bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Measures of Durability of Resistance
Authors: van den Bosch F. , Gilligan C. A.
Published: May 2007

Conventional models for the durability of resistant cultivars focus on the dynamics of the frequency of resistance genes. This leads to a definition of the durability of resistance as the time from introduction of the cultivar to the time when the frequency of the virulence gene reaches a preset threshold. It is questionable whether this is the most appropriate way to measure durability. Here we use a simple epidemiological model to link population dynamics and population genetics to compare three measures of durability: (i) the expected time until invasion of the virulent genotype, by mutation or immigration, and subsequent establishment of a population (Tinvasion); (ii) the virulence frequency related measure of the time for the virulent genotype to take-over the pathogen population ( Ttake-over); and (iii) the additional yield, measured by the additional number of uninfected host growth days (Tadditional). Specifically, we show how the measures of durability are affected by deployment and epidemiological parameters. We use a combination of numerical solution and analytical approximation of a model for the population dynamics of avirulent and virulent genotypes of a pathogen growing in dynamically changing populations of resistant and susceptible cultivars. The three measures of durability are compared. Some consequences of the results for durable resistance in multilines and mixtures and the regional deployment of resistant cultivars are discussed.
Three Clonal Lineages of Phytophthora cinnamomi in Australia Revealed by Microsatellites
Authors: Dobrowolski M. P. , Tommerup I. C. , Shearer B. L. , O'Brien P. A.
Published: May 2007

The genetic structure of populations of Phytophthora cinnamomi, a pathogen of an enormous variety of woody plants, was investigated using microsatellites. Three intensively sampled disease sites in southwest Australia were analyzed along with a large culture collection of Austra-lian isolates and some isolates from elsewhere in the world. The mutation in the four microsatellite loci analyzed revealed spatial patterns at the disease sites that correlated with the age of the infestation. Only three clonal lineages were identified in Australian populations and these same clonal lineages were present in worldwide populations, where it is suggested that a limited number of clonal lineages have spread in most regions. No evidence for sexual reproduction between these clonal lineages in Australia has been found even though the pathogen has the opportunity. Instead, mitotic recombination is frequent within the clonal lineages. The implications of this are discussed.
Dehydrodimers of Ferulic Acid in Maize Grain Pericarp and Aleurone: Resistance Factors to Fusarium graminearum
Authors: Bily A. C. , Reid L. M. , Taylor J. H. , Johnston D. , Malouin C. , Burt A. J. , Bakan B. , Regnault-Roger C. , Pauls K. P. , Arnason J. T. , Philogène B. J. R.
Published: May 2007

The relationship between the primary cell wall phenolic acids, dehydrodimers of ferulic acid, and maize grain resistance to Fusarium graminearum, the causal agent of gibberella ear rot, was investigated. Concentrations of dehydrodimers of ferulic acid were determined in the pericarp and aleurone tissues of five inbreds and two hybrids of varying susceptibility and in a segregating population from a cross between a resistant and susceptible inbred. Significant negative correlations were found between disease severity and diferulic acid content. Even stronger correlations were observed between diferulic acid and the fungal steroid ergosterol, which is an indicator of fungal biomass in infected plant tissue. These results were consistent over two consecutive field seasons, which differed significantly for temperature and rainfall during pollination, the most susceptible stage of ear development. No correlation was found between the levels of these phenolics and deoxynivalenol levels. This is the first report of in vivo evidence that the dehydrodimers of ferulic acid content in pericarp and aleurone tissues may play a role in genotypic resistance of maize to gibberella ear rot.
Remote Detection of Rhizomania in Sugar Beets
Authors: Steddom K. , Heidel G. , Jones D. , Rush C. M.
Published: May 2007

As a prelude to remote sensing of rhizomania, hyper-spectral leaf reflectance and multi-spectral canopy reflectance were used to study the physiological differences between healthy sugar beets and beets infested with Beet necrotic yellow vein virus. This study was conducted over time in the presence of declining nitrogen levels. Total leaf nitrogen was significantly lower in symptomatic beets than in healthy beets. Chlorophyll and carotenoid levels were reduced in symptomatic beets. Vegetative indices calculated from leaf spectra showed reductions in chlorophyll and carotenoids in symptomatic beets. Betacyanin levels estimated from leaf spectra were decreased at the end of the 2000 season and not in 2001. The ratio of betacyanins to chlorophyll, estimated from canopy spectra, was increased in symptomatic beets at four of seven sampling dates. Differences in betacyanin and carotenoid levels appeared to be related to disease and not nitrogen content. Vegetative indices calculated from multi-spectral canopy spectra supported results from leaf spectra. Logistic regression models that incorporate vegetative indices and reflectance correctly predicted 88.8% of the observations from leaf spectra and 87.9% of the observations for canopy reflectance into healthy or symptomatic classes. Classification was best in August with a gradual decrease in accuracy until harvest. These results indicate that remote sensing technologies can facilitate detection of rhizomania.
Sensitivity of Meloidogyne javanica and Tylenchulus semipenetrans to Isothiocyanates in Laboratory Assays
Authors: Zasada I. A. , Ferris H.
Published: May 2007

Isothiocyanates are released through enzymatic degradation of glucosinolates produced by plants in the family Brassicaceae. Glucosinolate profiles differ among plant species and the isothiocyanate derivatives differ in their toxicity to nematodes. Control of plant-parasitic nematodes in soil by isothiocyanates released from incorporated brassicaceous plant material has been inconsistent. Success might be improved with knowledge of the relative toxicities of various isothiocyanates against nematodes. Laboratory assays were conducted to determine lethal concentration (LC) values in sand of seven commercially available isothiocyanates against Tylenchulus semipenetrans and Meloidogyne javanica. The LC90 values were 0.01 and 0.03 μmol/ml for 2-phenylethyl isothiocyanate and 0.48 and 0.35 μmol/ml for phenyl isothiocyanate for T. semipenetrans and M. javanica, respectively. Brassicaceous sources of benzyl or 2-phenylethyl isothiocyanate and, to a lesser extent allyl isothiocyanate, are the most promising candidates for plant-parasitic nematode management. The broader context of this research is the development of approaches for consistent and reliable use of plant-derived chemicals for nematode management. The strategy is to select plants in the family Brassicaceae based on their glucosinolate profiles and the sensitivity of the target nematode species to the associated isothiocyanates.
Bayesian Logistic Regression of Soybean Sclerotinia Stem Rot Prevalence in the U.S. North-Central Region: Accounting for Uncertainty in Parameter Estimation
Authors: Mila A. L. , Yang X. B. , Carriquiry A. L.
Published: May 2007

Bayesian ideas have recently gained considerable ground in several scientific fields mainly due to the rapid progress in computing resources. Nevertheless, in plant epidemiology, Bayesian methodology is not yet commonly discussed or applied. Results of a logistic regression analysis of a 4-year data set collected between 1995 and 1998 on soybean Sclerotinia stem rot (SSR) prevalence in the north-central region of the United States were reexamined with Bayesian methodology. The objective of this study was to use Bayesian methodology to explore the level of uncertainty associated with the parameter estimates derived from the logistic regression analysis of SSR prevalence. Our results suggest that the 4-year data set used in the logistic regression analysis of SSR prevalence in the north-central region of the United States may not be informative enough to produce reliable estimates of the effect of some explanatory variables on SSR prevalence. Such confident estimations are necessary for deriving robust conclusions and high quality predictions.
Field Resistance to Strobilurin (QoI) Fungicides in Pyricularia grisea Caused by Mutations in the Mitochondrial Cytochrome b Gene
Authors: Kim Yun-Sik , Dixon Edward W. , Vincelli Paul , Farman Mark L.
Published: May 2007

Gray leaf spot caused by Pyricularia grisea is a highly destructive disease of perennial ryegrass turf. Control of gray leaf spot is dependent on the use of preventative fungicide treatments. Strobilurin-based (QoI) fungicides, which inhibit the cytochrome bc1 respiratory complex, have proven to be very effective against gray leaf spot. However, in August 2000, disease was diagnosed in QoI-treated perennial ryegrass turf on golf courses in Lexington, KY, Champaign, IL, and Bloomington, IL. To determine if resistance was due to a mutation in the fungicide target, the cytochrome b gene (CYTB) was amplified from baseline and resistant isolates. Nucleotide sequence analysis revealed an intronless coding region of 1,179 bp. Isolates that were resistant to QoI fungicides possessed one of two different mutant alleles, each of which carried a single point mutation. The first mutant allele had a guanine-to-cytosine transition at nucleotide position +428, resulting in a replacement of glycine 143 by alanine (G143A). Mutant allele two exhibited a cytosine-to-adenine transversion at position +387, causing a phenylalanine-to-leucine change (F129L). Cleavable amplified polymorphic sequence analysis revealed that neither mutation was present in a collection of baseline isolates collected before QoI fungicide use and indicated that suspected QoI- resistant isolates found in 2001 in Indiana and Maryland possessed the F129L mutation. The Pyricularia grisea isolates possessing the G143A substitution were significantly more resistant to azoxystrobin and trifloxystrobin, in vitro, than those having F129L. DNA fingerprinting of resistant isolates revealed that the mutations occurred in just five genetic backgrounds, suggesting that field resistance to the QoI fungicides in Pyricularia grisea is due to a small number of ancestral mutations.
Identification of Fungal rDNA Associated with Soil Suppressiveness Against Heterodera schachtii Using Oligonucleotide Fingerprinting
Authors: Yin Bei , Valinsky Lea , Gao Xuebiao , Becker J. Ole , Borneman James
Published: May 2007

To understand the nature of a soil with suppressiveness against Heterodera schachtii, an rDNA analysis was used to identify fungi associated with H. schachtii cysts obtained from soils possessing various levels of suppressiveness. Because H. schachtii cysts isolated from these suppressive soils can transfer this beneficial property to nonsuppressive soils, analysis of the microorganisms associated with the cysts should lead to the identification of the causal organisms. Five soil treatments, generated by mixing different amounts of suppressive and fumigation-induced nonsuppressive soils, were infested with second-stage juveniles of H. schachtii and cropped with mustard-greens. Fungi were identified through an rDNA analysis termed oligonucleotide fingerprinting of ribosomal RNA genes (OFRG). Cysts obtained from soil mixtures consisting of 10 and 100% suppressive soil predominantly contained fungal rDNA with high sequence identity to Dactylella oviparasitica. The dominant fungal rDNA in the cysts isolated from the soil mixtures composed of 0.1 and 1% suppressive soil had high sequence identity to Fusarium oxysporum. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplifications performed with sequence-selective primers corroborated the treatment-specific distribution of rDNA clones obtained by the OFRG analysis. When these sequence-selective PCR primers were used to examine H. schachtii cysts from biocidal soil treatments that produced various levels of suppressiveness, only the D. oviparasitica-like rDNA was consistently identified in the highly suppressive soils.
Changing Forests and Forest Management Policy in Relation to Dealing with Forest Diseases
Authors: Anderson Robert L.
Published: May 2007

The forest landscape of the United States has changed over time, as has public concern for the trees, water, and wildlife. Early in the history of the United States, forests were viewed as an encumbrance and an inexhaustible resource, used to meet the needs of a growing nation. Around 1900, it became clear that old approaches were not sustainable and forest pathology saw its beginning. Annual lumber production increased from 5.4 billion to 44.5 billion board feet. Forest pathologists were called upon to help manage forests for a variety of products, with a focus on decays of wood and wood products. Projection of timber famine stirred public concern, and a number of laws were enacted to deal with the issue. Pathologists were called upon to deal with many of the issues associated with intensive management, and new pests such as chestnut blight and white pine blister rust demanded attention. Then pathologists were called upon to help manage for multiple benefits, and the issues became more complex. Pests such as mistletoes, root diseases, rusts, nursery pests, and urban pests presented new challenges. Concepts such as landscape level assessments, ecosystem management, and multiple-use led to the management of forests to provide for a complex variety of needs. Management objectives vary across the landscape, and pathologists find themselves working with managers who want to maximize fiber production, those that manage areas set aside for special purposes, and all combinations in between. Issues such as acceptable levels of pests, nonnative invasive species, landowner values, visual and watershed quality, and best management practices must be considered in an ever-changing landscape.
Fusiform Rust of Southern Pines: A Major Success for Forest Disease Management
Authors: Schmidt Robert A.
Published: May 2007

The effective management of fusiform rust in slash and loblolly pine plantations is a major success story for disease management scientists and practitioners in the southeastern United States. This disease, which reached epidemic proportions by the 1960s, resulted from anthropogenic causes associated with intensive pine culture and greatly inhibited the optimum management of slash and loblolly pine throughout extensive areas of the southern pine region. Successful management of this disease was made possible by the combined resources and personnel of federal and state agencies, universities, and the forest industry. Chief among these personnel were research pathologists, geneticists, and silviculturalists. Following early studies on the biology of the fusiform rust pathosystem, research on epidemiology, host resistance, and pathogen variability slowly but steadily progressed. Testing of pine selections for resistance was facilitated by the establishment of a rust screening center. Fortunately, genetic rust resistance is relatively abundant in both slash and loblolly pines and has become the foundation for the management of the disease. Rust resistant half- and full-sib progeny from resistant parents established in seed orchards are routinely planted, especially in high-rust-hazard areas. Several important lessons in disease management have been learned or remembered during the progress of this research. Perhaps the ecologically fit fusiform rust pathogen will have additional instructions for us in the future, but for now resistance is an effective management strategy.
A New Root-Knot Nematode, Meloidogyne baetica n. sp. (Nematoda: Heteroderidae), Parasitizing Wild Olive in Southern Spain
Authors: Castillo Pablo , Vovlas Nicola , Subbotin Sergei , Troccoli Alberto
Published: May 2007

High infection rates of wild olive (Olea europaea sp. sylvestris) feeder roots and soil infestation by a new root-knot nematode were found in sandy soil at Vejer de la Frontera (Cádiz), southern Spain. Morphometric traits and analyses of the nematode esterase electrophoretic pattern as well as of the internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1)-5.8S gene and D2-D3 fragment of the 28S gene of rDNA showed that specimens differed clearly from known root-knot nematodes. Studies of host-parasite relationships showed a typical susceptible reaction in naturally infected wild olive plants and in olive planting stocks (cvs. Arbequina and Picual) artificially inoculated with the nematode. However, the nematode did not reproduce in artificially inoculated chickpea, pea, and tomato. Because of the ability of this new nematode to infect wild and cultivated olives only, we suggest the common name, “Mediterranean olive root-knot nematode.” The species is herein described and illustrated, and named as Meloidogyne baetica n. sp. The new root-knot nematode can be distinguished from other Meloidogyne spp. by (i) the perineal pattern, which is almost similar to that of M. artiellia, characterized by distinct inner striae forming two distinct longitudinal bands, extending throughout the perineum to just below the vulva; (ii) female excretory pore anterior to the level of stylet knobs, excretory pore distance from anterior end/length of stylet ratio extremely small (0.5 to 0.8); and (iii) second-stage juveniles with elongate-conoid tail. Phylogenetic trees derived from maximum parsimony analyses showed that M. baetica is closely related to M. artiellia, the cereal and legume root-knot nematode.
Does the Presence of Detached Root Border Cells of Zea mays Alter the Activity of the Pathogenic Nematode Meloidogyne incognita?
Authors: Rodger S. , Bengough A. G. , Griffiths B. S. , Stubbs V. , Young I. M.
Published: May 2007

The root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita is a major pathogen of a range of important crops. Currently, control is typically achieved by the use of nematicides. However, recent work suggests that manipulating the ability of roots to slough off border cells, which then act as a decoy to the nematode, can significantly decrease damage to the roots. We investigated the attractiveness of border cells to M. incognita and the response of the nematode to border cells in close proximity. We found very limited attraction, in that nematodes did not preferentially alter direction to move toward the border cells, but a large and significant increase in nematode speed was observed once they were in the immediate vicinity of border cells. We discuss the results in the context of physical and biological mechanisms in relation to the control of pathogenic nematodes.
Effects of Humidity on the Development of Grapevine Powdery Mildew
Authors: Carroll J. E. , Wilcox W. F.
Published: May 2007

The effects of humidity on powdery mildew development on grape seedlings and the germination of Uncinula necator conidia in vitro were examined. Studies were conducted at an optimum temperature of 25 ± 2°C. Disease on foliage was markedly affected by humidity levels in the test range of 39 to 98% relative humidity (RH), corresponding to vapor pressure deficits (VPD) of 1,914 to 61 Pa. Incidence and severity increased with increasing humidity to an optimum near 85% RH, and then appeared to plateau or decrease marginally at higher values. Conidial density and chain length also were proportional to humidity, but were influenced less strongly. There was a strong, positive linear relationship between humidity level and frequency of conidium germination with RH treatments of ≤84%. However, germination frequency fell sharply at RH levels above a mean of 87%. All measures of humidity were equally accurate in predicting germination responses; however, VPD was slightly more effective than RH in accounting for effects on disease development and pathogen sporulation, and both were more effective than absolute humidity. Humidity appears to play a significant role in grapevine powdery mildew epidemiology, confirming the benefits of management practices to avoid and mitigate high humidity in the vineyard canopy.
Relationship Between Host Acidification and Virulence of Penicillium spp. on Apple and Citrus Fruit
Authors: Prusky Dov , McEvoy James L. , Saftner Robert , Conway William S. , Jones Richard
Published: May 2007

Penicillium expansum, P. digitatum, and P. italicum acidify the ambient environments of apple and citrus fruit during decay development. They use two mechanisms for this: the production of organic acids, mainly citric and gluconic, and NH4+ utilization associated with H+ efflux. Exposure of P. expansum and P. digitatum hyphae to pH 5.0 increased their citric acid production, compared with the production of organic acids at acidic ambient pH. In decayed fruit, both pathogens produced significant amounts of citric and gluconic acids in the decayed tissue and reduced the host pH by 0.5 to 1.0 units. Ammonium depletion from the growth medium or from the fruit tissue was directly related to ambient pH reduction. Analysis of transcripts encoding the endopolygalacturonase gene, pepg1, from P. expansum accumulated under acidic culture conditions from pH 3.5 to 5.0, suggesting that the acidification process is a pathogenicity enhancing factor of Penicillium spp. This hypothesis was supported by the finding that cultivars with lower pH and citric acid treatments to reduce tissue pH increased P. expansum development, presumably by increasing local pH. However, organic acid treatment could not enhance decay development in naturally acidic apples. Conversely, local alkalinization with NaHCO3 reduced decay development. The present results further suggest that ambient pH is a regulatory cue for processes linked to pathogenicity of postharvest pathogens, and that specific genes are expressed as a result of the modified host pH created by the pathogens.
Temporal and Quantitative Analyses of Stem Lesion Development and Foliar Disease Progression of Peach Rust in California
Authors: Soto-Estrada Alejandra , Adaskaveg James E.
Published: May 2007

The development of rust epidemics caused by Tranzschelia discolor on leaves and stems of cling peach was studied in California orchards. Sporulating stems lesions were only detected from late March until July in 1997 and 1998. When rust was present in the fall, the quadratic equation Y = -82.51 + 1.97JD - 0.01JD2 using Julian day (JD) described the incidence of sporulating lesions on stems of cv. Andross (R2 = 0.73; P ≤ 0.001) in the following spring season. Late-season rust epidemics occurred in 1996 and 1997. Incidence of rust on leaves of cvs. Andross and Ross was <10% from April through July and 80 to 100% by October/November. In 1998, early-season epidemics developed with disease incidence at 28 to 56% by July/August in two cv. Andross orchards. No disease was observed during the 1999 growing season. Using linear regression analysis, logistic and exponential models best described the development of disease in 1996 and 1997, respectively. In contrast, the monomolecular model best described the disease in 1998. In an analysis of variance comparing disease progress curves on cv. Andross from 1996 to 1998, no significant differences in area under the disease progress curve and ρ were observed, whereas ymax was significantly different (P < 0.001). A repeated measures analysis indicated that in a cv. Andross orchard the year of the disease progress curve, time of sampling, and their interaction were highly significant (P < 0.01). This indicated a distinct difference between early- and late-season epidemics. Earlyseason development of rust on leaves occurred in years with ≥117.3 mm of total precipitation and maximum temperatures of ≤30.2°C in April to June.
Infection and Fumonisin Production by Fusarium verticillioides in Developing Maize Kernels
Authors: Bush B. J. , Carson M. L. , Cubeta M. A. , Hagler W. M. , Payne G. A.
Published: May 2007

Fusarium ear rot and fumonisin contamination are serious problems for maize growers, particularly in the southeastern United States. The lack of maize genotypes highly resistant to infection by Fusarium verticillioides or to fumonisin contamination emphasizes the need for management strategies to prevent contamination by this mycotoxin. Information on the initial appearance of infection and fumonisin contamination of kernels and their increase over time is needed to determine if early harvest may be an appropriate control strategy. Maize ears from replicated studies at two locations in eastern North Carolina were harvested weekly, starting 2 weeks after pollination and continuing for 14 weeks. The percentage of kernels infected with F. verticillioides and the fumonisin contamination in the harvested samples were determined. Kernel infection by F. verticillioides and fumonisin contamination appeared as kernels neared physiological maturity and increased up to the average harvest date for maize in North Carolina. Beyond this date, the concentrations of fumonisin fluctuated. Under years conducive for fumonisin contamination, early harvest (greater than 25% grain moisture) may help reduce the level of contamination.
Tagging and Validation of a Major Quantitative Trait Locus for Leaf Rust Resistance and Leaf Tip Necrosis in Winter Wheat Cultivar Forno
Authors: Schnurbusch T. , Bossolini E. , Messmer M. , Keller B.
Published: May 2007

A major leaf rust (Puccinia triticina) resistance quantitative trait locus (QTL) (QLrP.sfr-7DS) previously has been described on chromosome 7DS in the winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) cv. Forno. It was detected in a population of single-seed descent (SSD) lines derived from the cross Arina × Forno. QLrP.sfr-7DS conferred a durable and slow-rusting resistance phenotype, co-segregated with a QTL for leaf tip necrosis (LTN) and was mapped close to Xgwm295 at a very similar location as the adult plant leaf rust resistance gene Lr34 found in some spring wheat lines. Here, we describe the validation of this QTL by mapping it to the same chromosomal region close to Xgwm295 on chromosome 7DS in a population of SSD lines from the winter wheat × spelt (T. spelta) cross Forno × Oberkulmer. In both populations, the log of the likelihood ratio curves for leaf rust resistance and LTN peaked at identical or very similar locations, indicating that both traits are due to the same gene. We have improved the genetic map in the target region of QLrP.sfr-7DS using microsatellite and expressed sequence tag (EST) markers. Two EST loci (Xsfr.BF473324 and Xsfr.BE493812) define a genetic interval of 7.6 centimorgans containing QLrP.sfr-7DS, a considerably more precise genetic location for this QTL than previously described both in spring and winter wheat. The identified genetic interval is physically located in the distal 39% of chromosome 7DS. Single-marker analysis identified Xsfr.BF473324 and Xgwm1220 as the most informative loci for QLrP.sfr-7DS and QLtn.sfr-7DS. In the rice genome, the two ESTs flanking the QLrP.sfr-7DS/QLtn.sfr-7DS chromosomal segment in wheat are conserved on chromosome 6S in a region colinear with wheat chromosome 7DS. There, they define a physical region of three rice bacterial artificial chromosomes spanning ≈300 kb.
Expression of HarpinXoo in Transgenic Tobacco Induces Pathogen Defense in the Absence of Hypersensitive Cell Death
Authors: Peng Jian-Ling , Bao Zhi-Long , Ren Hai-Ying , Wang Jin-Sheng , Dong Han-Song
Published: May 2007

HarpinXoo, encoded by the hpaGXoo gene of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae, is a member of the harpin group of proteins that induce pathogen resistance and hypersensitive cell death (HCD) in plants. We elaborated whether both processes are correlated in hpaGXoo-expressing tobacco (HARTOB) plants, which produced harpinXoo intracellularly. Resistance to fungal, bacterial, and viral pathogens increased in HARTOB, in correlation with the expression of hpaGXoo, the gene NPR1 that regulates several resistance pathways, and defense genes GST1, Chia5, PR-1a, and PR-1b that are mediated by different signals. However, reactive oxygen intermediate burst, the expression of HCD marker genes hsr203 and hin1, and cell death did not occur spontaneously in HARTOB, though they did in untransformed and HARTOB plants treated exogenously with harpinXoo. Thus, the transgenic expression of harpinXoo confers nonspecific pathogen defense in the absence of HCD.
Genetic and Physical Mapping of a Gene Conditioning Sensitivity in Wheat to a Partially Purified Host-Selective Toxin Produced by Stagonospora nodorum
Authors: Liu Z. H. , Faris J. D. , Meinhardt S. W. , Ali S. , Rasmussen J. B. , Friesen T. L.
Published: May 2007

A toxin, designated SnTox1, was partially purified from culture filtrates of isolate Sn2000 of Stagonospora nodorum, the causal agent of wheat leaf and glume blotch. The toxin showed selective action on several different wheat genotypes, indicating that it is a host-selective toxin (HST). The toxic activity was reduced when incubated at 50°C and activity was eliminated when treated with proteinase K, suggesting that the HST is a protein. The synthetic hexaploid wheat W-7984 and hard red spring wheat Opata 85, the parents of the International Triticeae Mapping Initiative (ITMI) mapping population, were found to be sensitive and insensitive, respectively, to SnTox1. The ITMI mapping population was evaluated for toxin reaction and used to map the gene conditioning sensitivity. This gene, designated Snn1, mapped to the distal end of the short arm of chromosome 1B. The wheat cv. Chinese Spring (CS) and all CS nullisomic-tetrasomic lines were sensitive to the toxin, with the exception of N1BT1D. Insensitivity also was observed when the 1B chromosome of CS was substituted with the 1B chromosome of an insensitive accession of Triticum dicoccoides. In addition, a series of 1BS chromosome deletion lines were used to physically localize the sensitivity gene. Physical mapping indicated that Snn1 lies within a major gene-rich region on 1BS. This is the first report identifying a putative proteinaceous HST from S. nodorum and the chromosomal location of a host gene conferring sensitivity.
Detection and Quantification of Phytophthora ramorum from California Forests Using a Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction Assay
Authors: Hayden Katherine J. , Rizzo David , Tse Justin , Garbelotto Matteo
Published: May 2007

The timely and accurate detection of pathogens is a critical aid in the study of the epidemiology and biology of plant diseases. In the case of regulated organisms, the availability of a sensitive and reliable assay is essential when trying to achieve early detection of the pathogen. We developed and tested a real-time, nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay for the detection of Phytophthora ramorum, causal agent of sudden oak death. This technique then was implemented as part of a widespread environmental screen throughout California. The method here described is sensitive, detecting less than 12 fg of pathogen DNA, and is specific for P. ramorum when tested across 21 Phytophthora spp. Hundreds of symptomatic samples from 33 sites in 14 California counties were assayed, resulting in the discovery of 10 new host species and 23 infested areas, including 4 new counties. With the exception of a single host, PCR-based discovery of new hosts and infested areas always was confirmed by traditional pathogen isolations and inoculation studies. Nonetheless, molecular diagnostics were key in early pathogen detection, and steered the direction of further research on this newly discovered and generalist Phytophthora species.
Predictive Factors for the Suppression of Fusarium Wilt of Tomato in Plant Growth Media
Authors: Borrero Celia , Trillas M. Isabel , Ordovás José , Tello Julio C. , Avilés Manuel
Published: May 2007

Fusarium wilts are economically important diseases for which there are no effective chemical control measures. However, biological control and fertility management are becoming efficient alternatives for controlling this disease. Growth media formulated with composts that are able to suppress Fusarium wilt of tomato provide a control system that integrates both strategies. The aim of this study was to predict Fusarium wilt suppression of growth media using abiotic and biotic variables. Grape marc compost was the most effective medium used to suppress Fusarium wilt. Cork compost was intermediate, and light peat and expanded vermiculite were the most conducive growth media. The growth media evaluated were in a pH range of 6.26 to 7.97. Both composts had high β-glucosidase activity. When pH and β-glucosidase activity were taken into account as predictive variables, more than 91% of the variation in severity of Fusarium wilt was explained. This relationship illustrates the effect of nutrient availability and the degree of microbiostasis, two key factors in this pathosystem. Microbial populations involved in suppressiveness were cellulolytic and oligotrophic actinomycetes, fungi, and the ratios cellulolytic actinomycetes/cellulolytic bacteria, oligotrophic bacteria/copiotrophic bacteria, and oligotrophic actinomycetes/oligotrophic bacteria. Based on community level physiological profiles, different community structures were evident among growth media evaluated.
The Basis for Thinopyrum-Derived Resistance to Cereal yellow dwarf virus
Authors: Wiangjun Hathaithip , Anderson Joseph M.
Published: May 2007

Incorporation of Thinopyrum intermedium-derived resistance genes into improved wheat germ plasm generated a wheat substitution line (P29) which is completely resistant to Cereal yellow dwarf virus (CYDV). The undetectable CYDV titer in P29 led many to conclude that resistance prevented viral replication. To determine whether CYDV replication or movement is inhibited, we examined inoculated leaves for replication and uninoculated leaves for systemic spread. CYDV subgenomic RNA, produced only during replication, was found within the inoculated area of P29 and T. intermedium leaves, demonstrating that viral replication occurred. Absence of CYDV from uninoculated, newly emerging leaves of inoculated P29 and T. intermedium plants indicated resistance via inhibition of viral systemic infection. Resistance was not effective if P29 was inoculated with 50 to 100 viruliferous aphids per plant at the first-leaf stage or younger, resulting in a systemic spread of CYDV. As these infected P29 seedlings continued to grow, the resistance phenotype was recovered. Our data suggested that T. intermedium-derived resistance to CYDV was primarily dosage dependent and could be developmentally regulated if the amount of inoculum was large enough.
Inheritance of Resistance to Aflatoxin Production and Aspergillus Ear Rot of Corn from the Cross of Inbreds B73 and Oh516
Authors: Busboom K. N. , White D. G.
Published: May 2007

Our objective was to determine the value of corn (Zea mays) inbred Oh516 as a source of resistance to Aspergillus ear rot and aflatoxin accumulation in grain. Types and magnitudes of gene action associated with resistance were determined with generation means analysis. Molecular markers associated with resistance were identified from BCP1S1families developed from the cross of the susceptible inbred B73 and Oh516. In 2001 and 2002, B73 (P1), Oh516 (P2), and the F1, F2, F3, BCP1, BCP2, and BCP1S1generations were evaluated for aflatoxin concentration in grain, percent bright greenish yellow fluorescence (BGYF), and severity of Aspergillus ear rot following inoculation in Urbana, IL. BCP1S1families testcrossed with LH185 also were evaluated at three locations in 2002. Molecular marker-quantitative trait loci (QTL) associations with all traits were determined with single factor analysis of variance. Dominance gene action was associated with aflatoxin concentration in grain and percent BGYF. QTL associated with aflatoxin accumulation in grain were identified on chromosomes 2, 3, and 7 (bins 2.01 to 2.03, 2.08, 3.08, and 7.06). Alleles from inbred Oh516 on chromosomes 2, 3, and 7 should improve resistance of commercially used, B73-type inbreds.
Compost Tea as a Container Medium Drench for Suppressing Seedling Damping-Off Caused by Pythium ultimum
Authors: Scheuerell Steven J. , Mahaffee Walter F.
Published: May 2007

Compost tea is being used increasingly in agricultural production to control plant diseases. However, there has been limited investigation relating disease control efficacy to various compost tea production methods, particularly compost tea produced with active aeration and additives to increase microbial population densities in compost tea. Aerated compost tea (ACT) and nonaerated compost tea (NCT), produced with or without additives, was investigated for the suppression of damping-off of cucumber caused by Pythium ultimum. Compost tea was used to drench soilless container medium inoculated with P. ultimum; effect on damping-off ranged from not suppressive to consistently suppressive depending on the method used to produce the tea. The most consistent formulation for damping-off suppression was ACT produced with kelp and humic acid additives. Producing ACT with a molasses-based additive inconsistently suppressed damping-off; evidence suggests that residual nutrients can interfere with disease suppression. Heating or diluting compost tea negated suppression. Across all compost tea samples, there was no significant relationship of bacterial populations, measured as active cells, total cells, or CFU, to disease suppression. However, for all ACT produced without the molasses-based additive, there was a threshold of bacterial population density (6 log10 active cells per ml, 7.48 log10 total cells per ml, or 7 log10 CFU per ml) above which compost teas were suppressive.
Anatomy of Cranberry Stem Gall and Localization of Bacteria in Galls
Authors: Best Violet M. , Vasanthakumar Archana , McManus Patricia S.
Published: May 2007

Cranberry stem gall is characterized by tumors that girdle stems, thereby killing all distal leaves, flowers, and fruit. Bacteria that produce high levels of the plant growth hormone indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) are associated with and believed to cause cranberry stem gall. The anatomy of naturally occurring galls on woody cranberry plants and galls caused by inoculation of micropropagated cranberry plants with Pantoea agglomerans strain 4/99 was consistent with elevated levels of IAA in plants. Field galls exhibited hypertrophy and hyperplasia of tissue external to the vascular cambium, resulting in extensive stem swelling and splitting of the periderm. Similarly, galls on micropropagated plants contained enlarged cortical parenchyma cells. The current year's xylem vessels in field galls were narrow and dense compared with xylem vessels of healthy stems. Curved xylem elements apparently developed de novo within field galls and galls on inoculated plants. Cavities and fissures in both types of galls contained dense aggregates of bacteria. Treatment of micropropagated plants with synthetic IAA caused hypertrophy of cortical parenchyma and formation of adventitious roots. The results support the hypothesis that IAA-producing bacteria cause cranberry stem gall.
Necrotic Lesion Resistance Induced by Peronospora tabacina on Leaves of Nicotiana obtusifolia
Authors: Heist E. P. , Zaitlin D. , Funnell D. L. , Nesmith W. C. , Schardl C. L.
Published: May 2007

Infection of Nicotiana obtusifolia plant introduction (PI) #555573 by the downy mildew pathogen Peronospora tabacina resulted in a compatible interaction, in which P. tabacina penetrated and freely colonized host leaf tissue. This interaction became incompatible 5 to 6 days later, with the appearance of necrotic lesions (NLs) and inhibition of pathogen growth and subsequent sporulation. NL development depended upon the presence of P. tabacina in host tissue, was not due to the effects of other microbes, and occurred co-incident in time with the pathogen's ability to produce asexual sporangia on a susceptible N. obtusifolia genotype. Inhibition of the necrotic response by CoCl2 (a calcium channel blocker) and pathogen-induced transcription of a defense-related gene (PR-1a) suggested that necrosis was due to hypersensitive cell death in the host. In contrast, N. obtusifolia PI#555543 did not exhibit hypersensitivity upon infection by P. tabacina, but rather developed characteristic symptoms of tobacco blue mold disease: chlorotic lesions accompanied by abundant pathogen sporulation. Disease reactions scored on PI#555573 × PI#555543 F2 progeny inoculated with P. tabacina sporangia indicated that the resistance phenotype was due to the action of a single gene from N. obtusifolia PI#555573, which we have named Rpt1. To date, Rpt1 is the only gene known to confer a hypersensitive response (HR) to P. tabacina infection in any species of Nicotiana. A survey of wild N. obtusifolia revealed that the HR to P. tabacina was expressed in the progeny of 7 of 21 (33%) plants collected in southern Arizona, but not in the progeny of plants originating from Death Valley National Park in California and the Big Bend National Park in west Texas.
Effects of Single-Drop Impactions and Natural and Simulated Rains on the Dispersal of Botryosphaeria dothidea Conidia
Authors: Ahimera Neph , Gisler Simon , Morgan David P. , Michailides Themis J.
Published: May 2007

Laboratory and field experiments were conducted to study the dispersal of Botryosphaeria dothidea conidia using single-drop impactions and natural and simulated precipitations. For laboratory studies, 200 single drops were released from a height of 1 m on infected pistachio nuts. On pieces of photographic film, 50% of the droplets were collected within 20 mm (average droplet travel distance) of the target area, and the droplets ranged from 0.041 to 3.19 mm in diameter, with an average of 0.3 mm. Each droplet carried an average of 23 B. dothidea conidia. In 3 years of field experiments, rainwater was collected in funnels connected to bottles positioned at different heights inside the tree canopy and at different distances away from the edge of tree canopy in three commercial pistachio orchards in San Joaquin, Yolo, and Glenn counties in California. Numbers of conidia in rainwater varied among and within sampling seasons by sampling dates and orchards. Up to 67,000 conidia/ml were obtained in rainwater samples collected from an orchard in Yolo County. Rainwater from orchards in Yolo and Glenn counties contained a consistently higher number of conidia than rainwater collected from the orchard in San Joaquin County. Variation in numbers of conidia also existed among heights where bottles were located. There were significantly more conidia in rainwater collected inside than outside tree canopies. Inside tree canopies, bottles located at 100 and 150 cm above ground collected more B. dothidea conidia than those placed at 50 and 200 cm. Conidia were collected as far as 1 m from the tree canopy edge. Based on data from the Glenn County orchard, a linear relationship between number of conidia (Y) and rainfall amount (X) in millimeters was determined as Y = 240X - 3,867, with r2 = 0.91, which meant that a minimum of 16.1 mm of rain was needed to disperse conidia of B. dothidea. The power law model best described the dispersal gradients of B. dothidea propagules in the 1999-2000 and 2001-02 sampling seasons, with r2 values of ≥0.73, whereas the exponential law model fit best for the 2000-01 data, with r2 values of ≥0.81. In a rain simulation experiment, the intensity of the rain generated by a nozzle at 138 kPa of pressure inside the tree canopy was approximately five times higher than rain recorded outside the tree canopy. Rain removed up to 65% of conidia from infected fruit. These results confirmed that B. dothidea is a splash-dispersed pathogen with relatively short distances of spore dispersal within pistachio orchards. Only pycnidia are present in pistachio orchards; therefore, the results also indicate that inoculum of B. dothidea should be entirely splashed dispersed.
Inducible Flavone in Oats (Avena sativa) Is a Novel Defense Against Plant-Parasitic Nematodes
Authors: Soriano I. R. , Asenstorfer R. E. , Schmidt O. , Riley I. T.
Published: May 2007

The induction of defense compounds in oats (Avena sativa) in response to invasion by parasitic nematodes and to application of the wound hormone methyl jasmonate was examined. Oats cv. Quoll seedlings were challenged with Pratylenchus neglectus, Heterodera avenae, and Ditylenchus dipsaci and treated with 1 × 10-4 M methyl jasmonate. Three compounds, isolated in methanolic root and shoot extracts of oats, exhibiting an absorbance spectrum typical of flavone glycosides, were induced by nematode invasion and methyl jasmonate. These were identified as flavone-C-glycosides by mass spectrometry. The effect of the flavone-C-glycosides on the invasion by and development of cereal cyst nematode H. avenae was assessed using methanolic extracts of shoots and roots from methyl jasmonate-treated plants. Both extracts impaired nematode invasion and development. When the extracts were fractionated by high voltage paper electrophoresis, only one flavone-C-glycoside, O-methyl-apigenin-C-deoxyhexoside-O-hexoside, inhibited nematode invasion. The protective effect of the induction of flavone-C-glycosides in oats by methyl jasmonate was evaluated against H. avenae and P. neglectus. Treatment with methyl jasmonate reduced invasion of both nematodes and increased plant mass, compensating for damage caused by the nematodes, and is attributed to the active flavone-C-glycoside. The active compound, O-methyl-apigenin-C-deoxyhexoside-O-hexoside, has not been implicated previously in plant defense against any pest or pathogen, and appears to provide protection against the major cereal nematodes Heterodera and Pratylenchus.
Taxonomy of the GenusBacillusand Related Genera: The Aerobic Endospore-Forming Bacteria
Authors: Fritze Dagmar
Published: May 2007

The conspicuous morphological feature of endospore formation has lent itself from early on as an easily recognized property for taxonomic differentiation. Prior to 1980, the year of the compilation of the Approved Lists of Bacterial Names, four genera of aerobic endospore-forming bacteria had been established, with the genus Bacillus being the largest and most prominent. However, modern developments in taxonomic methodology have helped to reveal an enormous breadth in physiological and genetical diversity within the groups of aerobic bacteria that have endospore formation as a common trait. To better reflect this existing diversity and to provide more appropriate taxonomic arrangements, numerous valid descriptions of new genera and new species have been realized as well as many reclassifications that became necessary. Today, the group of aerobic endospore-forming bacteria embraces more than 25 genera and over 200 species.