Organic management promotes natural pest control through altered plant resistance to insects.

Reduced insect pest populations found on long-term organic farms have mostly been attributed to increased biodiversity and abundance of beneficial predators, as well as to changes in plant nutrient content. However, the role of plant resistance has largely been ignored. Here, we determine whether host plant resistance mediates decreased pest populations in organic systems and identify potential underpinning mechanisms. We demonstrate that fewer numbers of leafhoppers (Circulifer tenellus) settle on tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) grown using organic management as compared to conventional. We present multiple lines of evidence, including rhizosphere soil microbiome sequencing, chemical analysis and transgenic approaches, to demonstrate that changes in leafhopper settling between organically and conventionally grown tomatoes are dependent on salicylic acid accumulation in plants and mediated by rhizosphere microbial communities. These results suggest that organically managed soils and microbial communities may play an unappreciated role in reducing plant attractiveness to pests by increasing plant resistance.

An efficient and reproducible Agrobacterium-mediated transformation method for hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

BACKGROUND: Despite wheat being a worldwide staple, it is still considered the most difficult to transform out of the main cereal crops. Therefore, for the wheat research community, a freely available and effective wheat transformation system is still greatly needed. RESULTS: We have developed and optimised a reproducible Agrobacterium-mediated transformation system for the spring wheat cv 'Fielder' that yields transformation efficiencies of up to 25%. We report on some of the important factors that influence transformation efficiencies. In particular, these include donor plant health, stage of the donor material, pre-treatment by centrifugation, vector type and selection cassette. Transgene copy number data for independent plants regenerated from the same original immature embryo suggests that multiple transgenic events arise from single immature embryos, therefore, actual efficiencies might be even higher than those reported. CONCLUSION: We reported here a high-throughput, highly efficient and repeatable transformation system for wheat and this system has been used successfully to introduce genes of interest, for RNAi, over-expression and for CRISPR-Cas9 based genome editing.

Correction to: An efficient and reproducible Agrobacterium- mediated transformation method for hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1186/s13007-019-0503-z.].

Effects of an intracanal glass ionomer barrier on coronal microleakage in teeth with post space.

Bacterial microleakage of the remaining gutta-percha in teeth prepared for post space with and without the use of an intracanal glass ionomer barrier was evaluated. Forty distal roots of mandibular molars were instrumented, obturated with gutta-percha and AH Plus sealer, and post spaces created. Teeth were divided as follows: Group I, 3 mm of gutta-percha; group II, 4 mm of gutta-percha; group III, 2 mm of gutta-percha plus 1 mm of Vitrebond; and group IV, 3 mm gutta-percha plus 1 mm Vitrebond. The roots were suspended in Rogosa SL broth and Lactobacilli casei was used as a microbial marker. At the end of 92 days, the mean number of days for the broth to turn turbid was group I, 23.8; group II, 43.0; group III, 57.4, and group IV, 70.5. A two-way ANOVA showed differences between the groups and a post hoc Tukey HSD analysis revealed the following significant differences (p < 0.05): Group I leaked faster than groups III and IV and group II leaked faster than group IV. In clinical situations of teeth with compromised crown-root ratio that require a post and core, 1 mm of Vitrebond over 2 or 3 mm remaining gutta-percha could reduce the risk of recontamination of the apical gutta-percha.