Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Plant Science
A study of two co-occurring Florida shrub species found that infrared light passing through translucent petal areas warmed one species’ flowers. Warmer flowers had fewer culturable yeasts, molds and bacteria, while natural differences in ultraviolet transmission did not predict microbial abundance or resistance to ultraviolet exposure.
Certain Streptomyces bacteria improved maize growth when plants were grown with limited water in a greenhouse experiment. The effects varied among the four bacterial isolates, and further testing is needed before they can be considered for field use.
Researchers identified a protein pathway that helps the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae respond to the reactive oxygen plants produce during infection. They also found a small molecule, orcinol gentiobioside, that targets the pathway and inhibits fungal invasion in their study.
A study of tropical soils found that microbial communities, calcium and soil acidity were linked to suppression of the crop pathogen Ceratocystis paradoxa. In experiments, calcium carbonate strengthened suppression, particularly at pH 7.0, and worked with microbes transferred from suppressive soils.
Fall armyworm is a major crop pest, and insecticide use is increasingly constrained by resistance and side effects. This review synthesizes evidence that endophytic fungi—fungi that live inside plants—can colonize plant tissues and reduce fall armyworm performance. It also highlights limited field testing and a lack of data on effects on beneficial insects.
