We show that the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 lineage is highly disseminated in Portugal, with the odds of B.1.1.7 proportion increasing at an estimated 89% (95% confidence interval: 83–95%) per week until week 3 2021. RT-PCR spike gene target late detection (SGTL) can constitute a useful surrogate to track B.1.1.7 spread, besides the spike gene target failure (SGTF) proxy. SGTL/SGTF samples were associated with statistically significant higher viral loads, but not with substantial shift in age distribution compared to non-SGTF/SGTL cases.
Portugal has a long tradition in viticulture and a great number of grapevine cultivars. To analyze the genetic relations among wild vines from Portuguese populations and old Portuguese grapevine cultivars we use morphological traits and chloroplastidial microsatellites from 53 accessions of four distinct populations of Vitis vinifera L. ssp. sylvestris (Gmelin) and 57 accessions of Vitis vinifera L. ssp. vinifera from the Portuguese National Ampelographic Collection. Principal coordinate analyses with the scores obtain from the descriptors of both the accessions of sylvestris and vinifera vines revealed two groups. One group is formed by the wild vine population of Alcácer do Sal and three vinifera accessions Rufete, Seara Nova and Trincadeira das Pratas and a second group includes all the other wild vines and grapevine cultivars. A total of four different chlorotypes (A, B, C and D) are present in the vinifera accessions and two in the sylvestris accessions (A, B). Chlorotype A is the most frequent in all the plants analyzed and correspond to 75.4% of the grapevine cultivars and 66% of the wild vines. The mixed distribution of chlorotypes in the Portuguese cultivars and the predominance of chlorotype A both in its wild populations and cultivars reinforced the hypothesis that West Europe was a domestication center for Vitis vinifera L. ssp. vinifera.
Wild populations of Vitis vinifera L. have been located in Portugal. Morphological characterization was carried out in three populations located in Alcá cer do Sal, Castelo Branco, and Montemor-o-Novo, and then compared using multivariate discriminant analysis. These populations were from three different hydrological basins, therefore cross-pollination was not possible. It was verified that in each population all plants were different. The data suggest that the frequency of female and male plants is rather variable in wild populations. The morphology of the adult leaf, from the Alcá cer do Sal population, had particular features when compared with Castelo Branco and Montemor-o-Novo populations, which were more homogeneous. The length of teeth compared with width at the end of the base, and the density of prostrate hairs between and on main veins (lower side) were the variables which allowed the best discrimination among populations.
The genetic diversity of "Gama" and "Bico de Corvo", local cultivars of olive tree (Olea europaea) from seven traditional orchards of Ficalho (Alentejo region, Portugal), was studied to characterize the local diversity and assess the level of on farm diversity. Two different analytical systems were used: endocarp morphological characteristics and genetic analysis by microsatellite markers (Simple Sequence Repeats or SSR). The seven screened loci were polymorphic and allowed the identification of 23 distinct SSR profiles within the 27 trees analyzed. A total of 52 different alleles were scored, with an average of 7.43 alleles/SSR locus, and considerable genetic diversity was found. Neighbor-Joining algorithm cluster analysis and principal co-ordinate analysis (PCoA) allowed for the identification of the genetic relationships between several accessions. The 27 Olea accessions were clearly separated into three different groups. SSR analysis was more precise than endocarp characterization in the classification of genetic diversity among the olive tree cultivars. The study shows reasonable olive tree diversity in Ficalho, indicating that these traditional orchards are important reservoirs of old minor cultivars and incubators of new genotypes.
The production of volatile compounds by microbial communities of cork samples taken during the cork manufacturing process was investigated. The majority of volatiles were found in samples collected at two stages: resting after the first boiling and nontreated cork disks. Volatile profiles produced by microbiota in both stages are similar. The releasable volatile compounds and 2,4,6-trichloroanisole (TCA) produced in cork-based culture medium by five isolated fungal species in pure and mixed cultures were also analyzed by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS).The results showed that 1-octen-3-ol and esters of fatty acids (medium chain length C8-C20) were the main volatile compounds produced by either pure fungal species or their mixture. Apparently, Penicillium glabrum is the main contributor to the overall volatile composition observed in the mixed culture. The production of releasable TCA on cork cannot be attributed to any of the assayed fungal isolates.
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