http://www.plantstress.net/Scientific communications en The fruit fly Ceratitis capitata is one of the most damaging and difficult pest to control for citrus fruit production and other fruit crops since it is, among other factors, highly polyphagous and widely spread. The traditional control method of this pest, based mainly on insecticide treatments close to harvest time, is currently not well thought of because of its toxicological and environmental concerns. CeraTrap is an attractant formulation of natural origin, free of pesticides and based on a liquid protein obtained by an exclusive method of enzymatic hydrolysis, with a strong attraction capacity for medfly and with a higher ratio of attraction for young females than males. Furthermore, through the field development, CeraTrap has been assayed not only against C. capitata but against other species such as Bactrocera dorsalis, B. zonata, Rhagoletis cerasi and Anastrepha sp. among others. The system functions thanks to regular emissions of volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds. Due to this, the flies are strongly attracted to enter into the trap, and being unable to escape, drown in the liquid and die. The main compounds isolated and identified in CeraTrap were heterocyclic amines which appear to play an important role as fly attractants. Many field trials were carried out over the last four years in different countries such as Spain, Morocco, Italy, Portugal, Egypt, Malaysia, Australia, and so on, with results indicating effectiveness and successful control of the medfly pest. Here we describe some field trials conducted in Spain and Morocco with early citrus varieties comparing the efficacy of this system against the local standard practices. 2010-03-03 http://www.plantstress.net/plantstressdocument.php?cat=1&doc=79 Transplant ability to overcome physiological stress and become established in a new environment depends on the ability of seedlings to withstand root disturbance, the water and nutrient uptake capacity of the roots, and the plant capacity to regenerate new roots. This response is the result of changes in gene expression that are related to the mechanisms activated by the plant to withstand stress. Focusing on the critical stage after transplanting, Bioiberica, S.A developed Inicium, a totally natural product based on characterized peptides of low molecular weight that induce a high root activity response and favor rooting. 2009-09-30 http://www.plantstress.net/plantstressdocument.php?cat=1&doc=70 In order to evaluate the physiological changes that determine the tolerance to salinity induced by StresSal and to learn as much as possible about the mechanism of action of the product, we carried out an experiment in a growing chamber on tomato plants (Lycopersicon esculentum) that developed with different levels of salinity (50, 100 and 150mM NaCl). The aim of the study was to examine the response of the plants in the short-to-medium term, more related to the osmotic effect due to the reduction in the osmotic potential of the cultivation medium, by means of 3 samples taken 15, 30 and 45 days after treatment. The results show that the application of StresSal has a clear positive effect on the development of aerial biomass at all levels of salinity studied. We also observed increased absorption of water and nutrients and a higher leaf content of water in the plants treated with StresSal than in the untreated control plants. Furthermore, the reduced leaf osmotic potential values shown by the treated plants support the hypothesis that the increased tolerance to salinity is due to the greater osmotic-adjustment capacity that StresSal causes in the plant. In light of these data, we can conclude that the main effect of StresSal is to encourage re-establishment of the functional balance of the plant in the saline medium and, therefore, to increase the plant’s ability to absorb water through the roots and transport it to the aerial parts, thereby leading to improved development and more succulent leaves. In order to verify this effect in the field, we carried out agronomy trials in different crops under salt stress conditions. The data obtained in peppers, lettuce and runner beans show that the application of StresSal mitigates the harmful effects of salinity, thereby allowing high yields in these crops, even under such restrictive conditions. 2009-06-04 http://www.plantstress.net/plantstressdocument.php?cat=1&doc=67 In plant life cycle transplanting is one of the most stressful phases, especially if an environmental stress factor occurs within the following days. Plant’s ability to establish itself and settle down after transplanting depends on its adaptive response to changing environmental factors. This response is the result of changes in gene expression that are related to the mechanisms activated by the plant to withstand stress. Inicium® is a totally natural product based on characterized peptides of low molecular weight, with a very high root activity which has been especially developed by the R&D Department of Bioiberica, S.A. to overcome transplantation stress. One of the objectives of this communication is to show the Inicium’s action mechanism on plants after transplant. This approach was carried out by measuring the expression of proteins that act on transplant-related stress and favour rooting. The determination of the expression of these defensive response markers was tested in tomato plants under controlled conditions. The application of Inicium® after transplanting induced the expression of defence proteins (PRs) such as PR-2 (glucanase) and PR-3 (chitinase), which play a key role in plant pathogen control and plant development. These results conclude that both PR-2 and PR-3 are good markers to visualize the effect of Inicium®, providing a greater expression for the plants treated with this product. Finally, the second part of this work consist in verifying product’s efficacy on plants, its optimal field doses and to check its ability to enhance defensive response after transplanting, providing precociousness as well as an increase in crop yield. 2009-03-27 http://www.plantstress.net/plantstressdocument.php?cat=1&doc=77 Effect of a peptide-based formulation on the induction of PR proteins and on the development of tomatoes. In order to determine the mechanism of action of the product Inicum, we studied its effect on growth in tomatoes in greenhouse conditions, on the microbiota and on induction of PR proteins. The first phase of the study of the mechanism of action examined the expression of specific pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins as result of transplantation and, in some cases, application of the product. The second phase of the study examined the effect over time (kinetics) in transplanted and non-transplanted plants. 2008-10-20 http://www.plantstress.net/plantstressdocument.php?cat=1&doc=45