Dodine an effective alternative to copper for controlling Venturia oleaginea, the causal agent of pea-cock eye disease, in highly infected olive trees.

A trial was carried out in central Italy in an olive orchard of cultivar Moraiolo, highly infected by Venturia oleaginea. The aim of the investigation was to evaluate the effects of autumn and spring applications of copper oxychloride or dodine to control the disease. Non treated trees were used as the control. The effects of the fungal attacks on leaves and inflorescence development confirmed the high susceptibility of the cultivar Moraiolo to the disease. The results show that in trees heavily infected, but with most of the infected leaves at the early stage of the disease (asymptomatic phase), treatments with dodine had a curative effect, with consequent reduction in the appearance of symptomatic leaves and defoliation with respect to the control or copper-treated trees. The use of dodine against the autumnal attacks of V. oleaginea allowed most of the old leaves to be maintained until the new ones had formed, which is important for the growth processes during the early part of the growing season. Overall, the results indicate that to efficiently control the pathogen using copper compounds, treatments must start soon after the beginning of the attack and be repeated in order to maintain the infection at a low level. Dodine can be efficiently used if there is a great increase in infected leaves. The use of dodine to solve particular situations and not for normal repeated use is regulated by the fact that in some countries, Italy included, protocols for integrated pest management allow only one dodine treatment/year.

No- or Low-Content Copper Compounds for Controlling Venturia oleaginea, the Causal Agent of Olive Leaf Spot Disease.

The efficacy of using a synthetic (azoxystrobin + difenoconazole), copper-based (copper oxychloride) and low-content copper compound (copper complexed with gluconate and lignosulphonate) fungicides for controlling Venturia oleaginea, the causal agent of olive spot disease, was evaluated in an olive (cv. Nabali) orchard located in the Kafr Qud area (Palestine) in 2017-2018. Treatments were applied at three different times (February, April, and August). In January 2017, at the beginning of the experiment, about 90% of the leaves grown in 2016 were infected. Defoliation was determined by counting the leaves on the labeled branches initially and then periodically. It increased gradually in both the control and treated trees, but those treated with azoxystrobin + difenoconazole or with copper complexed with gluconate and lignosulphonate showed a slower defoliation rate. During 2017, new shoots grew and new leaves developed. All treatments reduced the drop of new leaves with respect to the control, with positive effects on the reproductive activity (inflorescence growth and yield). Overall, all treatments significantly reduced the disease, thus indicating the possibility of greatly reducing infections if treatments are regularly applied each year, also with traditional (copper-based) fungicides. Due to their capability of penetrating inside the vegetative tissue, azoxystrobin + difenoconazole or copper complexed with gluconate and lignosulphonate reduced/slowed down the drop of infected leaves. The use of these fungicides is therefore particularly recommended when olive leaf spot disease is severe. The use of low-content copper compounds allows the amount of metallic copper used for the treatments against V. oleaginea to be greatly reduced.

NGS transcriptomic analysis uncovers the possible resistance mechanisms of olive to Spilocea oleagina leaf spot infection.

Spilocea oleagina is a dangerous obligate fungal pathogen of olive, feared in the Mediterranean countries, causing Peacock's eye or leaf spot infection, which can lead to a serious yield loss of approximately 20% or higher depending on climatic conditions. Coping with this disease is much more problematic for organic farms. To date, knowledge on the genetic control of possible mechanisms of resistance/low susceptibility is quite limited. In this work, comparative transcriptomic analysis (RNA-seq) was conducted in leaf tissues of a low susceptible cultivar Koroneiki and a high susceptible cultivar Nocellara del Belice, both tested in the field using the NaOH test, considering two stages-"zero sign of disease" and "evident sign of infection". Cultivars showed a very large number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in both stages. 'Koroneiki' showed an extensive hormonal crosstalk, involving Abscisic acid (ABA) and ethylene synergistically acting with Jasmonate, with early signaling of the disease and remarkable defense responses against Spilocea through the over-expression of many resistance gene analogs or pathogenesis-related (PR) genes: non-specific lipid-transfer genes (nsLTPs), LRR receptor-like serine/threonine-protein kinase genes, GDSL esterase lipase, defensin Ec-AMP-D2-like, pathogenesis-related leaf protein 6-like, Thaumatin-like gene, Mildew resistance Locus O (MLO) gene, glycine-rich protein (GRP), MADS-box genes, STH-21-like, endochitinases, glucan endo-1,3-beta-glucosidases, and finally, many proteinases. Numerous genes involved in cell wall biogenesis, remodeling, and cell wall-based defense, including lignin synthesis, were also upregulated in the resistant cultivar, indicating the possible role of wall composition in disease resistance. It was remarkable that many transcription factors (TS), some of which involved in Induced Systemic Resistance (ISR), as well as some also involved in abiotic stress response, were found to be uniquely expressed in 'Koroneiki', while 'Nocellara del Belice' was lacking an effective system of defense, expressing genes that overlap with wounding responses, and, to a minor extent, genes related to phenylpropanoid and terpenoid pathways. Only a Thaumatin-like gene was found in both cultivars showing a similar expression. In this work, the genetic factors and mechanism underlying the putative resistance trait against this fungal pathogen were unraveled for the first time and possible target genes for breeding resistant olive genotypes were found.

Molecular characterization and phylogenetic study of the hemagglutinin-neuraminidase gene of newcastle disease virus isolated from peacock (Pavo cristatus) and Turkey (Meleagris) and its comparison with broiler isolates.

Newcastle disease has been endemic within the Iranian poultry industry for decades. However, the genetic nature of the circulating Hemagglutinin-Neuraminidase (HN) gene among Iranian domesticated bird populations is broadly unexplored. The presented study was carried out to gain insights into the biological and molecular characterization of four complete HN genes isolated from turkey, peacock, and broiler isolates in Iran between 2018 and 2020. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that the isolates belong to the Newcastle disease virus (NDV) subgenotype VII.1.1, previously known as VIIL. Further analysis demonstrated the thermostable substitutions S315P and I369V within the isolates. Finding the N-glycosylation site (NIS) at positions 144-146 and the cysteine residue 123 might influence the fusogenicity abilities of the isolates, while identification of multiple amino acid substitutions in both antigenic sites, especially I514V and E347Q, and the binding sites of the HN protein, raised concern about the pathogenicity of the isolates. In addition, the annual rate of change based on the HN gene of Iranian NDV was calculated at about 1.8088E-3 between 2011 and 2020. In conclusion, a new NDV variant with multiple site mutagenesis is circulating not only among chickens but also in turkey and captive birds such as peafowls, and failure of routine vaccination programs could be attributed to the differences between circulating NDV strains and those used in vaccine manufacturing. Therefore, future legislation aimed at providing vaster vaccination cover and biosecurity plans will be needed to control the spread of circulating NDV strains.

Impacts of river fragmentation on limiting individual dietary specialization of Amazonian predatory fish.

Individual dietary specialization is one of the factors that promotes variation in resource use at the individual level. Here we used stable isotope analysis of multiple tissues with different turnover rates to examine the degree of individual specialization in two sub-populations of the predator Cichla temensis inhabiting both fragmented and undammed rivers within the Uatumã River basin of the Amazon. Our results showed that the undammed river provides better conditions to promote individual dietary specialization than the fragmented river. This study contributes to the understanding of how specific life history characteristics of populations of generalist predators are impacted by fragmentation within megadiverse environments such as the Amazon basin.

The mystery of the butterfly bush Buddleja davidii: How are the butterflies attracted?

Many plant species are pollinated by butterflies. These insects are primarily attracted by visual flower cues, however, butterflies are also known to respond to flower scents and some butterfly-pollinated plants are strongly scented. One of such plants is the butterfly bush, Buddleja davidii, which is a magnet for butterflies. It is widespread in its native region in Asia and famous for its success in invasive spreading in regions throughout the world. Due to its attractiveness to butterflies and its beautiful and conspicuous inflorescences, it also is an important ornamental, found in many gardens. Here, we elucidated the signaling between the butterfly bush and one of its abundant visitors, the peacock butterfly (Aglais io), using chemical and behavioral approaches. We found that olfactory cues are more attractive than visual cues, and that feeding behavior is only elicited by olfactory cues, most effectively by 4-oxoisophorone and oxoisophorone epoxide. The latter compound was not known to elicit behavioral responses in pollinators before this study. The relative importance of olfactory cues was higher in our study than previously observed in any butterfly pollination system. The identified attractants might contribute to the widespread occurrence of the butterfly bush in its native region in Asia and its success in invasive spreading in regions throughout the world.

Report of Tuckerella pavoniformis (Acari: Tuckerellidae) on Mamey, Mammea americana (Calophyllaceae), in Northwestern Peru.

The family Tuckerellidae, or peacock mites, is a monogeneric group comprising approximately 32 species, which are usually collected from the fruits or woody parts of their host plants. Fruits and branchlets of mamey, Mammea americana L. (Calophyllaceae) trees in north-western Peru were sampled for peacock mites throughout spring and summer for two consecutive years. This is the first record of Tuckerella pavoniformis (Ewing) (Acari: Tuckerellidae) feeding on mamey. Aggregations of mites were much higher and more common on the fruit epicarps than on branchlets. Recommendations for the development of an Integrated Pest Management strategy for this peacock mite are included.

Spermatozoa Survival in Egg Yolk-Based and Soybean-Based Extenders at Ambient and Chilling Temperature in Domestic Turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo).

Populations of many galliform species have declined mainly due to habitat loss and over-hunting, notably the Congo peacock, which has been classified as a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The domestic turkey, being a species of least concern, which has been reported to be closely related to peacocks, could serve as a model for the optimization of assisted reproductive technologies for the Congo peacock. This study was aimed at developing a suitable turkey semen extender for artificial insemination in field conditions. Semen was collected using the dorso-abdominal massage technique from seven turkey toms and analyzed. Ejaculates with >70% motility and >80% live spermatozoa were pooled and divided into four aliquots (four treatments). Each of the four treatments was extended in a soybean-based extender or an egg yolk-based extender, with or without L-ascorbic acid. Two liquid preservation protocols (ambient temperature (35 °C) and chilled (4 °C)) were employed, and quality parameters including motility, viability and morphology were evaluated. The results show that the two extenders were similar with regard to semen quality parameters, and L-ascorbic acid supplementation of the turkey semen extenders improved semen quality during liquid storage.

The genome sequence of the peacock moth, Macaria notata (Linnaeus, 1758).

We present a genome assembly from an individual male Macaria notata (the peacock moth; Arthropoda; Insecta; Lepidoptera; Geometridae). The genome sequence is 394 megabases in span. The majority of the assembly (99.98%) is scaffolded into 29 chromosomal pseudomolecules with the Z sex chromosome assembled. The complete mitochondrial genome was also assembled and is 15.4 kilobases in length.

Olive leaf spot caused by Venturia oleaginea: An updated review.

Olive leaf spot (OLS) caused by Venturia oleaginea is widespread in all olive-growing areas and continents, where can cause severe yield losses. The disease is often underestimated for the difficulty to reveal early leaf symptoms and for the pathogen-induced phylloptosis, which creates the illusion of healthy and restored plants. The present review provide updated information on taxonomy, pathogen life style and cycle, epidemiology, diagnosis, and control. Application of copper-based fungicides is the main method to control OLS. However, the regulation 2009/1107 of the European Commission include these fungicides in the list of substances candidates for substitution. It is therefore urgent to find alternative control strategies especially for organic agriculture. Among new approaches/strategies for controlling OLS, promising results have been obtained using nanotechnology, endophytic microbes, and biostimulants.

Abundant Citizen Science Data Reveal That the Peacock Butterfly Aglais io Recently Became Bivoltine in Belgium.

The peacock butterfly is abundant and widespread in Europe. It is generally believed to be univoltine (one generation per year): adults born in summer overwinter and reappear again in spring to reproduce. However, recent flight patterns in western Europe mostly show three peaks during the year: a first one in spring (overwintering butterflies), a second one in early summer (offspring of the spring generation), and a third one in autumn. It was thus far unclear whether this autumn flight peak was a second new generation or consisted of butterflies flying again in autumn after a summer rest (aestivation). The life cycle of one of Europe's most common butterflies is therefore still surprisingly inadequately understood. We used hundreds of thousands of observations and thousands of pictures submitted by naturalists from the public to the online portal observation.orgin Belgium and analyzed relations between flight patterns, condition (wear), reproductive cycles, peak abundances, and phenology to clarify the current life history. We demonstrate that peacocks have shifted towards two new generations per year in recent decades. Mass citizen science data in online portals has become increasingly important in tracking the response of biodiversity to rapid environmental changes such as climate change.

Molecular characterization and pathogenicity of a fowl adenovirus serotype 4 isolated from peacocks associated with hydropericardium hepatitis syndrome.

In September 2019, a highly prevalent infectious disease caused severe hydropericardium hepatitis syndrome (HHS) in a peacock farm in Central China. The disease showed high mortality of 78.6% in 28-42 day-old peacocks. In this study, one strain of highly pathogenic fowl adenovirus serotype 4 (FAdV-4) was isolated from peacocks and designated as HN19. Molecular characterization of amino acid revealed that HN19 contains the same deletions as the dominate strains in chickens in China recently. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that HN19 showed higher homology with other FAdV-4 strains isolated from China, indicating that HN19 might originate from previously FAdV-4 predecessor in China. Experimental infection of the HN19 strain via intramuscular injection led to 100% mortality rate in 21-day-old specific pathogenic-free (SPF) chickens. To our knowledge, this represents the first report on the prevalence of FAdV-4 in peacocks. These results suggested that the potential risk of cross-species transmission of FAdV-4 from chickens to peacocks, highlighting the need for implementing strict biosecurity measures to avoid the mixing of different bird species.

The genome sequence of the European peacock butterfly, Aglais io (Linnaeus, 1758).

We present a genome assembly from an individual male Aglais io (also known as Inachis io and Nymphalis io) (the European peacock; Arthropoda; Insecta; Lepidoptera; Nymphalidae). The genome sequence is 384 megabases in span. The majority (99.91%) of the assembly is scaffolded into 31 chromosomal pseudomolecules, with the Z sex chromosome assembled. Gene annotation of this assembly on Ensembl has identified 11,420 protein coding genes.

Ecological impacts of an invasive top predator fish across South America.

Peacock bass Cichla ocellaris is a piscivorous cichlid native from the Amazon and Orinoco river basins, which has been broadly introduced into tropical areas worldwide, leading to several adverse local effects. However, predictors of its invasibility and assessments of its ecological impacts over large spatial scales are still lacking. The importance of different environmental factors in explaining the relative abundance of peacock bass in 62 sites across South America (30 native and 32 invaded systems) was investigated. The impacts of peacock bass on fish assemblages were appraised, using years since introduction as a proxy of its cumulative impacts and modern statistical techniques, such as random forests, and negative binomial regression models. Random forests highlighted maximum depth, introduced status, and ecosystem type as the best predictors of the peacock bass relative abundance, which ranged 0.01-26.0%, increased with maximum depth, was highest in invaded reservoirs but decreased with depth in native riverine populations. Other factors such as climate or limnological features were less important in explaining C. ocellaris abundance, which did not vary markedly with years since introduction. Introduction year was not related to latitude but varied among hydrographic regions, indicating invasion pathways not linked to geographical proximity. Variation partitioning of different fish assemblage metrics showed that hydrographic region followed by limnological and reservoir features accounted for most explained variation, indicating a strong historical and local influence. Introduction time accounted for 5-8% of variation in species composition and diversity, independently of limnological features. Our results suggest that the ecological effects of introduced C. ocellaris on native fish fauna are likely but small compared to large geographical and environmental gradients. Although experiments and before-after designs are probably more sensitive in detecting the ecological impacts of invasive species, large-scale compilations of available data are more feasible and can provide invaluable information, especially for large-sized invaders that are often illegally introduced.

Discrimination of species and populations of the genus Cichla (Cichliformes: Cichlidae) in rivers of the Amazon basin using otolithic morphometry

ABSTRACT The genus Cichla is a highly diverse group, with 16 species already described. Externally, some species are very similar and discriminating between them may be very difficult. Nevertheless, discrimination of fish stocks is essential for management purposes. Morphometric analyses of otoliths have been successfully used to distinguish species and fish stocks, especially in marine environments. This study evaluated whether sagittal otolith shape can be used to discriminate among the species Cichla temensis, C. monoculus, and C. orinocensis, as well as within populations of C. temensis in rivers of the Amazon. Shape indices and Fourier coefficients were used to describe the shape of the otoliths. Among the groups of species, the morphology of the sagittal otolith of C. temensis was totally distinct from the species C. monoculus and C. orinocensis. While among populations of C. temensis, individuals from the Negro and Jatapú Rivers were different, regardless of the methods used. These results confirm the ability to differentiate species and populations by using the morphology of otoliths. However, more research is needed to verify the role of genetic versus environmental and biotic effects, and thus be able to explain the discrimination observed in otoliths.

RESUMO O gênero Cichla é bastante diverso, com 16 espécies descritas. Algumas espécies são externamente muito similares e sua discriminação pode ser bastante difícil. Ao mesmo tempo, a discriminação de estoques pesqueiros é essencial para propostas de manejo. Análises morfométricas em otólitos têm sido utilizadas com sucesso para a distinção de espécies e estoques pesqueiros, principalmente em ambientes marinhos. Este estudo avaliou se o formato do otólito sagittal pode ser utilizado para discriminar entre espécies Cichla temensis, C. monoculus e C. orinocensis, bem como dentro de populações de C. temensis em diferentes rios amazônicos. Índices de forma e coeficientes de Fourier foram utilizados para descrever a forma dos otólitos. Dentre as espécies, a morfologia do otólito sagittal do C. temensis mostrou ser totalmente distinta das espécies C. monoculus e C. orinocensis. Enquanto no grupo das populações de C. temensis, os indivíduos dos rios Negro e Jatapú mostraram-se diferentes independente dos métodos utilizados. Esses resultados confirmam a capacidade de diferenciação de espécies e populações através da morfologia dos otólitos. No entanto, são necessárias mais pesquisas para verificar o papel dos efeitos genéticos em comparação aos efeitos ambientais e bióticos para explicar a discriminação observada nos otólitos.

Gnathostomiasis acquired after consumption of raw freshwater fish in the Amazon region: a report of two cases in Brazil

Abstract Gnathostomiasis is a parasitic zoonosis caused by the helminth Gnathostoma spp., acquired through the consumption of raw or undercooked contaminated aquatic animals.The disease is endemic in Southeast Asia and Central America. Two male patients, both middle-aged, presented with single itchy erythemato-edematous plaques on the anterior thorax and left flank. Both had consumed raw fish in the Amazon region. The clinical and epidemiological examinations suggested gnathostomiasis, and treatment with albendazole caused total regression of the lesions. Health teams should be familiar with the disease to provide correct diagnosis. The control strategy should be based on health education for the population.

A review on introduced Cichla spp. and emerging concerns.

Peacock bass (Cichla spp.) originates from the Neotropical environments of Brazil and Venezuela but, through trade and smuggling for aquarium keeping, sport fishing and aquaculture, it is now an emerging concern. Yet, less is known for Cichla spp. distribution and its ability to invade new environments. Aimed to communicate on Cichla spp. ecology, biology and introduction schemes from Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar and also National Centre for Biotechnology Information, this review also contains management strategies for invading fish species. While Cichla spp. can displace native fish populations, this concern is explained using ecological functions, physiological demands, direct and secondary invasion, disease tolerance and parasite spillover. Briefly, Cichla spp. has rapid embryogenesis (72 h) and matures in short periods (11-12 months), giving it an advantage to colonize new environments. With a large appetite, this true piscivore gains territorial control over water bodies by making it their feeding and nursery grounds. Perceived as an emerging concern after becoming introduced, seal-off or sport fishing were used to manage Cichla spp. but, this practice is not sustainable for the entire ecosystem. Hence, we recommend bottom-up management that involves community participation because they interact with the fish and have knowledge about their environment.

Consistency of option prices under bid-ask spreads.

Given a finite set of European call option prices on a single underlying, we want to know when there is a market model that is consistent with these prices. In contrast to previous studies, we allow models where the underlying trades at a bid-ask spread. The main question then is how large (in terms of a deterministic bound) this spread must be to explain the given prices. We fully solve this problem in the case of a single maturity, and give several partial results for multiple maturities. For the latter, our main mathematical tool is a recent result on approximation by peacocks.

Development and Application of a Quantitative PCR Detection Method to Quantify Venturia oleaginea in Asymptomatic Olive (Olea europaea) Leaves.

Olive leaf spot (OLS), caused by Venturia oleaginea, is one of the most common and serious diseases of olive trees in the Mediterranean region. Understanding the pathogen life cycle is important for the development of effective control strategies. Current knowledge is incomplete owing to a lack of effective detection methods. It is extremely difficult to culture V. oleaginea in vitro, so primers were designed to amplify and sequence the internal transcribed spacer ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region of the fungus directly from infected olive leaves. Sanger sequencing indicated a unique ITS region present in the European strains screened, confirming the appropriateness of the target region for developing a quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay. Furthermore, high-throughput sequencing of the same region excluded the presence of other Venturia species in the olive phyllosphere. The qPCR assay proved very specific and sensitive, enabling the detection of approximately 26 copies of target DNA. The analysis of symptomless leaves during early stages of the epidemic from the end of winter through spring revealed a similar quantity of pathogen DNA regardless of the leaf growth stage. In contrast, the pathogen titer changed significantly during the season. Data indicated that leaf infections start earlier than expected over the season and very young leaves are as susceptible as adult leaves. These findings have important practical implications and suggest the need for improved scheduling of fungicide treatments. The qPCR assay represents a valuable tool providing quantitative results and enables detection of V. oleaginea in all olive organs, including those in which OLS cannot be studied using previously available methods.

Community of Monogenea in Populations of Cichla Monoculus from Two Tributaries of the Amazon River in the Northern Brazil.

This study compared the monogeneans community in C. monoculus from the Tapajós River (state of Pará) and Jari River (state of Amapá), northern Brazil. A total of 2188 monogeneans belonging to eight taxa were collected from the gills of fish: Gussevia arilla, Gussevia longihaptor, Gussevia tucunarense, Gussevia undulata, Sciadicleithrum ergensi, Sciadicleithrum umbilicum, Sciadicleithrum uncinatum and Tucunarella cichlae. Gussevia arilla was the dominant species for C. monoculus from the Tapajós River basin, while S. umbilicum predominated among the hosts from the Jari River basin. For the two populations of C. monoculus, the prevalence, mean intensity and mean abundance of monogeneans were different and the of parasites community had a high qualitative similarity (87.5 %). The monogeneans community of C. monoculus was characterized by high species richness, with infection values varying from low to moderate. The geographic distance and differences in environmental characteristics arising from the same did not influence the richness of species of monogeneans infesting C. monoculus in the Tapajós and Jari rivers, but appear to have been determinants in the differences observed in the structure of the monogenean communities in each region.