The elastolytic activities of 82 Bacteroides nodosus strains were studied. Two substrates, insoluble elastin and soluble elastin, were used for this purpose. Roughly 15% of the strains which did not digest insoluble elastin were elastolytic with soluble elastin, the latter providing greater sensitivity, speed, and objectivity than its insoluble counterpart.

Phytophthora root rot of avocado, a soilborne disease caused by Phytophthora cinnamomi Rands, continues to be devastating to the cultivation of avocados despite more than 70 years of research on control methods. Phytophthora root rot has been estimated to be present in two-thirds of the avocado groves in California, causing losses of almost 30% of the total value of the crop (5). P. cinnamomi m...

Dickeya zeae is a phytopathogenic bacterium causing soft rot diseases in a wide range of economically important crops. Here we present the draft genome sequence of strain ZJU1202, which is the causal agent of rice foot rot in China. The draft genome will contribute to epidemiological and comparative genomic studies and the quarantine of this devastating phytopathogen.

Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) family Malvaceae is an important crop used in food, cosmetics and pharmaceutics industries. Roselle is cultivated mainly in Upper Egypt (Qena and Aswan governorates) producing 94% of total production. Root rot disease of roselle is one of the most important diseases that attack both seedlings and adult plants causing serious losses in crop productivity and quali...

Incidence and severity of root-rot caused by the fungus Macrophomina phaseoli was increased in screenhouse-grown kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) seedlings simultaneously infected by the nematode Meloidogyne javanica. In seedlings inoculated at 5, 10 and 15 days of age, root rot lesions increased 70.3, 44.1 and 21.8%, and nematode penetration increased 49.0, 36.7, and 12.3% when both fungus and n...

Metallic silver nanoparticles have been reduced from silver nitrate by employing the extracellular enzymatic machinery of edible White button Mushroom (Agaricus bisporus). The physical properties of these particles, size and shapes have been determined using techniques like TEM, FTIR and XRD and were reported in our earlier report. But, what stands of paramount importance in the presen...

Severe violet root rot occurred in a field of membranous milk vetch in Bonghwa, Korea, in October 2010. Two fungal isolates from the diseased plants were identified as Helicobasidium mompa based on their morphological, cultural, and molecular characteristics. This is the first report that H. mompa causes violet root rot on membranous milk vetch in Korea.

Balloon flower (Platycodon grandiflorum) is a kind of mountain herbs whose roots have restorative properties and the cultivating acreage of balloon flower has been steadily increasing in Korea. More frequent rain and high amount of rainfalls as a result of climate changes predisposed balloon flower to the outbreaks of root rot at high-density cultivation area in recent years. Root crowns were u...