Maosheng Wang

Genome Sequencing of Ralstonia solanacearum FQY_4, Isolated from a Bacterial Wilt Nursery Used for Breeding Crop Resistance.

ABSTRACT Ralstonia solanacearum strain FQY_4 was isolated from a bacterial wilt nursery, which is used for breeding crops for Ralstonia resistance in China. Here, we report the complete genome sequence of FQY_4 and its comparison with other published R. solanacearum genomes, especially with the strains GMI1000 and Y45 in the same group.

A Rapid Microbioassay for Discovery of Antagonistic Bacteria for Phytophthora parasitica var. nicotianae

A simple, rapid, small-scale microbioassay for infection of tobacco seedlings by Phytophthora parasitica var. nicotianae was developed here. This assay uses tobacco seedlings cultivated in petri dishes for a standardized method for quantitation of initial zoospore inocula and high-throughput screening of antagonistic bacteria. Zoospore inocula between 10(2) to 10(5) spores per petri dish were inoculated on 14-day-old tobacco seedlings for the susceptibility test. The optimum inocula was established to be ten thousand zoospores. One hundred and fifty pure culture bacteria with different pigments, growth rates, and morphologies were isolated from rhizosphere soil of tobacco and screened for protective ability against tobacco black shank. Fifteen bacteria presented high activity against P. parasitica on tobacco seedlings. They were identified by Biolog GEN III MicroPlate and distributed as Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, B. licheniformis, Paenibacillus pabuli, B. atrophaeus, B. subtilis, B. pumilus, and B. endophyticus, respectively. Four antagonists chosen randomly from the 15 bacteria all exhibited the same 100% protective activity in planta as that in the petri dishes. This microassay proved to be a rapid, reproducible, and efficient method for screening of potential biological agents or microorganisms and may be useful for studying mechanisms of infection and control of Phytophthora spp. under hydroponic conditions.

Metabolic effects of azoxystrobin and kresoxim-methyl against Fusarium kyushuense examined using the Biolog FF MicroPlate

Azoxystrobin and kresoxim-methyl are strobilurin fungicides, and are effective in controlling many plant diseases, including Fusarium wilt. The mode of action of this kind of chemical is inhibition of respiration. This research investigated the sensitivities of Fusarium kyushuense to azoxystrobin and kresoxim-methyl, and to the alternative oxidase inhibitor salicylhydroxamic acid (SHAM). The Biolog FF MicroPlate is designed to examine substrate utilization and metabolic profiling of micro-organisms, and was used here to study the activity of azoxystrobin, kresoxim-methyl and SHAM against F. kyushuense. Results presented that azoxystrobin and kresoxim-methyl strongly inhibited conidial germination and mycelial growth of F. kyushuense, with EC50 values of 1.60 and 1.79μgml(-1), and 6.25 and 11.43μgml(-1), respectively; while not for SHAM. In the absence of fungicide, F. kyushuense was able to metabolize 91.6% of the tested carbon substrates, including 69 effectively and 18 moderately. SHAM did not inhibit carbon substrate utilization. Under the selective pressure of azoxystrobin and kresoxim-methyl during mycelial growth (up to 100μgml(-1)) and conidial germination (up to 10μgml(-1)), F. kyushuense was unable to metabolize many substrates in the Biolog FF MicroPlate; while especially for carbon substrates in glycolysis and tricarboxylic acid cycle, with notable exceptions such as β-hydroxybutyric acid, y-hydroxybutyric acid, α-ketoglutaric acid, α-d-glucose-1-phosphate, d-saccharic acid and succinic acid in the mycelial growth stage, and β-hydroxybutyric acid, y-hydroxybutyric acid, α-ketoglutaric acid, tween-80, arbutin, dextrin, glycerol and glycogen in the conidial germination stage. This is a new finding for some effect of azoxystrobin and kresoxim-methyl on carbon substrate utilization related to glycolysis and tricarboxylic acid cycle and other carbons, and may lead to future applications of Biolog FF MicroPlate for metabolic effects of other fungicides and other fungi, as well as providing a carbon metabolic fingerprint of F. kyushuense that could be useful for identification.

Metabolic activities of five botryticides against Botrytis cinerea examined using the Biolog FF MicroPlate

Tobacco grey mold caused by Botrytis cinerea is an important fungal disease worldwide. Boscalid, carbendazim, iprodione, pyrimethanil and propiconazole are representative botryticides for grey mold management. This research investigated the sensitivities of B. cinerea from tobacco to these chemicals using the Biolog FF Microplate. All five chemicals showed inhibitory activity, with average EC50 values of 0.94, 0.05, 0.50, 0.61 and 0.31 μg ml−1, respectively. B. cinerea metabolized 96.8% of tested carbon sources, including 29 effectively and 33 moderately, but the metabolic fingerprints differed under pressures imposed by these botryticides. For boscalid, B. cinerea was unable to metabolize many substrates related to tricarboxylic acid cycle. For carbendazim, carbon sources related to glycolysis were not metabolized. For iprodione, use of most carbon substrates was weakly inhibited, and the metabolic profile was similar to that of the control. For propiconazole, no carbon substrates were metabolized and the physiological and biochemical functions of the pathogen were totally inhibited. These findings provide useful information on metabolic activities of these botryticides, and may lead to future applications of the Biolog FF Microplate for examining metabolic effects of other fungicides on other fungi, as well as providing a metabolic fingerprint of B. cinerea that could be useful for identification.

Influence of PA6 as a Charring Agent on Flame Retardancy, Thermal and Mechanical Properties of LGFR PP Composites

Abstract In this work, the combustion, thermal, and mechanical performances of long-glass-fiber-reinforced polypropylene/intumescent flame retardant (LGFPP/IFR) composites with different contents of polyamide 6 (PA6) as a charring agent were investigated by limiting oxygen index (LOI), UL-94 test, cone calorimetry, thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and mechanical property test. The results showed that LGFPP/IFR/PA6 composites exhibited much better flame retardancy due to the dense char layer structure, as proved by SEM. When 15 wt% PA6 was added, the LGFPP/IFR composites had the best flame retardancy, and LOI increased by 55.1 %, and the UL-94 reached V-0 rating. The cone calorimeter tests indicated that PA6 could prevent the transmission of heat and the volatilization of flammable substances, thereby reducing the heat release of “second burning”. According to TGA analysis, the carbon layer began to form at a lower temperature due to the synergistic effect between IFR and PA6. Moreover, the calculation of apparent active energy (Ea) revealed that PA6 effectively increased the Ea values of the composites, resulting in a better thermal stability and flame retardancy. In addition, PA6 enhanced the mechanical properties of the composites effectively.