Nazeer Ahmed

Adventitious rooting in apple rootstock MM.106: Effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and plant growth regulators

Summary To assess the efficacy of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) for improving the rooting and growth of hardwood cuttings of apple rootstock MM.106, three mycorrhizal species (Sclerocystis dussi, Glomus intraradices, and G. fasciculatum) were tested. Rootstock cuttings from each AMF inoculation treatment were then treated, or not treated, with the rooting hormone, indole 3-butyric acid (IBA), or a rooting inhibitor, cinnamic acid (CA) each at 2.5 g l–1. Cuttings that had not been inoculated with AMF or treated with either growth regulator served as controls. The results indicated that, after 90 d, cuttings inoculated with any of the three AMF alone, or in combination with 2.5 g l–1 IBA had significantly higher percentages of rooting and growth than the untreated controls. The combined application of AMF plus 2.5 g l–1 CA also improved the rooting percentage, which was significantly higher than in the untreated controls. Thus, the positive response to AMF inoculation was further improved when combined with 2.5 g l–1 IBA.

Sharka in plums: Diagnostics and management

Sharka or plum pox is the most destructive disease of plums and other stone fruits belonging to genus Prunus, worldwide. The disease is incited by plum pox virus (PPV), a member of the genus Potyvirus and family Potyviridae. Timelydetection of PPV in fruit trees is necessary prior to embracing an appropriate management tool for containment of the disease to keep the crop loss sufficiently below the economic threshold level. PPV can be diagnosed by visual examination, particularly, during the period of active growth. Traditionally, cultural methods have been used to isolate and identify this dreaded pathogen. Alternatively, molecular detection techniques are also available which, can generate accurate results rapidly enough to be useful for disease management decisions. With the herald of new frontiers of science such as functional genomics and metabolomics, the development of more cost effective novel tools with exceptional sensitivity in real time is not a distant dream to be realized.