses and three viroids using species-specific reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) or polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests. In addition, the samples were tested using some virus family or genus-based RT-PCR tests. The following viruses were detected: Apple chlorotic leaf spot virus (ACLSV) (13/100), Apple mosaic virus (ApMV) (1/100), Cherry green ring mottle virus (CGRMV) (4/100), Cherry necrotic rusty mottle virus (CNRMV) (2/100), Cherry virus A (CVA) (14/100), Little cherry virus 2 (LChV2) (3/100), Plum bark necrosis stem pitting associated virus (PBNSPaV) (4/100), Prune dwarf virus (PDV) (3/100), Prunus necrotic ringspot virus (PNRSV) (52/100), Hop stunt viroid (HSVd) (9/100) and Peach latent mosaic viroid (PLMVd) (6/100). The results showed that PNRSV is widespread in Prunus trees in Australia. Metagenomic high-throughput sequencing (HTS) and bioinformatics analysis were used to characterise the genomes of some viruses that were detected by RT-PCR tests and Apricot latent virus (ApLV), Apricot vein clearing associated virus (AVCaV), Asian Prunus Virus 2 (APV2) and Nectarine stem pitting-associated virus (NSPaV) were also detected. This is the first report of ApLV, APV2, CGRMV, CNRNV, LChV1, LChV2, NSPaV and PBNSPaV occurring in Australia. It is also the first report of ASGV infecting Prunus species in Australia, although it is known to infect other plant species including pome fruit and citrus.

First report of foliicolous fungus Trichothecium roseum (Pers.) Link on sweet cherry Prunus avium L. from Kashmir Valley

Cherry Prunus avium L. is an important cash crop of Kashmir Valley. Cherry leaves are attacked by number of foliicolous fungi which in turn reduce yield of crop. Severe leaf spots were observed on cherry leaves in an orchard of district Baramulla of Kashmir Valley. These spots were similar to those caused by Blumeriella jaapii but smaller in size. Pathogenicity tests were conducted using detached leaf technique. Re isolation of spores from inoculated leaves confirmed Trichothecium roseum as causative agent of purple leaf spot of cherry. This is the first report of Trichothecium roseum responsible for leaf spot of cherry in Kashmir Valley.

Analysis of increasing IFN–γ expression in mice’s lung tissue infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis by giving purple leaf methanol extract

Context: Tuberculosis is an infectious disease that highly depends on the immune response. Purple leaves (Graptophyllum pictum (L) Griff) has an immune–modulatory activity. Aims: The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of purple leaf methanol extract (EMDU) on the expression of IFN–γ in mice lung tissue infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Materials and Methods: M. tuberculosis was infected in mice. The EMDU was given with dose (1.703, 3.406, 6.812) mg kg–1 BW–1 for 14 d after infection. The expression of IFN–γ protein (expression obtained from mice’s lung tissue) was examined using immunohistochemical examination using IFN–γ anti monoclonal antibodies. Calculations performed on immunoreactive cells showed positive expression and reddish–brown appearance on the cytoplasm. Calculated as many as ten fields of view using a light microscope at 400 times magnification, then the mean value is taken. The mean value of the number of immunoreactive cells is included as data. Data analysis by one way ANOVA and Duncan test. Results: The treatment group showed that IFN–γ expression in mice tuberculosis was significantly increased (p < 0.05) of EMDU. Conclusions: Administration of EMDU increase of IFN–γ expression in mice tuberculosis Keywords: Graptophyllum pictum (L) Griff, immune, tuberculosis

Regulation of color transition in purple tea (Camellia sinensis).

Comparative proteomics and metabolomics study of juvenile green, light purple and dark purple leaf to identify key proteins and metabolites that putatively govern color transition in Camellia sinensis. Color transition from juvenile green to dark purple leaf in Camellia sinensis is a complex process and thought to be regulated by an intricate balance of genes, proteins and metabolites expression. A molecular-level understanding of proteins and metabolites expression is needed to define metabolic process underpinning color transition in C. sinensis. Here, purple leaf growth of C. sinensis cultivar was divided into three developmental stages viz. juvenile green (JG), light purple (LP) and dark purple (DP) leaf. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis revealed a clear morphological variation such as cell size, shape and texture as tea leaf undergoing color transition. Proteomic and metabolomic analyses displayed the temporal changes in proteins and metabolites that occur in color transition process. In total, 211 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were identified presumably involved in secondary metabolic processes particularly, flavonoids/anthocyanin biosynthesis, phytohormone regulation, carbon and nitrogen assimilation and photosynthesis, among others. Subcellular localization of three candidate proteins was further evaluated by their transient expression in planta. Interactome study revealed that proteins involved in primary metabolism, precursor metabolite, photosynthesis, phytohormones, transcription factor and anthocyanin biosynthesis were found to be interact directly or indirectly and thus, regulate color transition from JG to DP leaf. The present study not only corroborated earlier findings but also identified novel proteins and metabolites that putatively govern color transition in C. sinensis. These findings provide a platform for future studies that may be utilized for metabolic engineering/molecular breeding in an effort to develop more desirable traits.

RESPONSE OF PURPLE SWEET POTATO (Ipomoea batatas L.), NONI (Morinda citrifolia L.), AND BETLE (Piper betle L.) LEAVES ADDITIONAL IN DIETS ON PERFORMANCE OF BALI DUCK

The experiment was carried out to study the response of additional leaves of purple sweet potato (Ipomoea batatasL.), noni (Morinda citrifolia L.) and betle (Piper betle L.) in diets on performance of bali duck. The experimentused completely randomized design with four treatments consists of control diet A (diet without leaves), diet B (dietcontaining with purple sweet potato leaf, diet C (diet containing noni leaf), and diet D (diet containing beetle leaf).Each treatment conducted with three replications and each replications consist of five ducks. The variables observedwere feed consumption, antioxidant consumption, body gain, and FCR and of bali ducks. Feed consumption of baliducks in treatment B, C and D were significantly lower, however, the antioxidant consumption significantly higherthan control diet. In contrast, body weight gain in treatments B, C and D increased significantly but decreased FCRcompared to treatment A. The treatments of B, C, and D can increase the carcass weight, and carcass percentagesignificantly. These were offered to bali ducks could increase percentage of meat and bone but significantly decreasefat of carcass including their skin for bali ducks fed with A (control treatment). It can concluded that the leaves ofpurple sweet potato, noni, and betle leaf in diets improved the performance and carcass of bali ducks.

Mapping and Identifying a Candidate Gene Plr4, a Recessive Gene Regulating Purple Leaf in Rice, by Using Bulked Segregant and Transcriptome Analysis with Next-Generation Sequencing.

The anthocyanin biosynthesis of rice is a major concern due to the potential nutritional value. Purple appears in various organs and tissues of rice such as pericarp, flower organs, leaves, leaf sheaths, internodes, ligules, apex, and stigma. At present, there are many studies on the color of rice pericarp, but the gene and mechanism of other organs such as leaves are still unclear, and the gene regulatory network of specific organ coloring has not been systematically understood. In this study, genetic analysis demonstrated that the purple leaf traits of rice were regulated by a recessive gene. The green leaf cultivar Y58S and purple leaf cultivar XianHongB were used to construct the mapping population. A set of near isogenicline (NIL) (BC3F1) was bred via crossing and back-crossing. The generations of BC3F2 appeared to separate four phenotypes, pl1, pl2, pl3, and pl4, due to the occurrence of a purple color in different organs. We constructed three bulked segregant analysis (BSA) pools (pl1–pl2, pl1–pl3, and pl1–pl4) by using the separated generations of BC3F5 and mapped the purple leaf gene plr4 to the vicinity of 27.9–31.1 Mb on chromosome 4. Subsequently, transcriptome sequencing (RNA-Seq) for pl3 and pl2 was used to analyze the differentially expressed genes in the localization interval, where 12 unigenes exhibited differential expression in which two genes (Os04g0577800, Os04g0616400) were downregulated. The two downregulated genes (Os04g0577800 and Os04g0616400) are possible candidate genes because of the recessive genetic characteristics of the purple leaf genes. These results will facilitate the cloning of plr4 and illustrate the molecular mechanisms of the anthocyanin synthesis pathway.

Leaf-color mutation induced by ethyl methane sulfonate and genetic and physio-biochemical characterization of leaf-color mutants in pepper (Capsicum annuum L.)

Limited genetic germplasm has been a problem for diversity of pepper for some years. Despite many mutants of plant have been reported in recent years, leaf anthocyanin or chlorophyll mutants were rarely identified in pepper, and the developmental and genetic characteristics of leaf-color remain poorly understood in pepper. Here, pale green leaf mutant, such as zylm mutant that was identified in an ethyl methane sulfonate mutagenized population of wild pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) ‘Zunla’, can be used to study the effect of leaf-color on pepper plants. Under natural field conditions, the leaves of zylm mutant plants exhibited impaired growth and pale green leaf throughout the entire growth season. Physiological and biological analysis of zylm mutant and other leaf-color mutants (yellow-green mutant bmy and purple leaf mutant Z1) revealed that chlorophyll deficiency was affected by down-regulation of chlorophyll synthesis gene expression, and resulted in impaired growth of pepper by inhibiting root activity, decreasing photosynthesis capacity, disturbing accumulation of soluble sugar and protein. Anthocyanins accumulation caused by up-regulation of anthocyanin synthesis gene expression increased root activity and contents of soluble sugar and protein, while its excessive accumulation limited the increase of photosynthesis capacity. Genetic analysis showed that formation of pale green leaf and purple leaf was controlled by nucleus. Green leaf is dominant over pale green leaf, and green leaf is recessive over purple leaf. Pale green leaf gene ZYLM and purple leaf PL were mapped in chromosome 3 and chromosome 9, indicating the diversity of leaf-color in pepper.

De novo transcriptome analysis of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) and the identification of structural genes involved in anthocyanin biosynthesis in response to UV-B radiation

UV-B radiation is one of the major environmental stresses that triggers a variety of plant responses. However, limited information is available regarding plant biological reactions which help to circumvent the potentially harmful effects of UV-B radiation in lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.). In addition, leaf color is one of the most important economic traits of lettuce. The coloration of lettuce is mainly attributed to anthocyanins. Little is currently known about the correlation between anthocyanin biosynthesis and UV-B radiation in lettuce. Therefore, a comprehensive investigation of plant responses to UV-B radiation is critical for explaining the physiological and morphological alterations and revealing the key roles of UV-B in promoting anthocyanin biosynthesis in lettuce. In this study, RNA-seq was performed using the next-generation Illumina HiSeq™ 2000 sequencing platform and de novo assembly based on eight cDNA libraries of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. cv. Shenxuan 5, a purple leaf cultivar) under UV-B-free and UV-B-stressed conditions. Over 382 million high-quality reads were assembled into 88,978 unigenes using a combined assembly strategy. Then a total of 69,397 (77.99%) unigenes were annotated based on at least one public database using homology searches. The transcriptome analysis identified a lot of genes differentially expressed in response to UV-B radiation. In particular, several anthocyanin biosynthetic genes were actively regulated by UV-B radiation. The expression patterns of unigenes encoding cinnamate-4-hydroxylase (C4H), 4-coumarate-CoA ligase (4CL), chalcone synthase (CHS), flavonol synthase (FLS), and dihydroflavonol reductase (DFR) differed between samples. This study represents the first investigation of the transcriptome of lettuce under UV-B radiation. The comparative bioinformatics analysis expands our understanding of plant responses to UV-B stress and its role in leaf coloration of lettuce. Our research also provides a bridge to extend studies to other economically important crops.

A rice gene, OsPL, encoding a MYB family transcription factor confers anthocyanin synthesis, heat stress response and hormonal signaling

Plants with purple leave attain interest because of their biological importance. A new rice mutant, purple leaf (pl) was isolated from an indicia cultivar Zhenong 34, which was induced by ethyl methane sulfonate (EMS) mutagenesis. The genetic analyses substantiated that pl was corroborated by one recessive allele and confirmed by map based cloning using Insertion-Deletion (InDel) markers located on the long arm of chromosome 5. DNAseq data of the candidate part showed one bp insertion (‘C’ insertion) at +901 bp position in the 3rd exon of OsPL gene. The pl was characterized as purple leaves, sheaths and leaf senescence phenotype at late grain filling stage of growth cycle. It possessed abnormal cell with distorted chloroplasts, less chlorophyll, and increased anthocyanin content in leaves. The anthocyanin biosynthesis genes, OsPAL, OsCHS, OsANS, and OsMYB55 showed up-regulation in pl plants compared to wild type (WT). High super oxide dismutase enzyme (SOD), catalase enzyme activity (CAT), total soluble sugar (TSS) and malondialdehyde activity (MDA) were detected in the pl; contrastingly, photosynthesis linked genes were down-regulated. The germinated pl seeds showed comparatively higher temperature stress tolerance than WT. The phytohormones abscicic acid (ABA), jasmonic acid (JA) and indole acetic acid (IAA) content were increased significantly in the pl plants. This research work will be provided information on better understanding of the molecular mechanism toward the anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway in rice. Therefore, OsPL gene could be a good genetic tool in marker aided backcrossing or gene editing for improving the rice cultivation in future.

EKSTRAK DAUN UBI JALAR UNGU SEBAGAI ANTIOKSIDAN UNTUK MEMPERLAMBAT KETENGIKAN (RANCIDITAS) PADA MINYAK KELAPA

The study of purple sweet potato leaf extract as an antioxidant to slow down rancidity in coconut oil has been conducted. The aim of this study was to prove the addition of purple sweet potato leaf extract to postpone the rancidity of coconut oil. The sample used in this study was coconut oil taken from the village of Tingkeum Lampeuneurut, Aceh Besar District, as much as 300 mL. The sample was divided into two Erlenmeyers with 150 ml in each and heated to 90°C of temperature. After that, the first Erlenmeyer was added by 30 ml of purple sweet potato leaf extract. Then, the second Erlenmeyer was chilled and left in open air for 5 days. The sample that was not added by purple sweet potato leaf extract was set as a control. Several parameters were tested in both samples, namely an iodine number, peroxide number, free fatty acid and saponification number. The results were obtained by the addition of purple sweet potato leaf extract and control oil respectively the iodine number 10.21 and 7.54 g I2/100 g samples, peroxide numbers 4.67 and 9.33 mg O2/g, free fatty acids 8.87 and 8.67%, acid numbers 24.2 and 23.5 mg KOH/g, saponification 230.49 and 234.09 mg KOH/g, esters 206.29 and 210.59 mg KOH/g. The peroxide number of oilwhich was added by the purple sweet potato leaf extract has been fulfilled the SNI for coconut oil while the control oil does not. Meanwhile the iodine numbers, acid numbers, saponification numbers, and free fatty acids in both oils do not fulfill the SNI. Based on this study was obtained that the purple sweet potato leaf extract can postpone the rancidity caused by oxidation by reducing the peroxide number. However, the purple sweet potato leaf extract was not able to inhibit the increasing of acid numbers or free fatty acids caused by hydrolysis reactions.

Study on morphological classification and chemical-type of Perilla frutescens cultivated germplasm

Fifty cultivated Perilla seeds were collected all over the country and planted in Beijing experiment field for morphology and chemical-type researches. Twenty morphological characteristics were selected and observed, and the essential oil from leaves was extracted by steam distillation and analyzed by GC-MS to confirm chemical-types. There were significant diversities in plant height, leaf color and morphology, and fruit color and weight. Clustering analysis was carried out based on these morphological characteristics. Six types were divided with their chemical-type designated. Type Ⅰ: Six germplasms, attributed to P. frutescens var. crispa, with dwarf plants, thin creased purple leaf, named Crispa, their chemical types were diversified, including EK, PAPK, PA and PK. Type Ⅱ: Six germplasms, attributed to P. frutescens var. crispa, plants were taller than type I and with thin and creased green leaf, named Big Crispa, all PK type. Type Ⅲ: Seventeen germplasms, attributed to P. frutescens var. frutescens with leaf color upside green and underside purple, tall plant and wide distribution all over the China, named Ordinary Frutescens, all PK. Type Ⅳ: Four germplasms, attributed to P. frutescens var. acuta with tall plant and small seed, named Acuta, all PK. Type Ⅴ: Seven germplasms, attributed to P. frutescens var. frutescens with green leaves, tall plants and long clusters, named Long-spike Frutescens, all PK. Type Ⅵ: Ten germplasms, attributed to P. frutescens var. frutescens with big, thick and creased leaf, named Thick-leaf Frutescens, including PK, PP, PL and PA. The morphological classification of this paper would lay the foundation for the taxonomic naming and following evaluation of the Perilla germplasm resources.This study also showed that there was no correspondence but a certain correlation between volatile oil chemical-types and subspecies classification and morphological characteristics of Perilla.

甘肃河西地区制种紫叶莴笋菌核病的发生与防治

甘肃河西地区制种紫叶莴笋菌核病的发生与防治

Transcriptome profiling of two contrasting ornamental cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. acephala) lines provides insights into purple and white inner leaf pigmentation

BackgroundOrnamental cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. acephala) is an attractive landscape plant that remains colorful at low temperatures during winter. Its key feature is its inner leaf coloration, which can include red, pink, lavender, blue, violet and white. Some ornamental cabbages exhibit variation in leaf color pattern linked to leaf developmental stage. However, little is known about the molecular mechanism underlying changes in leaf pigmentation pattern between developmental stages.ResultsThe transcriptomes of six ornamental cabbage leaf samples were obtained using Illumina sequencing technology. A total of 339.75 million high-quality clean reads were assembled into 46,744 transcripts and 46,744 unigenes. Furthermore, 12,771 genes differentially expressed across the different lines and stages were identified by pairwise comparison. We identified 74 and 13 unigenes as differentially expressed genes related to the anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway and chlorophyll metabolism, respectively. Among them, three unigenes (BoC4H2, BoUGT9, and BoGST21) and six unigenes (BoHEMA1, BoCRD1, BoPORC1, BoPORC2, BoCAO, and BoCLH1) were found as candidates for the genes encoding enzymes in the anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway and chlorophyll metabolism, respectively. In addition, two unigenes (BoRAX3 and BoTRB1) as MYB candidates, two unigenes (BoMUTE1, and BHLH168-like) as bHLH candidates were identified for purple pigmentation in ornamental cabbage.ConclusionOur results indicate that the purple inner leaves of purple ornamental cabbage result from a high level of anthocyanin biosynthesis, a high level of chlorophyll degradation and an extremely low level of chlorophyll biosynthesis, whereas the bicolor (purple/green) outer leaves are due to a moderate level of anthocyanin biosynthesis, a high level of chlorophyll degradation and a very low level of chlorophyll biosynthesis. In white ornamental cabbage, the white inner leaves are due to an extremely low level or absence of anthocyanin biosynthesis, a high level of chlorophyll degradation and a very low level of chlorophyll biosynthesis, whereas the bicolor (white/green) leaves are due to a high level of chlorophyll degradation and a low level of chlorophyll biosynthesis and absence of anthocyanin biosynthesis. These results provide insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying inner and bicolor leaf pigmentation in ornamental cabbage and offer a platform for assessing related ornamental species.

Brassica yellows virus\u2019 movement protein upregulates anthocyanin accumulation, leading to the development of purple leaf symptoms on Arabidopsis thaliana

Poleroviruses are widely distributed and often of great economic importance because they cause a variety of symptoms, such as the rolling of young leaves, leaf color changes, and plant decline, in infected plants. However, the molecular mechanism behind these viral-induced symptoms is still unknown. Here, we verified the pathogenicity of the polerovirus Brassica yellows virus (BrYV) by transforming its full-length amplicon into Arabidopsis thaliana, which resulted in many abnormal phenotypes. To better understand the interactions between BrYV and its host, global transcriptome profiles of the transgenic plants were compared with that of non-transgenic Arabidopsis plants. An association between the BrYV- induced purple leaf symptoms and the activation of anthocyanin biosynthesis was noted. Using the transgenic approach, we found that movement protein of BrYV was responsible for the induction of these coloration symptoms. Collectively, our findings demonstrate the BrYV’ pathogenicity and show that the BrYV-induced purple leaf symptom resulted from its movement protein stimulating anthocyanin accumulation.

The Role of Tillage, Allelopathy, Dormancy-Breaking Mechanisms and Wind in the Spread of Purple Nutsedge (Cyperus rotundus) in Zimbabwe

Purple nutsedge (Cyperus rotundus) is an invasive weed in tropical cultivated lands and propagates through tubers, rhizomes, seed and corms. Weedy invasive plants have unique functional traits that enable their invasiveness. The objectives of this study were to determine the drivers of the purple nutsedge invasion in the Zimbabwe’s agricultural systems among allelopathy, dispersal and dormancy-breaking mechanisms. Three experiments were carried out each in the laboratory, greenhouse and field. All the experiments were in completely randomised design replicated six times. Results showed that purple nutsedge leaf, stem and tuber extracts successfully (P < 0.001) inhibited germination and radical extension of Sorghum bicolor. Cutting the seed, which mimics the plough action on tubers gave the highest (P < 0.05) sprouting compared to exposure to freezing temperatures. There was a direct relationship between dispersal distance and wind speed (R2 = 0.907). The purple nutsedge plants attached to the plough were related (R2 = 0.515) to the number of plough passes. This study confirmed that allelopathy, easiness for dispersal and dormancy-breaking by the cutting action of the plough were the drivers of the weed’s invasiveness. Therefore, allelopathy, ploughing, dispersal by wind and plough contribute to invasiveness of the weed.

First Report of Boxwood Blight Caused by Calonectria pseudonaviculata in California.

Samples from 9-year-old boxwood (Buxus sempervirens ‘Suffruticosa’) plantings from a residential estate in San Mateo County were submitted to the California Department of Food and Agriculture Plant Pest Diagnostics Center Lab in December 2016. Partially to nearly completely defoliated plants were found in which many of the leaves had violet brown, water-soaked spots. Green stems that became gray and dry as the disease progressed had narrow, longitudinal black lesions. Within a few months, symptomatic plants were discovered throughout the estate, despite sanitation practices implemented to prevent the spread of disease. Hyaline conidia, which ranged from 47.5 to 62.5 × 4.0 to 6 μm (53.5 × 5.1 μm average), were zero to two septate and produced in slimy masses in the leaf spots and stem lesions. Pieces (4 mm³) of tissue were excised from the margins of the spots and lesions, surface sterilized in 0.6% NaOCl for 2 min, and placed onto one-half-strength acidified potato dextrose agar (APDA). Velvety brown colonies grew from the pieces, eventually producing a tan to reddish margin with a ring of white sporulating conidiophores. The internal transcribed spacer region of rDNA (White et al. 1990) and portions of the translation elongation factor 1-alpha (Hunter et al. 2006) and beta-tubulin genes (Crous et al. 1999) were amplified from extracted DNA from one isolate and the amplicons sequenced (GenBank accession nos. MH078193, MG930486, and MG905088). BLAST analysis of a portion of the beta-tubulin gene was 100% identical with a sequence of the Calonectria pseudonaviculata culture ex-type, isolate STE-U 3399 (KF815124). To confirm pathogenicity, conidia were collected by flooding 15-day-old sporulating cultures with sterile distilled water and inoculating three 3.79-liter potted B. sempervirens plants, approximately 30 cm tall, with 3 ml each of a spore suspension (7 × 10⁵ spores/ml). Plants were placed in a dew chamber at 20°C for 72 h and then in a growth chamber at 20°C with a 12-h photoperiod. After 6 days, gray to purple leaf spots with orange centers were seen on the plants, with a few branches beginning to defoliate. Plants sprayed with water as controls and kept under the same environmental conditions as the inoculated plants remained healthy. After 13 days, leafspots, black stem lesions, severe dieback, and defoliation were observed on all inoculated plants. C. pseudonaviculata was isolated on APDA from symptomatic tissue from all inoculated plants but was not recovered from the control plants. C. pseudonaviculata was first discovered in the United Kingdom in the mid-1990s and has been detected in New Zealand, Europe, Canada, and the United States on the eastern seaboard (Farr and Rossman 2018). Following this detection in San Mateo County, boxwood blight was found at three additional estates in two counties in northern California. The presence of boxwood blight has limited the planting options for affected estates and bordering properties. To date, the disease has not been found in commercial nurseries in California. The above average rainfall in northern California in the fall of 2016 through spring 2017 may have provided optimum conditions for spread of this disease.

Evaluation of nutritional quality in different varieties of green and purple leaf lettuces

To determine the quality difference in different varieties of leaf lettuces, we investigated the characteristics of 74 varieties of leaf lettuces (55 green and 19 purple varieties). Both domestic and foreign varieties of lettuce were included in this study. We determined six nutritional indicators of these varieties: such as total soluble sugar, starch, cellulose, proteins, and vitamin C. The grey correlation analysis was used to analyze the 74 varieties of leaf lettuces. Thus, the merits of these traits were compared. The results indicate that the purple leaf lettuce P-S23 had grey comprehensive evaluation value of about 0.8, which was the highest among all varieties. For green leaf lettuces G-S68 and G-S10, grey comprehensive evaluation values were less than 0.5. This indicates that nutritional quality and nutritional value of the purple leaf varieties were higher than that of the green leaf varieties. Furthermore, the quality of green varieties of G-S68 and G-S10 were of poor quality, whereas the purple variety P-S23 was most suitable for commercial production.

KAJIAN PEMANFAATAN SEKAM PADI DIFERMENTASI Aspergillus niger DALAM RANSUM DISUPLEMENTASI TEPUNG DAUN UBI JALAR UNGU (Ipomoea batatas, L.) TERHADAP PENAMPILAN ITIK BALI UMUR 24 -36 MINGGU

The experiment was carried out to study the effect on fermented rice hull in diets supplemented with purplesweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) leaves meal on performance of bali ducks. A completely randomized design withfive treatments such as diet without rice hull (A), diet contaning 10% rice hull (B), diet containing 10% fermentedrice hull (C), ration contaning 9% rice hull and 1% purple sweet potato leaf meal (D), diet containing 9% fermentedrice hull and 1% purple sweet potato leaf meal (E). Each treatment in three replications consists of 5 female ducks.The variables observed were feed consumption, antioxidant capacity, total egg weight and FCR, and total eggs, eggproduction per day, and means of eggs weight. It showed that diet feed consumption of ducks fed E treatment found3.32% lower (P&lt;0,05), total eggs 47,56% higher (P&lt;0,05) compared to A. In addition, E treatment can increasetotal amount of eggs, egg production per day, and 29,16%, 29,15% dan 12,12% means of eggs (P&lt;0,05) compared toA treatment. It can be concluded that ducks fed diets containing fermented rice hull and purple sweet potato leafmeal supplemented can improve efficiency of diets and production of eggs.

Correction: Combined bulked segregant sequencing and traditional linkage analysis for identification of candidate gene for purple leaf sheath in maize.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0190670.].