Influence of take-all epidemics on winter wheat yield formation and yield loss

ABSTRACT The effects of take-all epidemics on winter wheat yield formation were determined, and disease-yield relationships were established to assess the agronomic efficacy and economic benefits of control methods. Epidemics were generated in naturally infested fields by varying cropping season, crop order in the rotation, and experimental fungicide seed treatment. Disease incidence and severity were assessed from tillering to flowering. Yield components were measured at harvest. Models simulating the formation of the yield components in the absence of limiting factors were used to estimate the losses caused by take-all. Losses were predicted by the disease level at a specific time or the area under the disease progress curve, reflecting accumulation during a specific period. Losses of grain number per square meter and 1,000-grain weight were linked to cumulative disease incidence between the beginning of stem elongation and flowering, and disease incidence at midstem elongation, respectively. Yield losses were accounted for by both cumulative disease incidence between sowing and flowering, and disease incidence at midstem elongation. Results confirm the importance of nitrogen fertilization in reducing the impact of take-all on wheat.     

Modulation of primary and secondary infections in epidemics of carrot cavity spot through agronomic management practices

The relative importance of primary and secondary infections (auto- and alloinfections) in the development of a carrot cavity spot (CCS) epidemic caused by Pythium spp. were investigated. Three cropping factors: fungicide application, soil moisture and planting density, were selected as the key variables affecting the disease tetrahedron. Their effects on: (i) disease measurements at a specific time, (ii) the areas under the disease progress curves (AUDPCs) and (iii) a time-dependent parameter in a pathometric incidence-severity relationship, were studied. Mefenoxam applications 5 and 9 weeks after sowing reduced the intensity of a field CCS epidemic that involved both primary and secondary infections. In microcosm experiments, mefenoxam reduced secondary infections by Pythium violae obtained by transplanting infected carrot roots and slowed disease progress (1·6 lesions per root in treated versus 5·8 lesions in non-treated microcosms). A deficit of soil moisture limited the movement of Pythium propagules to host tissue, and thus reduced primary infections in the field; it also promoted the healing of lesions, limiting lesion expansion and the potential for alloinfections (6·8–7·5 lesions per root in irrigated plots compared with 2·4 lesions in non-irrigated plots). A negative relationship between the mean root-to-root distance and the rate of alloinfections was established in microcosms; a reduction in mean planting density was also effective in limiting CCS development (0·5, 1·6 and 2·0 lesions per root in microcosms containing 8, 16 and 31 roots, respectively). An integrated disease management system based on a combination of cultural methods, such as optimized fungicide application, date of harvest versus soil moisture content, and host density versus planting pattern, may make a useful contribute to the control of CCS.     

Size, shape and intensity of aggregation of take-all disease during natural epidemics in second wheat crops

Point pattern analysis (fitting of the beta-binomial distribution and binary form of power law) was used to describe the spatial pattern of natural take-all epidemics (caused by Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici ) on a second consecutive crop of winter wheat in plots under different cropping practices that could have an impact on the quantity and spatial distribution of primary inoculum, and on the spread of the disease. The spatial pattern of take-all was aggregated in 48% of the datasets when disease incidence was assessed at the plant level and in 83% when it was assessed at the root level. Clusters of diseased roots were in general less than 1 m in diameter for crown roots and 1–1·5 m for seminal roots; when present, clusters of diseased plants were 2–2·5 m in diameter. Anisotropy of the spatial pattern was detected and could be linked to soil cultivation. Clusters did not increase in size over the cropping season, but increased spatial heterogeneity of the disease level was observed, corresponding to local disease amplification within clusters. The relative influences of autonomous spread and inoculum dispersal on the size and shape of clusters are discussed.     

Modeling of take-all epidemics to evaluate the efficacy of a new seed-treatment fungicide on wheat

ABSTRACT Take-all, caused by Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici, is a damaging disease of wheat that remains difficult to control. The efficacy of an experimental fungicide, applied as a seed treatment, was evaluated in five naturally infested field experiments conducted during three cropping seasons. Plants were sampled and assessed for take-all incidence and severity at different growth stages. Nonlinear models expressing disease variables as a function of degree-days were fitted to the observed data. The incidence equation involved two parameters reflecting the importance of primary and secondary infection cycles. The earliness of infection was identified as an important variable to interpret the effects of the fungicide. In an early epidemic, the fungicide significantly reduced take-all incidence during all or most of the cropping season, whereas in late epidemics, it provided only moderate reductions of incidence. The seed treatment reduced incidence by delaying the primary infection cycle. The fungicide significantly reduced severity during the whole epidemic. It appeared more efficient in limiting root-to-root spread than in slowing down the extension of necrosis on diseased roots.     

Studies into primary and secondary infection processes by Plasmodiophora brassicae on canola

The early stages of infection of canola roots by the clubroot pathogen Plasmodiophora brassicae were investigated. Inoculation with 1 × 10⁵ resting spores mL^?1 resulted in primary (root hair) infection at 12 h after inoculation (hai). Secondary (cortical) infection began to be observed at 72 hai. When inoculated onto plants at a concentration of 1 × 10⁴ mL^?1, secondary zoospores produced primary infections similar to those obtained with resting spores at a concentration of 1 × 10⁵ mL^?1. Secondary zoospores caused secondary infections earlier than resting spores. When the plants were inoculated with 1 × 10⁷ resting spores mL^?1, 2 days after being challenged with 1 × 10⁴ or 1 × 10⁵ resting spores mL^?1, secondary infections were observed on the very next day, which was earlier than the secondary infections resulting from inoculation with 1 × 10⁷ resting spores mL^?1 alone and more severe than those produced by inoculation with 1 × 10⁴ or 1 × 10⁵ resting spores mL^?1 alone. Compared with the single inoculations, secondary infections on plants that had received both inoculations remained at higher levels throughout a 7‐day time course. These data indicate that primary zoospores can directly cause secondary infection when the host is under primary infection, helping to understand the relationship and relative importance of the two infection stages of P. brassicae.     

Demonstration of secondary infection by Pythium violae in epidemics of carrot cavity spot using root transplantation as a method of soil infestation

Cavity spot of carrot (CCS), one of the most important soilborne diseases of this crop worldwide, is characterized by small sunken elliptical lesions on the taproot caused by a complex of pathogens belonging to the genus Pythium , notably P. violae . In most soilborne diseases the soil is the source of inoculum for primary infections, with diseased plants then providing inoculum for secondary infections (both auto- and alloinfection). Using fragments of CCS lesions to infest soil, it was demonstrated that CCS lesions on carrot residues can cause primary infection of healthy roots. Using a novel soil infestation method, in which an artificially infected carrot root (the donor plant) was placed close to healthy roots (receptor plants) the formation of typical CCS lesions were induced more efficiently than the use of classical soil inoculum and showed that CCS can spread from root to root by alloinfection from transplanted diseased roots. The method also demonstrated the polycyclic nature of a CCS epidemic caused by P. violae in controlled conditions. Secondary infections caused symptoms and reduced root weight as early as two weeks after transplantation of the diseased carrot. This reproducible method may be used for delayed inoculation and for studying the effect of cropping factors and the efficacy of treatments against primary and secondary cavity spot infections.     

Importance of secondary inoculum of Plasmopara viticola to epidemics of grapevine downy mildew

To quantify the magnitude and the spatial spread of grapevine downy mildew secondary sporangia, 4685 Plasmopara viticola single lesion samples were collected from 18 plots spread across central Europe. Disease symptoms were collected on two to 22 sampling dates per plot between 2000 and 2002. Four multiallelic microsatellite markers were used for genotypic identification of pathogen samples. Genetic analysis showed more than 2300 site-specific P. viticola genotypes, indicating that populations are genetically rich demographic units. Approximately 70% of the genotypes were sampled once and 14% were sampled twice throughout the various epidemics. In the 18 populations only seven genotypes (0.3%) were identified more than 50 times. Three genotypes particularly successful in causing disease through secondary cycles showed mainly a clustered distribution. The distance of sporangial migration per secondary cycle was less than 20 m and their plot colonization rate was calculated at around 1–2 m² day⁻¹. Downy mildew epidemics of grapevine are therefore the result of the interaction of a multitude of genotypes, each causing limited (or a few) lesions, and of a dominant genotype able to spread stepwise at plot-scale. These findings contrast with current theories about grapevine downy mildew epidemiology, which postulate that there is massive vineyard colonization by one genotype and long-distance migration of sporangia.     

Reaction of potato cultivars to primary and secondary infection by potato mop-top furovirus and strategies for virus detection1

Potato cultivars in elite seed production in Finland were tested for susceptibility to primary and secondary infection by potato mop-top furovirus (PMTV) in field and pot experiments during 1987 and 1988. The tubers of all 22 cultivars tested became infected under favourable conditions in naturally infested soil, and most of them showed external and internal spraing symptoms when stored first at 18°C for 2 weeks and then 2 weeks at 8°C. The second incubation cycle increased the percentage of tubers manifesting symptoms and the halving of tubers also favoured symptom development. The cultivars most tolerant to primary infection were Pito, Hertha and Record, and the most susceptible were Sabina, Olympia, Saturna and Matilda. The same cultivars, excluding Saturna, were also the most susceptible to secondary infection, which decreased tuber yield up to 37%. The virus could be detected fairly reliably in soils by the bait-plant method, and in the tubers after a repeated cycle of incubation at 18 and 8°C. Electron microscopy and serological methods are useful in both virus detection and identification but they still have severe limitations.     

Analysing epidemics in time and space

Simple models of disease increase in time and space are developed by considering the rate of isopath movement (change in distance of a given level of disease in unit time) from a focal centre. Linear equations for simultaneously estimating parameters of temporal progress and spatial spread are derived for different types of epidemics. The uses of the models in estimation and interpretation are demonstrated by reference to published epidemic data.     

Development of potato late blight epidemics: disease foci, disease gradients, and infection sources

ABSTRACT Natural potato late blight epidemics were studied to assess the relative impact of various inoculum sources of Phytophthora infestans in Southern Flevoland (the Netherlands) from 1994 through 1996. Disease surveys were combined with characterization of isolates for mating type and DNA fingerprint pattern using probe RG57. Seventy-four percent of the commercial potato fields with early foci were clearly associated with nearby infested refuse piles. Characterization of isolates from refuse piles and fields confirmed the association. Infected seed tubers, volunteer plants, and infested allotment gardens appeared to be of minor importance for late blight development in potato fields. Several foci in refuse piles, potato fields, and allotment gardens contained more than one genotype. Due to favorable weather in August 1994, infested organic potato fields became major inoculum sources, resulting in the spread of P. infestans to adjacent conventional potato fields. Analyses of disease gradients, both at the field and regional levels, confirmed the role of the organic fields as mid-season infection sources. The mean slope of field gradients downwind of refuse piles (point sources) was significantly steeper (100-fold difference) than the mean slope of field gradients downwind of organic fields (area sources). The genotypic composition of the P. infestans populations along the gradient and of the source populations in the organic potato crops did not differ significantly. Analysis of the region gradient revealed genotype-specific disease gradients. Control measures are recommended.     

Modeling and analysis of disease-induced host growth in the epidemiology of take-all

ABSTRACT Epidemiological modeling, together with parameter estimation to experimental data, was used to examine the contribution of disease-induced root growth to the spread of take-all in wheat. Production of roots from plants grown in the absence of disease was compared with production of those grown in the presence of disease and the precise form of diseaseinduced growth was examined by fitting a mechanistic model to data describing change in the number of infected and susceptible roots over time from a low and a high density of inoculum. During the early phase of the epidemic, diseased plants produced more roots than their noninfected counterparts. However, as the epidemic progressed, the rate of root production for infected plants slowed so that by the end of the epidemic, and depending on inoculum density, infected plants had fewer roots than uninfected plants. The dynamical change in the numbers of infected and susceptible roots over time could only be explained by the mechanistic model when allowance was made for disease-induced root growth. Analysis of the effect of disease-induced root production on the spread of disease using the model suggests that additional roots produced early in the epidemic serve only to reduce the proportion of diseased roots. However, as the epidemic switches from primary to secondary infection, these roots perform an active role in the transmission of disease. Some consequence of disease-induced root growth for field epidemics is discussed.     

河北省小麦全蚀病菌变种类型鉴定

2007年从河北省的保定、石家庄、邢台小麦主产区采集小麦全蚀病株,共分离得到62个菌株,对其所属的变种类型进行了形态学和分子生物学鉴定。根据形态、培养性状、生理特性以及在小麦、高粱、水稻、玉米、燕麦等禾本科作物上的致病性,初步认定测定的所有菌株均为禾顶囊壳小麦变种(Gaeumannomyces graminisvar.tritici)。进一步采用4个变种的特异性引物进行PCR扩增,在所有菌株中扩增出870bp的条带,该片段为禾顶囊壳小麦变种特异性片段,证实所测菌株均为禾顶囊壳小麦变种。     

Effect of take-all root infections on nitrate uptake in winter wheat

The effect of take-all root lesions on nitrate uptake of wheat was investigated in two experiments under controlled conditions. Plants were supplied with a nutrient solution labelled with ¹⁵N during stem elongation and flowering to assess the distribution of the isotopic tracer in the different plant organs, and particularly in root segments located on both sides of take-all lesions. The ¹⁵N atom percentage excess measured in root segments located below lesions longer than 1 cm was reduced on average by half compared with that in healthy roots and root segments above lesions, reflecting a reduction in nitrogen uptake by these root segments. This reduction probably resulted from the invasion and breakdown of phloem vessels by the fungus hyphae, interrupting energy supply and thus the uptake process. Severely infected plants showed an increase in the uptake rate per unit of efficient root, which appeared to be a compensatory response to reduction of efficient root biomass in order to satisfy shoot nitrogen demand. However, this compensatory response was insufficient to ensure nitrogen accumulation equivalent to that of healthy plants, as reductions in nitrogen accumulated in roots and aerial parts at flowering were up to 56 and 49%, respectively, for plants with more than 50% of the root system below lesions longer than 1 cm.     

利用小麦内生细菌防治小麦全蚀病的初步研究

植物内生细菌是指能定殖在健康植物组织内,并与植物建立了和谐关系的一类细菌。内生细菌对植物的益生作用主要表现为促进植物生长、抑制植物病原物、增加植物的抗逆性和他感作用等几个方面。小麦全蚀病（wheat take-all）作为一种世界毁灭性病害,目前,由于缺乏抗病品种和有效的化学防治药剂,所以利用微生物之间的拮抗作用来控制小麦全蚀病危害具有广阔的应用前景。本研究通过从小麦里分离出内生细菌,从中筛选出对小麦全蚀病菌具有拮抗作用的菌株,在研究其拮抗机制和定殖作用基础上,对其防治小麦全蚀病的作用进行了初步研究。     

Effect of primary inoculum sources of bean common bacterial blight on early epidemics,seed yield and quality aspects

Rainfed wetland rice (RWR) had more species in common with irrigated wetland than dryland rice agroecosystems. Across ecosystems, higher pest densities and losses were recorded in RWR sites. We hypothesise that under low pressure from natural enemies, vegetative stage losses became particularly high due the combination of whorl maggot and caseworm damage combined with the physiological stress of transplanting shock. Both of these pest groups benefited from an expanded vegetative period common in RWR agroecosystems. Losses in older rice were probably due to stemborers. RWR is more prone to an array of physiological stresses than irrigated rice that we believe minimises crop compensation to accentuate insect losses. Chemical control is uneconomical mainly due to the low yield potential of RWR and the poor efficacy of applied insecticide.     

高山红景天根腐病初侵染源及侵入途径

对高山红景天根腐病初侵染来源和侵入途径的研究结果表明,0～60 cm深度范围内的病区土壤和病株残体可以成为高山红景天根腐病的主要初侵染来源,而种子带菌率很低不能成为主要侵染来源;高山红景天根腐病菌可以通过伤口和直接侵入植株根部引起病害,其中伤口更有利于病原菌的侵入。     

Airborne ascospores ofDidymella rabiei as a major primary inoculum for Ascochyta blight epidemics in chickpea crops in southern Spain

The incidence and severity of Ascochyta blight in potted chickpea trap plants exposed for 1-wk periods near infested chickpea debris in Córdoba, Spain, or in chickpea trap crops at least 100 m from infested chickpea debris in several locations in southern Spain were correlated with pseudothecial maturity and ascospore production ofDidymella rabiei from nearby chickpea debris. The period of ascospore availability varied from January to May and depended on rain and maturity of pseudothecia. The airborne concentration of ascospores ofD. rabiei was also monitored in 1988. Ascospores were trapped mostly from the beginning of January to late February; this period coincided with that of maturity of pseudothecia on the chickpea debris. Most ascospores were trapped on rainy days during daylight and 70% were trapped between 12.00 and 18.00 h. Autumn-winter sowings of chickpea were exposed longer to ascospore inoculum than the more traditional spring sowings because the autumn-winter sowings were exposed to the entire period of ascospore production on infested chickpea debris lying on the soil surface.