First record of onion leaf blotch (Mycosphaerella allii-cepae) in Argentina

In 1990, onion leaf blotch was observed for the first time in the Lower Rio Colorado Valley (Province of Buenos Aires), the most important onion-producing region of Argentina. Since then, the disease has been found in other production areas of this country. Infections on shallot have also been recorded. The causal agent, Mycosphaerella allii-cepae , was identified on the basis of symptoms, fungus morphology (as its anamorph Cladosporium allium-cepae ) and successful artificial inoculations on onion plants. Although the disease has been present in all seasons since 1990, epidemics of any importance have not been observed in the main crop of dry onions. This is the first record of onion leaf blotch for Argentina.     

Sources, survival and transmission of Cladosporium allii and C. allii-cepae, leaf blotch pathogens of leek and onion

Neither Cladosporium allii nor C . allii-cepae was detected in seed samples of 46 commercial cultivars of leek and nine of onion.
In glasshouse tests where flower inflorescences of onions and leeks were dusted with conidia of C. alliicepae and C. allii , respectively, few onion seeds and no leek seeds became contaminated. In field crops of leeks some spathes and inflorescences became diseased and gave 0 002% C. allii contaminated seeds. No infected onion seeds were obtained from naturally-infected plants in the field.
Conidia of both fungi survived for less than 6 weeks in sterile and non-sterile soil (during which time the temperature varied from -8 to +11 C); pseudothecial bodies survived longer.
Both pathogens survived for 3 months in debris of onion or leek on the surface of soil in pots under similar conditions. In debris buried at a depth of 7 cm in sterile or unsterile soil they survived for 2 months. Although C. allii survived only 1 month in debris on the soil surfaces following a leek crop, conidia of the fungus were trapped from the air above the area for at least 6 months and healthy leeks transplanted into this area developed the disease. No leaf blotch developed in leeks grown on land which had not previously borne that crop.     

First report of Neofusicoccum parvum causing stem and branch canker on Cannabis sativa in Italy

Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection - In 2016, symptoms of stem canker with branches dieback were detected in several Cannabis sativa L. crops, located in the northeast part of Italy (Rovigo...     

First report of bacterial canker of kiwifruit in Iran

Symptoms of bacterial canker of kiwifruit consisting of darkening and shrivelling along the bark were observed in kiwifruit orchards in Tonkabon, Iran. Longidutinal sections showed darkening of cortical and woody tissues. A fluorescent pseudomonad was consistently isolated from canker tissues. According to biochemical, physiological and pathogenicity tests the causal agent was identified as Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae. This is the first report of the disease in Iran.     

Investigation of the host ranges of the leaf blotch pathogens of onion (Cladosporium allii-cepae) and leek (C. allii)

Inoculation of a range of Allium species and two non-alliaceous species with isolates of Cladosporiumallii-cepae and C. allii , obtained from onion and leek, respectively, demonstrated that the two pathogens had distinct host ranges. Conidia of C. allii-cepae, applied either dry or in aqueous suspension, infected A. altaicum, A. fistulosum (Japanese bunching onion), A. cepa (bulb onion), A. cepa var. ascalonicum (shallot), A. galanthum, A. pskemense and A. vavilovii . Dry conidia of C. allii applied at a high concentration caused atypical necrosis on A. altaicum, A. fistulosum, A. cepa var. ascalonicum, A. galanthum, A. pskemense, A. vavilovii, A. sativum (garlic), A. ampeloprasum and A. porrum (leek). Only A. ampeloprasum and A. porrum became typically infected following inoculation with conidia applied dry at low concentration or in aqueous suspension. Isolates of C. allii from leek failed to infect A. vineale, the type host. The length of conidia of a single isolate of C. allii-cepae varied significantly on different Allium spp.     

Effects of postharvest onion curing parameters on bulb rot caused by Pantoea agglomerans,Pantoea ananatis and Pantoea allii in storage

Crop loss of onion bulbs during storage carries an exceptionally high economic impact because a large portion of the production expenses has been expended before storage. Because of this, it is important to define practices that can reduce onion bulb losses caused by storage rots. This study investigates the impact of various curing parameters on disease development resulting from infection by Pantoea agglomerans, P. ananatis and P. allii on onion bulb cultivars Vaquero and Redwing, during storage. Overall, both the incidence and mean rot severity were similar amongst the bulbs under comparable conditions regardless of the species of Pantoea inoculated, although a significant difference was detected between the two onion bulb cultivars. In addition, a significant reduction of storage rot was observed when curing temperatures were ≤35°C. At temperatures >35°C, a shorter curing duration (2 days vs 14 days) decreased the severity of bulb rot due to Pantoea. This increased understanding of the inter‐relationships between the parameters used for curing, and the incidence and severity of bulb rot caused by Pantoea helps provide guidance towards using the curing process as a means to reduce the level of damage resulting from post‐harvest storage rot.     

First report of Rhizopus stolonifer causing inflorescence and fruit rot of Rauvolfia serpentina in India

Inflorescence and fruit rot caused by Rhizopus stolonifer has appeared for the first time on Rauvolfia serpentina (sarpgandha) in North Indian plains during July–September, 2003. Disease incidence was very high under high humidity and moderate temperature and posing threat to the commercial cultivation of the crop. The initial disease symptoms appear in the form of water-soaked lesions on the flowers and flower buds which later produce slimy wet rot symptoms leading to premature death and drying of infected parts including the leaves. Pathogenicity of R. stolonifer was established artificially under glasshouse conditions.     

The composition of wall alterations and appositions (reaction material) and their role in the resistance of onion bulb scale epidermis to colonization by Botrytis allii

Ultrastructural examination of deposits of reaction material (RM) showed them to be composed of paramural granules (osmiophilic to varying degrees) lying within amorphous electron–dense material. Epidermal cell walls per se became increasingly electron–dense around the short infection hyphae produced by Botrytis allii. Fluorescence microscopy, histochemical tests and microautoradiography showed the accumulation of phenolic compounds at infection sites. Use of phenylalanine and cinnamate for E.M. autoradiography demonstrated the accumulation of phenolics within paramural granules, amorphous aggregates and within the penetrated cell wall, Paramural deposits were soluble in organic solvents and probably represented reservoirs of low MW phenolics which were progressively incorporated into insoluble polymers within the cell wall. Initial synthesis or accumulation of phenolics appeared to take place in rough endoplasmic reticulum during the first 2 h after cuticle penetration. Suppression of RM deposition and wall alterations was achieved by treatment of bulb scales with cycloheximide. Tissues treated with the protein synthesis inhibitor became susceptible to colonization by B. allii. Accumulation of phenolics at infection sites rendered the onion cell walls resistant to attack by a mixture of cell wall–degrading enzymes, Methanolic extracts of epidermal strips containing RM deposits contained very weakly active inhibitors of B. allii germ–tube growth. The role of RM deposits and wall alterations in the resistance of onion epidermis to colonization by Botrytis is discussed.     

First report of the canker pathogen Endothia gyrosa on Eucalyptus in South Africa

During country-wide surveys of Eucalyptus plantations for Cryphonectria canker, cankers distinctly different from those usually associated with Cryphonectria cubensis were observed. These cankers were less severe and were exemplified by cracked and slightly swollen areas on the bark. Endothia gyrosa , a well-known pathogen of woody plants including Eucalyptus spp., was consistently associated with these cankers. The pathogen is easily distinguished from C. cubensis by the presence of orange-brown stromata and non-septate ascospores. Inoculations on Eucalyptus grandis resulted in lesions similar to those observed on naturally infected trees. The disease associated with E. gyrosa is widespread in South Africa, and research is required to establish control strategies.     

Predominance of Burkholderia cenocepacia lineages causing onion sour skin in the semi-arid region of north-east Brazil

Burkholderia cepacia was originally described as the causal agent of onion sour skin. However, this bacterium is now recognized as a complex of 22 closely related species, commonly referred to as the B. cepacia complex (BCC). Only a few taxonomic studies have been undertaken with the aim of understanding the diversity of species associated with onion sour skin. In this study, we used a polyphasic analysis including rep-PCR assay, biochemical and pathological profiles, and multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) to characterize the BCC species associated with onion sour skin in the semi-arid region of north-east Brazil. Phylogenetic analysis of the recA of strains representing the genetic variability, as determined by rep-PCR, grouped the strains into four clades. Clades I and II represent B. cenocepacia lineages IIB and IIIA, respectively, while the strains in Clades III and IV clustered more closely to Clades I and II than to strains of any other BCC species. MLSA confirmed the existence of the four clades with a 1.00 posterior probability. A distance matrix indicated a low level of divergence among the strains of the four clades found in the MLSA, proving that B. cenocepacia lineages IIIA, IIIB, and a new lineage of B. cenocepacia are associated with onion sour skin in the semi-arid region of north-east Brazil. Also, surprisingly, no strain was identified as B. cepacia, indicating that this species probably does not play a role in this disease in this region.