Schinus terebinthifolius (Brazilian pepper tree).

S. terebinthifolia is a small tree, 3-10 m tall (occasionally up to 15 m) and 10-30 cm diameter (occasionally up to 60 cm). It is native to Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, generally colonizing open areas, and is particularly found on forest borders and river margins. The tree has an attractive appearance and was introduced to many countries in Europe, Central America, the West Indies, and to the USA, as an ornamental and street tree. It has become an aggressive woody weed, displacing native vegetation as well as rapidly invading disturbed sites. It may also cause allergies in sensitive people even without direct contact with the leaves and fruits. It has a high ecological plasticity, a short life cycle and very rapid growth, and its fruits are eaten by birds (Hasui and Hofling, 1998) and other animals; it is therefore recommended as a wildlife food plant and for the restoration of degraded areas and especially gallery forests. The tree is also used in hedges. It is used to stabilize dunes on the Brazilian Atlantic coast. The Brazilian pepper-tree, as S. terebinthifolia is commonly known, does not have significant commercial value in Brazil, being used for posts, fuelwood and charcoal, and as a source of tannins and resins (Baggio, 1988), but the fruits are highly appreciated as a condiment in Europe, where they are used as a substitute for black pepper (Piper nigrum) (Laca-Buendia et al., 1992). S. terebinthifolia is well known for its medicinal characteristics and produces good quality fodder, especially for goats, but it must be used carefully because of the toxicity of some of the plant parts. Essential oils extracted from the seeds of S. terebinthifolia have pesticidal activity against the housefly, Musca domestica. Its antimicrobial properties have also been investigated (Martinez et al., 1996).

Selection of Bacillus thuringiensis against Pathogenic Nematodes Attacking Pepper Tree

Nine strains belonging to the Bacillus genus have been isolated from soil samples in Tien Phuoc district, Quang Nam province. They were capable of surviving at 42°C, and the Bl, B4, B7 and B9 strains could produce toxic crystals at this temperature. B7 had the most promising characteristics in terms of spore-forming ability. The result of the 16S rRNA gene sequencing showed that B7 belongs to the Bacillus thuringiensis species, which is known to effectively control root-knot Meloidogyne sp. nematodes attacking pepper tree. This study was aimed at evaluating the inhibitory effect of the bacterial isolate under study on root-knot eggs and juveniles. It was shown that the highest inhibitory activity of the cultures of the bacterial strains under study was observed at their concentration of 109cells/mL; in this case, up to 89.67% of nematode eggs and 100% of juveniles J2 were killed after 10 h of treatment. Bacillus thuringiensis, Meloidogyne sp., pepper tree, root-knot, nematodes We are grateful to the Danang University of Science and Education and Duy Tan University for supporting this study.

Copper stress affect seed germination and seedling establishment of Schinus terebinthifolia Raddi

ABSTRACT Pollution by the discharge of copper in the environment due to anthropogenic, industrial, and automobile activities is an environmental problem. Copper is also widely used in different forms as fertilizers and fungicides. Here, we aimed to evaluate seed germination and the establishment of Schinus terebinthifolia Raddi, popularly known as ‘Brazilian pepper tree’ seedlings submitted to different concentrations of copper. Five treatments were used, with four replicates and 20 seeds per replicate, totaling 400 seeds. Cu (CuSO4.5H2O) was added to the substrate at doses of 0; 60; 760; 2,100 or 10,000 mg kg-1. The variables percentage, speed, and mean germination time, as well as establishment of seedlings, were analyzed. Cu doses of 2,100 or 10,000 mg kg-1 inhibited seedling formation. Cu concentration of 10,000 mg kg-1 reduced the final values of germination and speed germination to about one third of those obtained in the control treatment. Compared to germination, establishment of seedlings was more affected by excess copper for the S. terebinthifolia. The species tolerated doses up to 760 mg kg-1 copper during seedling establishment, which indicates that it is a candidate for environmental restoration programs for soils with known copper contamination.

Isolation and selection of fungal species from the compost with the cellulolytic activity and resistance topathogenic Phythium and Phytophthora capsici fungi on the pepper plants

Pepper is one of the most exported crops in Vietnam. However, pepper farms are usually threatened with diseases, causing deaths over the large areas. The main features of pepper diseases are the abilities to spread rapidly and cause mass death, without recovery or prevention methods. Therefore, the research and production of biological products are essential to prevent, inhibit and resist to fungal diseases. This research focuses on identification of the mold species isolated from the compost, and investigation of their cellulolytic activity, inhibitory or resistant abilities to fungal diseases on the pepper tree (Piper nigrum), in order to produce biological products for fertilization. The results showed that, 2 strains (C1-1 and C1-2) of Aspergillus oryzae was isolated and identified had the fungal resistance to Phytophthora capsici and Pythium, which cause rapid death on the pepper. Therefore, these types of molds can be combined to produce biological products for practical use in agriculture.