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This research aimed to investigate the impacts of a combination of rice husk biochar and organic fertilizer on the physical and chemical properties of soil, the population of soil bacteria, the relative chlorophyll content of leaves, the development of soybean root nodules, and yield components under strongly acid soil conditions. A greenhouse and pot experiment was designed using a randomize complete block design with factorial 2 × 3 treatments and three replications. The experimental treatments comprised two rates of biochar (35 and 70 g/pot) and three rates of organic fertilizer (70, 105, and 140 g/pot). After 100 days of amendment of strongly acidic soils, the results showed that application of treatments B35F70 and B70F140 increased soil pH by 16.80% compared to the control group (CK). On the other hand, treatments B35F140 and B70F105 resulted in an increase of soil electrical conductivity by 66.67% compared to CK. In addition, after 100 days of amendment with treatments B35F105, B35F105, B35F140, B70F105, B70F70, B70F70, and B35F140, organic matter, available phosphorous (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn), organic matter, available phosphorous (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn), significantly increased when compared to the control group (CK). Treatment B35F140 increased relative leaf chlorophyll content and soybean seed weight per plant by 60.76% and 100.56%, respectively when compared to the CK. Furthermore, treatment B35F70 produced 125% more root nodules than CK. Moreover, each amended strongly acid soil resulted with a significant upsurge in total soil bacteria compared to the CK. Overall, statistics proved that a combination of biochar and organic fertilizer improved soil properties and soybean agronomic attributes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient and sustainable food production is crucial in global agricultural development. Overuse of chemical fertilizers leads to soil acidification, destruction of soil properties, and harm to soil micro-organisms. Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) have emerged as a solution, enhancing soil fertility and crop yields while reducing chemical fertilizer dependency and disease occurrence. In this study, Bacillus strains KHC2, KHH5, and KHH13, isolated from organic rice field soils in Taiwan, were identified through molecular techniques as B. velezensis (KHC2, KHH13) and B. amyloliquefaciens (KHH5). The strains exhibited various hydrolytic enzymes (including protease, cellulase, amylase, and lecithinase), with KHH13 showing the highest phosphate solubilization (2186.1 µg mL−1 day−1) and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) production (63.067 ± 0.595 ppm mL−1). These properties indicate KHH13's potential as a bio-enhancer for plant growth. Therefore, we hypothesized that KHH13 can enhance plant growth and control soil-borne diseases. A greenhouse experiment demonstrated that KHH13, KHC2, and KHH5 effectively promoted the growth of red lettuce, with KHH13 showing superior efficacy. The study also found KHH13's treatment enhanced the growth of various vegetables, including tomato, cucumber, and red lettuce. In terms of disease control, KHH13 significantly reduced Fusarium wilt in cucumbers, as evidenced by the reduction in disease index from 74.33% to 41.67% after KHH13 treatment. The treatment group displayed better plant growth, including plant height and fresh weight, compared to the control group in the greenhouse experiment. Furthermore, oral and pulmonary acute toxicity analysis in rats showed no adverse effects on rat weight or mortality, indicating KHH13's safety for mammalian use. These findings suggest B. velezensis KHH13 as a safe, effective, and sustainable biological agent for enhancing vegetable growth and controlling soil-borne diseases, with potential applications in sustainable agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Melon (Cucumis melo L.) is a global commercial crop that is sensitive to seed-borne wilt infections caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. melonis (Fom). To address the challenge of detecting Fom contamination, we designed a probe-based real-time PCR method, TDCP2, in combination with rapid or column-based DNA extraction protocols to develop reliable molecular detection methods. Utilizing TDCP2, the detection rate reached 100% for both artificially Fom-inoculated (0.25–25%) and pod-inoculated melon seeds in conjunction with DNA samples from either the rapid or column-based extraction protocol. We performed analyses of precision, recall, and F1 scores, achieving a maximum F1 score of 1 with TDCP2, which highlights the robustness of the method. Additionally, intraday and interday assays were performed, which revealed the high reproducibility and stability of column-based DNA extraction protocols combined with TDCP2. These metrics confirm the reliability of our developed protocols, setting a foundation for future enhancements in seed pathology diagnostics and potentially broadening their applicability across various Fom infection levels. In the future, we hope that these methods will reduce food loss by improving the control and management of melon diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We developed an insulated isothermal PCR (iiPCR) method for the efficient and rapid detection of Fusarium oxysporum (Fo), which is a fungus that infects various hosts and causes severe crop losses. The Fo iiPCR method was sensitive enough to detect up to 100 copies of standard DNA template and 10 fg of Fo genomic DNA. In addition, it could directly detect 1 pg of mycelium and 10 spores of Fo without DNA extraction. Our study compared the performance of Fo iiPCR to that of three published in planta molecular detection methods—conventional PCR, SYBR green-based real-time PCR, and hydrolysis probe-based real-time PCR—in field detection of Fo. All diseased field samples yielded positive detection results with high reproducibility when subjected to an Fo iiPCR test combined with a rapid DNA extraction protocol compared to Fo iiPCR with an automated magnetic bead-based DNA extraction protocol. Intraday and interday assays were performed to ensure the stability of this new rapid detection method. The results of detection of Fo in diseased banana pseudostem samples demonstrated that this new rapid detection method was suitable for field diagnosis of Fusarium wilt and had high F1 scores for detection (the harmonic mean of precision and recall of detection) for all asymptomatic and symptomatic Fo-infected banana samples. In addition, banana samples at four growth stages (seedling, vegetative, flowering and fruiting, and harvesting) with mild symptoms also showed positive detection results. These results indicate that this new rapid detection method is a potentially efficient procedure for on-site detection of Fo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plants of soybean (Glycine max) exhibiting charcoal rot were observed in Wandan Township of Pingtung County in Taiwan, in Sep 2019. The diseased plants displayed symptoms of root rot and leaf blight, as well as black microsclerotia were visible in the roots and lower stem of the infected plants. Based on cultural, morphological and DNA data, the pathogen was identified as Macrophomina phaseolina. Pathogenicity of M. phaseolina on soybean was confirmed by Koch's postulates. This fungus has been proposed to produces the mycotoxin (-)-botryodiplodin, and therefore, may produce a potential impact on food and feed safety in Taiwan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rhizoctonia solani (Rs), a soil-borne fungal pathogen, can result in rice sheath blight (ShB), which causes yield loss. To prevent outbreaks of ShB and enhance the sustainability of rice production, it is critical to develop a rapid ShB detection method for specific, fast, and on-site disease management. In this study, a reagent for the rapid extraction of this pathogen was developed for on-site detection. The specificity and sensitivity of a novel SMS RS1-F/SMS RS1-R primer set and a ITS1/GMRS-3 reference primer set were tested, while four different extraction protocols for ShB were developed. Moreover, intraday and interday assays were performed to evaluate the reproducibility of the detection methods developed. The results indicated that all of the developed protocols are suitable for use in detecting ShB. In addition, all the samples of infected rice yielded positive Rs detection results when subjected to TaqMan probe-based real-time PCR and SYBR green-based real-time PCR (SMS RS1-F/SMS RS1-R) tests in which automatic magnetic bead-based DNA extraction was performed. These results indicated that the two molecular detection protocols were suitable for the field diagnosis of ShB for all asymptomatic and symptomatic rice samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silver particles were prepared by dewetting Ag films coated on glass using a fiber laser. The size of the particles was controlled in the range of 92 nm–1.2 μm by adjusting the thickness of the Ag film. The structural properties and surface roughness of the particles were evaluated by means of scanning electron microscopy. In addition, the antifungal activity of the Ag particles was examined using spore suspensions of Colletotrichumgloeosporioides. It is shown that particles with a size of 1.2 μm achieved 100% inhibition of conidia growth of C.gloeosporioides after a contact time of just 5 min. Furthermore, the smaller particles also achieved good antifungal activity given a longer contact time. Similar results were observed for spore germination and pathogenicity tests performed on mango fruit and leaves. Overall, the results confirm that Ag particles have an excellent antifungal effect on C. gloeosporioides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Banana (Musa sp.) is cultivated worldwide and is one of the most popular fruits. The soil-borne fungal disease Fusarium wilt of banana (FWB), commonly known as Panama disease, is caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc) and is a highly lethal vascular fungal disease in banana plants. Raman spectroscopy, an emerging laser-based technology based on Raman scattering, has been used for the qualitative characterization of biological tissues such as foodborne pathogens, cancer cells, and melamine. In this study, we describe a Raman spectroscopic technique that could potentially be used as a method for diagnosing FWB. To that end, the Raman fingerprints of Foc (including mycelia and conidia) and Foc-infected banana pseudostems with varying levels of symptoms were determined. Our results showed that eight, eleven, and eleven characteristic surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy peaks were observed in the mycelia, microconidia, and macroconidia of Foc, respectively. In addition, we constructed the Raman spectroscopic fingerprints of banana pseudostem samples with varying levels of symptoms in order to be able to differentiate Foc-infected bananas from healthy bananas. The rate at which FWB was detected in asymptomatic Foc-infected samples by using the spectral method was 76.2%, which was comparable to the rates previously reported for other FWB detection methods based on real-time PCR assays, suggesting that the spectral method described herein could potentially serve as an alternative tool for detecting FWB in fields. As such, we hope that the developed spectral method will open up new possibilities for the on-site diagnosis of FWB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, atmospheric-pressure air and oxygen corona plasma jets under water surface have been used to generate plasma-activated water (PAW) to inactivate colletotrichum gloeosporioides (C. gloeosporioides) suspension. The atmospheric-pressure plasma jets in the water were characterized by measuring: 1) the electrical and optical properties for evaluating the plasma efficiency and 2) the physicochemical properties of PAW, including pH value, oxidation-reduction potential value, and the concentration of hydrogen peroxide, nitrite, and ozone. The aim of this paper is to investigate the effects of long-lived reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) and environmental factor (acidity) in PAW on fungicidal property. The results of antifungal activity show that the inactivation rate of C. gloeosporioides is higher using air-PAW than oxygen-PAW, and increases with increasing reaction time when preparation time of PAW is fixed as 30 min. This correlates well with measurements of the aqueous-phase long-lived RONS concentration such as nitrate and ozone, suggesting these species play crucial roles in the inactivation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study developed a novel and inexpensive detection method based on a TaqMan probe-based insulated isothermal polymerase chain reaction (iiPCR) method for the rapid detection of Panama disease caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc) race 4, which is currently among the most serious fungal vascular diseases worldwide. By using the portable POCKIT™ device with the novel primer set iiFoc-1/iiFoc-2, the Foc race 4 iiPCR assay (including DNA amplification and signal monitoring) could be completed within one hour. The developed Foc race 4 iiPCR assay is thus a user-friendly and efficient platform designed specifically for the detection of Foc race 4. The detection limit of this optimized Foc iiPCR system was estimated to be 1 copy of the target standard DNA as well as 1 fg of the Foc genomic DNA. This approach can serve as a rapid detection method for in planta detection of Foc race 4 in field-infected banana. It was concluded that this molecular detection procedure based on iiPCR has good potential for use as an efficient detection method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A contact electrification field-effect transistor (CE-FET) is first made from poly(ethylene oxide)/InSb/PET(polyethylene terephthalate) on the flexible force-pad application. The CE-FET operates on a unique principle that relies on the triboelectric potential difference that is established between the two tribo-surfaces, to induce an inner electrical signal by utilizing the external frictional force. Such a signal is able to modulate the carrier transport characteristics in the FET and is self-generated to have the same effect as applying a gate signal. The traditional gate electrode in the FET is replaced by an individually mobile aluminum and a polytetrafluoroethene (PTFE) electrode to serve as a positive and negative gate voltage, respectively. The n-type rich indium (In) InSb thin film is then used as a conduction channel in the CE-FET. When the PTFE film acted as a mobile gate electrode to progressively contact the PEO surface, the drain current was increased from 6 to 12 μ A by increasing the distance (d) between the PEO and the PTFE surfaces in the range from 0 to 80 μ m . In contrast, when the Al film was used as a mobile electrode to gradually contact the PEO surface, the corresponding drain current decreases from 7 μ A to 1.5 μ A , while increasing the corresponding distance from 0 to 80 μ m , respectively. Thus, the characteristic of the CE-FET has established an enhancement and depletion mode in the InSb conduction channel when the mobile electrodes of the PTFE and aluminum films were mechanically attached to the PEO surface, respectively. The CE-FET InSb is highly reliable and sensitive, which thereby opens up a new research field on the applications of the force pads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All plants synthesize multiple families of small heat shock proteins (sHSP). A cDNA clone, Oshsp18.0-CII, encoding an 18.0 kDa class II sHSP was isolated from rice previously. The function of the rice class II sHSP was studied by overproduction of the Oshsp18.0-CII fusion protein in transformed Escherichia coli cells. The results suggest that heterologous expression of the Oshsp18.0-CII fusion protein increases thermotolerance of E. coli cells in vivo and provided thermoprotection to E. coli soluble proteins in vitro. The survival rate of Oshsp 18.0-CII fusion protein-accumulating cells treated at 50°C for 1 h was almost 1000- fold higher than that of the control cells transformed with pET32a expression vector. Overproduction of the Oshsp18.0-CII fusion protein in E. coli also confers tolerance of E. coli cells to ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. The post-UV survival of the Oshsp18.0-CII fusion protein-accumulating cells is about 7.29-fold over that of the control cells transformed with pET32a expression vector when exposed to 1700 μJ of UV. There is almost no post-UV survival (≦0.4%) in the untransformed cells after exposing to 900 μJ UV light. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The theory and algorithms of the proposed technique have been presented in Part I of this two-paper set. In Part II of this two-paper set, the proposed technique is evaluated by considerable simulation cases simulated by the Mattab/Power system Blockset simulator. For the proposed fault detector, the trip time achieved can be up to 3.25 ms and the average value of trip times is about 8 ms for both permanent and arcing faults on transmission lines. For the proposed fault locator, the accuracy can be up to 99.99% and the error does not exceed 0.45%. Moreover, the proposed arcing fault discriminator can discriminate between arcing and permanent faults within four cycles after fault inception. It has proven to be an effective tool to block reclosing on the permanent faults in the computer simulations. The simulation results also demonstrate that the presented extended discrete Fourier transform algorithm eliminates effectively the error caused by exponentially decaying dc offset on fundamental and harmonic phasor computations. Finally, a test case using the real-life measured data proves the feasibility of the proposed technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new fault detection/location technique with consideration of arcing fault discrimination based on phasor measurement units for extremely high voltage/ultra-high voltage transmission lines is presented in this two-paper set Part I of this two-paper set is mainly aimed at theory and algorithm derivation. The proposed fault detection technique for both arcing and permanent faults is achieved by a combination of a fault detection index |M| and a fault location index |D|, which are obtained by processing synchronized fundamental phasors. One is to detect the occurrence of a fault and the other is to distinguish between in-zone and out-of- zone faults. Furthermore, for discriminating between arcing and permanent faults, the proposed technique estimates the amplitude of arc voltage by least error squares method through the measured synchronized harmonic phasors caused by the nonlinear arc behavior. Then, the discrimination will he achieved by comparing the estimated amplitude of arc voltage to a given threshold value. In addition, in order to eliminate the error caused by exponentially decaying dc offset on the computations of fundamental and harmonic phasors, an extended discrete Fourier transform algorithm is also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]