The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of reduced levels of Cu, Zn, Mn in combination from organic mineral source on eggshell quality and mineral retention in hens. After feeding the basal diet (8.82 mg/kg Cu, 24.94 mg/kg Zn, and 16.38 mg/kg Mn) without Cu, Zn, and Mn addition for 4 weeks, hens (39-week-old) were assigned to 5 treatments according to the equal body weight and egg production for 12-week experimental trial. The 5 treatments included the basal diet without Cu, Zn, and Mn (NCON), and NCON added with 16-80-60 mg/kg Cu-Zn-Mn from sulfates (ITM100%), or 4-20-15, 8-40-30 or 16-80-60 mg/kg Cu-Zn-Mn from 2-hydroxy-4-(methylthio)butanoic acid (HMTBA) mineral chelates (OTM25%, OTM50% or OTM100%). Supplementation of Cu, Zn, and Mn had no significant influences on the performance of hens. After 12 weeks feeding, eggshell breaking strength (EBS) decreased in the following order: OTM25% and ITM100% > OTM50% > NCON and OTM100%. The eggshell weight and thickness in OTM25% were greater than that in NCON, while not differing from that in ITM100%. The EBS and eggshell weight linearly decreased with increasing level of OTM. After 12 weeks feeding, supplementation of Cu, Zn, and Mn increased the concentrations of liver Zn, tibia Zn and Mn, and Zn and Mn retention in eggs as compared with NCON. No significant difference was observed in the concentrations of Cu, Zn, and Mn in liver and plasma, and Zn and Mn in eggs between any OTM treatment and ITM100% groups. Addition of OTM at increasing level had quadratic effect on tibia Cu, Zn, Mn concentrations, with the greater retention of Cu, Zn, and Mn in OTM50%. In conclusion, the OTM25% from HMT BA mineral chelates can substitute for ITM100% evaluated by the eggshell quality in the diet of laying hens.

The cAMP signaling pathway has been shown to be important in controlling morphological changes and pathogenicity in plant pathogens. In the present study, we identified PcPdeH, a gene encoding a high-affinity phosphodiesterase (PDE), which is a key regulator of the cAMP signaling pathway. To elucidate the function of PcPdeH, PcPdeH-knockout mutants were obtained using a type II CRISPR/Cas9 system in Phytophthora capsici. The knockout transformants of PcPdeH showed vegetative growth defects and abnormal cyst germination. Infection assays indicated that compared with the wild type, PcPdeH-knockout mutants showed significantly reduced virulence on pepper and tobacco leaves and exhibited increased (1.5-2-fold) cAMP levels relative to the wild-type and CK strains. Based on these phenotypic features, we propose that PcPdeH is crucial for vegetative growth, cyst germination and pathogenicity in P. capsici.

Photinia (Photinia × fraseri Dress) is a well-known green plant that has high ornamental value and is widely distributed around the world. An outbreak of typical bud blight disease was observed between May and August in photinia in 2017 in Qingdao, China. The causal agent for this blight was subsequently isolated from symptomatic samples and identified as Nothophoma quercina based on morphological characterization and molecular analyses (ITS, LSU, RPB2, and TUB2). Results of pathogenicity tests on isolated fungi also supported the conclusion that N. quercina is the pathogen responsible for this condition. To our knowledge, this is the first report of bud blight on P. fraseri caused by N. quercina in China.

Parthenocissus tricuspidata is a climbing plant of the grape family (Vitaceae) and has been widely planted in China (He et al. 2011). In 2017, several leaf blotch symptoms were found on approximate...

Tetrandrine (TET) is a potent calcium channel blocker used to treat hypertension and inflammation. Currently, TET is predominantly used to treat a variety of human diseases, and there is little information regarding the use of TET against plant pathogens. In this study, we explored the antifungal activity of TET on a plant pathogen, Botrytis cinerea. We show that administration of low concentrations of TET effectively inhibited hyphal growth of fungus grown on potato dextrose agarose and decreased the virulence of B. cinerea in tomato plants. Real-time PCR revealed that the expression of drug efflux pump-related genes (alcohol dehydrogenase 1, multidrug/pheromone exporter, pleiotropic drug resistance protein 1, and synaptic vesicle transporter) were downregulated in the presence of TET. Finally, we show that TET acts synergistically with iprodione, resulting in increased inhibition of B. cinerea both in vitro and in vivo. These results indicate that TET might act as an effective antifungal agent in reducing gray mold disease.

Botrytis cinerea, a necrotrophic phytopathogen responsible for gray mold disease, poses a significant threat to global postharvest horticultural production due to substantial spoilage of fruits and vegetables. This study systematically investigated the antifungal efficacy and molecular mechanisms of terpinen-4-ol against B. cinerea. Terpinen-4-ol exhibited a broad-spectrum of antifungal activity, significantly inhibiting both mycelium growth and conidial viability of B. cinerea. Further analyses revealed that terpinen-4-ol disrupted cell membrane integrity and induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation. The inhibitory effect may be attributed to its ability to promote ROS accumulation and induce autophagy activity, thereby disrupting the intracellular redox balance and autophagic processes in fungi, ultimately leading to apoptosis via a metacaspase-dependent pathway. Altogether, these findings revealed a specific antifungal mechanism of terpinen-4-ol against B. cinerea, suggesting its potential as an effective preservative for postharvest preservation of fruits.