We examined the olfactory and visual abilities of megachiropteran bats, Cynopterus sphinx, for discrimination of the odour and shape of the banana fruit, Musa sp. We conducted the experiments in captive conditions by offering a selection of ripe bananas, blended bananas and artificial bananas. The behaviour of the bats was observed visually, and the percentage of activity and rest, duration of ...

Promoter regions associated with each of the six ssDNA components of banana bunchy top virus (BBTV) have been characterized. DNA segments incorporating the intergenic regions of BBTV DNA-1 to -6 were isolated and fused to the uidA (beta-glucuronidase) reporter gene to assess promoter activity. In tobacco cell suspensions, the BBTV DNA-2 and -6 promoters generated levels of GUS expression 2-fold...

We investigated a destructive pathogenic variant of the plant pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum that was consistently isolated in Martinique (French West Indies). Since the 1960s, bacterial wilt of solanaceous crops in Martinique has been caused primarily by strains of R. solanacearum that belong to either phylotype I or phylotype II. Since 1999, anthurium shade houses have been dramatically affe...

Banana (Musa sp.) is a fruit plant that commonly cultivated in the tropics. Indonesia has variety of banana cultivars, each cultivar may different susceptibility to pests and diseases. This study aims identify damage intensity scab moth (Nacoleia octasema Meyrick) on some cultivars. The Survey was conducted plantation, while sample selected using random sampling. Six cultivars were observed, na...

The pattern of change in the endogenous levels of several plant hormones and hydroxycinnamic acids in addition to growth and photosynthetic performance was investigated in banana plants (Musa acuminata cv. "Grand Nain") subjected to various cycles of drought. Water stress was imposed by withholding irrigation for six periods with subsequent rehydration. Data showed an increase in abscisic acid ...

Perception of microbial signal molecules is part of the strategy evolved by plants to survive attacks by potential pathogens. To gain a more complete understanding of the early signaling events involved in these responses, we used fungal components of Fusarium under in vitro condition and checked the rise in signal molecule, salicylic acid (SA), and marker enzymes in defense reactions against t...

Two antifungal phenyl-phenalenone phytoalexins isolated from the banana plant (Musa acuminata) elicited with the fungus Fusarium oxysporum, together with a methoxy derivative of one of them and two epoxide precursors of their chemical synthesis, were tested for leishmanicidal activity on Leishmania donovani promastigotes and L. infantum amastigotes. Drugs inhibited proliferation of both forms o...

The leucine zipper (bZIP) transcription factors play important roles in multiple biological processes. However, less information is available regarding the bZIP family in the important fruit crop banana. In this study, 121 bZIP transcription factor genes were identified in the banana genome. Phylogenetic analysis showed that MabZIPs were classified into 11 subfamilies. The majority of MabZIP ge...

Potassium (K+) is one of the most important macronutrients for plant growth and development. It generally accepted that KUP/HAK/KT transporters play essential roles in K+ uptake at low concentrations. However, their physiological functions bananas remain unknown. Here, we cloned MaHAK5 analyzed its banana (Musa acuminata). Gene expression analysis showed was upregulated roots leaves early stage...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES The glycemic response to commonly eaten fruits in Nigeria has not been reported. Therefore, this study assessed the plasma glucose response to selected fruits in Nigeria. PATIENTS AND METHODS Ten normal glucose-tolerant subjects randomly consumed 50 g carbohydrate portions of three fruits: banana (Musa paradisiaca), pineapple (Ananus comosus), and pawpaw (Carica papa...