Disease infection in a plant can be detected at an early stage by utilizing a boron-oxygen compound having a specific structure that selectively recognizes and forms a complex with methyl salicylate, which is a plant hormone released when a plant is infected by a pathogen, as a receptor for sensing, and by utilizing a fluorescence emission phenomenon and a change in electrochemical behavior after the reaction with methyl salicylate.

Provided is a quick and accurate way of assessing harshness of a surfactant towards a protein, which can be easily carried out under non-laboratory conditions and which facilitates recommendations for making suitable products. Particularly, provided are methods of measuring the harshness of a surfactant, which includes (a) providing an aqueous solution of surfactant and taking a first colour measurement; (b) adding a solid protein-dye complex to the aqueous solution of surfactant; (c) taking a second colour measurement and measuring the change in colour between the first colour measurement and the second colour measurement; and (d) matching the change in colour with a reference scale. The solid protein-dye complex can be prepared by dissolving a non-denatured corn protein and a protein binding dye in aqueous alcohol, and removing the aqueous alcohol.

Provided herein are compositions and methods useful for the analysis and authentication of polysaccharide-rich herbs, such as Dendrobium officinale, Radix Astragali, Radix Angelica Sinensis, and related herbal products.

The present invention provides a method for profiling plant endophyte microbiomes, wherein the method provides for identification of endophyte strains that are phylogenetically related to a desired endophyte strain. More particularly, the present invention relates to method for identifying, characterising and/or comparing endophyte strains and to novel endophyte strains selected and/or isolated by the method. The present invention also relates to methods for transferring endophyte strains between plants.

The present invention relates to new transporter polypeptides, and genes encoding therefor, which can be used to confer upon a plant resistance to one or more biotrophic fungal pathogens.

Cross-linked amphiphile constructs that form self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on metal surfaces such as gold surfaces are disclosed. These new SAMs generate well packed and highly oriented monolayer films on gold surfaces. A method for using the SAMs in the fabrication of biomolecule sensors is also disclosed.

The invention herein disclosed is related to epitopes useful in methods of diagnosing, treating, and preventing coeliac disease. Therapeutic compositions which comprise at least one epitope are provided.

Systems and methods are disclosed to determine that a cannabis plant has been cultivated under desired cultivation conditions. Quantitative processes are disclosed, based on stable carbon isotope ratio analysis, and using modeling constraints and Bayesian approaches to produce a likelihood that a cannabis plant was cultivated under desired conditions (e.g., indoors), and provide a quantitative estimate of the average CO.sub.2 concentration in the growth environment.

The present invention relates to determining the chemotype profile of cannabis plant material through determining cannabinoid content of the plant material using near infrared spectroscopy. The invention also involves the training of a classifier to determine the chemotype profile of a cannabis plant from the spectroscopic data.

A method of screening for a plant defense activator, which enhances an immune response of a plant, from at least one candidate substance includes: contacting a plant cell in which a jasmonic acid-dependent defense pathway and a salicylic acid-dependent defense pathway of a plant defense system are capable of working independently from each other, with a candidate substance; contacting the plant cell with a trigger material that induces an immune response; and assaying the plant cell after contacting with the trigger material based on an index representing an immune response, to select a target substance that enhances an immune response of the plant. A method of enhancing an immune response of a plant includes use of a specific compound, and a plant immune response enhancer includes the specific compound.