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Tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV) is an emerging and rapidly spreading RNA virus that infects tomato and pepper, with tomato as the primary host. The virus causes severe crop losses and threatens tomato production worldwide. ToBRFV was discovered in greenhouse tomato plants grown in Jordan in spring 2015 and its first outbreak was traced back to 2014 in Israel. To date, the virus has been reported in at least 35 countries across four continents in the world. ToBRFV is transmitted mainly via contaminated seeds and mechanical contact (such as through standard horticultural practices). Given the global nature of the seed production and distribution chain, and ToBRFV's seed transmissibility, the extent of its spread is probably more severe than has been disclosed. ToBRFV can break down genetic resistance to tobamoviruses conferred by R genes Tm‐1, Tm‐2, and Tm‐22 in tomato and L1 and L2 alleles in pepper. Currently, no commercial ToBRFV‐resistant tomato cultivars are available. Integrated pest management‐based measures such as rotation, eradication of infected plants, disinfection of seeds, and chemical treatment of contaminated greenhouses have achieved very limited success. The generation and application of attenuated variants may be a fast and effective approach to protect greenhouse tomato against ToBRFV. Long‐term sustainable control will rely on the development of novel genetic resistance and resistant cultivars, which represents the most effective and environment‐friendly strategy for pathogen control. Taxonomy Tomato brown rugose fruit virus belongs to the genus Tobamovirus, in the family Virgaviridae. The genus also includes several economically important viruses such as Tobacco mosaic virus and Tomato mosaic virus. Genome and virion The ToBRFV genome is a single‐stranded, positive‐sense RNA of approximately 6.4 kb, encoding four open reading frames. The viral genomic RNA is encapsidated into virions that are rod‐shaped and about 300 nm long and 18 nm in diameter. Tobamovirus virions are considered extremely stable and can survive in plant debris or on seed surfaces for long periods of time. Disease symptoms Leaves, particularly young leaves, of tomato plants infected by ToBRFV exhibit mild to severe mosaic symptoms with dark green bulges, narrowness, and deformation. The peduncles and calyces often become necrotic and fail to produce fruit. Yellow blotches, brown or black spots, and rugose wrinkles appear on tomato fruits. In pepper plants, ToBRFV infection results in puckering and yellow mottling on leaves with stunted growth of young seedlings and small yellow to brown rugose dots and necrotic blotches on fruits. This pathogen profile summarizes current knowledge about ToBRFV, highlights recent research progress, discusses future research directions, and proposes short‐run and long‐term control strategies.

Objectives Compared to other stone groups, anterior calyx stones are more challenging for endourologists to treat. This study aims to evaluate the differences between our latest technique and conventional techniques for treating anterior calyx stones in the lower pole. Materials and methods Patients with isolated anterior lower pole calyx or complex lower pole stones with anterior calyx branching were included in the study. The first group included lower pole access, while the second group included percutaneous treatment through the middle or upper pole. In the first group, the posterior calyx or direct anterior calyx approach was utilised depending on whether the stone was isolated calyx, complex structure or calyx anatomy, while in the second group, percutaneous nephrolithotomy was performed through the middle or upper pole posterior calyx access. Results There were 37 patients in Group 1 and 25 patients in Group 2. Both groups were similar regarding patient age, sex, stone burden, and stone localisation ( p  > 0.05). When comparing operative and post-operative data between groups, it was found that the stone clearance rate, number of accesses, and haematocrit decrease were statistically superior in the second group ( p : 0.003, p : 0.002, p : 0.018), with no significant difference in mean operative time, length of hospital stay, fluoroscopy time and pain score ( p  > 0.05). Conclusions Percutaneous surgery utilising an access from a calyx distal to the stone may offer better clearance and lower morbidity rates for lower pole stones involving the anterior calyx.

Glutamatergic synapses display variable strength and diverse short-term plasticity (STP), even for a given type of connection. Using nonnegative tensor factorization and conventional state modeling, we demonstrate that a kinetic scheme consisting of two sequential and reversible steps of release–machinery assembly and a final step of synaptic vesicle (SV) fusion reproduces STP and its diversity among synapses. Analyzing transmission at the calyx of Held synapses reveals that differences in synaptic strength and STP are not primarily caused by variable fusion probability (pfusion ) but are determined by the fraction of docked synaptic vesicles equipped with a mature release machinery. Our simulations show that traditional quantal analysis methods do not necessarily report pfusion of SVs with a mature release machinery but reflect both pfusion and the distribution between mature and immature priming states at rest. Thus, the approach holds promise for a better mechanistic dissection of the roles of presynaptic proteins in the sequence of SV docking, two-step priming, and fusion. It suggests a mechanism for activity-induced redistribution of synaptic efficacy.

Severe outbreaks of Alternaria leaf blotch and fruit spot were recently observed in cv. Pink Lady apples in northern Israel, especially on fruit. Such severe outbreaks have not been reported from other countries. Symptoms involved cracks and rot around the calyx and external rot of the fruit body. Up to 80 % of the fruit in some orchards were affected by the disease. Microscopic examinations, fulfillment of Koch’s postulates and molecular (genetic) analyses confirmed the causal agent as Alternaria alternata f. sp. mali . The incidence of Alternaria increased as the degree of calyx cracking increased, or if fruit were both cracked and rotted. Injecting spore suspensions into the fruit produced typical rot symptoms. Injection assays of detached fruit of eight apple cultivars showed that cvs. Pink Lady and Golden Delicious were susceptible whereas cv. Jonathan was resistant. Pink Lady and Golden Delicious produced more fruit rot as the inoculum concentration increased. Rot in all three cultivars was moderate close to the skin but more severe close to the seed locule. Aqueous extracts taken from Jonathan fruit peel inhibited germ tube elongation of A. alternata f. sp. mali in vitro. This is the first report on heavy infection of Pink Lady fruit in Israel caused by A. alternata f. sp. mali .

The influence of gut and gonad bacterial communities on insect physiology, behaviour, and ecology is increasingly recognised. Parasitism by parasitoid wasps alters many physiological processes in their hosts, including gut bacterial communities. However, it remains unclear whether these changes are restricted to the gut or also occur in other tissues and fluids, and the mechanisms underlying such changes are unknown. We hypothesise that host microbiome changes result from the injection of calyx fluid (that contain symbiotic viruses known as polydnaviruses) and venom during parasitoid oviposition and that these effects vary by host tissue. To test this, we microinjected Pieris brassicae caterpillars with calyx fluid and venom from Cotesia glomerata, using saline solution and natural parasitism by C. glomerata as controls. We analysed changes in the bacterial community composition in the gut, regurgitate, haemolymph, and labial salivary glands of the host insects. Multivariate analysis revealed distinct bacterial communities across tissues and fluids, with high diversity in the salivary glands and haemolymph. Parasitism and injection of calyx fluid and venom significantly altered bacterial communities in the salivary glands. Differential abundance analysis showed that parasitism affected bacterial relative abundance in the haemolymph, and that Wolbachia was only found in the haemolymph of parasitized caterpillars. Altogether, our findings reveal that parasitism influences the host haemolymph microbiome, and both parasitism and injection of calyx fluid and venom drive changes in the bacterial community composition within the host salivary glands. Given that the composition of salivary glands can influence plant response to herbivory, we discuss these results in the broader context of plant-parasitoid interactions.

Physalis alkekengi L. calyx (PC) extract can relieve insulin resistance and has glycemic and anti-inflammatory effects; however, the potential mechanisms related to gut microbiota and metabolites remain elusive. This study aimed to understand how PC regulates gut microbiota and metabolites to exert anti-obesogenic effects and relieve insulin resistance. In this study, a high-fat high-fructose (HFHF)-diet-induced obesity C57BL/6J male mice model with glycolipid metabolism dysfunction was established, which was supplemented with the aqueous extract of PC daily for 10 weeks. The results showed that the PC supplementation could effectively cure the abnormal lipid metabolism and maintain glucose metabolism homeostasis by regulating the expression of adipose metabolic genes and glucose metabolism genes in the liver, thereby effectively alleviating the inflammatory response. PC treatment also increased the contents of fecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), especially butyric acid. PC extract could restore the HFHF-disrupted diversity of gut microbiota by significantly increasing the relative abundance of Lactobacillus and decreasing those of Romboutsia, Candidatus_Saccharimonas, and Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1. The negative effects of the HFHF diet were ameliorated by PC by regulating multiple metabolic pathways, such as lipid metabolism (linoleic acid metabolism, alpha-linolenic acid metabolism, and sphingolipid metabolism) and amino acid metabolism (histidine and tryptophan metabolism). Correlation analysis showed that among the obesity parameters, gut microbiota and metabolites are directly and closely related. To sum up, this study suggested that PC treatment exhibited therapeutic effects by regulating the gut microbiota, fecal metabolites, and gene expression in the liver to improve glucose metabolism, modulate adiposity, and reduce inflammation.

This study explored oil palm calyx (OPCA) for its possible use in the sequestration of Congo red (CR) and methylene blue (MB) from industrial wastewaters. Qualitative analysis presented the adsorbent as a material of porous surface, containing –OH and –C = O functional groups that are known active sites. The material experienced three main thermal decomposition stages. It’s surface area, micropore volume and pore diameter were estimated as 194.725 m 2 g –1 , 0.173 cm 3 g –1 and 3.00 nm, respectively. OPCA was very efficient in the sequestration of CR and MB. Its best performance was obtained at pH 2 for the sorption of CR, and pH 6 for the sorption of MB. Optimum dye removal was obtained after 180 min and 120 min for the sorption of CR and MB, respectively. Dye sequestration was favored by increasing dye concentration, as well as temperature. At the chosen experimental condition, about 300 mg and 100 mg adsorbent almost completely removed CR and MB, respectively. Experimental data best fitted the pseudo-second order kinetic model with R 2 of 0.9894 and 0.9991 for the sorption of CR and MB, respectively; while the Langmuir isotherm best described the equilibrium data. The calculated mean-free-energy, E, was < 8 k Jmol –1 for the sorption of both dyes, thereby predicting physisorption. The standard enthalpy, ΔH°, of the process was respectively calculated as 23.69 kJ mol –1 and 18.58 kJ mol –1 for CR and MB removal. The ΔH° values suggest weak chemisorption and physisorption for the sorption of CR and MB, respectively.

Environmental pollution is an emerging issue in the areas of South Asia and the burning of crop residues is one of the major contributors to smog/pollutants production. In recent work, the residues of cotton crop, i.e., cotton calyx (CC), have been converted into a valuable and eco-friendly adsorbent at zero cost for the refining of polluted waters. Furthermore, cotton calyx composite was synthesized with iron oxide (CC-Fe 3 O 4 ) to improve its sorption potential for the mitigation of selected pollutants, i.e., Congo red (CR) dye. By using FTIR, SEM, TGA, and XRD, the newly synthesized biosorbents were characterized. SEM–EDX and FTIR analyses revealed that both biosorbents (CC and CC-Fe 3 O 4 ) have a porous surface along with various functional groups, which is an indication of an ideal adsorbent for the sorptive removal of pollutants like dyes. The effect of the operating parameters (dye concentration, adsorbent dosage, temperature, contact time, and pH of the dye solution) on the sorption efficacy was studied to identify optimal conditions. The highest percentage of CR removal (99%) was achieved in an acidic medium using 0.6 g CC-Fe 3 O 4 composite in 60 min at 20 °C. Isothermal modeling of the parameter’s optimization data proved that the Langmuir model ( R  = 0.97–0.99) is more able to explain the sorption process than Freundlich indicates the monolayer sorption process. Adsorption kinetics professed that pseudo-second-order rate law effectively represented the ongoing adsorption system. The thermodynamic studies revealed that the sorption process was spontaneous at room temperature as ∆ H ° was negative. The maximal sorption capacity among the sorbents is 20.66 mg g −1 for CC-Fe 3 O 4 composite, which is higher than CC. In conclusion, CC-Fe 3 O 4 composite proved an efficient biosorbent for the mitigation of CR dye from wastewater. Graphical Abstract

Blue mould, caused primarily by Penicillium expansum, is a major threat to the global pome fruit industry, causing multimillion‐dollar losses annually. The blue mould fungus negatively affects fruit quality, thereby reducing fresh fruit consumption, and significantly contributes to food loss. P. expansum also produces an array of mycotoxins that are detrimental to human health. Management options are limited and the emergence of fungicide‐resistant Penicillium spp. makes disease management difficult, therefore new approaches and tools are needed to combat blue mould in storage. This species profile comprises a comprehensive literature review of this aggressive pathogen associated with pomes (apple, pear, quince), focusing on biology, mechanisms of disease, control, genomics, and the newest developments in disease management. Taxonomy Penicillium expansum Link 1809. Domain Eukaryota, Kingdom Fungi, Phylum Ascomycota, Subphylum Pezizomycotina, Class Eurotiomycetes, Subclass: Eurotiomycetidae, Order Eurotiales; Family Trichocomaceae, Genus Penicillium, Species expansum. Biology A wide host range necrotrophic postharvest pathogen that requires a wound (e.g., stem pull, punctures, bruises, shoulder cracks) or natural openings (e.g., lenticel, stem end, calyx sinus) to gain ingress and infect. Toxins Patulin, citrinin, chaetoglobosins, communesins, roquefortine C, expansolides A and B, ochratoxin A, penitrem A, rubratoxin B, and penicillic acid. Host range Primarily apples, European pear, Asian pear, medlar, and quince. Blue mould has also been reported on stone fruits (cherry, plum, peach), small fruits (grape, strawberry, kiwi), and hazel nut. Disease symptoms Blue mould initially appears as light tan to dark brown circular lesions with a defined margin between the decayed and healthy tissues. The decayed tissue is soft and watery, and blue‐green spore masses appear on the decayed area, starting at the infection site and radiating outward as the decayed area ages. Disease control Preharvest fungicides with postharvest activity and postharvest fungicides are primarily used to control decay. Orchard and packinghouse sanitation methods are also critical components of an integrated pest management strategy. Useful websites Penn State Tree Fruit Production Guide (https://extension.psu.edu/forage‐and‐food‐crops/fruit), Washington State Comprehensive Tree Fruit (http://treefruit.wsu.edu/crop‐protection/disease‐management/blue‐mold/), The Apple Rot Doctor (https://waynejurick.wixsite.com/applerotdr), penicillium expansum genome sequences and resources (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/genome/browse/#!/eukaryotes/11336/). This article is a synthesis and compilation of the latest information on the mycotoxingenic blue mould fungus from multiple perspectives that entail omics, biology, and tools for decay control.

Weeds pose major constraints in crop production. The use of allelochemicals and allelopathic species can provide an effective alternative for sustainable weed management. In a previous study that evaluated the allelopathic activity of wild and cultivated plants in Turkey, Hibiscus sabdariffa demonstrated the strongest inhibitory potential. This study aimed to estimate the phytotoxic influence of the H. sabdariffa water crude extracts on Lactuca sativa L. in a bioassay experiment. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis was used to identify two major compounds, hydroxycitric acid lactone and hydroxy citric acid, and their plant growth inhibitory activities were evaluated by bioassays. Hydroxycitric acid lactone had a stronger growth inhibitory activity on L. sativa L. and was estimated as a major allelochemical in H. sabdariffa calyx. The high concentration (16.7% of the dry weight of the calyx) and strong inhibitory effect (EC50, 73.7 ppm) of the hydroxycitric acid lactone could demonstrate the growth inhibitory activity of the H. sabdariffa calyx extract. This study showed that hydroxycitric acid lactone, a major compound in the calyx of Hibiscus sabdariffa, is a plant growth inhibitor.