Endophytic fungus Phomopsis liquidambaris B3 induces rice resistance to RSRD caused by Fusarium proliferatum and promotes plant growth.

BACKGROUND: Rice spikelet rot disease (RSRD) is an emerging disease that significantly reduces rice yield and quality. In this study, we evaluated the potential use of the broad-spectrum endophytic fungus Phomopsis liquidambaris B3 as a biocontrol agent against RSRD. We also compared the control effects of different treatments, including chemical fungicides and treatment with multiple strains and single strains in combination or individually, against RSRD. The objective of this study was to find an effective and environmentally friendly control strategy to reduce the occurrence of RSRD and improve the rice yield. RESULTS: In pot experiments, the effect of B3 alone was better than that of fungicide or combined measures. The results showed that root colonization by B3 significantly reduced the incidence and disease index of RSRD by 41.0% and 53.8%, respectively. This was related to enhanced superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity, and to significantly upregulated expression levels of OsAOX, OsLOX, OsPAL, and OsPR10 in rice. Moreover, B3 improved the diversity of the bacterial community rather than the fungal community in the rice rhizosphere. It also led to a decrease in Fusarium proliferatum colonization and fumonisin content in the grain. Finally, root development was markedly promoted after B3 inoculation, and the yield improved by 48.60%. The result of field experiments showed that the incidence of RSRD and the fumonisin content were observably reduced in rice receiving B3, by 24.41% and 37.87%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The endophytic fungus Phomopsis liquidambaris B3 may become an effective tool to relieve rice spikelet rot disease. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

A smartphone-combined ratiometric fluorescence probe for specifically and visibly detecting cephalexin.

A smartphone-combined dual-emission ratiometric fluorescence probe for specifically and visibly detecting cephalexin was first designed. In the probe, blue-emitting fluorescent carbon dots (CDs) was synthesized and covered with a layer of silica spacer. Red-emitting fluorescent CdTe QDs (r-QDs) was grafted onto the silica nanospheres as an analytical probe. Then, the cephalexin antibody was covalent grafted to the ratio sensor to increase the selectivity. The ratio of fluorescence intensity (FL) of r-QDs and CDs was quenched with the increasing concentration of cephalexin. The detection method has good linear response in the range of 1-500 µM and the detection limit was 0.7 µM. Then portable device based on smartphone detection was constructed according to the color change under UV lamp. The detection image was obtained through the smartphone camera, and the color picker APP installed in the smartphone captured the RGB value of the image. In addition, this method was also used to determine the amount of cephalexin in milk samples with recovery of 94.1%-102.2%. These results showed that it was a portable, simple and visible method to detect cephalexin in food analysis and environmental monitoring.