bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Rates of Seed Treatment Insecticides and Control of Stewart's Wilt in Sweet Corn
Authors: Pataky J. K. , Michener P. M. , Freeman N. D. , Whalen J. M. , Hawk J. A. , Weldekidan T. , Teyker R. H.
Published: May 2007

Neonicotinoid insecticides applied as seed treatments reduce the incidence of Stewart's wilt. The objectives of this study were to examine the efficacy of different rates of seed treatment insecticides to control Stewart's wilt on susceptible sweet corn hybrids and to compare the economic value of Stewart's wilt control in sweet corn grown for processing and fresh market. Clothianidin (Poncho), imidacloprid (Gaucho), and thiamethoxam (Cruiser) applied to seed at rates ranging from 0.125 to 1.25 mg a.i. per kernel were evaluated in 11 field trials in Illinois and Delaware from 2000 to 2003. Incidence of Stewart's wilt was significantly lower when seed was treated with insecticides than when plants were grown from nontreated seed in all but one trial. The level of control usually was between 50 and 90%. Small but statistically significant differences in incidence of systemically infected plants occurred among rates of insecticides in all trials except those in 2001. Usually, incidence of systemic Stewart's wilt was lower when higher rates of insecticides were applied; however, increasing the rate of insecticides from 0.125 mg a.i. to 1.25 mg a.i. per kernel had a relatively small effect on the level of Stewart's wilt control compared with the difference between treated and nontreated sweet corn seed. Based on a regression analysis, the lowest rates of the insecticides provided 64 to 72% control. The level of control increased about 1.85% with each additional 0.1 mg a.i. of insecticide per kernel from 0.125 mg a.i. to 1.25 mg a.i. Clothianidin provided an 8 or 9% higher level of control than thiamethoxam or imidacloprid at the same rate. Recommendations for application of seed treatment insecticides to processing and fresh market sweet corn differed somewhat due to substantial differences in the value of the crops. Based on estimated costs of $6 to $12 per 0.4 ha for the seed treatments, the economic break even point (i.e., cost of control = value from control) occurred in the range of 3 to 6% Stewart's wilt incidence for processing sweet corn valued at $325 per 0.4 ha and at about 1% Stewart's wilt incidence for fresh market sweet corn valued at $1,625 per 0.4 ha. Relatively small differences in levels of control conferred by commercially available rates of clothianidin (0.25 mg a.i. per kernel) and thiamethoxam (0.125 mg a.i. per kernel) were of little consequence in processing sweet corn but had considerable economic value in fresh market sweet corn.
Sequencing, Improved Detection, and a Novel Form of Kalanchoë top-spotting virus
Authors: Yang Zihong , Nicolaisen Mogens , Olszewski Neil E. , Lockhart B. E. L.
Published: May 2007

Virions of Kalanchoë top-spotting virus (KTSV) were purified from infected leaf tissue of Kalanchoë blossfeldiana using a procedure that prevented loss of virus in the initial extraction step. The double-stranded DNA viral genome was cloned and sequenced. The KTSV genome was 7,591 bp in size and contained three open reading frames capable of encoding proteins of 21, 14, and 223 kDa, respectively. The size and organization of the KTSV genome were similar to those of other mealybug-transmitted badnaviruses. Several oligonucleotide primer pairs, based on the KTSV genomic sequence, were used to efficiently detect the virus in plants, thereby removing a major constraint to reliable screening of kalanchoë propagating stock and breeding lines for KTSV infection. Two KTSV sequences, one symptom-inducing and the other not, were identified and differentiated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification and digestion of the resulting amplicon with restriction endonucleases. Preliminary results from graft-transmission tests and PCR indexing suggest that the nonsymptomatic form of KTSV may represent an integrated viral element. The occurrence of such integrated pararetroviral elements poses practical problems for routine PCR indexing of breeding and propagating stock, and also raises the possibility of symptomatic episomal infections arising from these viral integrants.
Impact of Postharvest Hot Water or Ethanol Treatment of Table Grapes on Gray Mold Incidence, Quality, and Ethanol Content
Authors: Gabler F. Mlikota , Smilanick J. L. , Ghosoph J. M. , Margosan D. A.
Published: May 2007

The influence of brief immersion of grape berries in water or ethanol at ambient or higher temperatures on the postharvest incidence of gray mold (caused by Botrytis cinerea) was evaluated. The incidence of gray mold among grape berries that were untreated, or immersed for 1 min in ethanol (35% vol/vol) at 25 or 50°C, was 78.7, 26.2, and 3.4 berries/kg, respectively, after 1 month of storage at 0.5°C and 2 days at 25°C. Heated ethanol was effective up to 24 h after inoculation, but less effective when berry pedicels were removed before inoculation. Rachis appearance, epicuticular wax content and appearance, and berry shatter were unchanged by heated ethanol treatments, whereas berry color changed slightly and treated grape berries were more susceptible to subsequent infection. Ethanol and acetaldehyde contents of grape berries were determined 1, 7, and 14 days after storage at 0.5°C following treatment for 30 or 90 s at 30, 40, or 50°C with water, or 35% ethanol. Highest residues (377 μg/g of ethanol and 13.3 μg/g of acetaldehyde) were in berries immersed for 90 s at 50°C in ethanol. Among ethanol-treated grape berries, the ethanol content declined during storage, whereas acetaldehyde content was unchanged or increased. Untreated grape berries initially contained ethanol at 62 μg/g, which then declined. Acetaldehyde content was 0.6 μg/g initially and changed little during storage.
Relationship of Isolate Origin to Pathogenicity of Race 0 and 1 of Phytophthora parasitica var. nicotianae on Tobacco Cultivars
Authors: Csinos A. S.
Published: May 2007

Flue-cured tobacco cultivars were evaluated for their reaction to race 0 and race 1 of Phytophthora parasitica var. nicotianae, the incitant of the disease tobacco black shank. Seventeen commercial tobacco cultivars having resistance derived from Fla 301 or a combination of Fla 301 and Fla 105 were subjected to root or stem inoculation by 22 different isolates of P. parasitic var. nicotianae collected from across the Georgia tobacco-growing belt. An adapted stem inoculation technique using field-grown tobacco indicator cvs. K-326, NC-71, Coker 371 Gold, and the breeding line NC-1071 was used to determine races of P. parasitica var. nicotianae. Typically, in greenhouse evaluations, cultivars stem inoculated with race 1 of P. parasitica var. nicotianae were killed. Cultivars that had resistance from both Fla 301 and Fla 105 (Ph gene) were not killed, with few exceptions, when inoculated with race 0. Fifty-seven tobacco specimens having black shank symptoms from the Georgia and Florida tobacco belt were evaluated for P. parasitica var. nicotianae race using the adapted stem inoculation technique. Of the samples evaluated from commercial tobacco fields, 83% yielded race 1 compared with a similar evaluation made in 1994, where only 16% of the samples yielded race 1. The increase in race 1 incidence may be related to the increase in use of cultivars which have the Ph gene for resistance. The use of rotations and metalaxyl or mefenoxam may be required where race 1 is found.
Reservoir Weed Hosts for Turnip mosaic virus in Iran
Authors: Farzadfar Sh. , Ohshima K. , Pourrahim R. , Golnaraghi A. R. , Sajedi S. , Ahoonmanesh A.
Published: May 2007

During the summer of 2003, weed samples of Rapistrum rugosum and Sisymbrium loeselii showing severe mosaic, malformation, and stunting were collected from cauliflower fields in Tehran Province of Iran. Using double-antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (DAS-ELISA) with specific polyclonal antibodies, the samples were tested for the presence of Beet western yellows virus, Cauliflower mosaic virus, Radish mosaic virus, Turnip crinkle virus, Turnip mosaic virus (TuMV) (DSMZ, Braunschweig, Germany), Cucumber mosaic virus, and Tobacco mosaic virus (Sanofi Diagnostics Pasteur, Marnes-La-Coquette, France). Leaf extracts were used for mechanical inoculation and they produced chlorotic local lesions on Chenopodium amaranticolor, necrotic lesions on leaves and shoot apex necrosis on Nicotiana glutinosa, leaf deformation, mosaic, and stunting on Petunia hybrida, and severe mosaic, distortion, and stunting on Brassica rapa. These symptoms were similar to those that were described previously for TuMV (4). ELISA results showed that the original leaf samples and inoculated indicator plants reacted positively with TuMV antibodies, but not with antibodies for any of the other viruses listed above. Also, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction of total RNA extracted from the collected leaf samples using the universal primers for potyviruses (3) resulted in the amplification of two fragments of the expected sizes, approximately 700 and 1,700 bp. TuMV, a member of the genus Potyvirus in the family Potyviridae, is transmitted by aphids in a nonpersistent manner (4). This virus is geographically widespread with a wide host range that can infect 318 species in 156 genera of 43 plant families including, Brassicaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Asteraceae, Cucurbitaceae, and Solanaceae (2,4). R. rugosum and S. loeselii, two annual or biennial plants in the Brassicaceae family, were common and widely distributed in the fields surveyed. The presence of TuMV-infected weed hosts in cauliflower fields may impact disease management strategies. TuMV was first observed on stock plants (Matthiola sp.) in Iran (1). To our knowledge, this is the first report of natural occurrence of TuMV on weed hosts in Iran.

References: (1) M. Bahar et al. Iran. J. Plant Pathol. 21:11, 1985. (2) J. R. Edwardson and R. G. Christie. The potyvirus group. Fla. Agric. Exp. Stn. Monogr. Ser. No. 16, 1991. (3) A. Gibbs and A. Mackenzie. J. Virol. Methods 63:9, 1997. (4) J. A. Tomlinson. Turnip mosaic virus. No. 8 in: Descriptions of Plant Viruses. CMI/AAB, Surrey, England, 1970.
First Report of a Leaf Spot and Stem Canker Caused by Myrothecium roridum on Watermelon in the United States
Authors: Seebold K. W. , Langston D. B. , Kemerait R. C. , Hudgins J. E.
Published: May 2007

Myrothecium roridum Tode:Fr, pathogenic to a number of cucurbit species, causes fruit rots, cankers on crowns and stems, and leaf spots. Hosts include cantaloupe and honeydew (Cucurbita melo) and cucumber (Cucumis sativus) (1,3). In June 2004, following a period of heavy rainfall, numerous round-to-oblong, brown lesions with concentric rings were observed on leaves of watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) cv. Desert King at the Blackshank Farm in Tifton, GA. Disease was localized in the field and severity was low (<5% of leaf area affected). No symptoms were observed on fruit. Sections of tissue were removed from the margin between healthy and diseased tissue and plated on acidified, 25% potato dextrose agar (aPDA). A small plug of agar and mycelium were removed from colonies that emerged from lesions and were transferred to aPDA. Isolated colonies were characterized by a white, floccose mycelium with concentric, dark green-to-black rings of sporodochia bearing viscid masses of conidia. Conidia were cylindrical with rounded ends and measured 6 to 8 × 1.5 to 2.5 μm. The features of the fungus were consistent with the description of Myrothecium roridum (1,2). Pathogenicity tests were conducted in a temperature-controlled greenhouse. Twenty-five watermelon plants (cv. Desert King) were inoculated with a conidial suspension of M. roridum (5 × 105 conidia per ml) plus 0.1% vol/vol Tween 20. Inoculum was applied on leaves and stems until runoff with a hand-held mister, and plants were placed in a dew chamber for 72 h. Ten plants were sprayed with sterile, distilled water to serve as controls. Inoculated and noninoculated control plants were removed from the dew chamber and maintained at 25 to 28°C. Symptoms appeared 8 days after inoculation and were characterized by round, dark lesions with concentric rings; noninoculated plants were symptomless. Sections of symptomatic tissue were plated, and M. roridum was reisolated. Although M. roridum is a common pathogen of melons and cucumber, to our knowledge, this is the first field report of a leaf spot caused by M. roridum on watermelon in the United States. No further occurrences of the disease on watermelon have been observed in Georgia since the initial discovery of M. roridum in 2004; however, losses could be potentially severe if widespread infection of fruit were to occur.

References: (1) B. D. Bruton. Crater Rot. Pages 49–50 in: Compendium of Cucurbit Diseases. T. A. Zitter et al., eds. The American Phytopathological Society, St. Paul, MN, 1996. (2) M. B. Ellis. Page 552 in: Dematiaceous Hyphomycetes. CAB International, Wallingford, UK, 1971. (3) D. F. Farr et al. Page 809 in: Fungi on Plants and Plant Products in the United States. The American Phytopathological Society, St. Paul, MN, 1989.
Greenhouse Evaluation of Binucleate Rhizoctonia for Control of R. solani in Soybean
Authors: Khan F. U. , Nelson B. D. , Helms T. C.
Published: May 2007

Nine isolates of binucleate Rhizoctonia (BNR) from soybean were screened in the greenhouse for control of Rhizoctonia solani anastomosis groups AG-4 and AG-2-2. Eight of nine BNR isolates, when combined with AG-4 or AG-2-2, significantly increased emergence and survival of soybean (cv. Ozzie) and reduced disease severity compared with AG-4 or AG-2-2 alone. The interaction of soybean cultivar and BNR isolates in the presence of AG-4 and AG-2-2 was also studied using three isolates of BNR, BNR-4, BNR-8-2, and BNR-8-3, and seven soybean cultivars. There was no BNR × cultivar interaction. With AG-4, BNRs significantly increased emergence and survival of cultivars and reduced disease severity, whereas with AG-2-2, BNRs reduced disease severity. Control of R. solani by BNRs was achieved in both a potting soil mix and natural soil. In the initial screening experiments, two BNR isolates reduced emergence, but in all subsequent experiments using three BNR isolates alone, there were no negative effects on germination, survival, or height of soybean plants, and there was no evidence of pathogenicity. In several experiments, BNRs alone significantly increased height of plants compared with the noninoculated controls. BNRs were consistently isolated from hypocotyls and roots, indicating colonization of tissues was associated with control. These BNR isolates may have potential use in management of R. solani in soybean, but will require rigorous testing under field conditions and more extensive studies of their biology.
Effect of Temperature on Apothecial Longevity and Ascospore Discharge by Apothecia of Monilinia vaccinii-corymbosi
Authors: Wharton Phillip S. , Schilder Annemiek C.
Published: May 2007

Pseudosclerotia of Monilinia vaccinii-corymbosi with apothecial initials were collected from blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosi cv. Jersey) fields in Grand Junction, MI, in the spring of 2002 and 2003 and monitored during apothecial development and maturation. Apothecia with cup openings as small as 1.2 mm in diameter were able to discharge ascospores. The number of ascospores discharged increased exponentially as the diameter of the cup opening increased, before leveling off at a cup diameter of about 6 mm. Cytological studies showed that ascospore discharge correlated well with the stage of development of asci and ascospores in the apothecium. The effect of temperature on the longevity of apothecia was studied at 10, 15, 20, and 25°C. Initial ascospore discharge was greater for apothecia incubated at higher temperatures (20 and 25°C). However, total discharge was greater in apothecia incubated at lower temperatures (10 and 15°C), as they persisted longer than those incubated at 20 and 25°C. Incubating apothecia at freezing temperatures (-2, -4, -6, and -8°C) for 1 h resulted in a 50 to 98% reduction in the number of ascospores discharged compared with before freezing. However, apothecia incubated down to -6°C were able to recover their ability to discharge ascospores by 2 days after the freezing treatment. Ascospores discharged from apothecia after freezing at -2°C for 1 h remained viable. However, the germination ability of ascospores from apothecia frozen at -4, -6, and -8°C decreased with decreasing temperature such that only 10% of ascospores from apothecia frozen at -8°C germinated successfully. The information obtained in this study may be useful in the development of scouting and management strategies for the control of mummy berry disease.
Powdery Mildew Caused by Leveillula taurica on Glossy Leaf Genotypes of Onion in Idaho
Authors: Mohan S. K. , Molenaar N. D.
Published: May 2007

Onion (Allium cepa L.) plants growing in a breeding nursery in Canyon County, Idaho were observed with leaf symptoms of powdery mildew in August and September, 1994. The affected leaves showed roughly circular, 10- to 15-mm-diameter, powdery, white-to-grayish white patches with irregular margins. The leaf area under the fungal growth turned chlorotic and later necrotic. Occasionally, lesions coalesced, covering larger areas of the leaf surface. Symptoms were seen on mature and young leaves. Of 620 lines examined, only the 10 lines which had glossy leaves (no or low levels of cuticular wax) displayed symptoms of powdery mildew. Microscopic examination revealed that the white, powdery growth on the lesions consisted entirely of conidiophores and conidia. Conidiophores emerged through stomata, singly or in groups of two or three, were branched, and bore either terminal, pyriform (59 to 68 × 16 to 19 μm), apically pointed (lanceolate) primary conidia or cylindrical (57 to 62 × 18 to 20 μm) secondary conidia. On the basis of the presence of endophytic mycelium, morphological characteristics of the conidiophores, and the dimorphic conidia the fungus was identified as Leveillula taurica (Lev.) G. Arnaud (1) (anamorph = Oidiopsis sicula Scalia). The teleomorph of this fungus was not observed. Greenhouse inoculations were made onto leaves of three 8-week-old plants of a glossy leaf onion genotype (94P240) and three 6-week-old plants of tomato (cv. Payette) grown in pots. Conidia from sporulating lesions on onion leaves were brushed onto the leaves, and the inoculated plants were covered with a plastic bag for 72 h to maintain high humidity. Inoculated leaves on both hosts developed chlorotic lesions with sporulation of L. taurica after 14 days at 25 to 28°C. Noninoculated onion and tomato plants (one of each) did not develop powdery mildew symptoms. This selective susceptibility of onion genotypes with glossy leaves to L. taurica warrants careful consideration by onion breeding programs in utilizing such germ plasm as a potential source for other desirable characters such as nonpreference to thrips. To our knowledge, this is the first report of powdery mildew of onion caused by L. taurica in Idaho. This disease has been reported on onions in California (3) and Washington (2). However, it has not been observed in commercial onion crops in Idaho, even though the cultivars involved apparently vary as to the amount of cuticular wax on their foliage.

References: (1) H. J. Boesewinkel. Bot. Rev. 46:167, 1980. (2) L. J. du Toit et al. Online publication. DOI: 10.1094/PHP-2004-1129-01-HN. Plant Health Progress, 2004. (3) F. F. Laemmlen and R. M. Endo. Plant Dis. 69:451, 1985.
A Chlorotic Spot Disease on Calla Lilies (Zantedeschia spp.) Is Caused by a Tospovirus Serologically but Distantly Related to Watermelon silver mottle virus
Authors: Chen C. C. , Chen T. C. , Lin Y. H. , Yeh S. D. , Hsu H. T.
Published: May 2007

A new tospovirus, Calla lily chlorotic spot virus (CCSV), was isolated from calla lilies (Zantedeschia spp.) in Taiwan. Chlorotic spots, ranging from light green to yellow, appear on the middle leaves of the affected plants. Virions measuring 75 to 105 nm, similar in size to tospovirus particles, were present in crude extracts and ultrathin sections of diseased leaves. Of 35 plant species inoculated mechanically, 24, including wax gourd (Benincasa hispida) and zucchini squash (Cucurbita pepo), were susceptible to the virus. CCSV was transmitted from infected wax gourd by Thrips palmi to healthy wax gourd and zucchini squash. The virus was weakly related to Watermelon silver mottle virus (WSMoV) in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and western blot tests. WSMoV-specific N gene primers, however, failed to produce DNA fragments from total RNA extracts of CCSV-infected plants in reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Results of RT-PCR show that the conserved regions of the L genes of tospoviruses are present in CCSV.
Cultivar and Seedling Susceptibility to Pecan Bacterial Leaf Scorch Caused by Xylella fastidiosa and Graft Transmission of the Pathogen
Authors: Sanderlin R. S.
Published: May 2007

The xylem-limited bacterium Xylella fastidiosa was detected in 20 cultivars and 4 seedling trees with pecan bacterial leaf scorch (PBLS) symptoms during a 2-year survey of commercial pecan (Carya illinoinensis) cultivars. The orchard survey and inoculation trials indicated that several of the currently recommended cultivars, as well as older, popular cultivars, are susceptible to infection by the bacterium and develop PBLS. The severity of disease development was variable between cultivars and within cultivars. Eight of 9 cultivars growing in pots that were needle-puncture inoculated with X. fastidiosa became infected and developed the disease. Currently, no cultivars have been identified that are not susceptible to infection and symptom development. All 6 seedling types that were inoculated became infected and developed PBLS. The frequency of infection of the seedlings was greater than the cultivars; 88% of the inoculated seedlings and 44% of the inoculated cultivar trees were infected. It was demonstrated that the pathogen could be transmitted through scion wood. Because pecan cultivars are clonally propagated, graft-transmission may represent a major source of pecan infection.
Occurrence of Resistance-Breaking Beet necrotic yellow vein virus of Sugar Beet
Authors: Liu H.-Y. , Sears J. L. , Lewellen R. T.
Published: May 2007

Rhizomania is an important virus disease of sugar beet and is caused by Beet necrotic yellow vein virus (BNYVV). During 2002-03, several sugar beet fields with cultivars partially resistant to BNYVV grown in the Imperial Valley of California were observed with severe rhizomania symptoms, suggesting that resistance conditioned by Rz1 had been compromised. Soil testing with sugar beet baiting plants followed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to diagnose virus infection. Resistant varieties grown in BNYVV-infested soil from Salinas, CA, were ELISA-negative. In contrast, when grown in BNYVV-infested soil collected from the Imperial Valley, CA, all resistant varieties became infected and tested positive by ELISA. Based on host reaction, eight distinct BNYVV isolates have been identified from Imperial Valley soil (IV-BNYVV) by single local lesion isolation. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assays showed that the eight IV-BNYVV isolates did not contain RNA-5. Singlestrand conformation polymorphism banding patterns for the IV-BNYVV isolates were identical to A-type and different from P-type. Sequence alignments of PCR products from BNYVV RNA-1 near the 3′ end of IV-BNYVV isolates revealed that both IV-BNYVV and Salinas BNYVV isolates were similar to A-type and different from B-type. Our results suggest that the resistancebreaking BNYVV isolates from Imperial Valley likely evolved from existing A-type isolates.
Curtovirus Infection of Chile Pepper in New Mexico
Authors: Creamer R. , Hubble H. , Lewis A.
Published: May 2007

Chile pepper-producing areas of southern New Mexico (NM) were surveyed during 2001 and 2002 to identify which curtoviruses were infecting chile peppers and to determine the distribution of the viruses among fields. Plants with symptoms resembling Beet curly top virus (BCTV) were collected from 10 fields and tested for the presence of curtoviruses by polymerase chain reaction using primers designed to detect a portion of the coat protein (cp) gene, and tested for specific curtoviruses using primers designed to detect to a portion of the replication-associated protein (rep) gene. All amplicons were sequenced and compared with curtoviruses for which complete sequences were available. Amplification was successful from 79.5% of the chile pepper samples. Analysis of the CP sequences showed that more than 92% of the NM field isolates shared high (98 to 100%) amino acid identity with well-characterized curtoviruses. However, eight NM isolates displayed a distinct CP sequence that shared only 86 to 88% amino acid identity with those curtoviruses. Comparison of the rep gene sequence showed that 18.5% of the NM field isolates tested shared 98 to 100% amino acid identity with Beet mild curly top virus (BMCTV), 48% shared 96 to 97% amino acid identity with Beet severe curly top virus (BSCTV), and 32% shared 93 to 97% amino acid identity with BMCTV and BSCTV. Although the distribution of curtoviruses was not identical among all fields sampled, little or no spatial patterns were found among the field isolates. This study revealed the complexity of curtoviruses in a single crop and limited geographical area.
Experimental Bin Drenching System for Testing Biocontrol Agents to Control Postharvest Decay of Apples
Authors: Janisiewicz W. J. , Peterson D. L. , Yoder K. S. , Miller S. S.
Published: May 2007

A portable drencher capable of drenching a single bin of fruit was built to simulate the commercial application of chemicals to harvested apples in small orchard operations in the central and eastern United States. The drencher required as little as 125 liters of the treatment solution and permitted various bin travel speeds. Wounded apples were placed midway between the bottom and top of the bin, in the center, and near the four corners of the bin (20 fruit per location) and covered with enough unwounded apples to fill the bin. The bins were drenched with a suspension containing Penicillium expansum at 2 × 104 conidia per ml in 2000, 5 × 103 conidia per ml in 2001, and 3 × 103 conidia per ml in 2002 and 2003. In 2000 and 2003, the additional treatments included a combination of P. expansum with the yeast Metschnikowia pulcherrima at ~;1.2 × 107 CFU/ml, and in 2003 a combination with 2% sodium bicarbonate (SB) or a mixture of the yeast and SB. After 3 months of storage at ~;2°C, at all P. expansum conidial concentrations, more than 90% of wounded fruit developed decay on ‘Golden Delicious’, ‘Delicious’, and ‘Rome’ apples in the 2000-02 experiments. In 2003, 66 and 33.1% of the wounded fruit developed decay on ‘Delicious’ and ‘Golden Delicious’, respectively. The application of the antagonist reduced decay to 39 and 3.3% on ‘Golden Delicious’ in 2000 and 2003, respectively, and to 26% on ‘Delicious’ in 2003. The addition of SB reduced decay on both cultivars and, in combination with the yeast, was the most effective treatment on ‘Golden Delicious’. This portable drencher can be very useful for evaluating different treatments applied to apples after harvest at the commercial level.
Molecular Identification of Oidium neolycopersici as the Causal Agent of the Recent Tomato Powdery Mildew Epidemics in North America
Authors: Kiss Levente , Takamatsu Susumu , Cunnington James H.
Published: May 2007

A previous morphological study of Oidium anamorphs responsible for the recent tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) powdery mildew outbreaks worldwide suggested that, despite controversial data in the literature, the North American epidemics were caused solely by a newly erected species, O. neolycopersici. We report here the first molecular evidence that the North American anamorphs do belong to O. neolycopersici. The internal transcribed spacer sequences of the North American anamorphs of this study were identical with those of three Japanese and four European specimens of O. neolycopersici. A morphological study confirmed that all the North American Oidium anamorphs included in this study produced conidia singly, similar to O. neolycopersici. These fungi were readily distinguished from O. lycopersici, which produces conidia in chains and is known to infect tomato only in Australia. The phylogenetic analysis showed that O. neolycopersici is a distinct powdery mildew species, and it is neither identical nor closely related to any known polyphagous species of the Erysiphaceae. Apparently, it was introduced into the United States and Canada only in the 1990s, but its origin is still unknown.
First Report of Papaya ringspot virus and Zucchini yellow mosaic virus in Luohanguo (Siraitia grosvenorii) in China
Authors: Liao Y.-M. , Gan X.-J. , Chen B. , Cai J.-H.
Published: May 2007

Luohanguo, Siraitia grosvenorii (Swingle) C. Jeffrey, is a perennial cucurbitaceous plant that is an economically important medicinal and sweetener crop in Guangxi province, China. Surveys conducted during the summer to fall seasons of 2003-2004 in northern Guangxi showed symptoms typical of a viral disease, including leaf mottling, mosaic, vein clearing, curling, and shoestring-like distortion in the field. Mechanical inoculation of sap from leaves of symptomatic plants collected from the surveyed areas caused similar symptoms on tissue culture-derived healthy Luohanguo plants. Two sequences of 0.7 and 1.6 kb with 88 and 97% identity to Papaya ringspot virus (PRSV) and Zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV) were amplified using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) with purified flexuous viral particles or total RNA extracted from the symptomatic Luohanguo leaves as templates with conserved degenerate potyvirus primers (1). To confirm the results, primers specific for PRSV (PP1/PP2, genome coordinates 4064-4083/5087-5069, GenBank Accession No X97251) and ZYMV (ZP1/ZP2, genome coordinates 5540-5557/7937-7920, GenBank Accession No L31350) were used to perform RT-PCR from the same RNA templates. The expected 1.0- and 2.3-kb fragments were amplified and they were 90 and 95% identical to PRSV and ZYMV in sequence, respectively. Watermelon mosaic virus was not detected. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the occurrence of PRSV and ZYMV in Luohanguo.

Reference: (1) A. Gibbs et al. J. Virol. Methods 63:9, 1997.
First Report of Witches'-Broom Disease of Sesame (Sesamum indicum) in Oman
Authors: Al-Sakeiti M. A. , Al-Subhi A. M. , Al-Saady N. A. , Deadman M. L.
Published: May 2007

Sesame is the major oil seed crop in Oman. During 2004, disease symptoms were observed at Nizwa, 175 km south of Muscat. Symptoms included phyllody and excessive development of short shoots and internodes resulting in little leaves. Total genomic DNA was extracted from healthy and symptomatic plants with a modified cetyltrimethylammoniumbromide (CTAB) buffer method (2). DNA samples were assayed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), with the 16S rDNA amplified using primers P1 and P7. Direct PCR products were used as template DNA for nested PCR with primers R16F2n and R16R2. Direct PCR products were analyzed by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) with four restriction enzymes, Tru9I, HaeIII, HhaI, and RsaI. DNAs from alfalfa and lime plants infected by witches'-broom phytoplasmas were used as positive controls and DNA from healthy plants and water were negative controls. The results showed the presence of a 1.8-kb product amplified with the direct PCR and a 1.2-kb product of the nested PCR from infected sesame and the positive controls. No PCR product was observed in the negative control. The PCR assay confirmed the presence of phytoplasma causing witches'-broom disease in sesame. The RFLP results showed the sesame phytoplasma to be most similar to the alfalfa phytoplasma, a member of 16SrII group (1). To our knowledge, this is the first report of a phytoplasma of the 16Sr II group causing witches'-broom disease on sesame in the Sultanate of Oman.

References: (1) A. J. Khan et al. Phytopathology 92:1038, 2002. (2) M. A. Saghai-Maroof et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 81:8014, 1984.
Spatial Analysis of Almond Leaf Scorch Disease in the San Joaquin Valley of California: Factors Affecting Pathogen Distribution and Spread
Authors: Groves R. L. , Chen J. , Civerolo E. L. , Freeman M. W. , Viveros M. A.
Published: May 2007

Almond leaf scorch (ALS) disease has emerged as a serious threat to almond (Prunus amygdalus) production areas throughout California's San Joaquin Valley. This disease is caused by the xylem-limited bacterium Xylella fastidiosa, and this pathogen is transmitted by xylophagous insects including sharpshooter leafhoppers (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) and spittlebugs (Hemiptera: Cercopidae). Among four orchards surveyed, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and bacterial isolation followed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were equally effective in detecting X. fastidiosa from ALS-symptomatic trees. Disease incidence varied among almond cultivars in each orchard, with the highest mean incidence and most severe symptoms frequently encountered in ‘Sonora’. X. fastidiosa isolates consisted of mixtures of grape or “G-genotype” and almond or “A-genotype” strains present in surveyed orchards. The X. fastidiosa G-genotypes characterized from each orchard were associated with the most severely affected ‘Sonora’ trees in three of the four orchards. Both ordinary runs and simple randomization analyses revealed aggregations of ALS in three of the four orchards. Clusters of ALSaffected trees frequently occurred in the outermost orchard rows. Plots of semivariance in ALS incidence over distance varied in shape and magnitude among cultivars. Semivariance increased over distance in ‘Sonora’ and ‘Carmel’, indicating spatial dependence or aggregations of incidence best fit by a combination of spherical and linear models. These results document both random and aggregate patterns of ALS spatial distribution in selected orchards and further illustrate how cultivar susceptibility influences the distribution patterns of ALS incidence. Following the recent introduction and establishment of the glassy-winged sharpshooter, Homalodisca coagulata, the impact upon the epidemiology and spread of ALS is unknown.
Relative Pathogenicity ofCryphonectria cubensisonEucalyptusClones Differing in Their Resistance toC. cubensis
Authors: van Heerden S. W. , Amerson H. V. , Preisig O. , Wingfield B. D. , Wingfield M. J.
Published: May 2007

Cryphonectria cubensis causes a destructive canker disease of Eucalyptus species. Management of this disease is primarily through breeding and selection of disease resistant trees. One means of selecting such trees is by artificial inoculation with the pathogen. In routine screening trials in South Africa, an isolate of C. cubensis, considered to be highly pathogenic, has been used for such inoculations. Although the most resistant clones under natural conditions are the same as those detected in inoculation trials, a question has arisen whether all clones respond similarly to different C. cubensis isolates. Thus, a trial consisting of five clones, known to differ in susceptibility to infection by C. cubensis, was established. These trees were inoculated with nine South African C. cubensis isolates previously shown to differ in pathogenicity. Inoculations showed a significant isolate × clone interaction as well as an “apparent immunity” for one clone × isolate interaction, providing evidence highly suggestive of a vertical resistance component in the pathosystem. Disease screening in this pathosystem has traditionally relied on a single pathogen isolate; however, considering data presented here, future reliance on a single isolate may be inadequate.
Identification and Characterization of Russet on Snap Beans Caused by Plectosporium tabacinum
Authors: Dillard H. R. , Cobb A. C. , Shah D. A. , Straight K. E.
Published: May 2007

Russet symptoms of unknown etiology are sporadically observed on snap bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) pods in New York and Maryland. Symptoms can render the whole crop unmarketable, and seem to appear when heavy rainfall occurs around harvest time. In 2000 and 2004, a microorganism not previously encountered was isolated from russet lesions on snap bean pods from commercial fields in Maryland and New York. Typical russet symptoms were produced on snap bean pods of cv. Brio after inoculation with spores of the isolates. Koch's postulates were also fulfilled. The organism was identified as Plectosporium tabacinum (Van Beyma) M.E. Palm, W. Gams & Nirenberg. A continuous 48-h leaf wetness duration at 23 to 27°C was essential for rapid symptom development. Large (11 cm long on average) snap bean pods were more susceptible to disease than smaller (pin) pods in cvs. Brio and Gold Mine. Light mechanical damage to the pods did not enhance infection. Four isolates of P. tabacinum (three from snap bean pods, one from zucchini) were inoculated onto large pods of the snap bean cvs. Brio, Gold Mine, and Hercules. All four isolates induced a russet on the pods, but the severity was significantly lower with the zucchini isolate.
Mechanical Transmission of Citrus Viroids
Authors: Barbosa C. J. , Pina J. A. , Pérez-Panadés J. , Bernad L. , Serra P. , Navarro L. , Duran-Vila N.
Published: May 2007

Preliminary transmission assays conducted under greenhouse conditions demonstrated that Citrus exocortis viroid (CEVd), Citrus bent leaf viroid (CBLVd), Hop stunt viroid (HSVd), Citrus viroid III (CVd-III), and Citrus viroid IV (CVd-IV) can be mechanically transmitted from citron to citron (Citrus medica) by a single slash with a knife blade. The impact of mechanical transmission of viroids by pruning and harvesting operations was also demonstrated in experimental and commercial field plots. Transmission efficiency under field conditions ranged from 4% in ‘Nules’ clementine to 10% in ‘Navelina’ sweet orange and 21% in ‘Verna’ lemon. Transmission efficiency varied only slightly with viroid and donor hosts. The impact of viroid transmission on tree height, canopy volume, and crop harvest was minimal. When the donor host was coinfected with several viroids, the viroids were not necessarily cotransmitted. Considerations regarding viroid transmission in other climates are discussed. Measures to control viroid spread in nurseries should be mandatory in certification programs.
Characterization of Phomopsis spp. Infecting Grapevines in the Great Lakes Region of North America
Authors: Schilder A. M. C. , Erincik O. , Castlebury L. , Rossman A. , Ellis M. A.
Published: May 2007

Seventy-five isolates of Phomopsis were obtained from grapes (Vitis spp.) with Phomopsis cane and leaf spot symptoms in Ohio, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Ontario (Canada). Four isolates from California and one from Europe were also included in the study. Isolates were grouped on the basis of DNA sequences from intron regions in the translation elongation factor 1-α and calmodulin genes. According to DNA sequence comparisons with the type isolate, all isolates except two (OH-48 and CAL-5) were determined to be P. viticola, confirming the etiology of this disease in the Great Lakes region. Thirty representative isolates were evaluated for mycelial growth rate in vitro, conidial size, and pathogenicity on grapevine (Vitis interspecific hybrid ‘Seyval’) leaves and internodes. A subsample of 13 isolates was also evaluated for pathogenicity on fruit and rachises. All isolates of P. viticola caused disease on grape but differed in virulence. Among P. viticola isolates, virulence on leaves and internodes was positively correlated, and virulence on fruit and rachises was positively correlated, but there was no relationship between ratings on vegetative versus reproductive grape tissues. Some isolates that were not virulent on leaves or internodes were highly virulent on fruit and rachises and vice versa, indicating some specialization with respect to host tissues. However, differences were mostly of a quantitative nature, which makes it difficult if not impossible to assign biotypes. Among P. viticola isolates, virulence on fruit and rachises was positively correlated with mycelial growth rate in vitro. For the two isolates that were not P. viticola, the internal transcribed spacer regions of the nuclear ribosomal DNA were sequenced for identification purposes. Based on the best match available in GenBank, CAL-5 was determined to be close to Diaporthe phaseolorum, while the sequence of OH-48 matched that of Phomopsis sp. from Eucommia ulmoides in China. Both isolates had shorter alpha conidia and significantly higher mycelial growth rates than the P. viticola isolates, and were not or only slightly pathogenic to Vitis interspecific hybrid ‘Seyval’.
A New Method for the Quantification of Rhizoctonia solani and R. oryzae from Soil
Authors: Paulitz T. C. , Schroeder K. L.
Published: May 2007

Rhizoctonia solani anastomosis group (AG) 8 and R. oryzae are important root pathogens on wheat and barley in the dryland production areas of the inland Pacific Northwest. R. solani AG-8 is difficult to isolate from root systems and quantify in soil because of slow growth and low population densities. However, both pathogens form extensive hyphal networks in the soil and can grow a considerable distance from a food base. A quantitative assay of active hyphae was developed, using wooden toothpicks as baits inserted into sample soils. After 2 days in soil, toothpicks were placed on a selective medium, and the numbers of colonies that grew after 24 h were counted under a dissecting microscope. R. solani and R. oryzae could be distinguished from other fungi based on hyphal morphology. This method was tested in natural soils amended with known inoculum densities of R. solani AG-8 and R. oryzae. Regressions were used to compare the inoculum density or toothpick colonization curves to a predicted curve based on the volume of the toothpicks. The slopes and y intercept of log-log transformed regressions did not differ from the predicted curves in most cases. This technique was used to assess the hyphal activity of R. solani AG-8 and R. oryzae from soil cores taken from various positions in and around Rhizoctonia bare patches at two locations. Activity of R. solani was highest in the center and inside edge of the patch, but there was no effect of patch position on R. oryzae. This simple and inexpensive technique can be used for detection and diagnosis in grower fields and to study the ecology and epidemiology of Rhizoctonia spp.
First Report of Pathogenicity Groups 3 and 4 of Leptosphaeria maculans on Canola in North Dakota
Authors: Bradley C. A. , Parks P. S. , Chen Y. , Fernando W. G. D.
Published: May 2007

Blackleg, caused by Leptosphaeria maculans (Desmaz) Ces. & de Not (anamorph = Phoma lingam), is an economically important disease of canola (Brassica napus L.) worldwide and was first detected in North Dakota in 1991 (3). L. maculans can be categorized into one of several pathogenicity groups (PGs) on the basis of the interaction phenotypes in differential canola cvs. Westar, Glacier, and Quinta by using a standard screening protocol in the greenhouse (4). With this system, PG1 strains are weakly virulent and PG2, PG3, and PG4 are highly virulent. The predominant strains of L. maculans in North Dakota are PG1 and PG2 (3). In cooperation with the Oilseed Pathology Lab in the Department of Plant Science, University of Manitoba, blackleg-infested canola stubble was collected arbitrarily from fields in North Dakota during August and September of 2003. Isolates of the pathogen were obtained by plating surface-sterilized (2% NaOCl), collected stubble on V8 agar containing 0.03% chloramphenicol at 22°C under continuous cool-white fluorescent light. Pycnidiospores were harvested from single pycnidia after 14 days of incubation with the Miracloth filtering method (2) and stored at -20°C. Each isolate was passed once through cv. Westar to maintain virulence. Isolates were confirmed as being L. maculans by the presence of characteristic pink pycnidia formed on V8 agar and the characteristic symptoms caused on inoculated cotyledons of cv. Westar. The PG test was performed using a standard screening protocol (4) and was repeated three times for each isolate. For each isolate, 12 7-day-old cotyledons of each differential cultivar were wound inoculated with 10 μl of a pycnidiospore suspension (1 × 107 per ml). Disease severity on cotyledons was assessed 12 days after inoculation with a 0 to 9 scale (0 to 2 = resistant; 3 to 6 = intermediate; and 7 to 9 = susceptible). A total of 106 isolates were obtained from the stubble collected from 47 fields. Of these isolates, three were characterized as PG1, 94 as PG2, six as PG3, and one as PG4; two isolates could not be characterized according to the PG system as described (4). PG3 isolates originated from two fields in Cavalier County and one field in Ward County. The PG4 isolate was from Cavalier County. To our knowledge, this is the first time highly virulent strains of PG3 and PG4 have been detected in North Dakota. PG3 and PG4 strains of L. maculans were found only recently in western Canada (1,2). The discovery of these PGs in North Dakota and western Canada has immense implication to canola breeding programs and blackleg control, since these PGs may cause greater levels of blackleg severity on canola cultivars that are resistant to only PG2 type isolates.

References: (1) Y. Chen and W. G. D. Fernando. Plant Dis. 89:339, 2005. (2) W. G. D. Fernando and Y. Chen. Plant Dis. 87:1268, 2003. (3) H. A. Lamey and D. E. Hershman. Plant Dis. 77:1263, 1993. (4) A. Mengistu et al. Plant Dis. 75:1279, 1991.
Molecular Detection of Apiosporina morbosa, Causal Agent of Black Knot in Prunus virginiana
Authors: Zhang J. X. , Fernando W. G. D. , Remphrey W. R.
Published: May 2007

A specific and sensitive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was developed to detect Apiosporina morbosa, the causal agent of black knot disease on chokecherry, Prunus virginiana (including the cultivar ‘Shubert Select’). A pair of A. morbosa-specific forward and reverse primers (AMF and AMR) was designed from the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of A. morbosa, preamplified by universal ITS primers ITS1 and ITS4, and compared with the ITS region sequences of Fusarium, Alternaria, Phoma, and Cladosporium species associated with black knots. The primers were tested for their specificity to A. morbosa detection in the PCR assays using DNA derived from 64 pure cultures, including 42 single-spore isolates of A. morbosa and 22 isolates of other fungi, as well as healthy and diseased plant branches collected from the field. A product of ~400 bp was amplified from DNA of all isolates belonging to A. morbosa. No product was amplified from DNA of other fungal species, confirming the specificity of the newly designed primers. Within plant tissues, the pathogen was detected at further distances from the edges of knots on thicker branches bearing larger knots compared with thinner branches bearing smaller knots. The PCR assay has shown high sensitivity, needing only 100 fg of the A. morbosa DNA for a reliable PCR amplification with the AMF and AMR primers.
Distribution of Plum pox virus in Residential Sites, Commercial Nurseries, and Native Plant Species in the Niagara Region, Ontario, Canada
Authors: Stobbs L. W. , Van Driel L. , Whybourne K. , Carlson C. , Tulloch M. , Van Lier J.
Published: May 2007

Extensive surveys of native weed populations in peach orchards heavily infected with Plum pox virus strain D (PPV-D) in the Niagara Region quarantine area, Ontario, Canada, failed to identify natural infection in any of the species examined. Surveys of rural and urban residential properties within areas of high PPV incidence did not detect widespread infection of susceptible hosts, with infected Prunus glandulosa (dwarf flowering almond) being found only at one site. The prominent color-breaking observed in blossoms of PPV-infected P. glandulosa would make this an excellent sentinel species for early detection of virus in Prunus orchards. Surveys of susceptible ornamental Prunus spp. in Niagara nurseries failed to demonstrate PPV infection in any of the nursery field plantings.