Alternaria species, mainly air-borne fungi, affect potato plants, causing black spots symptoms. Morphological identification, pathogenicity assessment, and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) molecular identification confirmed that all isolates were Alternaria alternata. The annotated sequences were deposited in GenBank under accession numbers MN592771–MN592777. HPLC analysis revealed that the fungal isolates KH3 (133,200 ng/g) and NO3 (212,000 ng/g) produced higher levels of tenuazonic acid (TeA) and alternariol monomethyl ether (AME), respectively. Beet ethanol extract (BEE) and beet methanol extract (BME) at different concentrations were used as antimycotoxins. BME decreased the production of mycotoxins by 66.99–99.79%. The highest TeA reduction rate (99.39%) was reported in the KH3 isolate with 150 µg/mL BME treatment. In comparison, the most effective AME reduction rate (99.79%) was shown in the NO3 isolate with 150 µg/mL BME treatment. In the same way, BEE application resulted in 95.60–99.91% mycotoxin reduction. The highest TeA reduction rate (99.91%) was reported in the KH3 isolate with 150 µg/mL BEE treatment, while the greatest AME reduction rate (99.68%) was shown in the Alam1 isolate with 75 µg/mL BEE treatment. GC-MS analysis showed that the main constituent in BME was the antioxidant compound 1-dodecanamine, n,n-dimethyl with a peak area of 43.75%. In contrast, oxirane, methyl- (23.22%); hexadecanoic acid, methyl ester (10.72%); and n-hexadecanoic acid (7.32%) were the main components in BEE found by GC-MS. They are probably antimicrobial molecules and have an effect on the mycotoxin in general. To our knowledge, this is the first study describing the antimycotoxigenic activity of beet extracts against A. alternata mycotoxins-contaminated potato crops in Egypt, aimed to manage and save the environment.

Three different concentrations of four (ethanol, acetone, methanol, and diethyl ether) extracts of licorice, doum, and banana peel were evaluated for antifungal and antimycotoxigenic efficiency against a maize aflatoxigenic fungus, Aspergillus flavus. Among them, the licorice diethyl ether 75% extract was intensely active, showing the best wet and dry weight inhibition and exhibiting the highest efficacy ratio (91%). Regarding aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) production, all the plant extracts tested were effective against AFB1 production after one month of maize storage, with average efficacy ratios ranging from 74.1% to 97.5%. At the same time, Thiram fungicide exhibited an efficacy ratio of 20.14%. The relative expression levels of three structural genes (aflD, aflP, and aflQ) and two regulatory genes (aflR and aflS) were significantly downregulated when compared to untreated maize grains or Thiram-treated maize grains. The doum diethyl ether 75% peel extract showed the highest total phenolic content (60.48 mg GAE/g dry extract wt.) and antioxidant activity (84.71 μg/mL). GC–MS analysis revealed that dimethoxycinnamic acid, aspartic acid, valproic acid, and linoleic acid might imbue the extracts with antioxidant capacities in relation to fungal growth and aflatoxin biosynthesis. Finally, the results suggest that the three plant extracts can be considered a promising source for developing potentially effective and environmentally safer alternative ways to control aflatoxin formation, thus creating a potentially protective method for grain storage.

Accumulation of the Municipal Sewage Sludge (MSS) is considered as one of the most harmful renewable ecological and human health problems. MSS is a renewable resource that could be used as a soil organic amendment. This study aims to reduce the Heavy Metals (HMs) from the sludge content and sludge compost. Furthermore, this study is considered the first to assess the mycotoxins content in sludge and sludge compost via a new biological treatment using the fungus Serendipita indica or a mixture of lactic acid bacteria, thus providing safer nutrients for the soil amendment for a longer time and preserving human health. The HMs and mycotoxins were determined. The results exhibited that the biotic remediation of bio-solid waste and sewage sludge compost succeeded; a new bio-treated compost with a very low content of heavy metals and almost mycotoxins-free contents was availed. Also, the results indicated that the Lactobacilli mixture realized the best results in reducing heavy metals contents and mycotoxins. Afterward, S. indica. biotic remediation of bio-solid waste and sewage sludge compost minimized the health risk hazards affecting the human food chain, allowing for the different uses of sludge to be safer for the environment.

The detachment of organs is controlled by highly regulated molecular mechanisms. The position of the tomato abscission zone (AZ) is defined by the ratio of the proximal to distal part of the pedicel. In this study, the ratio was altered due to a shift in the position of the AZ which was attributed to shorter and longer pedicels of SlP4H3 RNAi and OEX lines due to changes on cell division and expansion in AZ and distal part. This might be associated with LM2- and JIM8-AGPs which increased in OEX and decreased in RNAi lines throughout the pedicel. The JIM13 AGPs were downregulated in the flower AZ of OEX lines, pointing to a role on abscission regulation. In addition, Co-IP in flower AZ with SlP4H3-GFP fusion proteins showed interaction with LM2-, JIM13- and JIM8-epitopes suggesting proline hydroxylation by SlP4H3. The lower content of methyl-esterified HGs and higher of demethyl-esterified HGs in the AZs of RNAi lines might be responsible for increased rigidity of the AZ cell walls, accounting for the higher force required for AZ tissue detachment to occur. Moreover, ethylene-induced flower abscission was accelerated in the RNAi lines and delayed in OEX lines, while exactly the opposite response was observed in the red ripe fruit AZs. This was partly attributed to alterations in the expression of cell wall hydrolases. Overall, these results indicate that P4Hs might regulate molecular and structural features of cell walls in the AZ as well as abscission progression by regulating the structure and function of AGPs.

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