Factors Affecting Pseudomonas savastanoi pv. savastanoi Plant Inoculations and Their Use for Evaluation of Olive Cultivar Susceptibility

ABSTRACT Pseudomonas savastanoi pv. savastanoi causes olive knot disease, which is present in most countries where olive trees are grown. Although the use of cultivars with low susceptibility may be one of the most appropriate methods of disease control, little information is available from inoculation assays, and cultivar susceptibility assessments have been limited to few cultivars. We have evaluated the effects of pathogen virulence, plant age, the dose/response relationship, and the induction of secondary tumors in olive inoculation assays. Most P. savastanoi pv. savastanoi strains evaluated were highly virulent to olive plants, but interactions between cultivars and strains were found. The severity of the disease in a given cultivar was strongly dependent of the pathogen dose applied at the wound sites. Secondary tumors developed in noninoculated wounds following inoculation at another position on the stem, suggesting the migration of the pathogen within olive plants. Proportion and weight of primary knots and the presence of secondary knots were evaluated in 29 olive cultivars inoculated with two pathogen strains at two inoculum doses, allowing us to rate most of the cultivars as having either high, medium, or low susceptibility to olive knot disease. None of the cultivars were immune to the disease.     

基于锁式探针技术的菜豆晕疫病菌检测技术研究

根据菜豆晕疫病菌的一段特异促旋酶亚组B(gyr B)基因序列,设计锁式探针和扩增引物,优化体系反应条件,建立了基于锁式探针菜豆晕疫病菌滚环扩增特异性检测体系。试验结果表明该检测体系能够从供试菌株中特异性检测出菜豆晕疫病菌。该体系检测DNA的阈值为600 fg/μL,与传统PCR相当;检测菌悬液检测阈值1.3×10~3 cfu/m L,比传统PCR高10倍,在模拟样品检测中也显示了更适合于样品的检测。     

Detection of Eutypa lata and Eutypella vitis in Grapevine by Nested Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction

ABSTRACT Two fungi were isolated from grapevines in Michigan vineyards with Eutypa dieback symptoms: Eutypa lata and Eutypella vitis. These fungi are difficult to distinguish morphologically but are genetically distinct as determined by sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions. The ITS regions of 25 Eutypa lata and 15 Eutypella vitis isolates were sequenced. Eutypa lata sequences were more variable than those of Eutypella vitis. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers were designed for each species and evaluated against isolates of both fungi as well as 11 closely related Diatrypaceous fungi and 23 isolates of other fungi representing various pathogenic, saprophytic, and endophytic genera on grape and other small fruit crops. The primers were specific for their intended species. A nested multiplex PCR protocol was developed and used to successfully detect these fungi in wood samples from cankers with and without stromata from naturally infected vines as well as in artificially inoculated, potted canes. The primers developed in this study will assist in our abilities to diagnose and study the roles of Eutypa lata and Eutypella vitis in Eutypa dieback development.     

大豆携带菜豆晕疫病菌PCR检测技术研究

晕疫病是豆科作物上重要的检疫性细菌病害。本研究在传统 PCR 检测技术的基础上,分析了细菌洗涤液、洗涤时间以及洗涤液容量对一粒带菌大豆检出率的影响,以及有效检出不同带菌率大豆的最佳检测时间。结果表明,洗涤液种类、洗涤时间以及洗涤液容量对检测结果影响不大,但对不同带菌率大豆洗涤时间的长短直接影响病菌的检出率,实验表明振荡洗涤时间8 h,可检测到的大豆种子最低带菌率为0.0625%。本研究所建立的检测方法简便易行,可有效应用于口岸检测进口大豆中的菜豆晕疫病菌。     

A Multiplex Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (TaqMan) Assay for the Simultaneous Detection of Meloidogyne chitwoodi and M. fallax

ABSTRACT This study describes a multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) approach for the simultaneous detection of Meloidogyne chitwoodi and M. fallax in a single assay. The approach uses three fluorogenic minor groove binding (MGB) TaqMan probes: one FAM-labeled to detect M. chitwoodi, one VIC-labeled to detect M. fallax, and one NED-labeled to detect the internal amplification control (IAC) to monitor false negative results. One common primer set is used for the amplification of part of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of M. chitwoodi and M. fallax and one primer set for the amplification of the IAC. The test enabled detection of M. chitwoodi and/or M. fallax in DNA samples extracted from batches of juveniles, from single juveniles, and from infected plant material. Compared with current assays to detect M. chitwoodi and M. fallax, the multiplex real-time PCR offers the following advantages: it is faster because the test can simultaneously detect both quarantine species without the need for post-PCR processing; and it is at least 10 times more sensitive than a comparable regular PCR also targeting the ITS sequence. Inclusion of the IAC facilitates the interpretation of the FAM and VIC cycle threshold (Ct) values and can prevent the scoring of false negative results when FAM, VIC, and NED Ct values are high. The test allows precise quantification when only one of the two species is present in the sample. However, experiments with mixtures of genomic DNA of M. chitwoodi and M. fallax revealed that the ability of the multiplex real-time PCR assay to detect small quantities of DNA of one species is reduced when large quantities of DNA of the other species are present.     

Development of Nested Polymerase Chain Reaction Detection of Mycosphaerella spp. and Its Application to the Study of Leaf Disease in Eucalyptus Plantations

ABSTRACT Mycosphaerella leaf disease (MLD) is a serious disease of two of the major eucalypt species grown in temperate regions worldwide, Eucalyptus globulus and E. nitens. More than 30 species of Mycosphaerella have been reported on eucalypts worldwide. Accurate, rapid, and early discrimination of Mycosphaerella spp. causing crown damage to E. globulus and E. nitens will assist the development of sustainable management strategies. This study describes the development, and incorporation in a nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) approach, of specific primers for the detection and identification of Mycosphaerella spp. commonly reported from leaf lesions of E. globulus and E. nitens in Australia. Primer design was assisted by sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis of 165 nonredundant sequences from the nuclear ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer regions of Mycosphaerella and related species. Phylo-genetic analysis revealed very high sequence similarity for two taxon groups, Mycosphaerella grandis and M. parva, and M. vespa, M. ambi phylla, and M. molleriana, and primers were designed to differentiate each of the two groups. Three other species, M. cryptica, M. nubilosa, and M. tasmaniensis, were distinct and distinguished by species-specific primers. In double-blind trials, the detection test accurately and rapidly identified Mycosphaerella spp. in cultures and discriminated against other pathogens that co-occur in or on Eucalyptus leaves, thereby verifying its reliability. The detection test has an internal amplification control in the first-round PCR with fungal-specific primers to raise confidence in test results, particularly to highlight negative results due to PCR inhibition. When applied to DNA extracted from leaf or stem samples either as multiple or single lesions, it detected and identified up to five Mycosphaerella spp. or taxon groups in both positively identified and in young (putative) MLD lesions. The samples were 20 mm(2) or larger in surface area and were collected while undertaking disease rating assessments in an experimental investigation of Eucalyptus plantations and regrowth forest. Using nested PCR detection, Mycosphaerella spp. were positively identified in 2 days, 1 to 5 months earlier than by classical methods, demonstrating the potential application of this detection test to the early discrimination of MLD components in ecological, epidemiological, and genetic investigations.     

Rapid and Sensitive Detection of Phytophthora sojae in Soil and Infected Soybeans by Species-Specific Polymerase Chain Reaction Assays

ABSTRACT Root and stem rot caused by Phytophthora sojae is one of the most destructive diseases of soybean (Glycine max) worldwide. P. sojae can survive as oospores in soil for many years. In order to develop a rapid and accurate method for the specific detection of P. sojae in soil, the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of eight P. sojae isolates were amplified using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with the universal primers DC6 and ITS4. The sequences of PCR products were aligned with published sequences of 50 other Phytophthora species, and a region specific to P. sojae was used to design the specific PCR primers, PS1 and PS2. More than 245 isolates representing 25 species of Phytophthora and at least 35 other species of pathogens were used to test the specificity of the primers. PCR amplification with PS primers resulted in the amplification of a product of approximately 330 bp, exclusively from isolates of P. sojae. Tests with P. sojae genomic DNA determined that the sensitivity of the PS primer set is approximately 1 fg. This PCR assay, combined with a simple soil screening method developed in this work, allowed the detection of P. sojae from soil within 6 h, with a detection sensitivity of two oospores in 20 g of soil. PCR with the PS primers could also be used to detect P. sojae from diseased soybean tissue and residues. Real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR assays were also developed to detect the pathogen directly in soil samples. The PS primer-based PCR assay provides a rapid and sensitive tool for the detection of P. sojae in soil and infected soybean tissue.     

Interaction Between Nitrogen-Fertilized Peach Trees and Expression of syrB, a Gene Involved in Syringomycin Production in Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae

ABSTRACT The in vitro expression of the syrB gene that controls the synthesis of syringomycin, a non-host-specific phytotoxin produced by Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae van Hall, was studied using aqueous extracts derived from bark tissues collected from nitrogen-fertilized and nonfertilized peach trees. Expression of the syrB gene was quantified as beta- galactosidase activity expressed by P. syringae pv. syringae B3AR-132 containing a syrB::lacZ fusion. Gene expression was significantly less in three of four paired comparisons using extracts derived from fertilized versus nonfertilized trees; however, canker lengths were significantly different in only one of four comparisons. Expression was negatively correlated with plant tissue nitrogen content and positively correlated with a plant carbon/nitrogen ratio. Bark tissue from ring nematodeinfested trees had significantly higher concentrations of total soluble phenolic compounds and carbon/nitrogen ratios than bark samples from trees without nematodes, and canker size was significantly greater in trees growing in ring nematode-infested soil compared with noninfested soil. Nitrogen fertilization significantly decreased the plant carbon/nitrogen ratio, which was positively correlated with the concentration of total soluble phenolic compounds. Canker size developing after bacterial inoculation was positively correlated with higher plant carbon/nitrogen ratios and total soluble phenolic compounds. These results support the hypothesis that one reason why nitrogen fertilization decreases host susceptibility to bacterial canker is by either reducing the amount of plant metabolites that can induce syrB gene expression, or producing or increasing the concentration of compounds that antagonize syrB inducing compounds.     

中国4省猕猴桃细菌性溃疡病菌的生物型检测和遗传多样性分析

由丁香假单胞菌猕猴桃致病变种Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae (Psa)侵染引起的猕猴桃细菌性溃疡病(kiwifruit bacterial canker)是全球猕猴桃生产上最具毁灭性的细菌病害。为探明福建、安徽、四川和陕西4省Psa菌株的生物型和遗传多样性,用5对PCR特异性引物PsaJ-F/-R、PsaK-F/-R、Tac-F/-R、Con002-F/-R和avrRps4-F1/-R2检测Psa菌株的生物型;用4对PCR引物27F/1492R、PsaF1/PsaR2、gapA-Fps/Rps和rpoD+364s/-1222ps分别扩增16S rRNA、ITS、gapA和rpoD基因,进行多基因联合分析Psa菌株的遗传多样性。结果表明,特异性引物Tac-F/-R从47株Psa菌株中均能扩增出一条545 bp的特异条带,其他4对引物未扩增出任何条带,说明供试Psa菌株的生物型均为biovar 3。多基因联合分析表明,4省Psa存在丰富的遗传多样性,4个群体共检测出27个单倍型,单倍型多样性为0.955。安徽、福建、四川和陕西群体的单倍型数差异较大,分别为1、8、12个和12个。4个群体的多态性位点数、核苷酸多样性和平均核苷酸差异数差异极显著(P<0.01),其中福建群体的多态性最丰富,而安徽群体的多态性最低。AMOVA分析表明,3.6%的遗传变异来源于种群间,而96.4%的遗传变异来源于种群内,说明种群内变异是遗传变异的主要来源。遗传分化分析表明,安徽省Psa群体与其他3个群体间的遗传分化极高(Fst>0.175),福建、四川和陕西群体间的遗传分化水平较低(Fst<0.017)。研究结果有利于了解福建省Psa的来源,为阻断Psa的传播和猕猴桃细菌性溃疡病的长期可持续控制提供了理论参考。     

Nontoxigenic Strains of Pseudomonas syringae pv. phaseolicola Are a Main Cause of Halo Blight of Beans in Spain and Escape Current Detection Methods

ABSTRACT From a collection of 152 pseudomonads isolated from diseased beans in Spain, 138 (91%) of the strains were identified as Pseudomonas syringae pv. phaseolicola and the rest as P. syringae pv. syringae. The P. syringae pv. phaseolicola strains produced typical water-soaked lesions on bean pods, although 95 of them did not produce phaseolotoxin in vitro. Ninety-four of these isolates did not produce the expected 0.5-kb product after polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification using primers specific for open reading frame (ORF) 6 of the phaseolotoxin (tox) gene cluster and did not contain DNA homologous to ORF 6 in Southern hybridization experiments. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the widespread occurrence in the field of strains of P. syringae pv. phaseolicola lacking the tox cluster, which contrasts sharply with the general belief that Tox(+) isolates are the only ones with epidemiological importance. Additionally, the tox(-) isolates were not specifically detected by a commercial polyclonal antisera in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Accordingly, it is possible that the certification of seed lots as free of the pathogen cannot be reliably done in Spain, or in any other country where tox(-) strains might occur frequently, using current PCR or serological protocols. The amplification of three avirulence genes by PCR allowed us to make predictions of the P. syringae pv. phaseolicola race structure, as confirmed by plant assays. Six races (races 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, and 9) were identified, with race 7 being the most prevalent (46.1%) followed by races 6 (21.3%) and 1 (9.0%). All the tox(-) isolates contained gene avrPphF, typical of races 1, 5, 7, and 9.     

Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction Identification of Single Individuals of the Longidorid Nematodes Xiphinema index, X. diversicaudatum, X. vuittenezi, and X. italiae Using Specific Primers from Ribosomal Genes

ABSTRACT The species X. index, X. diversicaudatum, X. vuittenezi, and X. italiae are established (E) or putative (P) vectors of Grapevine fanleaf virus (GFLV) (E), Arabis mosaic virus (E), Grapevine chrome mosaic virus (P), and GFLV (P) nepoviruses of grapevine, respectively. All four species are very closely related taxonomically and their low field densities make them difficult to identify from morphological and morphometrical diagnostic characters when only single or few individuals are detected. To improve diagnostic accuracy, a simple method was developed. The internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) region spanning the 18S and 5.8S ribosomal genes was sequenced in one population of each species using two conserved primers from these genes. The ITS1 fragments were 1,132 bp (X. vuittenezi), 1,153 bp (X. index), 1,175 bp (X. diversicaudatum), and 1,190 bp (X. italiae), i.e., a difference of over 5% between the extremes. The sequence variability made it possible to design species-specific internal sense primers that amplified, in combination with the same antisense ITS1 primer, a single signature fragment (340 bp for X. index, 414 bp for X. italiae, 591 bp for X. vuittenezi, and 813 bp for X. diversicaudatum). Tests with DNA from a single adult or juvenile nematode confirmed the specificity of the primers from diverse isolates or populations. The primers were successfully used in a multiplex test for the reliable detection of two to four mixed species, each represented by a single individual. This multiplex-based diagnostic tool will be particularly useful for successful nematode management practices in vineyards.     

Specific Polymerase Chain Reaction Primers for the Detection of Plasmodiophora brassicae in Soil and Water

ABSTRACT The development of specific oligonucleotide primers for Plasmodiophora brassicae has led to a nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) detection method for P. brassicae in soil and water. Initially, the PCR was used to amplify a section of the rDNA repeat. The PCR products were sequenced and the data used to design primers that were directed at the ribosomal RNA genes and internal transcribed spacer regions. Specificity was tested against more than 40 common soil organisms, host plants, and spore suspension contaminants, as well as P. brassicae isolates from around Australia and the world. Sensitivity was determined to be 0.1 fentograms (fg; 10(-15) g) for pure template and as low as 1,000 spores per g of potting mix. In soil, P. brassicae was detected in all soils where the inoculum was sufficient to result in clubroot symptoms. Also outlined is a simple method of DNA extraction from soil.     

Multiplex PCR for specific and robust detection of Xanthomonas campestris pv. musacearum in pure culture and infected plant material

The present study developed a pathovar‐specific PCR for the detection of Xanthomonas campestris pv. musacearum (Xcm), the cause of banana xanthomonas wilt, by amplification of a 265‐bp region of the gene encoding the general secretion pathway protein D (GspD). A distinct DNA fragment of the expected size was amplified from genomic DNA from all of 12 Xcm isolates tested and no amplification of DNA was observed from other xanthomonads or plant‐associated bacteria, including the two closely related species Xanthomonas vasicola pv. holcicola and Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. vasculorum. The Xcm‐specific PCR was successfully multiplexed with internal control primers targeting 16S rDNA for application on DNA from bacterial cultures and with primers targeting plant mitochondrial 26S rDNA for application on DNA extracted from plant material. Diagnostic discrimination of healthy and infected plants was subsequently demonstrated in tests on artificially inoculated screenhouse cultivars of banana and field bananas with and without symptoms sampled from different parts of Uganda. This study therefore demonstrated a robust and specific Xcm diagnostic tool with the added advantage of applying internal PCR controls for direct quality assessment of results.     

Polymerase Chain Reaction Assays for the Detection and Discrimination of the Soybean Rust Pathogens Phakopsora pachyrhizi and P. meibomiae

ABSTRACT Soybean rust occurs in Australia and many countries throughout Africa, Asia, and South America. The causal agents of soybean rust are two closely related fungi, Phakopsora pachyrhizi and P. meibomiae, which are differentiated based upon morphological characteristics of the telia. Determination of the nucleotide sequence of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region revealed greater than 99% nucleotide sequence similarity among isolates of either P. pachyrhizi or P. meibomiae, but only 80% sequence similarity between the two species. Utilizing differences within the ITS region, four sets of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers were designed specifically for P. pachyrhizi and two sets for P. meibomiae. Classical and real-time fluorescent PCR assays were developed to identify and differentiate between P. pachyrhizi and P. meibomiae. Identification of P. pachyrhizi from infected soybean leaves using the real-time PCR assay will allow for more rapid diagnoses.