Characterization,genetic diversity and distribution of Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris races causing black rot disease in cruciferous crops of India

Black rot, caused by Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris (Xcc) is a disease of crucifer crops. The objective of this study was to characterize races of Xcc, their distribution and genetic diversity in India. Two hundred and seventeen isolates of bacteria were obtained from 12 different black rot‐infected crucifer crops from 19 states of India; these were identified as Xcc based on morphology, hrpF gene and 16S rRNA gene based molecular markers and pathogenicity tests. Characterization of races was performed by using a set of seven differential crucifer hosts, comprising two cultivars of turnip (Brassica rapa var. rapa) and cultivars of Indian mustard (B. juncea), Ethiopian mustard (B. carinata), rapeseed mustard (B. napus), cauliflower (B. oleracea) and Savoy cabbage (B. oleracea var. sabauda). Races 1, 4 and 6 of Xcc were identified and, among these races, race 1 followed by race 4 dominated most of the states of India. Genetic diversity of the Indian isolates of Xcc was analysed using repetitive sequence‐based PCR (rep‐PCR) including primers for REP (repetitive extragenic palindromic), ERIC (enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus) and BOX (amplifying with BOX A1 R primer) repetitive elements. This method of fingerprinting grouped the isolates into 56 different DNA types (clusters) with a 75% similarity coefficient. Among these clusters, DNA types 22 and 53 contained two different races 1 and 4, whereas DNA type 12 contained races 1, 4 and 6. However, no clear relationship was observed between fingerprints and races, hosts or geographical origin.     

Histological study of giant cells formed by the root-knot nematodeMeloidogyne artiellia as compared withM. hapla andM. javanica in cabbage, turnip and barley

Feeding sites induced by the root-knot nematodeMeloidogyne artiellia in turnip (Brassica rapa), cabbage (Brassica oleracea) and barley (Hordeum vulgare) were examined by light and electron transmission microscopy, and compared with those formed byM. javanica andM. hapla. The feeding cells ofM. artiellia in turnip and cabbage showed hypertrophy, hyperplasia and vacuolization, and became multinucleate giant cells. In contrast to the typical simple-shaped giant cells ofM. javanica andM. hapla, those ofM. artiellia had an amoeboid structure containing ‘protuberances’, which are distinct from previously reported ‘projects’ of giant cells induced byM. incognita in other plants. Protuberances expanding between vascular cells were observed in young and developed giant cells. Since no cell-wall fragments were found at the bases of the protuberances, either by light or electron microscopy, it is strongly indicated that these structures were caused by local expansion of the giant cells rather than by fusion with adjacent cells. The giant cells ofM. artiellia in barley had regular shapes of giant cells without protuberances, and resembled those induced byM. javanica orM. hapla in turnip and cabbage. http://www.phytoparasitica.org posting Sept. 17, 2006.     

Occurrence and molecular characterization of Turkish isolates of Turnip mosaic virus

A total of 142 samples of plants showing symptoms of Turnip mosaic virus (TuMV) were collected from fields planted to Brassicaceae and non‐Brassicaceae crops in the southwest Marmora region of Turkey, during the 2004?06 growing seasons. Using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) TuMV was detected in the main brassica‐crop fields of Turkey, with an overall incidence of 13·4%. TuMV was detected in samples from Brussels sprouts, cabbage, wild mustard, radish and wild radish, but not cauliflower or broccoli. The full‐length sequences of the genomic RNAs of two biologically distinct isolates, TUR1 and TUR9, were determined. Recombination analyses showed that TUR1 was an intralineage recombinant, whereas TUR9 was a non‐recombinant. Phylogenetic analyses of the Turkish isolates with those from the rest of the world showed that the TUR1 and TUR9 isolates belonged to world‐Brassica and Asian‐Brassica/Raphanus groups, respectively. This study showed that TuMV is widely distributed in the Asia Minor region of Turkey.     

Genetic diversity and pathogenicity of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Fusarium oxysporum</Emphasis> isolated from wilted rocket plants in Italy

Thirty-six isolates of Fusarium oxysporum originated from Eruca vesicaria and Diplotaxis tenuifolia together with eight reference strains belonging to the formae speciales raphani, matthioli and conglutinans, typical on the Brassicaceae family, were tested for pathogenicity on two species of rocket plants (E. vesicaria L., syn. E. sativa, cv. ‘Rucola coltivata’; and D. tenuifolia cv. ‘Winter’) cultivated in the glasshouse. The results showed that different isolates were slightly, moderately or highly virulent. The strains were examined for differences in the nucleotide sequence of the ribosomal DNA (rDNA) intergenic spacer (IGS) region, about 2.5 kb long. The phylogenetic (neighbor-joining) analysis performed on the isolates enabled identification of four different groups, named I, II, III and IV. Thirty-one isolates out of 36 clustered in group I and were genetically similar to F. oxysporum f.sp. raphani. By considering the pathogenicity of the strains included in Group I, a partial host specialization could be observed: the average disease index of the isolates from D. tenuifolia was higher on wild rocket, whereas the average disease index of the isolates from E. vesicaria was higher on cultivated rocket. Moreover, isolates from cultivated rocket showed, on average, a higher degree of aggressiveness than the isolates from wild rocket. Concerning Group I, the sequence analysis confirmed the homogeneity of the population, with only five parsimony-informative SNPs and five haplotypes. Twenty-six out of 31 isolates belonged to haplotype 1. Groups II and III were genetically similar to strains of F. oxysporum f.sp. matthioli. Three other strains, not pathogenic or with a medium level of virulence, clustered together in Group 4, but their sequence was distant from that of other formae speciales. The pathogenicity and IGS analysis confirmed the presence of virulence variation and genetic diversity among the F. oxysporum isolates studied. To our knowledge, this is the first report of differentiation of formae speciales of F. oxysporum on rocket plants by IGS analysis.     

Characterization of isolates that cause black rot of crucifers in East Africa

A study was conducted in the East African countries of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda in the months of July and August 2009 with the objectives of assessing the status of black rot and race structure of Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris in the three countries. Samples infected with black rot were collected from farmers’ fields mainly from Brassica oleracea crops (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and kales). A total of 399 farms were surveyed of which 260 were from Kenya, 91 from Tanzania and 48 from Uganda. Following successful isolations, a total of 249 isolates of the causal agent, Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris were recovered. Pathogenicity of all isolates was confirmed on B. oleracea susceptible cultivars Copenhagen Market F1 and Wirosa F1. Sixty of the 250 isolates were race-typed using a differential set Brassica spp. Only two races, 1 (Kenya and Tanzania) and 4 (Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda) were observed however, another race (5) was observed from one isolate recovered from a B. rapa sample obtained from Tanzania in 2003. Genomic fingerprinting with repetitive-PCR revealed clusters that did not depict significant correlations between isolates and geographical location, isolates and host adaptation or isolates and race. However, it did demonstrate existence of genetic differences within the East African X. campestris pv. campestris population indicating that it is not a similar clonal population of the same genetic background.     

Molecular characterization,comparison of screening methods,and evaluation of cross‐pathogenicity of black rot (Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris) strains from cabbage,choy sum,leafy mustard and pak choi from Taiwan

Choy sum (Brassica rapa var. parachinensis), leafy mustard (Brassica juncea) and pak choi (B. rapa var. chinensis) are highly nutritious components of diets in Taiwan and other Asian countries, and bacterial black rot caused by Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris (Xcc) is a major biotic constraint in these crops. As very little was known about the Xcc strains from these crops in these regions, including their cross‐pathogenicity and aggressiveness on different hosts, Xcc strains were obtained from cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata), choy sum, leafy mustard and pak choi crops in Taiwan. Two previously published PCR‐based assays reliably distinguished the Xcc strains from other Xanthomonas species and subspecies. Phylogenetic analysis based on repetitive sequence‐based PCR assays placed the Xcc strains in a clade distinct from other Xanthomonas species, and also showed host specificity. Although all of the Xcc strains from the different host species were pathogenic on all five Brassica test species in both a detached leaf assay and an intact plant assay, in the intact plant assay they showed differences in virulence or aggression on the different test hosts. The Xcc strains from leafy mustard and pak choi were consistently highly aggressive on all the test host genotypes, but the strains from choy sum and cabbage were less aggressive on leafy mustard and choy sum. The intact plant assay proved more discriminating and reliable than the detached leaf assay for comparing the aggressiveness of Xcc strains on different host genotypes, and so, with the new Xcc strains isolated in this study, will be useful for screening leafy brassica germplasm accessions for resistance to black rot.     

Examination of resistance to clubroot in accessions of Brassica oleracea using a glasshouse seedling test

A glasshouse test was elaborated for assessing large numbers of seedlings ofBrassica oleracea for resistance to clubroot, a disease caused by the fungusPlasmodiophora brassicae. The method offers good control of inoculum density per plant, and requires 6–7 weeks from sowing. The results from the glasshouse test correlated well with field test results. With this method, 71 accessions ofB. oleracea reported to carry resistance to clubroot, and one susceptible control cultivar were tested with a Dutch clubroot isolate. High levels of resistance were found in several accessions of cabbage, broccoli and curly kale. F₁-populations of resistant cabbage or curly kale × susceptible cabbage were fully susceptible, indicating recessive inheritance of resistance in all cases.     

Effect of certainBrassica plants on biology of the cabbage aphidBrevicoryne brassicae under laboratory conditions

The development time, mortality, survivorship and reproduction of the cabbage aphidBrevicoryne brassicae (L.) were evaluated on detached leaves of sixBrassica species (cabbage cv. ‘Yalova 1’, cauliflower cv. ‘Early Snowball’, broccoli cv. ‘Marathon’, turnip cv. ‘Antep’, rapeseed cv. local variety, and wild mustard) at a constant temperature of 20°C. Total development time ofB. brassicae was the shortest (8.9 days) on cauliflower and the longest (10.4 days) on cabbage. Mortality of immature stages varied from 16% on cabbage to 88% on turnip. Longevity of the cabbage aphid was the shortest (6.2 days) on mustard, and the longest (21.8 days) on cauliflower. The net reproductive rate was highest (35.98) on cauliflower, and lowest (1.89) on turnip. The intrinsic rate of increase was 0.2345 on cauliflower, followed by 0.2009 on cabbage, 0.1976 on broccoli, 0.1662 on mustard, 0.1357 on rapeseed, and 0.0465 on turnip. Cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli were susceptible host plants for the cabbage aphid. Rapeseed, turnip and mustard showed resistance to the pest.     

乌鲁木齐地区甘蓝蚜发生规律初报

甘蓝蚜[Brevicoryne brassicae (Linné)]是烏魯木齐地区十字花科蔬菜上最主要的蚜虫。从9月下旬开始,在晚甘藍、晚苤藍及大白菜等蔬菜靠近地面的根、茎凹陷处,以及叶柄基部和叶片上产卵。蚜卵既可随寄主在菜窖里越冬;也可在菜株残体上露地越冬。露地越冬蚜卵,一般不能成为早春的有效蚜源,因其孵化率极低;孵化出来的少数干母,由于不能及时得到食料或因气候不适合,难以存活。越冬蚜卵于4月下旬孵化,5月中旬末产生有翅蚜,主要先在越冬寄生及冬蘿卜留种株上繁殖;到5月下旬至6月初,才陆續迁飞到春、夏十字花科蔬菜及春油菜上,大量繁殖和为害。7月下旬至8月初,晚甘藍与晚苤藍上的蚜虫便成为大白菜和冬蘿卜苗期的主要蚜源。甘藍蚜在烏魯木齐地区,无論是在菜窖里,或是在露地残株上,均不能以成蚜越冬。     

The Elegans fusaria causing wilt disease of carnation. I. Taxonomy

The distinction of the wilt disease pathogen of carnationFusarium (oxysporum var.)redolens fromF. oxysporum (var.oxysporum) is considered. Previous reports that isolates of both taxa cause indistinguishable diseases in carnation are confirmed.F. (oxysporum var.)redolens andF. oxysporum were found to form one variable complex on morphological criteria. Apparently, host specialization rather than morphological variation reflects the evolutionary relationships in theFusarium sectionElegans. The distinction ofF. redolens fromF. oxysporum does therefore not seem justified, neither at specific nor at varietal level.Samenvatting Het onderscheid tussenFusarium (oxysporum var.)redolens enF. (oxysporum var.)oxysporum als verwekkers van verwelkingsziekte bij anjer wordt ter discussie gesteld. Fytopathologisch onderzoek bevestigde vermeldingen in de literatuur dat voor anjer pathogene isolaten van beide soorten ziekten veroorzaken die niet te onderscheiden zijn; dit is ook bekend voor andere gewassen. Op morfologische gronden blekenF. (oxysporum var.)redolens enF. oxysporum één variabel complex te vormen. Kennelijk geeft de pathogene specialisatie inFusarium sectieElegans de evolutionaire verwantschappen beter weer dan de morfologische variatie. Het onderscheiden vanF. redolens naastF. oxysporum is daarom noch als soort, noch als variëteit gerechtvaardigd.     

A screening test for Mycosphaerella brassicicola on Brassica oleracea

A greenhouse screening method for resistance to ringspot (Mycosphaerella brassicicola) inBrassica oleracea is described. High infection levels were achieved by spraying young plants by mycelial inoculum enriched with 3% sucrose. The screening method was tested on three Brussels sprouts, three cabbage and three cauliflower cultivars, with known reactions to ringspot in the field. Resistance was expressed both in cotyledons and true leaves by a lower number of lesions than the susceptible control and/or by hypersensitive reactions. Results of the seedling tests reflected differences in resistance in the field. Under controlled conditions the new test can be applied year-round to young plants, thus accelerating selection procedures.     

Suppression of fusarium wilt of radish by co-inoculation of fluorescentPseudomonas spp. and root-colonizing fungi

In an earlier study, treatment of radish seed with the bacteriumPseudomonas fluorescens WCS374 suppressed fusarium wilt of radish (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp.raphani) in a commercial greenhouse [Leemanet al., 1991b, 1995a]. In this greenhouse, the areas with fusarium wilt were localized or expanded very slowly, possibly due to disease suppressiveness of the soil. To study this phenomenon, fungi were isolated from radish roots collected from the greenhouse soil. Roots grown from seed treated with WCS374 were more abundantly colonized by fungi than were roots from nonbacterized plants. Among these were several species known for their antagonistic potential. Three of these fungi,Acremonium rutilum, Fusarium oxysporum andVerticillium lecanii, were evaluated further and found to suppress fusarium wilt of radish in a pot bioassay. In an induced resistance bioassay on rockwool,F. oxysporum andV. lecanii suppressed the disease by the apparent induction of systemic disease resistance. In pot bioassays with thePseudomonas spp. strains, the pseudobactin-minus mutant 358PSB^– did not suppress fusarium wilt, whereas its wild type strain (WCS358) suppressed disease presumably by siderophore-mediated competition for iron. The wild type strains of WCS374 and WCS417, as well as their pseudobactin-minus mutants 374PSB^– and 417PSB^– suppressed fusarium wilt. The latter is best explained by the fact that these strains are able to induce systemic resistance in radish, which operates as an additional mode of action. Co-inoculation in pot bioassays, ofA. rutilum, F. oxysporum orV. lecanii with thePseudomonas spp. WCS358, WCS374 or WCS417, or their pseudobactin-minus mutants, significantly suppressed disease (except forA. rutilum/417PSB^– and all combinations with 358PSB^–), compared with the control treatment, if the microorganisms were applied in inoculum densities which were ineffective in suppressing disease as separate inocula. If one or both of the microorganism(s) of each combination were applied as separate inocula in a density which suppressed disease, no additional suppression of disease was observed by the combination. The advantage of the co-inoculation is that combined populations significantly suppressed disease even when their individual population density was too low to do so. This may provide more consistent biological control. The co-inoculation effect obtained in the pot bioassays suggests that co-operation ofP. fluorescens WCS374 and indigenous antagonists could have been involved in the suppression of fusarium wilt of radish in the commercial greenhouse trials.Abbreviations CFU colony forming units - KB King's B - PGPR plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria - CQ colonization quotient     

Biofumigation with Brassica plants and its effect on the inoculum potential of Fusarium yellows of Brassica crops

The use of Brassica crops as green manure in the so-called biofumigation treatment has been successfully exploited for the management of soilborne pathogens and is gaining interest particularly in the case of less intensive agricultural systems. A study was undertaken to investigate possible negative side-effects of biofumigation in order to prevent possible damage caused by wilt pathogens able to attack both plants used for biofumigation as well as agricultural crops. To do so, firstly the response of different Brassicas, including some used in biofumigation, to the formae speciales of Fusarium oxysporum known for being pathogenic on Brassica crops was evaluated. Secondly, the effect of green manure treatments on yield, quality of crops, and inoculum densities, infection and survival of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. conglutinans and F. oxysporum f. sp. raphani was evaluated. In the second part of the work, four Brassica crops, selected for their response (susceptibility or resistance) to F. oxysporum f. sp. conglutinans and to F. oxysporum f. sp. raphani were evaluated in order to determine their response to the two pathogens during subsequent crops grown in soil where plants were incorporated as green manure into the soil at the end of each cycle. Moreover, the dynamics of the populations of F. oxysporum f. sp. conglutinans and F. oxysporum f. sp. raphani in the soil after several biofumigation cycles was studied. Many of the Brassica crops used for biofumigation tested were susceptible to F. oxysporum f. sp. conglutinans and or to F. oxysporum f. sp. raphani. Green manure treatment, carried out by growing nine cycles of biocidal plants, with a short crop cycle of 30–35 days, did not reduce Fusarium wilts on susceptible Brassica hosts. The population of the pathogen was partially increased as a result of the incorporation of tissues of the susceptible plants. When Brassica crops grown were resistant to the two F. oxysporum pathogens used for soil infestation, green manure simulation did inhibit both pathogens, thus confirming its biocidal activity. The results obtained under our experimental conditions show that biofumigation treatment is not applicable for soil disinfestation on crops susceptible to the same formae speciales of F. oxysporum affecting Brassica species used for biofumigation. Brassica crops resistant to Fusarium yellows should be grown where biofumigation is applied. Moreover, alternation of crops used for biofumigation should be encouraged.     

Biological and phylogenetic characterization of Fusarium oxysporum complex, which causes yellows on Brassica spp., and proposal of F. oxysporum f. sp. rapae, a novel forma specialis pathogenic on B. rapa in Japan

Although the causal agent of yellows of Brassica rapa (turnip, pak choi, and narinosa) in Japan was reported in 1996 to be Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. conglutinans, this classification has remained inconclusive because of a lack of detailed genetic and pathogenic studies. Therefore, we analyzed the taxonomic position of this organism using Japanese isolates of F. oxysporum complex obtained from diseased individuals of various B. rapa subspecies. Phylogenetic analyses using partial sequences of the rDNA intergenic spacer region and the mating-type gene (MAT1-1-1alpha-box) showed that B. rapa and cabbage isolates belong to different monophyletic clades that separated at early evolutionary stages. Additionally, correlations were observed between the molecular phylogeny and the vegetative compatibility groups. Isolates from turnip, komatsuna, and narinosa (B. rapa group) did not show pathogenicity against cabbage or broccoli (B. oleracea group), although they caused severe symptoms on their original host species. In contrast, cabbage isolates had significantly higher (P = 0.05) virulence on B. oleracea than on B. rapa crops. Our results indicate that F. oxysporum complex isolates from B. rapa and B. oleracea are not only phylogenetically distinct but also differ in host specificity. Therefore, we propose a novel forma specialis, F. oxysporum f. sp. rapae, which causes yellows on B. rapa, including turnip, komatsuna, pak choi, and narinosa.     

Pythium rot of Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa L. subsp. pekinensis) caused by Pythium aphanidermatum

Severe rot was found at the base of leaves and stems of Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa L. subsp. pekinensis) in Ibaraki Prefecture every year in early September from 2002 through 2004. The causal fungus was identified as Pythium aphanidermatum (Edson) Fitzpatrick. This is the first report of P. aphanidermatum on Chinese cabbage. A similar disease of Chinese cabbage caused by P. ultimum Trow var. ultimum is known as Pythium rot. We propose adding P. aphanidermatum as a new pathogen of this disease.     

Identification and pathogenicity of<Emphasis Type="Italic">Fusarium</Emphasis> spp. from stem bases of winter wheat in Erzurum,Turkey

Four-hundred-sixty-eightFusarium andFusarium-like isolates were obtained from crowns and subcrown internodes of winter wheat grown in Erzurum, Turkey. Of these isolates, 34.8% wereFusarium acuminatum, 32.3% wereF. equiseti, 16.9% wereF. oxysporum, 15.0% wereMicrodochium nivale (formerlyFusarium nivale), 0.6% wereF. tabacinum and 0.4% wereF. solani. In pathogenicity tests on wheat, the highest disease severity was caused by isolates ofM. nivale, whereas isolates ofF. acuminatum, F. equiseti, F. oxysporum andF. solani were slightly virulent; isolates ofF. tabacinum were nonpathogenic. This is the first report ofM. nivale andF. tabacinum from wheat in Turkey. http://www.phytoparasitica.org posting Jan. 29, 2003.     

Fecundity ofEurydema ornatum feeding on a variety of seeds under laboratory conditions

The egg parasitoidTrissolcus spp. is the natural enemy of the cabbage bug,Eurydema ornatum L. (Het., Pentatomidae), a destructive pest of cultivated and wild Crucifera. Its preferred host is the wheat bugEurygaster integriceps Put., the most important pest of wheat. In order to rear the parasite for biological control purposes, mass production of its hostE. ornatum is suggested. In a laboratory study, the fecundity ofE. ornatum feeding on garden cress and radish was significantly higher than on red cabbage, white cabbage, rape or cauliflower. The oviposition period was significantly longer on garden cress and radish than on the other Crucifera. There was no difference among the various Crucifera in terms of length of postoviposition period or number of eggs laid per female per day.     

Resistance to a highly aggressive isolate of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in a Brassica napus diversity set

Sclerotinia stem rot (SSR) of oilseed rape (OSR, Brassica napus), caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, is a serious problem in the UK and worldwide. As fungicide‐based control approaches are not always reliable, identifying host resistance is a desirable and sustainable approach to disease management. This research initially examined the aggressiveness of 18 Sclerotinia isolates (17 S. sclerotiorum, one S. subarctica) on cultivated representatives of B. rapa, B. oleracea and B. napus using a young plant test. Significant differences were observed between isolates and susceptibility of the brassica crop types, with B. rapa being the most susceptible. Sclerotinia sclerotiorum isolates from crop hosts were more aggressive than those from wild buttercup (Ranunculus acris). Sclerotinia sclerotiorum isolates P7 (pea) and DG4 (buttercup), identified as ‘aggressive’ and ‘weakly aggressive’, respectively, were used to screen 96 B. napus lines for SSR resistance in a young plant test. A subset of 20 lines was further evaluated using the same test and also in a stem inoculation test on flowering plants. A high level of SSR resistance was observed for five lines and, although there was some variability between tests, one winter OSR (line 3, Czech Republic) and one rape kale (line 83, UK) demonstrated consistent resistance. Additionally, one swede (line 69, Norway) showed an outstanding level of resistance in the stem test. Resistant lines also had fewer sclerotia forming in stems. New pre‐breeding material for the production of SSR resistant OSR cultivars relevant to conditions in the UK and Europe has therefore been identified.     

Optimum timing of insecticide applications against diamondback moth Plutella xylostella in cole crops using threshold catches in sex pheromone traps

Field trials were conducted in cabbage (Brassica oleracea var capitata), cauliflower (B oleracea var botrytis) and knol khol (B oleracea gongylodes) crops at two different locations in Karnataka State (India) to optimize the timing of insecticide applications to control the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella, using sex pheromone traps. Our results indicate that applications of cartap hydrochloride as insecticide during a 12–24 h period after the pheromone traps had caught on average 8, 12 and 16 males per trap per night in cabbage, cauliflower and knol khol, respectively, were significantly more effective than regular insecticide sprays at 7, 9, 12 or 15 days after transplantation. This was demonstrated by estimation of the mean number of eggs and larvae per plant, the percentage of holes produced, as well as the marketable yield of the three crops at each location. A good correlation between the immature stages, infestation level, the estimated crop yield and the number of moths caught in pheromone traps was also found, indicating the usefulness of pheromone‐based monitoring traps to predict population densities of the pest. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry     

Induction of systemic resistance byPseudomonas fluorescens in radish cultivars differing in susceptibility to fusarium wilt,using a novel bioassay

Pseudomonas fluorescens-mediated induction of systemic resistance in radish against fusarium wilt (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp.raphani) was studied in a newly developed bioassay using a rockwool system. In this bioassay the pathogen and bacterium were confirmed to be confined to spatially separate locations on the plant root, throughout the experiment. Pathogen inoculum obtained by mixing peat with microconidia and subsequent incubation for four days at 22 °C, yielded a better percentage of diseased plants than a microconidial suspension drench, an injection of a microconidial suspension into the hypocotyl, or a talcum inoculum.Pseudomonas fluorescens strain WCS374 applied in talcum or peat, but not as a suspension drench, induced systemic resistance. A minimal initial bacterial inoculum density of 10⁵ CFU WCS374 root^–1 was required to significantly reduce the percentage diseased plants. At least one day was necessary between bacterization of strain WCS374 in talcum on the root tips and inoculation of the pathogen in peat on the root base, for an optimal induction of systemic resistance. Strain WCS374 induced systemic resistance in six radish cultivars differing in their susceptibility toF. oxysporum f. sp.raphani. Significant suppression of disease by bacterial treatments was generally observed when disease incidence in the control treatment, depending on pathogen inoculum density, ranged between approximately 40 to 80%. Strains WCS374 and WCS417 ofPseudomonas fluorescens induced systemic resistance against fusarium wilt, whereasP. putida WCS358 did not. This suggests that the induction of systemic resistance byPseudomonas spp. is dependent on strain-specific traits.Abbreviations CFU colony forming units - IFC immunofluorescence colony-staining - ISR induced systemic resistance - PBS phosphate buffered saline - SAR systemic acquired resistance