Disaster Plant Pathology: Smart Solutions for Threats to Global Plant Health from Natural and Human-Driven Disasters.

Disaster plant pathology addresses how natural and human-driven disasters impact plant diseases and the requirements for smart management solutions. Local to global drivers of plant disease change in response to disasters, often creating environments more conducive to plant disease. Most disasters have indirect effects on plant health through factors such as disrupted supply chains and damaged infrastructure. There is also the potential for direct effects from disasters, such as pathogen or vector dispersal due to floods, hurricanes, and human migration driven by war. Pulse stressors such as hurricanes and war require rapid responses, whereas press stressors such as climate change leave more time for management adaptation but may ultimately cause broader challenges. Smart solutions for the effects of disasters can be deployed through digital agriculture and decision support systems supporting disaster preparedness and optimized humanitarian aid across scales. Here, we use the disaster plant pathology framework to synthesize the effects of disasters in plant pathology and outline solutions to maintain food security and plant health in catastrophic scenarios. We recommend actions for improving food security before and following disasters, including (i) strengthening regional and global cooperation, (ii) capacity building for rapid implementation of new technologies, (iii) effective clean seed systems that can act quickly to replace seed lost in disasters, (iv) resilient biosecurity infrastructure and risk assessment ready for rapid implementation, and (v) decision support systems that can adapt rapidly to unexpected scenarios. [Formula: see text] Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY 4.0 International license.

Gender dynamics in seed systems: female makeover or male takeover of specialized sweetpotato seed production, in Lake Zone Tanzania?

Interest is growing for the development of inclusive seed production models. However, there is limited understanding of gender-based roles and constraints and how these might influence gender relations in seed production. Through a case study on sweetpotato seed production in Lake Zone Tanzania, this article examines men's and women's roles in seed production with the introduction of specialized seed practices and a commercial orientation. The study uses data from 17 field-based plot observations and eight sex disaggregated focus group discussions (FGDs) with 33 (51% women and 48% men) decentralized vine multipliers (DVMs). Participatory, gender-based analytical tools were used to obtain an in-depth understanding of gender dimensions and implications of new seed production practices, the resources required and access to those resources. Our findings show that men and women have complementary roles in specialized seed production, and that men increased their involvement in production and commercialization, especially when larger monetary inputs and transactions took place. Women gained new tangible (income) and intangible (knowledge) assets, which enhanced their community status. Women's contributions to household income became more visible. In conclusion male-takeover did not take place. There were changes in the perceptions around sweetpotato production and gender relations. As women's contributions to household income became more visible, they were able to negotiate with their husbands on access to key resources to maintain this household revenue stream. We discuss how the new knowledge and skills related to seed production enhanced women's status in the community. These dynamics initiated changes in gender relations and challenged prevailing community perceptions on gender roles. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12571-023-01355-7.

Autoinducer-fluorophore conjugates enable FRET in LuxR proteins in vitro and in cells.

Cell-to-cell signaling, or quorum sensing (QS), in many Gram-negative bacteria is governed by small molecule signals (N-acyl-L-homoserine lactones, AHLs) and their cognate receptors (LuxR-type proteins). The mechanistic underpinnings of QS in these bacteria are severely limited due to the challenges of isolating and manipulating most LuxR-type proteins. Reports of quantitative direct-binding experiments on LuxR-type proteins are scarce, and robust and generalizable methods that provide such data are largely nonexistent. We report herein a Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) assay that leverages (1) conserved tryptophans located in the LuxR-type protein ligand-binding site and synthetic fluorophore-AHL conjugates, and (2) isolation of the proteins bound to weak agonists. The FRET assay permits straightforward measurement of ligand-binding affinities with receptor-either in vitro or in cells-and was shown to be compatible with six LuxR-type proteins. These methods will advance fundamental investigations of LuxR-type protein mechanism and the development of small molecule QS modulators.

"Breaking through the 40% adoption ceiling: Mind the seed system gaps." A perspective on seed systems research for development in One CGIAR.

Seed systems research is central to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Improved varieties with promise for ending hunger, improving nutrition, and increasing livelihood security may be released, but how do they reach and benefit different types of farmers? Without widespread adoption the genetic gains achieved with improved crop varieties can never be actualized. Progress has been made toward demand responsive breeding, however the draft CGIAR 2030 Research and Innovation Strategy fails to recognize the complexity of seed systems and thus presents a narrow vision for the future of seed systems research. This points to the lack of evidence-based dialogue between seed systems researchers and breeders. This perspective paper presents findings from an interdisciplinary group of more than 50 CGIAR scientists who used a suite of seed systems tools to identify four knowledge gaps and associated insights from work on the seed systems for vegetatively propagated crops (VPCs), focusing on bananas (especially cooking bananas and plantains), cassava, potato, sweetpotato, and yam. We discuss the implications for thinking about and intervening in seed systems using a combined biophysical and socioeconomic perspective and how this can contribute to increased varietal adoption and benefits to farmers. The tools merit wider use, not only for the seed systems of VPCs, but for the seed of crops facing similar adoption challenges. We argue for deeper collaboration between seed systems researchers, breeders and national seed system stakeholders to address these and other knowledge gaps and generate the evidence and innovations needed to break through the 40% adoption ceiling for modern varieties, and ensure good quality seed once the new varieties have been adopted. Without this, the achievements of breeders may remain stuck in the seed delivery pipeline.

Comparative analysis for producing sweetpotato pre-basic seed using sandponics and conventional systems.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, sweetpotato pre-basic seed is multiplied in screenhouses using a sterilized soil substrate. This is expensive and unsustainable. The use of sand substrate with a fertigation system ("sandponics"), is an alternative. The study compared the cost-effectiveness for pre-basic seed production using the sandponics system to the conventional soil substrate for four genotypes. A randomized complete block split plot design was used, and data collected on vine traits over six harvests. Real-time cost data were collected for cost-effectiveness analysis. Results showed a highly significant (p < .0001) 21.8% increase in the vine multiplication rate under the sandponics system. The cost of producing one sweetpotato node in sandponics was significantly lower by 0.009 US$. The cost-effectiveness of producing pre-basic seed in sandponics varied among the genotypes. The future use of sandponics is discussed with respect to the availability of soluble inorganic fertilizers, varietal specific response to nutrients, and labor implications.