First report of Calonectria leaf spot caused by Calonectria colhounii (anamorph Cylindrocladium colhounii) on rhododendron in Belgium

Belgium is one of the most important Rhododendron-producing areas in Europe, with an annual sale of approximately 1.6 million plants. In June 2010, an outbreak of leaf spots on several thousands of Rhododendron cv. Marcel Menard plants took place at a nursery near Gent. Diseased plants showed dark brown leaf spots that enlarged and finally resulted in leaf drop. Symptoms developed most explicitly on this cultivar, especially after standard repotting during May or June and when repotting was followed by a few days of unusually warm temperatures (30 to 35°C). The leading edge of diseased leaf tissue was excised, surface disinfected with 1% NaOCl for 60 s, and rinsed twice with sterile distilled water before being plated onto potato dextrose agar (PDA). After 5 days of incubation at 21°C in the dark, Cylindrocladium-like fungal colonies with white aerial mycelium and amber-brown growth within the agar consistently developed. Mycelium was transferred aseptically to fresh plates of PDA and incubated for 10 to 14 days at 17°C under a 12-h fluorescent light regimen to study the morphological characteristics. Conidiophores showed a penicillate arrangement of fertile branches, producing two to six phialides. They arose from a stipe and terminated in a clavate vesicle (3 to 5 μm). Conidia were straight, cylindrical, rounded at both ends, three septate, and measured 60 to 70 × 4 to 6 μm. Yellow subglobose to oval perithecia were abundantly produced. Asci were clavate, four spored, and measured 100 to 150 × 15 to 30 μm. Ascospores were hyaline, three septate, and measured 50 to 65 × 5 to 6 μm. These characteristics are consistent with those of Calonectria colhounii Peerally (anamorph Cylindrocladium colhounii) (1). The β-tubulin gene was PCR-amplified with DNA extracted from the mycelium and the T1 and T2 primers (3), sequenced directly with a BigDye Terminator Cycle Sequencing Kit (Applied Biosystems, Carlsbad, CA), and the DNA sequence was deposited (GenBank Accession No. JF802784). BLASTn alignment showed 99% identity (525 of 526 nucleotides) with the β-tubulin DNA sequence derived from Calonectria colhounii CBS 293.79 (GenBank Accession No. DQ190564). A spore suspension (105 conidia per ml) was prepared from a 1-week-old culture, and 50-μl drops were used to inoculate the abaxial side of 10 detached 1-year-old leaves from Rhododendron cv. Cunningham's White. Ten control leaves were inoculated with water. The leaves were placed in a moist chamber and incubated at 21°C in the dark. After 5 to 6 days, all spore-inoculated leaves showed lesions identical to those on the naturally infected leaves, while the water-inoculated leaves remained symptom free. Following the original procedure, the fungus was reisolated from the diseased leaves and the morphological characteristics of the resulting culture were the same as those of the inoculated isolate, completing Koch's postulates. This fungus has been described on Rhododendron in the United States (2), but to our knowledge, this is the first record of Calonectria colhounii on Rhododendron in Belgium. References: (1) P. W. Crous. Taxonomy and Pathology of Cylindrocladium (Calonectria) and Allied Genera. The American Phytopathological Society, St. Paul, MN, 2002. (2) P. W. Crous et al. Stud. Mycol. 55:213, 2006. (3) K. O'Donnell and E. Cigelnik. Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 7:103, 1997. </jats:p

A method to obtain disinfected Globodera infective juveniles directly from cysts

Les systèmes d'inoculation in vitro sont des outils performants et précis pour l'étude des interactions plantes-nématodes. L'obtention de juvéniles stériles est une étape cruciale pour la plupart de ces systèmes. La majorité des protocoles publiés comprennent une désinfection des juvéniles, ce qui conduit à une mortalité élevée. Nous décrivons ici une nouvelle méthode pour désinfecter, rapidement, facilement, et à faible coût des nématodes du genre #Globodera$, en partant de kystes. La mortalité des juvéniles désinfectés est faible (entre 10 et 40% au maximum). Les juvéniles stérilisés infestent les racines de pomme de terre cultivées in vitro et s'y développent normalement. (Résumé d'auteur

A plant-feeding nematode indirectly increases the fitness of an aphid

Plants suffer multiple, simultaneous assaults from above and below ground. In the laboratory, pests and/or pathogen attack are commonly studied on an individual basis. The molecular response of the plant to attack from multiple organisms and the interaction of different defence pathways is unclear. The inducible systemic responses of the potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) host plant were analysed to characterise the plant-mediated indirect interactions between a sedentary, endoparasitic nematode (Globodera pallida) and a phloem-sucking herbivore (Myzus persicae). The reproductive success of M. persicae was greater on potato plants pre-infected with G. pallida compared to control plants. Salicylic acid (SA) increased systemically in the leaves of potato plants following nematode and aphid infection singly with a corresponding increase in expression of SA-mediated marker genes. An increase in jasmonic acid (JA) associated with aphid infection was suppressed when plants were co-infected with nematodes. Our data suggests a positive, asymmetric interaction between a sedentary endoparasitic nematode and a sap-sucking insect. The systemic response of the potato plant following infection with G. pallida indirectly influences the performance of M. persicae. This work reveals additional secondary benefits of controlling individual crop pests

Detection of Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. lactucae race 1 and 4 via race-specific real-time PCR and target enrichment

Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. lactucae (Fol) causes a vascular disease in lettuce that results in significant yield losses. Race-specific and sensitive real-time PCR assays were developed for Fol races 1 and 4, which are prevalent in Europe. Using genotyping-by-sequencing, unique DNA loci specific to each race were identified and subsequently used for the design of primers and hydrolysis probes. Two assays per race were developed to ensure specificity. The two assays of each race could be run in duplex format, while still giving a sensitivity of 100 fg genomic DNA for all assays. Sample preparation methods were developed for plant tissue, soil, and surfaces, with an extra enrichment step when additional sensitivity was required. By controlling the incubation conditions during the enrichment step, the real-time PCR signal could be matched to the number of spore equivalents in the original sample. When enriching naturally infested soil, down to six conidiospore equivalents L-1 soil could be detected. As enrichment ensures sensitive detection and focuses on living Fol propagules, it facilitates the evaluation of control measures. The developed detection methods for soil and surfaces were applied to samples from commercial lettuce farms and confirmed the prevalence of Fol race 4 in Belgium. Monitoring of soil disinfestation events revealed that despite a dramatic decrease in quantity, the pathogen could still be detected either immediately after sheet steaming or after harvesting the first new crop. The detection method for plant tissue was successfully used to quantify Fol in lettuce inoculated with race 1, race 4 or a combination of both. Under the temperature conditions used, race 4 was more aggressive than race 1, as reflected in larger amounts of DNA of race 4 detected in the roots. These newly developed assays are a promising tool for epidemiological research as well as for the evaluation of control measures

Interlaboratory performance of a Real-Time PCR method for detection of Ceratocystis platani, the agent of canker stain of Platanus spp

Ceratocystis platani (CP), an ascomycetous fungus, is the agent of canker stain, a lethal vascular disease of Platanus species. Ceratocystis platani has been listed as a quarantine pest (EPPO A2 list) due to extensive damage caused in Southern Europe and the Mediterranean region. As traditional diagnostic assays are ineffective, a Real-Time PCR detection method based on EvaGreen, SYBR Green, and Taqman assays was previously developed, validated in-house, and included in the official EPPO standard PM7/14 (2). Here, we describe the results of a test performance study performed by nine European laboratories for the purpose of an interlaboratory validation. Verification of the DNA extracted from biological samples guaranteed the high quality of preparations, and the stability and the homogeneity of the aliquots intended for the laboratories. All of the laboratories reproduced nearly identical standard curves with efficiencies close to 100%. Testing of blind-coded DNA extracted from wood samples revealed that all performance parameters-diagnostic sensitivity, diagnostic specificity, accuracy and reproducibility-were best fit in most cases both at the laboratory and at the assay level. The previously established limit of detection, 3 fg per PCR reaction, was also validated with similar excellent results. The high interlaboratory performance of this Real-Time PCR method confirms its value as a primary tool to safeguard C. platani-free countries by way of an accurate monitoring, and to investigate the resistance level of potentially canker stain-resistant Platanus genotypes

Unravelling hybridization in Phytophthora using phylogenomics and genome size estimation

The genus Phytophthora comprises many economically and ecologically important plant pathogens. Hybrid species have previously been identified in at least six of the 12 phylogenetic clades. These hybrids can potentially infect a wider host range and display enhanced vigour compared to their progenitors. Phytophthora hybrids therefore pose a serious threat to agriculture as well as to natural ecosystems. Early and correct identification of hybrids is therefore essential for adequate plant protection but this is hampered by the limitations of morphological and traditional molecular methods. Identification of hybrids is also important in evolutionary studies as the positioning of hybrids in a phylogenetic tree can lead to suboptimal topologies. To improve the identification of hybrids we have combined genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) and genome size estimation on a genus-wide collection of 614 Phytophthora isolates. Analyses based on locus- and allele counts and especially on the combination of species-specific loci and genome size estimations allowed us to confirm and characterize 27 previously described hybrid species and discover 16 new hybrid species. Our method was also valuable for species identification at an unprecedented resolution and further allowed correct naming of misidentified isolates. We used both a concatenation- and a coalescent-based phylogenomic method to construct a reliable phylogeny using the GBS data of 140 non-hybrid Phytophthora isolates. Hybrid species were subsequently connected to their progenitors in this phylogenetic tree. In this study we demonstrate the application of two validated techniques (GBS and flow cytometry) for relatively low cost but high resolution identification of hybrids and their phylogenetic relations.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio