Microorganisms play a crucial role in the stability and functioning of ecosystems, responsible for essential processes such as soil nutrient cycling, plant growth, marine biogeochemical cycles, and human health. The conservation of microorganisms and microbiomes has become a priority in biotechnology and ecosystem sustainability. The preservation of these organisms is crucial not only to maintain biodiversity but also to ensure they continue to fulfill their vital roles in the ecosystem. Their role in maintaining ecosystem stability is urgent and underscores the importance of their conservation. Current conservation techniques, such as cryopreservation, freeze-drying, and storage in dry media, are essential to preserve their viability, genetic stability, and functionality. However, effective conservation goes beyond merely preserving survival; it is crucial to maintain their functionality and genetic diversity intact. Emerging methods, such as the use of nanoparticles, vitrification, and biofilms, have shown great potential to improve the protection of microorganisms from extreme environmental conditions, allowing for more effective and long-term conservation. The development of new conservation technologies is vital to overcoming the limitations of traditional methods. These innovations not only improve the viability and functionality of microorganisms but also facilitate the restoration of degraded ecosystems and foster progress in fields such as medicine, agriculture, and industry. Ensuring the conservation of these organisms is critical to ensuring the health and sustainability of our ecosystems and humanity in the future.
Two independent recessive genes, bc-1 and bc-2, in Phaseolus vulgaris confer resistance to the systemic movement of bean common mosaic virus (BCMV) and bean common mosaic necrosis virus (BCMNV). To identify candidate genes for these loci, homologs of Arabidopsis thaliana PVIP1 and PVIP2, which encode potyviral VPg-interacting proteins, were cloned from P. vulgaris genotypes. The eukaryotic translation initiation factor eIF4E was also cloned. We identified 2 alleles of PvPVIP1, 12 alleles of PvPVIP2 (PvPVIP21 to PvPVIP212), 2 previously reported eIF4E1 and eIF4E3 alleles, and a novel eIF4E5 allele. Predicted PvPVIP2 and PveIF4E proteins differed from their wild-type homologs by one to four amino acids and one deletion, distinguishing most resistant (bc-11) from susceptible (BC-11) cultivars. Resistance to BCMV and/or BCMNV in several genotypes correlated with co-occurrence of mutated eIF4E and PvPVIP2 alleles. An F2 population segregating for PvPVIP22/PvPVIP23 and eIF4E3 alleles was analyzed for resistance to BCMV-NL1 and BCMNV-NL3 variants. Plants were genotyped using two cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence (CAPS) markers, PVIP2-HpaII and eIF4E-RsaI, as well as BCMV-resistant markers SW13 and ROC11. F2 plants homozygous for PveIF4E3 and PvPVIP22/PvPVIP3 alleles and positive for the ROC11 marker were resistant to both viruses. In-silico protein-protein interaction studies confirmed PvPVIP2 and BCMV-VPg as biological counterparts. PvPVIP2 gene mapped on linkage group 8, a new position for virus resistance. This study expands understanding of recessive viral resistances in plants by correlating PveIF4E and PvPVIP2 and suggests that CAPS markers could aid in common bean breeding. [Formula: see text] Copyright © 2026 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.
Macrophomina phaseolina is a plant-pathogenic fungus that causes charcoal rot in sesame crops, which is the most significant disease affecting this crop worldwide. In Mexico, the interaction between M. phaseolina and sesame has been poorly studied. Therefore, this research aimed to characterize Macrophomina spp. isolates from diseased sesame roots in northern Sinaloa, Mexico, using morphological, molecular, and pathogenic methods. It also assessed the in vitro effectiveness of biocontrol agents and chemical fungicides. Six isolates of Macrophomina were identified through morphology, species-specific tef1-α primers, and phylogenetic analysis of DNA sequences (ITS + tef1-α), confirming their identity as M. phaseolina; all isolates proved to be pathogenic. Antagonism assays with Trichoderma spp. showed statistically significant differences. Trichoderma isolates inhibited mycelial growth by up to 63% against M. phaseolina. In fungicide sensitivity tests, M. phaseolina isolates showed EC50 values ranging from 0.002–0.123, 0.049 to 1.397 and 0.029 to 0.539 mg L−1 for thiophanate-methyl, tebuconazole, and pyraclostrobin, respectively. In summary, Trichoderma spp. isolates and the tested fungicides warrant further research as potential strategies to manage M. phaseolina in sesame fields.
Objetivo: diagnosticar y tipificar a productores de frijol pertenecientes a un Proyecto de Desarrollo Territorial en Miguel Auza, Zacatecas, México. Asimismo, promover componentes tecnológicos que mejoren los procesos productivos. Metodología: la información se recopiló mediante encuestas que fueron compuestas por 51 preguntas; estas se estructuraron en diez dimensiones: social, económica, apoyos, unidad de producción familiar, producción, semilla, infraestructura y labranza, fertilización, control biológico y comercialización. El tamaño de la muestra fue de 52 agricultores. Los datos se sometieron a un análisis de conglomerados MANOVA y a un análisis discriminante. Se diseñó un diagrama de araña con indicadores productivos para comparar e identificar las áreas de oportunidad de cada grupo. Resultados: se identificaron tres grupos: el Grupo I tuvo baja diversificación de ingreso. Requirió estrategias urgentes para ampliar sus fuentes de ingresos y reducir su dependencia del monocultivo. Grupo II cuenta con agricultores con mayor diversificación, lo que evidencia una mayor resiliencia. Grupo III presenta una vulnerabilidad alimentaria crítica al depender de fuentes externas para obtener sus alimentos. Limitaciones: tanto las condiciones climáticas como las prácticas agronómicas tradicionales no permiten que la cadena productiva del frijol mejore las condiciones de vida de este sector rural. Conclusiones: se debe favorecer la transferencia de tecnología mediante programas continuos y prácticos para incrementar los rendimientos y la calidad de vida.
The contribution of clones from a seed orchard to cone production determines the effective population size and is highly correlated with seed production. The objective was to determine clonal variation and stability in the productive capacity of female cones of Pinus patula clones established in a 1.5 generation asexual seed orchard . Mature cones of all clones were collected and counted at the end of March in the years 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024. Genetic variation between clones and years of production, broad heritability (H (2) c), Spearman's correlation coefficient of mean cone production per clone between years of evaluated were determined, phenotypic correlations of clone means (r p) and genetic correlation type B (r B ) were estimated. Female cone production showed a wide variation between clones and years. Spearman's correlation coefficients between production and production years were high and positive from 0.80 to 0.88. The degree of variation in cone production was higher among clones (sigma (2) c ) than within clones (sigma (2) e ,), the r B was 0.79 and H (2) cwas 0.83 in the joint analysis of cone production over four years of evaluation, indicating high genetic control in cone production ability. Only 12 clones contributed between 80 and 85 % of the total female cone production. The HSA presents an imbalance in clonal contribution to cone production which negatively affects the effective population size.
