Molecular characterization of benzimidazole-resistant B. cinerea field isolates with reduced or enhanced sensitivity to zoxamide and diethofencarb

Sensitivity profiles of Botrytis cinerea field isolates to zoxamide and the molecular basis of the resistance mechanism involved in cross-resistance relationships between benzamides, benzimidazoles and N-phenylcarbamates were investigated. B. cinerea isolates collected from southern, central and northern Greece were characterized based on their sensitivity to zoxamide, the benzimidazole carbendazim and the N-phenylcarbamate diethofencarb. Isolates exhibiting baseline sensitivity to carbendazim and zoxamide but no sensitivity to diethofencarb were considered wild type (S phenotype) and accounted for 44% of the total strains sampled. Thirty-three percent of the isolates had increased sensitivity (HS phenotype) to zoxamide and diethofencarb and were highly resistant to carbendazim compared to S isolates. Eight percent of the sample was highly resistant (HR phenotype) to all anti-tubulin agents studied. The rest of the isolates were moderately resistant to zoxamide (MR phenotype) and equally sensitive to benzimidazoles and N-phenylcarbamates compared to isolates of the S phenotype. Fungitoxicity tests with botrycides belonging to other chemical classes revealed no cross-resistance relationships between zoxamide and the phenylpyrrole fludioxonil, the dicarboximide iprodione, the hydroxyanilide fenhexamid, the anilinopyrimidine cyprodinil, the carboxamide boscalid and the strobilurin-type fungicide pyraclostrobin. Study of fitness characteristics did not show any significant difference between zoxamide resistant and sensitive isolates with respect to the parameters tested. PCR-RFLP analysis of a part of the β-tubulin gene sequence detected mutations in position 198 for both HS and HR zoxamide-sensitivity phenotypes. DNA sequence analysis of the B. cinerea β-tubulin gene revealed two previously described benzimidazole-resistance-conferring mutations. The first one was the glutamic acid (GAG) to alanine (GCG) change at position 198 (E198A), which was identified in all HS isolates. The second mutation (E198K) was a GAG-to-AAG substitution resulting in the replacement of glutamic acid with lysine present in all B. cinerea isolates highly resistant to all three anti-tubulin classes of fungicides. A number of mutations in other positions of the β-tubulin gene were detected in the moderately zoxamide-resistance phenotype.     

抗苯醚菌酯(ZJ0712)小麦白粉病菌突变体的诱导及其生物学特性

经过药剂驯化10代后,从对苯醚菌酯(ZJ0712)敏感的小麦白粉病菌Blumeria graminis f.sp.tritici 3个菌株中获得3个抗药突变体,突变体的抗性指数均大于80,且其抗性能够通过无性繁殖稳定遗传。室内接种试验发现,突变体的致病力与亲本菌株无明显差异。细胞色素b (cyt b)基因片段序列分析发现,突变体cyt b基因的第143位密码子均由敏感菌株的GGT(丙氨酸)突变成了GCT(甘氨酸)。研究结果表明,小麦白粉病菌对苯醚菌酯存在较高的抗性风险,该药剂在使用过程中需注意采取相应的抗性治理措施,以延缓抗性发生。     

Impact of fludioxonil resistance on fitness and cross-resistance profiles of Altrenaria solani laboratory mutants

Sensitivity and inherent resistance risk of Alternaria solani to fludioxonil, cross-resistance profiles and the potential implications of resistance mutations on fitness parameters were investigated. Fludioxonil was highly effective against a wild type A. solani field strain both in vitro (EC₅₀?=?0.05 μg/mL) and in preventive applications on artificially inoculated tomato fruit. Mutants with low [Resistance factor (Rf): 15 based on EC₅₀], medium (Rf: 150–300) and high (Rf: > 1000) levels of phenylpyrrole resistance were isolated from the wild type strain at high frequencies following mutagenesis with UV irradiation and selection on fludioxonil containing medium. Resistant isolates retained their resistance levels even after 9 subcultures on fungicide-free growth medium while they could express their resistant phenotypes in planta. Investigation of cross-resistance relationships showed that fludioxonil resistance mutations also reduce the sensitivity of mutant strains to the aromatic hydrocarbon fungicide quintozene as well as the dicarboximides iprodione and vinclozolin. No cross-resistance was observed between fludioxonil and fungicides with different modes of action such as the sterol biosynthesis inhibitors (DMIs) imazalil and flusilazole and the carboxamide boscalid. All fludioxonil resistant isolates were more sensitive to the anilinopyrimidine pyrimethanil, while only two isolates were less sensitive to the QoI pyraclostrobin compared to the wild-type strain. Study of fitness determining parameters showed that resistance mutation(s) had no adverse effects on mycelial growth, conidial germination and sensitivity to osmotic stress while they had a pleiotropic effect on virulence and conidia production in resistant mutants. Results of the present study indicate that fludioxonil is a highly effective fungicide against A. solani, while the risk of resistance development to this fungicide is considered to be medium making fludioxonil an ideal alternative to high risk fungicides such as boscalid and pyraclostrobin whose performance against early blight has already been compromised by resistance development.

     

Identification of a novel point mutation in the <Emphasis Type="Italic">β</Emphasis>-tubulin gene of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Botrytis cinerea</Emphasis> and detection of benzimidazole resistance by a diagnostic PCR-RFLP assay

The molecular basis of resistance to benzimidazole fungicides with laboratory and field mutant isolates of Botrytis cinerea was investigated. After chemical mutagenesis with N-methyl-N-nitrosogouanidine (NMNG) two different benzimidazole-resistant phenotypes were isolated on media containing carbendazim or a mixture of carbendazim and diethofencarb. The mutant isolates from the fungicide-mixture-containing medium were moderately resistant to carbendazim with wild-type tolerance to diethofencarb while mutant isolates from carbendazim-containing medium were highly resistant to carbendazim but sensitive to diethofencarb. The studied field isolates were highly resistant to benzimidazoles and sensitive to diethofencarb. Study of fitness characteristics of benzimidazole highly-resistant isolates showed that the resistance mutation(s) had no apparent effect on fitness-determining parameters. Contrary to this, the moderately benzimidazole-resistant strains, with no increased diethofencarb sensitivity, had a significant reduction in certain ecological fitness-determining characteristics. Analysis of the sequence of the β-tubulin gene revealed two amino acid replacements in the highly benzimidazole-resistant mutants compared to that of the wild-type parent strain. One was the glutamic acid (GAG) to alanine (GCG) change at position 198 (E198A), identified in both laboratory and field highly benzimidazole-resistant isolates, a mutation previously implicated in benzimidazole resistance. The second was a novel benzimidazole resistance mutation of glutamic acid (GAG) to glycine (GGG) substitution at the same position 198 (E198G), identified in a highly benzimidazole-resistant laboratory mutant strain. Molecular analysis of the moderately benzimidazole-resistant strains revealed no mutations at the β-tubulin gene. A novel diagnostic PCR-RFLP assay utilising a BsaI restriction site present in the benzimidazole-sensitive (E198) but absent in both resistant genotypes (E198G and E198A) was developed for the detection of both amino acid replacements at the β-tubulin gene.     

Studies on thiabendazole resistance of Penicillium expansum of pears: pathogenic fitness and genetic characterization

Isolates of Penicillium expansum recovered from stored pears were scored for resistance to the fungicide thiabendazole (TBZ) and for pathogenic fitness. Out of 50 isolates, nine were sensitive (S) and 41 resistant (R or RR). Seven of these resistant isolates (RR) germinated with a higher percentage on TBZ-amended medium than on unamended medium. Six S isolates and six RR isolates were chosen at random for further analysis. S and RR isolates had similar in vitro growth fitness, although RR isolates were characterized by higher infection severity on fruits. Laboratory-induced resistant isolates were generated by UV-irradiating S strains, and a similar correlation between the induced TBZ resistance and pathogenic fitness was observed. The β-tubulin gene of RR and S isolates was amplified and sequenced; mutations correlating with TBZ resistance were identified at residues Phe 167 and Glu 198. Analogous mutations were detected in the laboratory-induced resistant isolates.     

Resistance to inhibitors of sterol biosynthesis in field isolates or laboratory strains of the eyespot pathogen Pseudocercosporella herpotrichoides

Strains of Pseudocercosporella herpotrichoides collected in France on winter wheat give either fast-growing mycelial colonies with regular margins or slow-growing mycelial colonies with irregular margins. Most of the fastgrowing isolates were sensitive to triadimenol (EC₅₀ below 2mg litre^?1), but some of them were resistant to this inhibitor of sterol C-14 demethylation. In contrast, all the slow-growing strains were highly resistant to triadimenol (EC₅₀ greater than 100 mg litre^?1). This resistance was also expressed in inhibition of germ-tube elongation. Positive cross-resistance was observed between most of the inhibitors of sterol C-14 demethylation, with the exception of some imidazole derivatives (clotrimazole, prochloraz). All the fast-growing strains were tolerant to fenpropimorph and fenpropidin whereas the slow-growing ones were susceptible; the reverse was true with piperalin and tridemorph. All the field isolates were inhibited to the same extent by the inhibitors of squalene-epoxidase, nafifine and terbinafine. Two types of mutant resistant to triadimenol have been induced under laboratory conditions from sensitive fast-growing strains. The most common mutants were resistant to all the inhibitors of sterol C–14 demethylation and also in some conditions to fenpropimorph, tridemorph and the inhibitors of squalene-epoxidase. The other mutants were characterised by a reduced spectrum of cross-resistance between triadimenol and the other inhibitors of sterol biosynthesis. The field isolates and laboratory mutants resistant to triadimenol and propiconazole were also resistant to each of the four enantiomers of these two fungicides.     

Molecular characterization and a multiplex allele-specific PCR method for detection of thiabendazole resistance in Penicillium expansum from apple

Thiabendazole (TBZ) is commonly used as a postharvest treatment for control of blue mold in apples caused by Penicillium expansum. Different point mutations in the β-tubulin gene conferring benzimidazole resistance have been reported in plant pathogens, but molecular mechanisms of TBZ resistance in P. expansum from apple in Washington State are unknown. Determination of TBZ resistance level showed that all 102 TBZ-resistant (TBZ-R) isolates were highly resistant. Sequencing of the majority of the β-tubulin gene showed that 76 TBZ-R isolates harboured the E198V mutation and 26 harboured the F167Y mutation, and all the sensitive isolates did not possess any of the mutations, indicating that these two point mutations in the β-tubulin gene were correlated with TBZ resistance in P. expansum from apple in Washington State. There was no association between levels of TBZ resistance and types of point mutations (E198V or F167Y) in the β-tubulin gene. A multiplex allele-specific PCR assay was developed to detect these two mutations simultaneously. Microsatellite-primed PCR derived presence-absence matrix used to assess the genetic relationship among 56 isolates suggested that the resistance mutations originated several times independently and that there was no correlation between the types of point mutation and the genetic background of the isolates.     

番茄叶霉病菌对嘧菌酯的抗性检测及抗性风险评估

利用孢子萌发法测定了从河北、浙江、江苏、山东、四川等省田间采集的97个番茄叶霉病菌菌株对嘧菌酯的敏感性。结果表明,田间番茄叶霉病菌已对嘧菌酯产生不同程度的抗药性。97个菌株可分为敏感菌株(EC50值50值5.4~54 μg/mL),中抗菌株(EC50值54~270 μg/mL)、高抗菌株(EC50值270~1 350 μg/mL)、特高抗菌株(EC50值>1 350 μg/mL) 5种类型,分别占55.67%、14.43%、11.34%、10.31%和8.25%。其中从未用过甲氧基丙烯酸酯类杀菌剂的27个菌株的EC50平均值为(0.544±0.349) μg/mL,可作为敏感基残;高抗和特高抗菌株集中在常施用甲氧基丙烯酸酯类杀菌剂的河北定州。通过紫外线诱导和药剂驯化的方法获得了番茄叶霉病菌5个抗嘧菌酯突变体,其抗药性不稳定,在不含药PDA平板上继代培养后抗药性水平下降,甚至恢复至敏感状态;除突变体cf 21M1的产孢量高于其亲本外,抗药性突变体的菌落生长速率、产孢量、孢子萌发率均显著低于其亲本菌株,所有抗嘧菌酯突变体及其亲本菌株接种于番茄离体叶片后,突变体病情指数与亲本菌株之间没有显著差异。嘧菌酯与多菌灵、苯醚甲环唑之间不存在交互抗药性。田间抗药性检测及室内抗药性风险评估结果表明,番茄叶霉病菌对嘧菌酯具有较高的抗药性风险。     

Thiophanate-methyl and carbendazim resistance in Fusicoccum amygdali,the causal agent of constriction canker of peach and almond

In light of growing environmental concerns, surveys of fungicide resistance are needed to ensure efficient control of fungi and avoid unnecessary treatments. Investigations of fungicide resistance in Fusicoccum amygdali are scarce despite the economic impacts of this pathogen in peach and almond orchards. Thiophanate-methyl has been registered for more than 20 years to control F. amygdali but no resistance has been reported to date. This propesticide is metabolized by fungi into carbendazim, a β-tubulin inhibitor. Sensitivity to carbendazim of nine populations of F. amygdali from French orchards was assessed using germination bioassays. Also, resistance levels of 63 strains isolated from four populations were evaluated using mycelial growth assays. The underlying mechanism of resistance was investigated by sequencing the β-tubulin gene, the molecular target of thiophanate-methyl, in a set of isolates with different levels of sensitivity to carbendazim. Cross-resistance to thiophanate-methyl and to another β-tubulin inhibitor, diethofencarb, was also assessed in carbendazim-sensitive and -resistant strains. Isolates highly resistant to carbendazim were found in one of the nine orchards studied. Sequencing showed that resistant phenotypes carry a mutation in the β-tubulin gene leading to E198K substitution. Positive cross-resistance to thiophanate-methyl was confirmed and no negative cross-resistance to diethofencarb was identified in the phenotyped isolates, which were all resistant to this active substance. To our knowledge, this is the first report of resistance to thiophanate-methyl in F. amygdali. The high level of resistance of isolates sampled in one population is of concern, although the limited geographical scope of resistance suggests its recent emergence.     

Sequence variation in the two-component histidine kinase gene of Botrytis cinerea associated with resistance to dicarboximide fungicides

The complete two-component histidine kinase gene (Bos1) was sequenced from eight dicarboximide-resistant (D^R) and six-sensitive (D^S) field isolates of Botrytis cinerea. Comparisons in the predicted amino acid sequences of Bos1 showed that each two D^R isolates had a single point mutation at amino acid position 365 from an isoleucine to serine (I365S) or to an asparagine (I365N). Three D^R isolates were characterized with a change from glutamine to proline at position 369 (Q369P) as well as an asparagine to serine at the position 373 (N373S). These mutations located within the 90-amino-acid repeats of Bos1 have been reported previously. One new mutation, however, was found in the D^R isolate 65-E8. In this isolate, a null mutation at the amino acid position 1040 in the Bos1 was detected. Inoculation tests showed that this isolate was nearly nonpathogenic to cucumber. After the Bos1 gene from the sensitive isolate 38B1 was transferred into the resistant isolate 65-E8, all transformants tested were sensitive to iprodione and capable of infecting cucumber. DNA fingerprint generated by micro-satellite primed-PCR showed that isolates were not clustered based on their sensitivity to iprodione. Results from this study indicate that mutations in the Bos1 gene associated with dicarboximide resistance are diverse in B. cinerea, and the Bos1 gene is associated with virulence of B. cinerea.     

Incidence of thiophanate-methyl resistance in Cercospora kikuchii within a single lineage based on amplified fragment length polymorphisms in Japan

We collected 247 isolates of Cercospora kikuchii from soybean seeds with typical purple stain symptoms from 15 prefectures in Japan. Of the 247 isolates, 93 were sensitive to thiophanate-methyl, a benzimidazole used to control this soybean disease; the remaining 154 were highly resistant to the fungicide. To examine genetic variability among the population of 247 isolates, we developed amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers. An AFLP primer pair generated DNA fingerprint polymorphisms among the sample isolates, and with the unweighted pair-grouping method to cluster arithmetic means of the similarity coefficients among all pairs of the fingerprint patterns, the isolates were divided into four lineages (I to IV). Of the 247 isolates, 225 belonged to lineage I, including all isolates that were resistant to thiophanate-methyl. To determine whether the resistance of these isolates was related to mutations in the β-tubulin gene, we amplified partial nucleotide sequences of the gene from 29 representative isolates, including 12 that were resistant to thiophanate-methyl, by means of the polymerase chain reaction. The resistant isolates had identical nucleotide sequence with a one-step change at codon 198, in which the amino acid glutamic acid had been replaced by alanine. The evidence thus suggests that thiophanate-methyl resistance might have arisen in lineage I, the largest of the four lineages. The nucleotide sequence data reported are available in the DDBJ/EMBL/GenBank databases under accession numbers AB214511 to AB214515     

Molecular diagnostic for detecting the cytochrome b G143S - QoI resistance mutation in Cercospora beticola

The mutation G143S has been associated with high-level strobilurin resistance in laboratory mutant strains of Cercospora beticola, one of the most destructive pathogens in sugar beet plants. By using allele specific primers (PASA-PCR) and agarose gel visualization, a molecular diagnostic was developed for the detection of the G143S resistance mutation. This assay is simple and applicable in low tech laboratory settings, with high reliability when a relatively large proportion of mutated mitochondrial alleles are present in the resistant strains. To achieve detection of resistant alleles at low frequencies, a more sensitive Real Time PCR based assay capable of discriminating resistant (S143) genotypes in frequencies as low as 1:10,000 resistant:sensitive alleles was developed. Both diagnostics were successfully validated in laboratory strains. Subsequently, a large number of C. beticola isolates from QoI-treated sugar beet experimental fields in Greece were screened for resistance to Qo fungicides using these diagnostics and classic bioassays. No proportion of the 143S resistant allele was detected in all field isolates tested, which was in agreement with the phenotypes revealed by the biotests confirming that the efficacy of QoIs against C. beticola has been sustained in Greece 7 years after their introduction.     

Distribution of benzimidazole-resistant strains of the onion gray-mold neck rot pathogens,Botrytis aclada and Botrytis allii,in Hokkaido,Japan

Botrytis aclada and Botrytis allii, associated with onion gray-mold neck rot and isolated in Hokkaido, were tested for sensitivity to benzimidazole. Of the B. aclada strains, 59% were highly resistant and the remaining 41% were sensitive; all strains of B. allii were sensitive. Resistant strains were widespread in Hokkaido. We analyzed the sequences of the β-tubulin gene of resistant strains and detected the replacement of glutamic acid (GAG) by lysine (AAG) at codon 198. This is the first report of benzimidazole resistance in B. aclada. This study revealed a difference in fungicide sensitivity between the two Botrytis species.

     

Molecular analysis of resistance in a deltamethrin-resistant strain of Musca domestica from China

We investigated the molecular basis of resistance in a strain of house fly (BJD) from Beijing, China. This strain showed 567-fold resistance to commonly used deltamethrin. Flies were 64-fold resistant to deltamethrin synergized by piperonyl butoxide (PBO). The 5′-flanking sequence of the cytochrome P450 gene CYP6D1 in BJD strain had a 15-bp insert as in the LPR strain. Two mutations (kdr, super-kdr) in the voltage sensitive sodium channel (VSSC) were also detected in the BJD strain. Our results showed that a combination of resistance alleles for CYP6D1 and VSSC existed in deltamethrin resistant house flies in China.     

Biological and molecular characterization of field isolates of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Alternaria alternata</Emphasis> with single or double resistance to respiratory complex II and III inhibitors

Field isolates of Alternaria alternata collected from tomato processors were characterized for sensitivity to respiration inhibitors using in vitro mycelial growth assays. Pyraclostrobin (QoI), boscalid, fluopyram and isopyrazam (SDHIs) mean EC₅₀ values were 0.32, 1.43, 2.21, and 3.53 μg/ml respectively. Of the 42 isolates, 36 were sensitive to all respiration inhibiting fungicides tested whereas three isolates were less sensitive to boscalid, one to pyraclostrobin and two were simultaneously resistant to both inhibitors and isopyrazam. Correlation analysis between fungicide sensitivities revealed a positive cross-resistance between pyraclostrobin and tebuconazole, and between cyprodinil and mancozeb. There was no cross-resistance between QoIs, SHDIs or any other mode of action. Sequencing of the QoI and SDHI targets revealed the G143A cytochrome b resistance mutation in all pyraclostrobin-resistant isolates while analysis of the succinate dehydrogenase coding gene revealed point mutations in two of three of the gene subunits analyzed in boscalid-resistant isolates. Specifically, two isolates carried the H277Y and three the H133Q resistance mutations located in the sdhB and sdhD subunits of the respiration complex II, respectively. Isolates bearing the H277Y mutation also carried the G143A cytochrome b resistance mutation. Boscalid and pyraclostrobin-resistant isolates exhibited greater pathogenicity and sporulation compared to sensitive isolates, respectively. Isolates with cross-resistance exhibited greater pathogenicity and sporulation but slower mycelial growth compared to sensitive isolates. This is the first report of field isolates of A. alternata with single or double resistance to QoIs and SDHIs in Greece and should be considered in planning and implementing effective anti-resistance strategies.     

灰葡萄孢多药抗性菌株的筛选和鉴定

从浙江杭州市售草莓上分离得到83个灰葡萄孢菌株,测定了这些菌株对苯醚菌酯、多菌灵和异菌脲的敏感性,筛选出对这3种药剂同时产生了抗性的两个菌株HZ021和HZ054,其在马铃薯葡萄糖琼脂(PDA)平板上的菌丝生长和产孢量与敏感菌株相比无显著差异,在黄瓜叶片上均表现出很强的致病力。结果表明,HZ021和HZ 054有很高的适合度。通过对抗性菌株中细胞色素b (CYT b)、双组份组氨酸激酶(OS-1)和β-微管蛋白(TUB 2)基因序列进行分析发现,HZ021和HZ054对多种药剂的抗性是由于其药剂靶标基因上的点突变所致。     

PCR-based monitoring of recent isolates of tobacco blue mold from Europe reveals the presence of two genetically distinct phenotypes differing in fungicide sensitivity

Bioassays testing the fungicide sensitivity against metalaxyl of Peronospora tabacina isolates collected in German tobacco fields in 2005 revealed the presence of two phenotypes, resistant and sensitive. DNA fingerprints using SSR and minisatellite primers allowed separation of the samples into two groups. The differences in amplification patterns coincided with the sensitive and resistant reaction of the isolates in metalaxyl bioassays. New primers were developed which allowed PCR-based detection of P. tabacina and differentiation of the metalaxyl-sensitive and the metalaxyl-resistant phenotype, respectively. Screening of recent blue mold isolates from Germany and other European countries for metalaxyl sensitivity with leaf disk bioassays coincided completely with the PCR-based identification of the two phenotypes. In Germany, exclusively resistant isolates were found between 2002 and 2004. These still dominate. Since 2005 the co-occurrence of sensitive isolates has been shown. No similar monitoring has been done in any other European country. However, we found the resistant phenotype reaction in a French isolate of 2004 and in two out of three Italian isolates in 2007. Two isolates from Poland and Bulgaria in 2007 were sensitive to metalaxyl. For all 58 isolates tested since 2002 the metalaxyl bioassay-based resistance type and the PCR-based tests for sensitive and resistant genotype coincided. Using genotype-specific primers for future population studies may help to trace the sources of the pathogen from which yearly propagation starts.     

Laboratory studies to assess the risk of development of resistance to zoxamide

Laboratory studies were conducted to evaluate the risk of developing field resistance to zoxamide, a new Oomycete fungicide which acts on microtubules. Zoxamide, metalaxyl and dimethomorph were compared with respect to the ease with which fungicide‐resistant mutants could be isolated and their level of resistance. Attempts to generate mutants of Phytophthora capsici and P infestans with resistance to zoxamide by mycelial adaptation on fungicide‐amended medium were unsuccessful. Similarly, changes in sensitivity to zoxamide were small (resistance factors ≤2.2) in mutants of P capsici isolated by chemical mutagenesis of zoospore cysts. In parallel experiments with metalaxyl, highly resistant mutants were obtained using both adaptation (P capsici or P infestans) and chemical mutagenesis (P capsici). For dimethomorph, chemical mutagenesis (P capsici) yielded moderately resistant mutants (maximum resistance factor = 20.9), and adaptation (P capsici or P infestans) did not induce resistance. It is proposed that failure to isolate mutants resistant to zoxamide results from the diploid nature of Oomycete fungi and the likelihood that target‐site mutations would produce a recessive phenotype. Our studies suggest that the risk of a highly resistant pathogen population developing rapidly in the field is much lower for zoxamide than for metalaxyl. However, as with any site‐specific fungicide, appropriate precautions against resistance development should be taken. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry     

Characterization and genetic analysis of laboratory mutants of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cochliobolus heterostrophus</Emphasis> resistant to dicarboximide and phenylpyrrole fungicides

 Laboratory mutants of Cochliobolus heterostrophus resistant to iprodione were obtained after chemical mutageneses. All the mutants were able to grow on the medium amended with iprodione 100 μg/ml. They showed positive cross-resistance to procymidone and fludioxonil and were sensitive to high osmolarity. Crosses between the mutant and a wild-type strain revealed that the fungicide resistance and osmotic sensitivity traits were inherited by their offspring in a 1 : 1 mutant/wild type ratio, indicating that the mutant phenotypes in these strains were due to alteration at a single gene locus. Results from allelism tests indicated that three genes (Dic1, Dic2, Dic3) conferred the mutant phenotypes. Among them, Dic1 mutant strains were classified into three types on the basis of their phenotypes. The first type was moderately resistant to the fungicides and less sensitive to osmotic stress than the other Dic1 mutant strains. The second type showed moderate fungicide resistance, but growth was inhibited under lower osmotic stress (50 mM KCl). The other Dic1 mutant strains grew well on medium containing iprodione and fludioxonil even at a concentration of 100 μg/ml and were highly sensitive to osmotic stress. The Dic2 and Dic3 mutant strains had moderate resistance to the fungicides with low-level osmotic sensitivity. The Dic1 gene was epistatic to Dic2 and Dic3 for fungicide resistance and hypostatic to them for osmotic sensitivity. These results suggest that the osmoregulatory system is involved in fungicide resistance in laboratory mutants of C. heterostrophus. Received: March 14, 2002 / Accepted: August 13, 2002