Two methods to induce a symptomless infection of crown rot (Phytophthora cactorum) in stolons of three strawberry (Fragaria×ananassa) cultivars were evaluated. Spraying a 10−4 ml zoospore suspension was the most effective method, producing a mean infection rate of 12%. Meristem cultures were subsequently established from all of the inoculated stolons and tested eight weeks later for the presenc...

The microalgae Haematococcus pluvialis is used for the biotechnological production of astaxanthin. red carotenoid accumulates in cytoplasm under unfavorable conditions. Astaxanthin synthesis associated with transformation motile vegetative cells into non-motile cyst cells. In industrial process, after harvesting, are mechanically disrupted, dried, and finally, astaxanthin extracted supercritica...

Ellobiopsids are multinucleate protist parasites of aquatic crustaceans that possess a nutrient absorbing 'root' inside the host and reproductive structures that protrude through the carapace. Ellobiopsids have variously been affiliated with fungi, 'colorless algae', and dinoflagellates, although no morphological character has been identified that definitively allies them with any particular eu...

Environmental factors can limit the distribution of organisms if they are not able to respond through phenotypic plasticity or local adaptation. Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) is a broadly distributed pathogen, which shows spatially patterned genotypic and phenotypic variation; however, information on the functional consequences of this variation on disease dynamics in natural hosts is lim...

Phytophthora infestans is a highly destructive plant pathogen. It was the cause of the infamous Irish potato famine in the nineteenth century and remains to this day a significant global problem with associated costs estimated at $3 billion annually. Key to the success of this pathogen is the dispersal of free-swimming cells called zoospores. A poorly understood aspect of zoospore behaviour is ...

Agricultural productivity and sustainability are continually challenged by emerging and indigenous pathogens. Currently, many pathogens can be combatted only with biocides or environmentally dangerous fumigants. Here, we report a rapid and pathogen-specific strategy to reduce infection by organisms that target plant roots. Combinatorially selected defense peptides, previously shown to effect pr...

The preparation of side group modified polystyrene-based surface-active block copolymers (SABC) for use as marine fouling resistance/release applications is described. Modifying moieties such as poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and semifluorinated segments were used. A novel bilayer methodology has been employed that provides both suitable mechanical properties through the use of an elastomeric prim...

Introduction Pythiosis is caused by Pythium insidiosum, a fungus-like organism in the class Oomycetes. It can infect humans and a variety of animal species in tropical, subtropical and some temperate regions. Cases of animal pythiosis have occurred predominantly in horses in the skin and subcutaneous tissue at the limbs and in the ventral portion of thoracoabdominal wall - lesions in the nasal ...