Raspberry plant mycobiom under the influence of complex organic-mineral fertilizer viteri in the Central Forest Steppe of Ukraine

The results of research on the influence of foliar treatment of raspberry plants with organic fertilizer VITERI on the population size and species composition of micromycetes in the mycobiome of the rhizosphere and vegetative organs of raspberry plants of Joan J in the Central Forest-Steppe of Ukraine are presented. Microbiological, phytopathological, mycological methods and methods of sampling of raspberry plants during the growing season were used for the study. To determine the effect of VITERI fertilizer on the mycobiota of the rhizosphere and vegetative organs of raspberry plants during plant ontogeny, additional foliar treatment was performed with 1% aqueous solution of VITERI fertilizer. It was found that the population is dominated by fungi of following species: Septoria rubi, West, Aspergillus niger, V. Tiegh, Alternaria alternata, (Fr.) Keissl, Fusarium spp. These micromycetes are producers of mycotoxins and can cause disease in animals and humans, as well as contribute to biological contamination of agroecosystems. During foliar treatment of raspberry plants with VITERI fertilizer, a significant decrease in phytopathogenic load was observed in the phase of intensive fruiting compared to other phases of ontogenesis of raspberry plants.

Leaf herbivory induces resistance against florivores in Raphanus sativus

Florivory can have significant negative effects on plant fitness, driving selection for resistance traits in flowers. In particular, herbivory to leaves may induce resistance in flowers because herbivores on leaves often become florivores on flowers as plant ontogeny proceeds. The literature on inducible resistance in floral tissues is limited, so we used a series of experiments to determine whether prior leaf damage by Spodoptera exigua (Hübner) caterpillars affected florivore preference and performance on wild radish (Raphanus sativus L.). We found that Spodoptera exigua larvae preferred petals from control plants versus petals from plants exposed to prior leaf damage, and that larvae gained more mass on petals from control plants, although this depended on the presence of anthocyanins in the petals. Our results suggest that leaf damage can induce changes in petals that reduce Spodoptera exigua larval fitness.