Efficacy of Beauveria Bassiana and Bacillus Thuringiensis Against Maize Stem Borer Chilo Partellus (Swinhoe) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) Abstract Biocontrol potential of Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin and Bacillus thuringiensis (Berliner) was investigated under laboratory conditions against maize stem borer Chilo partellus (Swinhoe) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). Three dose rates of B. bassiana (1 × 104, 1 × 106 and 1 × 108 conidia/ml) and one of B. thuringiensis (0.75 µg/g) were applied alone and in combination against 2nd and 4th larval instars of C. partellus. Larval mortality, pupation, adult emergence, mycosis and sporulation varied against different individual concentrations of B. bassiana and its integrated application with B. thuringiensis. Results of the experiment revealed that combined application of highest concentration of B. bassiana (1 × 108 spores/ml) and B. thuringiensis (0.75 µg/g) exhibited highest larval mortality both in 2nd and 4th instars larvae of C. partellus. The mortality data also demonstrated that 2nd instar larvae were more susceptible to the tested microbial treatments than 4th larval instars. Moreover, less pupation and adult emergence was observed in combined treatments of entomopathogens rather than their individual applications. Maximum mycosis and sporulation was recorded in the cadavers of C. partellus where B. bassiana was applied alone at dose rate of 1 × 104 conidia/ml. These outcomes suggest that combined application of B. bassiana and the toxic protein produced by B. thuringiensis could be a promising ecofriendly approach for the successful management of maize stem borer.

QoI Fungicide Resistance Mutations in Alternaria solani and Alternaria alternata are Fully Established in Potato Growing Areas in Bavaria and Dual Resistance against SDHI Fungicides is Upcoming Abstract Alternaria leaf spots caused by Alternaria solani and Alternaria alternata are a major foliar disease of potatoes. Reduced sensitivity of A. solani and A. alternata towards Quinone outside inhibitors (QoI) fungicides has been observed in Europe. QoI-insensitive A. alternata isolates carry a G143A amino acid exchange caused by a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the cytochrome b gene. A. solani evolved a similar F129L mutation. A shift from the predominant A. solani genotype I to genotype II, which was exclusively associated with the F129L mutation, was observed in Germany after QoI approval for Alternaria control. Here, we found QoI mutations to be highly abundant in A. solani and A. alternata field isolates, collected in 2016 in Bavaria, located in southeastern Germany. The frequency of the F129L mutation, but not of A. solani genotype II, was higher than in the last available study. This might be due to that we also found the F129L mutation in genotype I, indicating QoI resistance progression through the previously unaffected genotype. In contrast to previous data, QoI mutations were present in all examined areas. An analysis of SNP diversity pointed to the region of Lower Bavaria as a hotspot for F129L mutation evolution. Reduced sensitivity of Alternaria spp. towards succinate dehydrogenase inhibitors (SDHI) fungicides is an emerging issue in Europe. We observed the presence of SDHI mutations, but only in combination with QoI mutations, indicating a further adaption to applied fungicides and a selection for dual fungicide resistance.

Effects of LPDBD Plasma and Plasma Activated Water on Germination and Growth in Rapeseed ( Brassica napus ) Abstract The study deals with the effect of low pressure dielectric barrier discharge (LPDBD) plasma and plasma activated water (PAW) produced with Ar, O2 and Air on germination and growth in rapeseed. Although H2O2 concentration showed no significant changes, α‑amylase activity (germination inducer) significantly increased in seeds due to LPDBD plasma. In addition, the activity of SOD and CAT was significantly induced in seeds of rapeseed treated with PAW. Rapeseed plants grown from the LPDBD plasma treated seeds showed significant improvements in shoot characteristics, chlorophyll synthesis, total soluble protein and sugar concentration compared to controls. Interestingly, plasma treated plants also showed no significant variations of H2O2 in tissue(s) which is supported by the biochemical and molecular evidence(s) of antioxidant enzymes. Plants exhibited a significant increase in tissue APX and CAT activities along with BnAPX and BnCAT expression(s) in roots when seeds were treated with LPDBD Air/O2 and PAW O2. This suggests that LPDBD plasma might have been involved with elevated level of reactive oxygen species, which was tightly controlled through the upregulation of APX and CAT activities and thus trigger the growth and development in rapeseed plants. These findings reveal the role and mechanisms of LPDBD technique facilitating germination and growth in rapeseed plants.

Development of Conventional and Real-Time PCR Assays to Detect Alternaria burnsii in Cumin Seed Abstract Alternaria burnsii is the causal agent of cumin blight, a seed-borne disease of economic concern for all cumin growing areas. Current detection and identification methods for the pathogen are based on visual examination of morphological features, which are time-consuming and laborious. The present study describes conventional and real-time PCR assays for rapid and accurate detection of A. burnsii in cumin seeds. Based on sequence differences in Alternaria allergen a1 (Alt a1) gene, two primer pairs, Ab35/326 and AB177/403, were designed for conventional and real-time PCR assays, respectively. Both primer pairs amplified the expected target PCR fragment from A. burnsii genomic DNA. The sensitivity of conventional PCR with primer pairs Ab35/326 was 1 pg of genomic DNA and allowed the detection of pathogen in cumin seeds samples with 0.2% infestation rate. Real-time PCR assay was highly sensitive and allowed the quantification of 0.1 pg pathogen DNA. Also, this assay confirmed the presence of pathogen in cumin seeds up to 0.1% infestation level. The standard curve (r2 = 0.99) showed a good correlation between fungal DNA quantities and Cq values. The specificity of primer pairs was confirmed by the absence of amplified product with DNA of related fungi species and healthy plant tissue. The assays developed in this study provide a rapid and sensitive tool for the detection and quantification of Alternaria burnsii in cumin seed.

Evaluation of Genetic Diversity Among Exotic Sorghum ( Sorghum bicolor  L. Moench) Genotypes Through Molecular Based Analysis (RAPD-PCR) Abstract There is a remarkable diversity among sorghum species; hence it requires a powerful marker system for genome characterisation. RAPD (randomly amplified polymorphic DNA) is a very favourable technique used to distinguish the sorghum genotypes due to its clarity and speed. We observed genetic diversity among 30 sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) genotypes using RAPD markers. Sixteen RAPD markers produced a total of 148 bands with a mean of 9.25 fragments per loci. Out of the 148, 132 bands showed polymorphism (89.19%), and 16 bands showed monomorphism (10.81%). PIC (polymorphism information content) values were varying from 0.2035 to 0.3438 with a mean of 0.2792. Genetic distance was ranged from 0.013 (for genotype 4 and 8) to 0.807 (for genotype 10 and 27). Cluster analysis exhibited that dendrogram consists of four major groups. Results represent that genotype 1, 3, 5, 15, 6, 11, 4, 8, 26, 29, 20, 24, 14, 25, 19, 23, 2 and 13 were closely related to each other, and genotype 10 was the most diverse genotype among all the studied genotypes by making an independent cluster. The first two factors of principal component analysis (PCA) PC1 (15.06) and PC2 (10.98) had the highest contribution in variability as 10.18 and 7.42%, respectively. Thus, sorghum genotypes can be isolated from each other at the molecular level by using molecular markers.

Bioefficacy of Hexane Extract of Inula racemosa (Asteraceae) Against Spodoptera litura (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Abstract Phytoinsecticides are considered as an effective and environment friendly alternative to synthetic chemicals for integrated pest management. Asteraceae, the largest plant family is well known for its enormously diverse characteristic content of sesquiterpene lactones. In this study the biological activity of hexane extract of Inula racemosa (Hook) was evaluated against Spodoptera litura (Fabricius). The extract exhibited larvicidal and growth inhibitory activities. A moderate antifeedant effect was recorded with maximum feeding deterrence of 24.85% at 1500 ppm of the extract. Diet supplemented with 1500–2000 ppm of the extract induced significantly higher mortality in S. litura larvae compared to control. All concentrations showed a very strong growth inhibitory effect in a dose dependent manner. The highest concentration (2500 ppm) extended the development of S. litura by 21.06 days relative to control. Due to toxic effects of I. racemosa, the adult emergence decreased significantly at concentrations ranging between 1500–2500 ppm. Sublethal effects of the extract were also manifested as morphological deformities in larvae and pupae of S. litura. Nutritional assay studies indicated reduction in growth and consumption rate as well as utilization of ingested and digested food when plant extract was fed to larvae, suggesting both antifeedant and toxic activities. The hexane extract of I. racemosa has significant influence on relative metabolic rate, causing higher metabolic cost to S. litura.

Physiological and Biochemical Effects of Heat Shock Stress and Determination of Molecular Markers Related to Heat Tolerance in Maize Hybrids Abstract Heat shock stress causes alteration in the physiological and molecular characteristics in plants due to the generation of reactive oxygen species which cause reduction in plant growth. In this study, four maize hybrids (Sc122, TWC 321, TWC 324 and TWC 352) were grown under normal temperature (25 °C) and after 12 days, a set of the four hybrids with three replicates was exposed to heat shock (45 °C) for 2 h. The results showed on the one hand that heat shock stress caused an increment in phytohormones (auxin, gibberellic acid and zeatin) except abscisic acid in two maize hybrids (Sc122 and TWC 321). On the other hand, all the parameters mentioned above were decreased significantly in the other maize hybrids (TWC 324 and TWC 352). In addition, osmolytes (proline and glycine betaine), polyamines (spermidine, putrescine, and spermine) and total soluble sugars were significantly increased in all maize hybrids but the most pronounced increases were recorded in the two maize hybrids Sc122 and TWC 321. These results confirm a previous study that the maize hybrids Sc122 and TWC 321 are considered as tolerant genotypes and the other two hybrids (TWC 324 and TWC 352) as sensitive genotypes. Differential gene expression under normal and heat shock conditions were adopted to search for some heat responsive genes in Egyptian maize hybrids. Three out of the five designed primers produced fragments. Alignment analysis revealed resemblance of the resulted fragments and some heat responsive genes in different species.

Seed Bio-priming to Improve Germination, Seedling Growth and Essential Oil Yield of Dracocephalum Kotschyi Boiss, an Endangered Medicinal Plant in Iran Abstract The study was conducted to evaluate the effects of 10 and 20 min seed soaking in Azotobacter chroococcum and Bacillus polymixa suspension culture on seed germination, seedling growth and essential oil yield of Dracocephalum kotschyi Boiss. Up to day 13, 20 min of B. polymixa suspension culture soaking seeds had shown germination more than 20%, whereas control seeds did not begin germination until day 13. The highest germination rate (1.67) was observed with 20 min of B. polymixa suspension culture soaking seeds. B. polymixa improved seedling length and vigour index more than those of A. chroococcum suspension culture soaking seeds. The highest fresh (81.06 g) and dry weight (11.76 g), relative leaf chlorophyll content (42.24) and Fv/Fm ratio (0.66) of emerging D. Kotschyi seedlings were recorded with seed bio-priming with B. polymixa for 20 min. The main components affected by B. polymixa and A. chroococcum were limonene, α‑pinene, γ‑terpinene, caryophyllene oxide, germacrene D and terpinen-4-ol. The highest percentage of essential oil constituents (97.6%) of D. Kotschyi seedlings were observed with 20 min of B. polymixa suspension culture soaking seeds. The results indicated that seed bio-priming with B. polymixa for 20 min was more effective than the other treatments concerning seed germination, seedling growth and essential oil yield of D. Kotschyi.