Corrigendum: Isolation, identification, biological characteristics, and antifungal efficacy of sodium bicarbonate combined with natamycin on Aspergillus niger from Shengzhou nane (Prunus salicina var. taoxingli) fruit.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1075033.].

First report flat peach fruit rot caused by Fusarium fujikuroi in China.

Flat peach (Prunus persica L. Batsch. var. compressa Bean) is a distinctive peach variety with flat shape. It is well known for its high nutritional value and pleasant flavor, and has become the primary cultivar in Shengzhou city, Zhejiang province, China. In July 2021, we discovered that 8%-10% of flat peach (data gained from a survey of fifteen trees in each orchard) fruits in three orchards (about 2.6 ha) had a fungal disease in Jinting Town, Shengzhou. The infected fruit by this pathogen showed soft, brown, and sunken lesions, accompanied by a sour odor and white mycelia. For pathogen isolation, ten infected fruits were surface sterilized (75% ethanol for 30 s and 2.0% NaClO for 3 min), then rinsed with sterile distilled water three times. The tissues from the margin of lesions were cut into 0.6×0.6 cm pieces and transferred to potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium containing 30.0 µg/mL chloramphenicol. The plates were incubated at 25 °C for 5 days in the dark. Mycelia growing from tissues were subcultured onto fresh PDA medium to get a pure isolate, which formed dense white hyphae after 4 days. The average growth rate of mycelium on PDA medium was 3.4 ± 0.2 mm/d, and the colonies were pale purple after 5 days. Macroconidia was slender, slightly curved, almost 2 to 3 septa, with a bend and tapering apical cell and poorly developed foot cell, and the size was 4.5 to 16.9 × 1.8 to 4.0 µm (n= 50) µm. No microconidia and chlamydospores were observed. This isolate's morphological and cultural characteristics were close to Fusarium fujikuroi (Leslie and Summerell. 2006). To further get the phylogenetic evidence, the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) and translation elongation factor-1 (TEF-1α) genes of three representative isolations were amplified by primers ITS1 (F:5'-GGAAGTAAAAGTCGTAACAAGG-3') /ITS4 (R5'-TCCTCCGCTTATTGATATGC-3') (Groenewald et al. 2013), and EF1-728F (5'-TACAARTGYGGTGGTATYGACA-3')/ EF1-986R (5'-ACNGACTTGACYTCAGTRGT-3') (Carbone and Kohn. 1999), respectively. The amplified sequences were submitted to Genbank with accession numbers OP223318 for the IST and OP394152 for the ETF-1α region. Blastn results indicated that the ITS and TEF-1α sequences from the isolated strain shared 96.25% and 98.32% similarity with two strains of F. fujikuroi (GenBank Accession No. MF281286.2, and MK311296.1). The isolates were clustered with F. fujikuroi clade (Supplementary Fig.1 and Supplementary Fig.2), consistent with the morphological identification. To evaluate Koch's postulates, 20µL of spore suspension (1×106 spores/mL) were inoculated into ten healthy flat peach fruits with sterile syringes, while another ten healthy fruits were injected with sterilized water as controls. All fruits were kept in sealed plastic boxes at 25 °C with 90% relative humidity. All inoculated fruits showed symptoms similar to those of naturally infected fruits, while uninoculated fruits remained healthy after 4 days. In addition, F. fujikuroi was an important pathogen causing bakanae disease in rice (Hou et al. 2017). This pathogen was also reported to cause Lilium lacifolium Thunb bulb rot (Fang et al. 2022) and cause root rot in peanuts in China (Sun et al. 2022). However, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first record of F. fujikuroi causing fruit rot in flat peach in China. The discovery will provide helpful information about flat peach rot disease management.

First report of rot disease in Prunus salicina var. taoxingli fruit caused by Fusarium lateritium in China.

Shengzhou nane (Prunus salicina var. taoxingli) as main cultivated plum in Zhejiang province, China, ripened in summer and was susceptible to microbial infection during the maturation stages because of high ambient temperature. In July 2022, Shengzhou nane fruits were found with symptoms of dark skin and grey-white lesions on surface, and an average incidence of approximate 16% (data obtained from investigation of ten trees in each orchard, and fifty fruits in each tree) in four orchards in Shengzhou city, Zhejiang province, China. To isolate the pathogen, four symptomatic partially rotted fruits (about 25%) from four orchards were collected. The plum tissue from the margin of lesions was excised into small blocks (4×4×3 mm). Eight blocks were disinfested with 70% ethanol for 30 seconds and 2% NaClO for 3 minutes, rinsed at least twice with distilled water, and incubated on PDA medium supplemented with 30.0 µg/mL Chloramphenicol at 25°C for 5 days in darkness until sporulation. Using single-spore isolation, four uniform isolates were obtained. The purified mycelium of isolates on PDA were milky white, the reverse on agar was dark pink. Colonies grew with a mean mycelium growth rate of 4.62 ± 0.38 mm per day on PDA. Macroconidia was shaped like a sickle and the size was 27.27 ± 3.43×4.54 ± 0.39 µm (n=50) with 2 to 3 septate. No microconidia and chlamydospores were observed. These morphological characteristics were consistent with previous descriptions of Fusarium lateritium (F. lateritium) species (Yun et al. 2013). Molecular identification was performed by sequencing nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) gene with ITS1/ITS4 (White et al. 1990) and translation elongation factor-1α (TEF) with EF1-728F/EF1-986R (Carbone and Kohn. 1999). The representative sequences were submitted to Genbank (Accession Nos. OP315081 for the ITS and OP394153 for the TEF-1α). Blastn result indicated that ITS and TEF-1a sequences shared 99.28% and 100% similarity with two strains of F. lateritium (GenBank Accession Nos. MK311296.1 and JF740854.1). To fulfill Koch's postulates, the isolated F. lateritium (TXL-IT5) with a conidial suspension (1×106 spores per mL) was inoculated on ten fresh harvested healthy mature Shengzhou nane fruits (20 µL per fruits) after surface sterilization. The control fruits were inoculated with 20 µL distilled water. The experiment was repeated three times. Fruits were kept in a sealed plastic boxes at 25 °C with 90% relative humidity in dark. Four days after inoculation, all inoculated fruits were infected and appeared the same symptoms which were found in naturally infected fruits while those in the control group remained symptomless. The pathogen was re-isolated from symptomatic rotten fruits using above-mentioned method and was identified as F. lateritium based on morphological characteristics as well as ITS and TEF gene sequences. In addition, this pathogen was reported to infect Dalbergia tonkinensis in north Vietnam (Nhung et al. 2018), causing shoot dieback of Acer negundo in northeast Poland (Patejuk et al. 2022), and rot of Chinese cherry during postharvest storage (Wang et al. 2020). However, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of F. lateritium causing rot on Shenshou nane fruits. Our findings serve as a warning for scientists and growers who should pay attention to this disease and take effective control strategies to reduce epidemics of this disease in China and other regions.

Exogenous ABA promotes aroma biosynthesis of postharvest kiwifruit after low-temperature storage.

MAIN CONCLUSION: Exogenous ABA played a positive role in the accumulation and biosynthesis of aroma components of postharvest kiwifruit after low-temperature storage, especially the esters production during ripening. Low-temperature storage (LTS) generally affects the aroma formation associated with the decrease in aroma quality in kiwifruit. In this work, abscisic acid (ABA) treatment after LTS increased the production of aroma components in postharvest kiwifruit and enhanced the related enzyme activity, especially alcohol acyltransferase (AAT), branched amino acid transaminase (BCAT) and hydroperoxide lyase (HPL). Corresponding to the enzyme activity, the gene expression of AchnAAT, AchnADH, AchnBCAT and AchnHPL was significantly up-regulated by ABA. The principal component analysis further illustrated the differences in aroma components between ABA and the control. The positive correlation of aroma accumulation with the expression levels of AchnPDC and AchnLOX and the enzyme activities of BCAT and pyruvate decarboxylase (PDC) was also revealed by correlation analysis. In addition, the promoter sequences of the key genes involved in aroma biosynthesis contained multiple cis-elements (ABRE and G-box) of ABA-responsive proteins. Combining the transcriptome sequencing data, the promoting role of ABA signaling in the regulation of aroma biosynthesis of postharvest kiwifruit after LTS was discussed. This study would provide a reference for improving aroma quality of postharvest kiwifruit after LTS, as well the molecular mechanism of kiwifruit aroma fading after LTS.

Biochar-supported starch/chitosan-stabilized nano-iron sulfide composites for the removal of lead ions and nitrogen from aqueous solutions.

Novel materials that nano-FeS and starch (or chitosan) loaded on peanut shells biochar(Starch-FeS@PSB and Chitosan-FeS@PSB) were prepared and applied for removal of Pb(II) and nitrogen(NO3-N and NH4-N) in wastewater. It showed that Starch-FeS@PSB and Chitosan-FeS@PSB had excellent absorptive effects compared with PSB. The maximum adsorption capacity of Pb(II) by Starch-FeS@PSB and Chitosan-FeS@PSB reached 91.74 mg/g, 98.04 mg/g, respectively. Absorption of Pb(II) by Starch-FeS@PSB and Chitosan-FeS@PSB were controlled by monolayer chemisorption. Mechanism studies showed that complexation, electrostatic attraction, REDOX and physical absorption happened on the adsorbent surface. In addition, the maximum adsorption capacity of NO3-N and NH4-N by Starch-FeS@PSB and Chitosan-FeS@PSB reached 16.89 mg/g, 15.65 mg/g, and 18.45 mg/g, 18.28 mg/g, respectively. Absorption of N by Starch-FeS@PSB and Chitosan-FeS@PSB were controlled by multilayer chemisorption. Mechanism studies showed that complexation, electrostatic attraction and physical absorption happened on the adsorbent surface. Starch-FeS@PSB and Chitosan-FeS@PSB can be utilized in Pb(II) and N wastewater treatment.

Isolation, identification, biological characteristics, and antifungal efficacy of sodium bicarbonate combined with natamycin on Aspergillus niger from Shengzhou nane (Prunus salicina var. taoxingli) fruit.

The fungi causing fruit rot were isolated from symptomatic Shengzhou nane (Prunus salicina var. taoxingli) fruit and were identified as Aspergillus niger by biological characteristics and molecular analysis of the internal transcribed spacer region (rDNA-ITS) and translation elongation factor-1α (TEF-1α) sequences. Optimal growth conditions for A. niger were 30°C, pH 5.0-6.0, and fructose and peptone as carbon and nitrogen sources. The effects of sodium bicarbonate (SBC), natamycin (NT), and combined treatments on A. niger inhibition were investigated. Treatment with 4.0 g/L sodium bicarbonate (SBC) + 5.0 mg/L natamycin (NT) inhibited mycelial growth and spore germination as completely as 12.0 mg/L SBC or 25.0 mg/L NT. SBC and NT treatments disrupted the structural integrity of cell and mitochondria membranes and decreased enzyme activities involved in the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), ATP production in mitochondria, and ergosterol content in the plasma membrane, thus leading to the inhibition of A. niger growth. Moreover, experimental results in vivo showed that the rot lesion diameter and decay rate of Shengzhou nane fruit treated with SBC and NT were significantly reduced compared with the control. The results suggest that the combination treatment of SBC and NT could be an alternative to synthetic fungicides for controlling postharvest Shengzhou nane decay caused by A. niger.

Effect of the joint fermentation of pyracantha powder and glutinous rice on the physicochemical characterization and functional evaluation of rice wine.

Pyracantha fortuneana, as a kind of wild plant resource for both medicine and food, has high nutrition and health-care value. This study was to explore the effect of the joint fermentation of pyracantha powder and glutinous rice on the physicochemical and functional characterization of rice wine, aiming to improve the rice wine functional quality. As a result, a light dry rice wine fermented with P. fortuneana (PRW) was obtained using the fermentation technology of the Chinese rice wine. Although the contents of alcohol and protein in PRW were lower compared with the rice wine (RW) without adding pyracantha powder, the contents of sugar, ascorbic acid, total phenols, total flavonoids, and anthocyanins were higher in PRW. The analysis of volatile compounds by GC-IMS showed that the contents of most aldehydes, alcohols, and esters increased in PRW. The quantification of organic acids and phenolic monomers indicated that most of the monomers determined were more abundant in PRW. Besides, the antioxidant capacity of PRW, including the scavenging rate of DPPH• and ABTS+•, was significantly stronger than that of RW. The bacteriostatic effect of the phenolic extracts from PRW was also observed obviously. It was expected to provide an effective way for the comprehensive utilization of P. fortuneana resource by producing a kind of nutritious and healthy pyracantha rice wine.

Auxin efflux carriers, MiPINs, are involved in adventitious root formation of mango cotyledon segments.

Adventitious roots form only at the proximal cut surface (PCS) but not at the distal cut surface (DCS) of mango cotyledon segments. In this study, mango embryos treated with indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) showed significantly increased adventitious root formation, while those treated with 2, 3, 5-triiodobenzoic acid (TIBA) demonstrated complete inhibition of adventitious rooting. Mango embryos treated with auxin influx inhibitors demonstrated lower inhibition of adventitious roots than those treated with TIBA. The endogenous indol-3-acetic acid (IAA) content on the PCS and DCS was similar at 0 h, then increased on both surfaces after 6 h, and IAA content on the PCS were always higher than those on the DCS. We cloned three genes encoding auxin efflux carriers (i.e., MiPIN2-4) and examined their temporal and spatial expression patterns under different treatments. Relative expression of all MiPINs studied was very low at 0 h but significantly increased on both PCS and DCS from 1 d to 10 d, to varying degrees. We overexpressed MiPIN1-4 in Arabidopsis plants and found a significant increase in adventitious root quantity in MiPIN1 and MiPIN3 transgenic lines. Immunofluorescence results showed that MiPIN1 and MiPIN3 are primarily localized in the vascular tissues and the cells adjacent to abaxial surface. In conclusion, we propose that in mango cotyledon segments, wounding stimulates IAA biosynthesis, the transcription levels of PIN genes were significantly increased in different magnitudes on the PCS and DCS, resulting in polar IAA transport from the DCS to PCS via the vascular tissues, thereby triggering adventitious root formation.

Optimization of sodium dedecyl sulfate (SDS) addition coupled with adenosine triphosphate (ATP) regeneration for glutathione overproduction in high density cultivation of Candida utilis.

In the previous study, glutathione production was elevated by adding precursor amino acids and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in high cell density cultivation of Candida utilis. Furthermore, in the present research, glutathione production was further improved by optimizing sodium dedecyl sulfate (SDS) addition coupled with ATP regeneration. Results indicated that with 2g/l ATP added at 60h and 0.8g/l SDS added repeatedly at 60, 63, 66 and 69h, final glutathione yield reached 2286mg/l after 72h cultivation. Moreover, by applying the novel strategies of regenerating ATP by feeding glucose at 6g/(lh) from 60 to 72h coupled with impulse SDS treatments, a total glutathione yield of 2485mg/l was achieved at 72h, which was 8.7% higher than with addition of ATP and SDS, suggesting application of the proposed strategies as being feasible for glutathione overproduction on industrial scales.

Negative phototropism of rice root and its influencing factors.

Some characteristics of the rice (Oryza sativa L.) root were found in the experiment of unilaterally irradiating the roots which were planted in water: (i) All the seminal roots, adventitious roots and their branched roots bent away from light, and their curvatures ranged from 25 degrees to 60 degrees . The curvature of adventitious root of the higher node was often larger than that of the lower node, and even larger than that of the seminal root, (ii) The negative phototropic bending of the rice root was mainly due to the larger growth increment of root-tip cells of the irradiated side compared with that of the shaded side, (iii) Root cap was the site of light perception. If root cap was shaded while the root was irradiated the root showed no negative phototropism, and the root lost the characteristic of negative phototropism when root cap was divested. Rice root could resume the characteristic of negative phototropism when the new root cap grew up, if the original cells of root cap were well protected while root cap was divested, (iv) The growth increment and curvature of rice root were both influenced by light intensity. Within the range of 0-100 mumol . m(2) -s(-1), the increasing of light intensity resulted in the decreasing of the growth increment and the increasing of the curvature of rice root, (v) The growth increment and the curvature reached the maximum at 30 degrees C with the temperature treatment of 10-40 degrees C. (vi) Blue-violet light could prominently induce the negative phototropism of rice root, while red light had no such effect. (vii) The auxin (IAA) in the solution, as a very prominent influencing factor, inhibited the growth, the negative phototropism and the gravitropism of rice root when the concentration of IAA increased. The response of negative phototropism of rice root disappeared when the concentration of IAA was above 10 mg . L(-1).