WMA: Wizard System Architecture for the execution of meta-analysis: A case study applied to verify the efficacy of fluquinconazole in the control of Asian soybean rust.

Meta-analysis is a probabilistic technique that combines results from several studies that approach the same topic and produce a result that sums up the whole. In the agricultural field, it is used to make empirical estimates of efficiency for the development of productivity and economic research on agriculture. Meta-analysis can be applied through software such as R, which is executed through commands, and produces results without providing user interactivity, nor does it reproduce a friendly and easy-to-understand interface. This paper presents the creation of a computer system, the WMA, which aims to simplify the execution of meta-analysis, providing a graphical interface and improves the display of the results through an interactive visualization using the Hierarchical Information Visualization Technique Bifocal Tree. For validation, the meta-analysis was applied in the agricultural area in a case study that grouped studies that used the fungicide fluquinconazole to combat the soybean rust disease, the results obtained through the application of the meta-analysis were analyzed using the WMA proposed tool.

Effects of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria on co-inoculation with Bradyrhizobium in soybean crop: a meta-analysis of studies from 1987 to 2018.

BACKGROUND: The co-inoculation of soybean with Bradyrhizobium and other plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) is considered a promising technology. However, there has been little quantitative analysis of the effects of this technique on yield variables. In this context, the present study aiming to provide a quantification of the effects of the co-inoculation of Bradyrhizobium and PGPR on the soybean crop using a meta-analysis approach. METHODS: A total of 42 published articles were examined, all of which considered the effects of co-inoculation of PGPR and Bradyrhizobium on the number of nodules, nodule biomass, root biomass, shoot biomass, shoot nitrogen content, and grain yield of soybean. We also determined whether the genus of the PGPR used as co-inoculant, as well as the experimental conditions, altered the effect size of the PGPR. RESULTS: The co-inoculation technology resulted in a significant increase in nodule number (11.40%), nodule biomass (6.47%), root biomass (12.84%), and shoot biomass (6.53%). Despite these positive results, no significant increase was observed in shoot nitrogen content and grain yield. The response of the co-inoculation varied according to the PGPR genus used as co-inoculant, as well as with the experimental conditions. In general, the genera Azospirillum, Bacillus, and Pseudomonas were more effective than Serratia. Overall, the observed increments were more pronounced under pot than that of field conditions. Collectively, this study summarize that co-inoculation improves plant development and increases nodulation, which may be important in overcoming nutritional limitations and potential stresses during the plant growth cycle, even though significant increases in grain yield have not been evidenced by this data meta-analysis.

Meta-Analytic Modeling of the Decline in Performance of Fungicides for Managing Soybean Rust after a Decade of Use in Brazil.

An apparent decline of fungicide performance for the control of soybean rust in Brazil has been reported but the rate at which it has occurred has not been formally quantified. Control efficacy and yield response to three fungicides applied as single active ingredients (a.i.)-azoxystrobin (AZOX), cyproconazole (CYPR), and tebuconazole (TEBU)-and four applied as mixtures-AZOX+CYPR, picoxystrobin + CYPR, pyraclostrobin + epoxiconazole, and trifloxystrobin + prothioconazole (TRIF+PROT)-were summarized using network meta-analytic models fitted to mean severity and yield data from 250 trials (10-year period). The effect of year was tested on both variables in a meta-regression model. Overall control efficacy ranged from 56 to 84%; the three single-a.i. fungicides performed the poorest (56 to 62%). Yield increase for single-a.i. fungicides was as low as 30% but ranged from 47 to 65% for the premixes. Significant declines in both variables were detected for all fungicides except TRIF+PROT. For TEBU, control efficacy (yield response) declined the most: 78% (18%) to 54% (8%) from 2004-05 to 2013-14. The recent surge of resistant populations of Phakopsora pachyrhizi to both demethylation inhibitor and quinone outside inhibitor fungicides is likely the driving force behind a significant decline after 4 years of fungicide use.

[Natural infectivity of Xylella fastidiosa Wells et al. in sharpshooters (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) from coffee plantations of Parana, Brazil]. / Infectividade natural por Xylella fastidiosa Wells et al. de cicadelíneos (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) de lavouras cafeeiras do Paraná

Xylella fastidiosa Wells et al., a gram-negative and xylem limited bacterium, causes significative economic on several crops, such as the leaf scorch in coffee. It is transmitted by xylem feeding insects and four sharpshooters species have been reported as vectors of X. fastidiosa in coffee. The objective of this study was to determine the natural infectivity of X. fastidiosa in five species of sharpshooters from coffee trees: Acrogonia citrina Marucci & Cavichioli, Bucephalogonia xanthophis (Berg), Dilobopterus costalimai Young, Oncometopia facialis (Signoret) and Sonesimia grossa (Signoret). Samples were collected from coffee plantations in five counties of the North and Northwest regions of the State of Parana, Brazil, from October 1998 through November 2001. A total of 806 samples containing three to five insects were examined for the presence of X. fastidiosa by using PCR and nested PCR tests. X. fastidiosa was present in samples of all five species of sharpshooters collected in the two coffee regions. The average level of natural infectivity potential was 30.4%. However, this natural infectivity ranged from 2.2% for O. facialis to 68.8% for A. citrina. Sharpshooters collected in the spring tended to have lower natural infectivity of X. fastidiosa as compared to those collected in other seasons. The results obtained showed the high potential of dissemination of X. fastidiosa by different insect vectors in coffee trees in Parana.

Infectividade natural por Xylella fastidiosa Wells et al. de cicadelíneos (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) de lavouras cafeeiras do Paraná / Natural infectivity of Xylella fastidiosa Wells et al. in sharpshooters (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) from coffee plantations of Parana, Brazil

Xylella fastidiosa Wells et al. é uma bactéria gram-negativa, limitada ao xilema de plantas e responsável por doenças de importância econômica em diversas culturas, como a requeima-da-folha ou atrofia-dos-ramos em cafeeiro. É transmitida por insetos sugadores de xilema e quatro espécies de cigarrinhas já foram descritas como transmissoras do patógeno para cafeeiro. O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar o grau de infectividade natural por X. fastidiosa em cinco espécies de cigarrinhas Cicadellidae potencialmente transmissoras da bactéria para cafeeiro: Acrogonia citrina Marucci & Cavichioli, Bucephalogonia xanthophis (Berg), Dilobopterus costalimai Young, Oncometopia facialis (Signoret) e Sonesimia grossa (Signoret). As coletas foram realizadas em lavouras cafeeiras de cinco municípios das regiões Norte e Noroeste do Paraná, de outubro de 1998 a novembro de 2001. O total de 806 amostras contendo de três a cinco insetos foi examinado para presença de X. fastidiosa utilizando os testes de PCR e nested PCR. Os resultados obtidos revelaram a presença de X. fastidiosa em amostras de todas as cinco espécies de cigarrinhas nas duas regiões cafeeiras. O potencial infectivo natural das amostras foi de 30,4 por cento e variou de 2,2 por cento para O. facialis a 68,8 por cento para A. citrina. As cigarrinhas coletadas na primavera apresentaram tendência para menor infectividade natural de X. fastidiosa quando comparadas com as amostras coletadas nas outras três estações do ano. Os resultados obtidos revelaram o grande potencial de disseminação de X. fastidiosa por insetos vetores em cafeeiros no Paraná.

Xylella fastidiosa Wells et al., a gram-negative and xylem limited bacterium, causes significative economic on several crops, such as the leaf scorch in coffee. It is transmitted by xylem feeding insects and four sharpshooters species have been reported as vectors of X. fastidiosa in coffee. The objective of this study was to determine the natural infectivity of X. fastidiosa in five species of sharpshooters from coffee trees: Acrogonia citrina Marucci & Cavichioli, Bucephalogonia xanthophis (Berg), Dilobopterus costalimai Young, Oncometopia facialis (Signoret) and Sonesimia grossa (Signoret). Samples were collected from coffee plantations in five counties of the North and Northwest regions of the State of Parana, Brazil, from October 1998 through November 2001. A total of 806 samples containing three to five insects were examined for the presence of X. fastidiosa by using PCR and nested PCR tests. X. fastidiosa was present in samples of all five species of sharpshooters collected in the two coffee regions. The average level of natural infectivity potential was 30.4 percent. However, this natural infectivity ranged from 2.2 percent for O. facialis to 68.8 percent for A. citrina. Sharpshooters collected in the spring tended to have lower natural infectivity of X. fastidiosa as compared to those collected in other seasons. The results obtained showed the high potential of dissemination of X. fastidiosa by different insect vectors in coffee trees in Parana.