(Press-News.org) The Basque Institute for Agricultural Research and Development, Neiker-Tecnalia, has developed a new method for the early detection of the diseases mildew, powdery mildew and botrytis in vines. The new methodology based on molecular biology techniques makes it possible to detect the disease before the symptoms appear on the plant. That way it is possible to carry out the rapid treatment of the plots or areas affected and prevent the disease from spreading all over vineyard, which reduces infective pressure. The R&D centre has also studied the evolution of infection by the pathogen Plasmopara viticola –the cause of mildew– on four vine varieties: Solaris, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo and Petit Courbu. Solaris turned out to have the greatest resistance to the fungus.
The early detection of diseases is fundamental for the agricultural sector. In the sphere of vine growing there are three diseases caused by fungi and which greatly affect vineyards: mildew, powdery mildew of the grapevine and botrytis, also known as grey mould or grey rot and which also affect other fruit crops. The fungi that cause them are Plasmopara viticola, Erysiphe necator and Botrytis cinerea, respectively. The three reduce crop yields and fruit quality, which leads to significant production and economic losses for the grape producing sector. This is compounded by the hazards arising out of the intense applications of plant protection products to combat these diseases, because they contaminate the soil and water in the vineyards and also pose a risk for the people who carry out the fumigation.
To spot the above-mentioned three diseases rapidly, Neiker-Tecnalia has fine-tuned a molecular biology technique based on Polymerase Chain Reaction or PCR; it is a method capable of detecting the genetic material of the relevant spores to confirm their presence or otherwise in the vineyard. This technique constitutes an alternative to the method based on identifying, under the microscope, the spores gathered in the vineyard by means of devices to capture the air, either volumetric or passive ones; in any case, this can only work a few days in advance of the appearance of symptoms on the plant, when the disease can by spotted with the naked eye. The problem facing this methodology is the contamination of the spore samples by remains of fungicides, dust from the ground, pollen and other matter. These elements are potential inhibitors of the reaction of the polymerase and therefore prevent the spores from being identified.
The PCR technique proposed by Neiker-Tecnalia includes the washing of the spores and ensures that they reach the DNA obtaining process in a clean state. Once the possible inhibitors have been eliminated, the R&D centre's researchers subject the samples to the PCR technique to identify the presence of the spores of Plasmopara viticola, Erysiphe necator and Botrytis cinerea and that way confirm each disease in the vineyard.
Solaris, the variety that best resists mildew
The other line of research conducted by Neiker-Tecnalia has been channelled towards studying the degree of resistance of mildew –a disease caused by the fungus Plasmopara viticola– which arises in the Solaris, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo and Petit Courbu grape varieties. The Solaris variety, of German origin, has turned out to be the most resistant, since it has a gene making it resistant to this fungus and is the one that takes longer to develop the infective process of the disease. Cabernet Sauvignon –a very widespread variety internationally– displayed intermediate resistance, and the least resistant to the pathogen were Tempranillo –the most common grape in the Rioja Qualified Appellation of Origin– and Petit Corbou –common in the south of France and in the vineyards of Txakoli (Basque white wine)-.
### END
New method for the early detection of vineyard mildew, powdery mildew and botrytis
2013-05-09
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Research finds opportunity in health care system to reach out to youth contemplating suicide
2013-05-09
TORONTO, May 9, 2013—More than 80 per cent of youth who die by suicide had some form of contact with the health care system in the year before their death, according to a new study from St. Michael's Hospital.
"This suggests there are a lot of opportunities for prevention," said Dr. Anne Rhodes, a research scientist at the hospital's Suicide Studies Research Unit. "Most of these youth were seen by an outpatient physician or went to an emergency department where they could have potentially benefited from an intervention."
Among those seen by an outpatient physician, ...
Social connections drive the 'upward spiral' of positive emotions and health
2013-05-09
People who experience warmer, more upbeat emotions may have better physical health because they make more social connections, according to a new study published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.
The research, led by Barbara Fredrickson of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Bethany Kok of the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences also found it is possible for a person to self-generate positive emotions in ways that make him or her physically healthier.
"People tend to liken their emotions ...
Parental addictions linked to adult children's depression
2013-05-09
TORONTO, ON – The offspring of parents who were addicted to drugs or alcohol are more likely to be depressed in adulthood, according to a new study by University of Toronto researchers.
In a paper published online in the journal Psychiatry Research this month, investigators examined the association between parental addictions and adult depression in a representative sample of 6,268 adults, drawn from the 2005 Canadian Community Health Survey. Of these respondents, 312 had a major depressive episode within the year preceding the survey and 877 reported that while they ...
Obese students' childbearing risk varies with high school obesity rates
2013-05-09
For young women in high school, the risk of childbearing may depend on the prevalence of obesity in their schools, according to sociologists, who found that as the prevalence of obesity rises in a school, so do the odds of obese high school students bearing children.
"We did find that obese females are at lower risk of having a child while in high school," said Jennifer Buher Kane, recent Penn State Ph. D. recipient and current postdoctoral fellow at Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina. "But that relative risk depends a lot on the type of school ...
Variations in antibiotic prescribing of acute rhinosinusitis in united states ambulatory settings
2013-05-09
Alexandria, VA — Antibiotics for acute rhinosinusitis (ARS) are prescribed frequently— especially for younger adult patients and in primary care settings—despite recent consensus guidelines that discourage antibiotic use in mild cases, according to a study in the May 2013 issue of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery.
"These variations should be of high relevance to policy makers, patients, and clinicians, with implications for payment for quality," the authors state.
The authors set out to identify national variations in using antibiotics to treat ARS. Study data ...
Your immune system: On surveillance in the war against cancer
2013-05-09
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – May 9, 2013 – Predicting outcomes for cancer patients based on tumor-immune system interactions is an emerging clinical approach, and new research from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center is advancing the field when it comes to the most deadly types of breast cancer.
"We know that one function of our immune system is to detect and destroy pre-malignant cells before they can become cancer," said lead author Lance D. Miller, Ph.D., associate professor of cancer biology at Wake Forest Baptist. "However, sometimes the immune system becomes unresponsive ...
Positive social support at work shown to reduce risk of diabetes
2013-05-09
Cases of type 2 diabetes continue to rise in the US. And while the development of the disease is more commonly associated with risk factors such as obesity, high blood pressure, and physical inactivity, research has shown that stress can also have a significant impact.
Now Dr. Sharon Toker of Tel Aviv University's Faculty of Management has found that low levels of social support and high levels of stress in the workplace can accurately predict the development of diabetes over the long term — even in employees who appear to be healthy otherwise. Published in the Journal ...
Why we love it or hate it: The 3 E's
2013-05-09
Why do brands such as Manchester United and Apple capture hearts and minds? When consumers feel a strong emotional attachment to a brand, there is seemingly nothing we would not do–from paying more for it to defending it against detractors. For all the millions of dollars spent on advertising and other efforts, however, consumers rarely feel an affinity for brands. So how do marketers make consumers develop a strong attachment for a product or service? According to a recent study from USC Marshall School of Business, it is achieved by appealing to people's aesthetic needs ...
Hubble finds dead stars 'polluted' with planetary debris
2013-05-09
The stars, known as white dwarfs — small, dim remnants of stars once like the Sun — reside 150 light-years away in the Hyades star cluster, in the constellation of Taurus (The Bull). The cluster is relatively young, at only 625 million years old.
Astronomers believe that all stars formed in clusters. However, searches for planets in these clusters have not been fruitful — of the roughly 800 exoplanets known, only four are known to orbit stars in clusters. This scarcity may be due to the nature of the cluster stars, which are young and active, producing stellar flares ...
Do insomnia and disrupted sleep during menopause increase a woman's risk of heart disease?
2013-05-09
New Rochelle, NY, May 9, 2013—Insomnia and other sleep disturbances are common among perimenopausal and postmenopausal women and may increase their risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Evidence that a combination of altered sleep duration and insomnia among women ages 50-79 doubled their risk of both CHD and CVD over a period of more than 10 years is presented in an article in Journal of Women's Health, a peer-reviewed publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Journal of Women's Health website ...