Aims: The present study evaluated, for the first time, the inhibitory effects of the filtrate of Purpureocillium lilacinum against Penicillium digitatum. Methods and Results: No direct contact between P. lilacinum and P. digitatum was observed during the dual culture test and the inhibition zone was 6Á1 mm. The filtrate of P. lilacinum completely inhibited P. digitatum growth and spore germination at the concentration of 64%. The filtrate increased the permeability of the cell membrane and the content of MDA in P. digitatum. The ergosterol content in P. digitatum was strongly inhibited at 32% by 81Á1%. The green mould incidence and severity in filtrate-treated fruit at 64% were 71Á7 and 80Á7% lower than in the control, respectively. The filtrate enhanced the activity of PAL, PPO and POD enzymes in orange fruit. The POD and PAL gene expression levels were significantly upregulated in the fruit treated with the filtrate. Conclusions: This study indicated that the antifungal mechanism of P. lilacinum filtrate against P. digitatum is mainly by the damage of the fungal cell membrane and its components. Significance and Impact of the Study: This work provides the pioneer evidence on the application of P. lilacinum filtrate as a novel biocontrol agent for orange green mould.

The aims of our study were to molecularly assess some seedy strains of Alamar Apricot Rootstock using SCoT and ISSR techniques. In addition, assessment of the expression of P5CS gene with assay of some stress-related phytochemical parameters under salinity stress. These strains were irrigated with salt solution for 6 months from June 2016, only eight strains continued to grow under salinity stress. ISSR and SCoT techniques revealed polymorphic patterns and confirmed to be valid in discriminating these eight strains. SCoT technique was better than ISSRs in assessment for molecular diversity and discrimination capacity for all studied seedy strains. However, a significant positive correlation was found only between distances based on ISSR data and Euclidian distances based on stress-related phytochemical parameters data. These strains showed higher values than control for the studied parameters, specially A3 being the best strain in all parameters, in addition to showing a significantly increase in P5CS gene expression compared to control. Also, A3 was distinguished by a few ISSR unique markers. This, suggesting that, these markers may be used as markers assisted selection in the improvement of salinity tolerance. In addition, the possibility of utilizing this strain through other studies as a source of salinity tolerance in Alamar apricot rootstock.

The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of silicon (Si) and nano-silicon (NSi) on growth, yield, ions content, and antioxidant defense systems, including transcript levels of enzyme-encoding genes in Pisum sativum plants grown under salinity stress. Both Si and NSi were applied at the 3 mM level and NaCl was applied at 4 concentrations (100, 150, 200 and 250 mM). Vegetative growth, including plant height, leaf area, fresh and dry weights, and yield attributes were determined. Gene expression of antioxidant enzymes was analyzed, and their activities were determined. The results showed that salinity had deleterious effects on plant growth and yield. Salt-stressed plant leaves exhibited a greater activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), but a lower activity of catalase (CAT) when compared to the control. Na+ ions accumulated in roots and shoots of salinized plants. The application of Si and NSi significantly enhanced vegetative growth and relative water content (RWC), and caused significant increases in plant height, fresh and dry weight, total yield, and antioxidant defense systems. Si and NSi enhanced K+ content in roots and shoots under salinity treatment and decreased Na+ content in the studied tissues. It was concluded that the application of NSi was beneficial in improving the salt tolerance of Pisum sativum plants more than Si alone.

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Different ionophoric species, viz.: 18-crown-6 (18C6), dibenzo-18-crown-6 (DB18C6) and calix [6]arene (CAX), as electroactive materials, with 2-nitrophenyloctylether (2-NPOE), bis(ethylhexyl)sebacate (DOS), dioctyl phthalate (DOP), and didecyl phthalate (DDP) as plasticizing solvent mediators were used to construct Cr 3þ selective electrodes in a PVC matrix in the ratio (w/w) PVC: ionophore: plasticizer (60 : 2 : 120). Seven electrodes out of the fabricated 12 electrodes, gave best results in terms of working concentration range (1.0 Â 10 À5 À 1.0 Â 10 À1 M) with a close to Nernstian slope of 18.5 and a Nernstian slope of 20.0 mV/decade of activity. The usable pH range of the sensors is 4.0 -7.0. The detection limit of the selected electrodes is 1.0 Â 10 À7 M. The response time of the sensors is 8 -35 s, depending on the concentration of Cr 3þ used. The selectivity coefficient values indicate that the electrodes are highly selective for Cr 3þ over a number of other cations except Pb 2þ and Na þ (for some electrodes). The electrodes have successfully been used to determine Cr 3þ in certified and real alloys and in effluents of electroplating shops with a precision as relative standard deviation (RSD) < 3%, for each of the proposed Cr 3þ -ion selective electrodes. The results obtained by the proposed ISEs are in good agreement with the results obtained by direct flame AAS method.

anola (Brassica napus L.) is considered one of the most important oilseed (oil content 40 to 45%) and protein rich crops in the world. Its cultivation has increased tremendously in recent years and currently it is the second largest contributor to the world supply of vegetable oil (Ben Ghnaya et al., 2008).