Martina Hudcovicová

Net blotch, caused by Pyrenophora teres Drechsler, is a major constraint on barley production. We assembled a panel of 276 spring barley genotypes from 18 countries and evaluated resistance to net form net blotch ( P. teres f. teres ) using lesion scoring after controlled artificial inoculation of detached leaf segments. Inoculum identity was verified by species-specific PCR, confirming the presence of P. teres f. teres (378 bp) and the absence of P. teres f. maculata . To track inoculum performance and normalise lesion scores, three reference barley genotypes (‘Pax’, ‘P22-SP’, ‘Polo’) were included in every inoculation run. Across 26 inoculation time points, lesion severity in reference barley genotypes remained within a narrow, biologically consistent range, indicating stable yet discriminatory infection pressure. Two independent datasets of 276 barley genotypes showed similar distributions of relative lesion score (paired non-parametric test: no shift in central tendency). At the genotype level, categorical agreement between datasets was high: 62.0% exact matches, 37.7% one-step differences and 0.4% ≥2-step differences. Rank concordance was moderate (Spearman ρ = 0.619; Kendall τ_b = 0.584; both p < 0.001), and chance-corrected agreement was fair (Cohen’s κ ≈ 0.36 – 0.40), driven mainly by Susceptible ↔ Intermediate reclassifications. Thirty-four genotypes were consistently classified as resistant or highly resistant in both datasets; three (‘Romans’, ‘SK-3212’, ‘Svit’) showed particularly low within-genotype variability across replicates, indicating stable expression of resistance. These results demonstrate the robustness and reproducibility of the phenotyping pipeline and identify promising germplasm for resistance breeding against net form net blotch.

Oats are increasingly recognized for their nutritional and industrial significance. Among various bioactive compounds in the oat grain, (1-3)(1-4)-β-D-glucan is a key functional component providing industrial, nutritional, and health advantages. This study investigates the correlation between oat (Avena sativa L.) cultivars’ resistance to Fusarium artificial infection and the concentration of β-D-glucan in the grain. Five oat cultivars, including hulled and naked varieties, were artificially inoculated with Fusarium graminearum (FG) and Fusarium culmorum (FC) strains. β-D-glucan content and pathogenic DNA accumulation were analyzed pre- and post-infection. The results show that β-D-glucan content in uninfected grains ranges from 1.97% to 2.53%, with naked varieties generally containing higher levels (2.30%) in comparison with hulled varieties (2.08%). Fusarium infection reduced the concentration of β-D-glucan by 10.60% (FG) and 16.05% (FC). Naked varieties demonstrated greater resilience to infection-induced β-D-glucan loss. Pathogen DNA analysis confirmed higher virulence of FC compared to FG. Our findings suggest β-D-glucan’s dual role as a potential defense mechanism and a pathogen source, emphasizing its complexity in plant–pathogen interactions.

This study was aimed at evaluating the genetic diversity and authentication of apricot cultivars from Slovak and Austrian orchards. Eleven highly polymorphic SSR markers were used to analyse 53 apricot genotypes. A high level of genetic diversity was observed, with a mean of 13 alleles per locus and a mean expected heterozygosity of 0.811. The most polymorphic locus, UDP97-402, exhibited a probability of identity of 0.025, indicating a high discriminatory power. Differentiation analyses revealed distinct groupings of cultivars based on geographical origin and pedigree. Central European cultivars, particularly those related to the landrace ‘Hungarian Best’, formed a distinct cluster. Modern Slovakian cultivars, influenced by the genetic background of cultivars from China and Central Asia, showed a higher level of genetic diversity. The Western European and North American cultivars formed a separate cluster. The developed SSR database proved to be effective in identifying apricot cultivars and detecting mislabelled or misidentified samples. A significant proportion (74%) of samples from commercial orchards were properly and correctly labelled, while 26% were mislabelled. Fifty-three per cent of samples from shops without a cultivar name were successfully identified, and their labels were verified. These results highlight the potential of SSR markers for genetic diversity assessment and cultivar identification in apricots. The results contribute to a better understanding of apricot genetic resources and provide valuable information for breeding programmes, germplasm conservation, and cultivar authentication.

The technology of seed coating with superabsorbent polymer (SAP) has the potential to mitigate the negative impact of drought on seed germination and crop establishment. However, their application on the seed surface can affect the effectiveness of pesticides used for seed treatment in the protection against phytopathogens. In our work, the influence of the Aquaholder^®Seed polymer coating on the effectiveness of fungicides in the protection of germinating seeds of spring barley cv. Bojos and Laudis against the fungal pathogen Bipolaris sorokiniana was studied. One-half of the seeds were first treated with fungicides, and then a polymer was applied. Fungicide efficacy was evaluated in a Petri dish test and pot test under the pathogen attack. Seed coating with SAP did not negatively affect fungicide efficacy. The percentage of germinated seeds, seedling emergence, plant height, and symptoms of the disease in the fungicide-treated variants were not significantly changed by the SAP application. Moreover, in cv. Laudis, the application of SAP alone partially protected germinating seeds against pathogen attack. The amount of pathogen DNA in plant tissues of cv. Laudis was not significantly different among seed treatments, while in cv. Bojos, the pathogen DNA increased in seeds coated with SAP alone but decreased in combined treatment with fungicides. These results demonstrated that SAP seed coating does not negatively affect the efficacy of fungicides used for seed protection against fungal pathogens.

In addition to the structural and storage functions of the (1,3; 1,4)-β-d-glucans (β-d-glucan), the possible protective role of this polymer under biotic stresses is still debated. The aim of this study was to contribute to this hypothesis by analyzing the β-d-glucans content, expression of related cellulose synthase-like (Csl) Cs1F6, CslF9, CslF3 genes, content of chlorophylls, and β-1,3-glucanase content in oat (Avena sativa L.) leaves infected with the commonly occurring oat fungal pathogen, Blumeria graminis f. sp. avenae (B. graminis). Its presence influenced all measured parameters. The content of β-d-glucans in infected leaves decreased in all used varieties, compared to the non-infected plants, but not significantly. Oats reacted differently, with Aragon and Vaclav responding with overexpression, and Bay Yan 2, Ivory, and Racoon responding with the underexpression of these genes. Pathogens changed the relative ratios regarding the expression of CslF6, CslF9, and CslF3 genes from neutral to negative correlations. However, changes in the expression of these genes did not statistically significantly affect the content of β-d-glucans. A very slight indication of positive correlation, but statistically insignificant, was observed between the contents of β-d-glucans and chlorophylls. Some isoforms of β-1,3-glucanases accumulated to a several-times higher level in the infected leaves of all varieties. New isoforms of β-1,3-glucanases were also detected in infected leaves after fungal infection.

Consumers prefer food commodities of certain origins over the same products of other provenances and are willing to pay higher prices for them. Thus, it is possible to increase profit simply by giving an incorrect geographic origin to a product. To effectively control the declared geographic origin of food, the product itself has to be investigated to discover whether it actually originates from the declared origin, or if it has been mislabeled. Conventionally, control of a geographic origin is conducted by stable isotope analysis of the main elements, which has proven to be successful in numerous cases, but often reference data have to be produced anew for every harvest to control, resulting in additional costs and delays. Applying entirely geogenic parameters for the control of provenance requires reference data to be produced only once. As they do not vary between years and harvests, they can often be used for different (food) commodities. Here, we investigate whether the geographic origin of apricot samples can be controlled by their ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios measured by TIMS. The results show that Slovak and Hungarian apricots can be differentiated from the Wachau apricots, a well-known regional Austrian brand, and those from other regions in Austria, even though the differentiation from the latter is only partial. ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr investigations can be a very potent tool; however, its success depends on the exact question that needs to be answered.

Superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) applied to soil have been recognized as water reservoirs that allow plants to cope with periods of drought. Their application as a seed coat makes water available directly to the seeds during their germination and early growth phase, but on the other hand, it can affect the efficiency of plant protection substances used in seed dressing. In our experiments, we evaluated the effect of seed coating with SAP on fungicide leaching and changes in their effectiveness in suppressing Fusarium culmorum infestation. Leaching of fungicide from wheat seeds coated with SAP after fungicide dressing, as measured by the inhibition test of mycelium growth under in vitro conditions, was reduced by 14.2–15.8% compared to seeds without SAP coating. Germination of maize seeds and growth of juvenile plants in artificially infected soil did not differ significantly between seeds dressed with fungicide alone and seeds treated with SAP and fungicide. In addition, plants from the seeds coated with SAP alone grew significantly better compared to untreated seeds. Real-time PCR also confirmed this trend by measuring the amount of pathogen DNA in plant tissue. Winter wheat was less tolerant to F. culmorum infection and without fungicide dressing, the seeds were unable to germinate under strong pathogen attack. In the case of milder infection, similar results were observed as in the case of maize seeds.

In human nutrition, oats (Avena sativa L.) are mainly used for their dietary fiber, β-D-glucans and protein content. The content of β-D-glucans in oat grain is 2–7% and is influenced by genetic and/or environmental factors. High levels of this cell walls polysaccharide are observed in naked grains of cultivated oat. It the work, the relationship between the content of β-D-glucans in oat grain and the infection with Fusarium graminearum (FG) and Fusarium culmorum (FC) was analyzed. The hypothesis was that oats with higher content of β-D-glucans are better protected and the manifestation of artificial inoculation with Fusarium strains is weaker. In the 22 oat samples analyzed, the content of β-D-glucans was 0.71–5.06%. In controls, the average content was 2.15% for hulled and 3.25% for naked grains of cultivated oats. After the infection, a decrease was observed in all, naked, hulled and wild oats. As an evidence of lower rate of infection, statistically significant lower percentage of pathogen DNA (0.39%) and less deoxynivalenol (DON) mycotoxin (FC infection 10.66 mg/kg and FG 4.92 mg/kg) were observed in naked grains compared to hulled where the level of pathogen DNA was 2.09% and the average DON level was 21.95 mg/kg (FC) and 5.52 mg/kg (FG).

Sewage sludge (SS) is a waste originated from wastewater treatment that could be considered an interesting source of organic matter and nutrients for agricultural production. Our experiments aimed to assess the effect of SS on the growth parameters and the biomass yield of giant reed (Arundo donax L.) plants. Experiments were carried out in pots during two growing seasons, where samples of dried SS were applied in doses of 5 or 15 t ha⁻¹. The number of shoots per plant was significantly higher with the application of 5 t ha⁻¹ of SS into arable soil compared to the control treatment and did not increase with the dose of SS. On the other hand, the height of the plants was gradually elevated with the dose of SS. The diameter of the shoots was positively affected by the dose of 15 t ha⁻¹, and it was the only parameter with significant differences between the used types of SS. The biomass yield increased by 1.2–2.7× depending on the type and dose of SS. Cu and Zn uptake, as micronutrients present in SS, and their accumulation in the aboveground parts were significantly higher for plants cultivated in the presence of SS.