Wilt and root rot of poinsettia caused by three high-temperature-tolerant Pythium species in ebb-and-flow irrigation systems

Poinsettia plants growing in ebb-and-flow irrigation systems developed wilting and root rot during the summer growing seasons of 2010 in Gifu Prefecture and 2011 in Aichi Prefecture. Pythium species were isolated from roots with rot symptoms. The isolates were identified as P. helicoides and P. myriotylum on the basis of morphological characteristics and sequence homologies in the rDNA internal transcribed spacer regions. In pathogenicity tests, these isolates caused severe wilting and root rot. This is the first report of poinsettia root rot disease caused by P. helicoides and P. myriotylum, although P. aphanidermatum was reported as a pathogen of poinsettia root rot. To better understand these diseases, we performed an epidemiological study of three high-temperature-tolerant Pythium species, P. aphanidermatum, P. helicoides and P. myriotylum. Disease incidence as a percentage of diseased plants was greatest at 35 °C for all three species. Disease severity using the rating scale of root rot was also highest at 35 °C, particularly with high zoospore inoculum densities (100.0 zoospores/mL). Although the disease incidence and severity were reduced at lower temperatures, the three Pythium species were able to cause disease at temperatures as low as 20 °C.     

Colonization of Pythium oligandrum in the tomato rhizosphere for biological control of bacterial wilt disease analyzed by real-time PCR and confocal laser-scanning microscopy

It recently has been reported that the non-plant-pathogenic oomycete Pythium oligandrum suppresses bacterial wilt caused by Ralstonia solanacearum in tomato. As one approach to determine disease-suppressive mechanisms of action, we analyzed the colonization of P. oligandrum in rhizospheres of tomato using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and confocal laser-scanning microscopy. The real-time PCR specifically quantified P. oligandrum in the tomato rhizosphere that is reliable over a range of 0.1 pg to 1 ng of P. oligandrum DNA from 25 mg dry weight of soil. Rhizosphere populations of P. oligandrum from tomato grown for 3 weeks in both unsterilized and sterilized field soils similarly increased with the initial application of at least 5 x 10(5) oospores per plant. Confocal microscopic observation also showed that hyphal development was frequent on the root surface and some hyphae penetrated into root epidermis. However, rhizosphere population dynamics after transplanting into sterilized soil showed that the P. oligandrum population decreased with time after transplanting, particularly at the root tips, indicating that this biocontrol fungus is rhizosphere competent but does not actively spread along roots. Protection over the long term from root-infecting pathogens does not seem to involve direct competition. However, sparse rhizosphere colonization of P. oligandrum reduced the bacterial wilt as well as more extensive colonization, which did not reduce the rhizosphere population of R. solanacearum. These results suggest that competition for infection sites and nutrients in rhizosphere is not the primary biocontrol mechanism of bacterial wilt by P. oligandrum.     

Effect of oxygen concentration on plant growth, lipidperoxidation, and receptivity of tomato roots to Pythium F under hydroponic conditions

The effects of the nutrient solution oxygenation on the growth of tomato plants and colonization of plant roots by Pythium F707, an isolate with filamentous non-inflated sporangia, were investigated under hydroponic conditions. Lipoperoxidation was also estimated determining lipoxygenase activity and conjugated dienes. Tomato plants were grown under either a high (11-14%; Air treatment), a moderate (5.8-7%; Control) or a low (0.8-1.5%; Nitrogen treatment) oxygen concentration and inoculated or not with the pathogen. The high oxygen treatment resulted in a marked increase in plant growth, as measured by shoot and root weights. Root and top weights were about the same in the nitrogen-treated plants and the controls. In these treatments, plants started showing typical symptoms of root decay and infection within 6 days after inoculation with Pythium F, while highly oxygenated plants remained healthy throughout the experiment and showed a significant decrease in root colonization by the pathogen, as estimated by the immunoenzymatic staining procedure and isolation of thalles on selective medium. Nitrogen-treated plants and controls produced higher amounts of conjugated dienes and revealed increased lipoxygenase activities in comparison with highly oxygenated plants. These differences were more pronounced after inoculation with the pathogen. Our data suggest that increases in lipoxygenase activity detected in the present study in tomato roots grown under oxygen stress and inoculated with Pythium F may lead to degradation and disorganization of membrane lipids. That disorganization may facilitate root colonization by the pathogen and appearance of decay.     

Induction of transient ethylene and reduction in severity of tomato bacterial wilt by Pythium oligandrum

Pythium oligandrum (PO) is a mycoparasite on a wide range of fungi and suppresses diseases caused by fungal pathogens when colonizing the rhizosphere. PO and its cell wall proteins (CWPs) have elicitor activity that induces defence responses in plants. The potential of a mycelial homogenate of PO to suppress bacterial diseases was studied in roots of tomato ( Lycopersicon esculentum cv. Micro-Tom) inoculated with Ralstonia solanacearum . PO-treated plants showed enhanced resistance to R. solanacearum and reduction in severity of wilt symptoms. As ethylene often acts as one of the signal molecules for induced resistance, its production following treatment of tomato roots with the mycelial homogenate or CWP of PO was measured. The level of ethylene in PO- and CWP-treated plants was transiently elevated six- to 11-fold at 4–8 h after treatment, followed by high expression of three basic ethylene-inducible defence-related genes ( PR-2b , PR-3b and PR-5b ). Analysis of PR-5b gene expression in the leaves of PO- and CWP-treated plants suggested that PR gene expression was induced systemically. The expression of LeERF2 and LeETR4 , which confer an ethylene-dependent signalling pathway, was also significantly accelerated by such treatments. These results indicate that PO has the potential to control bacterial wilt disease and that CWP may play an important role in the induction of resistance to R. solanacearum accompanying the activation of the ethylene-dependent signalling pathway.     

Simultaneous detection by multiplex PCR of the high-temperature-growing Pythium species: P. aphanidermatum, P. helicoides and P. myriotylum

The objective of this study was to develop a multiplex PCR detection method for the high-temperature-growing pathogens Pythium aphanidermatum, P. helicoides and P. myriotylum. Species-specific primer pairs were designed that targeted the rDNA ITS regions. The multiplex PCR was constructed with a universal primer pair for eukaryotes directed at the 18S rDNA as a positive control, in addition to the three species-specific primer pairs. When the multiplex PCR was applied to naturally infested soils, the expected species were reliably identified, suggesting that the method is suitable for the detection of the three Pythium pathogens in environmental samples.     

番茄煤污假尾孢叶斑病菌实时荧光定量PCR检测技术的建立及应用

为快速、准确地对番茄煤污假尾孢Pseudocercospora fuligena进行检测与定量分析,基于其Avr4基因设计特异性引物JWB-9F/JWB-7R,建立实时荧光定量PCR检测技术,分析该检测技术的特异性和灵敏度,并利用采集自重庆市、河北省和广西壮族自治区的14份材料对该检测技术的应用效果进行验证。结果表明,引物JWB-9F/JWB-7R仅可从番茄煤污假尾孢基因组DNA中扩增出232 bp的目的片段,特异性良好;实时荧光定量PCR检测技术的灵敏度为67.09 copies/μL,是普通PCR检测技术的1 000倍。且该实时荧光定量PCR检测技术可以实现未显症样本中番茄煤污假尾孢的定量检测,检测限为6.02×10~2copies/μL,实际应用效果较好。表明所建立的实时荧光定量PCR检测技术可用于番茄煤污假尾孢叶斑病的早期诊断和预测预报。     

Fast detection by loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) of the three begomovirus species infecting tomato in Panama

Potato yellow mosaic Panama virus (PYMPV), Tomato leaf curl Sinaloa virus (ToLCSiV) and Tomato yellow mottle virus (TYMoV) of genus Begomovirus (family Geminiviridae) are the only three begomovirus species detected infecting tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) in Panama. PYMPV, ToLCSiV and TYMoV induce symptoms of stunting, yellowing, curling, distortion of leaves and reduction of fruit size and cause important economic loses. A loop-mediated amplification under isothermal conditions (LAMP) assay was developed for the individual detection of these three begomovirus species by using a set of three primer pairs specific per each one of them. Amplification products were visualized by gel electrophoresis or direct Gel-Red staining of DNA into the reaction tube. PYMPV, ToLCSiV and TYMoV were detected in total DNA extracts obtained from different plant tissues such as leaves, stems, flowers, fruits and roots of infected tomato plants collected in different production regions of Panama. LAMP sensitivity was similar to that of conventional PCR but, the first procedure was faster and cheaper than the last one. Moreover, all three viruses were successfully detected by LAMP and not by conventional PCR from sap extracts obtained from leaf tissues of infected tomato plants which were embedded into 3MM Whatman paper and stored several days, facilitating the samples processing as well as the material movement among different laboratories. Therefore, LAMP is a specific, rapid and cheap procedure to detect all three begomoviruses infecting tomato in Panama and it is suitable for field surveys and sanitation programs.     

Multiplex real-time PCR assays for the detection and identification of Heterobasidion species attacking conifers in Europe

Four species of the destructive forest pathogen Heterobasidion annosum sensu lato (s.l.) are present in Europe: H. annosum sensu stricto (s.s.), H. abietinum and H. parviporum are native species, while H. irregulare is a non-native invasive species currently reported only in Italy, yet recommended for regulation throughout Europe. In this study, real-time PCR detection tests were developed for each of the four species, which can be used simultaneously or individually thanks to probes labelled with species-specific fluorescent dyes. The different performance criteria of each assay were evaluated, and it was determined that they were theoretically capable of detecting amounts of DNA corresponding to 311, 29 and 29 cell nuclei in H. annosum s.s., H. irregulare and H. parviporum, respectively. The specificity of each assay was assessed with a wide set of strains. Real-time PCR tests successfully detected Heterobasidion species from 36 fruiting bodies taken from the forest, as well as from artificially inoculated or naturally infected wood samples. The multiplex real-time PCR assays developed in this study could have practical applications both in forest management and in phytosanitary monitoring.     

The development of a validated real-time (TaqMan) PCR for detection of Stagonosporopsis andigena and S. crystalliniformis in infected leaves of potato and tomato

Stagonosporopsis andigena and S. crystalliniformis are serious foliage pathogens on potato (Solanum tuberosum) and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). As both species have been recorded only in the Andes area, S. andigena is listed as an A1 quarantine organism in Europe. The actin region of isolates of Stagonosporopsis and allied species of Boeremia, Didymella, Peyronellaea and Phoma was amplified using generic primers. DNA sequence differences of the actin gene were utilised to develop species-specific real-time (TaqMan) PCR assays for the detection of S. andigena and S. crystalliniformis in leaves of potato or tomato. The specificity of the TaqMan PCR assays was determined on genomic DNA extracted from two S. andigena and two S. crystalliniformis isolates and 16 selected isolates of Stagonosporopsis, Phoma and Boeremia, which are the closest relatives. The validation of the methods developed included the DNA extraction and the TaqMan PCR assays. The performance criteria specificity, analytical sensitivity, reproducibility, repeatability and robustness of the TaqMan PCR assays demonstrated the reliability of both methods for the detection of S. andigena and S. crystalliniformis in leaf material. The TaqMan PCR assays were tested on symptomatic leaves of potato and tomato that were obtained after artificial inoculation of detached leaves with both pathogens under quarantine conditions. In the artificial inoculation experiments both S. andigena and S. crystalliniformis caused leaf infections on potato and tomato.     

Inhibition of carbaryl metabolism by nitrogen in three species of cockroach and one species of locust

The in vivo release of ¹⁴CO₂ arising from decarbamoylation of [¹⁴C]-carbaryl (1-naphthyl methyl-[¹⁴C]-carbamate) injected into male and female Periplaneta americana, Leucophaea maderae, Gromphadorhina portentosa and Schistocerca gregaria was measured up to 50 nmol carbaryl/g body weight. The amount of ¹⁴CO₂ released was proportional to the dose of [¹⁴C]-carbaryl injected and was similar for both sexes of each species. The KD₅₀ values for carbaryl for each species did not correlate with their ability to decarbamoylate carbaryl. The degradation of carbaryl by this pathway is not therefore the limiting factor in determining the overall toxic effect of carbaryl in the four species studied. Decarbamoylation is inhibited by nitrogen in all four species. In P. americana the inhibition is virtually complete, in L. maderae, G. portentosa and S. gregaria the inhibition is 84%, 74% and 51% respectively. The results suggest the involvement of two enzymes, one of which is oxygen dependent. Decarbamoylation studies in air suggest the involvement of two enzymes with differing K_M values. The involvement of aliesterases and mixed function oxidases in the decarbamoylation pathway(s) have not been established so far with this series of experiments.     

Assessment of the loose smut fungi (Ustilago nuda and U. tritici) in tissues of barley and wheat by fluorescence microscopy and real-time PCR

Loose smut fungi of barley and wheat (Ustilago nuda and U. tritici, respectively) colonize the plant without causing obvious disease symptoms before heading. The availability of diagnostic methods to detect and follow the growth of these pathogens in the plant would therefore be highly advantageous for both resistance breeding and the development of effective seed treatments. Using seed lots of barley and wheat highly infected with loose smut, we studied the early establishment of the loose smut pathogens in the plant by fluorescence microscopy. In hand-cut sections stained with the fluorochrome Blankophor?, fungal hyphae were observed to invade the shoot apical meristem and leaf primordia during the first days after the onset of germination. At the first node stage the ear and leaf primordia were generally extensively colonized. Hyphae of U. nuda were also regularly observed in high density in the nodes. A protocol was developed for the specific amplification of U. nuda and U. tritici DNA extracted from infected plant tissue. PCR screening of U nuda in seedlings from infected and healthy seed lots was compared to ELISA, microscopy and ultimately head infection of mature plants derived from tillers of the tested seedlings. The results indicated that a prediction of loose smut infection by real-time PCR is possible at the second leaf stage, and that the assay is equally suited for use with spring and winter varieties of barley and wheat.     

Development of the simultaneous detection of Ralstonia solanacearum race 3 and Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. sepedonicus in potato tubers by a multiplex real-time PCR assay

Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. sepedonicus and Ralstonia solanacearum (Smith) Yabuuchi et al. race 3 are the causal agents of ring-rot and brown-rot of potato respectively. These diseases represent a serious threat to potato production in temperate climates. Both bacteria are listed as A2 pests in the EPPO region and as zero-tolerance quarantine organisms in the European Union. All the detection tests developed so far were only focused on the detection of a single pathogen while the absence of both bacteria has to be certified in the seed tubers. We have therefore developed a new multiplex real-time PCR assay to simultaneously detect both bacteria in a single assay. Additionally, the reliability of this molecular diagnostic test has been improved by the simultaneous amplification of an internal control, corresponding to a potato gene co-extracted from the sample. The polyvalence and the specificity of each set of bacterial primers and probes were evaluated on more than 90 bacterial strains. The limit of detection of this triplex real-time protocol was similar to those observed with other molecular protocols previously developed for the individual detection of one of these bacteria. A concordance of 100 % was obtained in a blind test mimicking the routine application of the technology. In conclusion, this new protocol represents a straightforward and convenient method potentially adapted to primary screening of potato tubers.     

水稻转录因子OsBTF3对不同病原菌和信号分子的基因表达反应

 转录因子基因OsBTF3在水稻品种日本晴悬浮细胞中受白叶枯病菌(Xanthomonas oryzae pv.oryzae,Xoo)诱导表达。为了阐明OsBTF3在水稻叶组织中的表达特征,本研究利用RT-Q-PCR技术,对经3种亲和性病原菌[水稻白叶枯病菌(Xoo)、水稻条斑病菌(Xooc)和稻瘟病菌(Mg)]接种和4种信号分子[脱落酸(ABA)、水杨酸(SA)、茉莉酸甲酯(MeJA)、乙烯(ETH)]诱导处理的水稻叶片中OsBTF3的转录本进行了定量分析。结果表明,OsBTF3对Xoo、Xooc和Mg侵染的基因表达反应均显著地受到诱导,但反应速度和强度略有差异。而4种信号分子对OsBTF3表达的诱导作用差异较大,ABA诱导活性最强,MeJA和ETH次之,SA诱导作用不显著。因此,OsBTF3基因表达不仅具有病原菌Xoo、Xooc和Mg的诱导性,而且也具有信号分子MeJA、ETH和ABA的应答性。     

Performance of three endophytic actinomycetes in relation to plant growth promotion and biological control of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pythium aphanidermatum</Emphasis>, a pathogen of cucumber under commercial field production conditions in the United Arab Emirates

In the current study, the performance of three endophytic actinomycetes identified as Actinoplanes campanulatus, Micromonospora chalcea and Streptomyces spiralis previously shown to reduce seedling damping-off, and root and crown rots of mature cucumber (Cucumis sativus) caused by Pythium aphanidermatum in pots under greenhouse conditions were further evaluated to determine their potential as biological control agents and as plant growth promoters in the field under the conditions of commercial production of cucumbers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). When applied individually or in combination to cucumber seedlings, the three isolates significantly promoted plant growth and yield and reduced seedling damping-off and root and crown rots of mature cucumber plants. Individually the performance level of S. spiralis was relatively the best followed by A. campanulatus and then by M. chalcea. The three isolates (which were not inhibitory to each other) performed better, both as biological control agents as well as plant growth promoters, when applied together than when they were inoculated individually. The ability of these three isolates to colonize the internal tissues of roots, stems and leaves under field conditions, and to persist up to 8 weeks after seedling inoculation, showed that they can easily adapt to an endophytic habit systemically within healthy cucumber plants. As the three endophytic actinomycete isolates also colonized the rhizosphere and showed outstanding rhizosphere competency it is clear that they are facultative and not obligate endophytes. The success with the three inoculants indicated that they could well be used in place of the fungicide metalaxyl which is currently recommended for the management of Pythium diseases in the UAE. This is the first successful field use of endophytic actinomycetes as promising plant growth promoters and biological control agents against Pythium diseases of cucumber.