Biochar is a rich carbon product obtained by pyrolysis of biomass under a limited supply of oxygen. It is composed mainly of aromatic molecules, but its agronomic value is hard to evaluate and difficult to predict due to its great variable characteristics depending on the type of starting biomass and the conditions of pyrolysis. Anyway, it could be used as soil amendment because it increases the soil fertility of acidic soils, increases the agricultural productivity, and seems to provide protection against some foliar and soilborne diseases. In this study, the effects of biochar, obtained from olive pruning, have been evaluated on tomato seedlings growth and on their response to systemic agents' infection alone or added with beneficial microorganisms (Bacillus spp. and Trichoderma spp.). First, experimental data showed that biochar seems to promote the development of the tomato seedlings, especially at concentrations ranging from 1 to 20% (w/w with peat) without showing any antimicrobial effects on the beneficial soil bacteria at the tomato rhizosphere level and even improving their growth. Thus, those concentrations were used in growing tomato plants experimentally infected with tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) and potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd). The biochar effect was estimated by evaluating three parameters, namely, symptom expression, number of infected plants, and pathogen quantification, using RT-qPCR technique and −ΔΔCt analysis. Biochar at 10–15% and when added with Trichoderma spp. showed that it reduces the replication of PSTVd and the expression of symptoms even if it was not able to block the start of infection. The results obtained on TSWV-infected plants suggested that biochar could contribute to reducing both infection rate and virus replication. For systemic viral agents, such as PSTVd and TSWV, there are no curative control methods, and therefore, the use of prevention means, as can be assumed the use biochar, for example, in the nursery specialized in horticultural crops, can be of great help. These results can be an encouraging starting point to introduce complex biochar formulates among the sustainable managing strategies of plant systemic diseases.
In recent years, natural compounds have gained attention in many fields due to their wide-range biological activity. In particular, essential oils and their associated hydrosols are being screened to control plant pests, exerting antiviral, antimycotic and antiparasitic actions. They are more quickly and cheaply produced and are generally considered safer for the environment and non-target organisms than conventional pesticides. In this study, we report the evaluation of the biological activity of two essential oils and their corresponding hydrosols obtained from Mentha suaveolens and Foeniculum vulgare in the control of zucchini yellow mosaic virus and its vector, Aphis gossypii, in Cucurbita pepo plants. The control of the virus was ascertained with treatments applied either concurrently with or after virus infection; choice tests were performed to verify repellency activity against the aphid vector. The results indicated that treatments could decrease virus titer as measured using real-time RT-PCR, while the experiments on the vector showed that the compounds effectively repelled aphids. The extracts were also chemically characterized using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Mentha suaveolens and Foeniculum vulgare hydrosol extracts mainly comprised fenchone and decanenitrile, respectively, while essential oils analysis returned a more complex composition, as expected.
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