Bacterial leaf streak of Gramineae in Iran

Bacterial leaf streaks of wheat and barley in Kerman province (Iran) were found to be distinct in etiology. The barley strains were limited in host range and could only infect barley. The wheat strains were pathogenic to barley, wheat, rye, triticale, Bromus spp., Agropyron spp., Elymus junceus, Lolium multiflorum , and Phalaris tuberosa , but not Dactylis glomerata, Cynodon dactylon, Phleum pratense , and oat. Based on host reactions and electrophoretic patterns of cell proteins, the barley and wheat strains were identified as Xanthomonas campestris pv. hordei and pv. cerealis , respectively.     

Development of apothecia of the eyespot pathogen Tapesia on cereal crop stubble residue in England

A reservoir of infection of Tapesia yallundae may exist after harvest in bases of cereal stems due to the presence of apothecia capable of discharging infective ascospores. Apothecia of T. yallundae developed in a seasonal pattern on winter barley inoculated with the pathogen, with maximum numbers of apothecia produced on stubble 5–7 months after harvest. A similar pattern of development was observed on infected winter wheat. However, the peak in numbers of mature apothecia was observed 2 months later than in winter barley. Apothecia capable of discharging ascospores were present for up to 6 months on stubble. Apothecia of T. acuformis were not detected on spring or winter barley, or spring or winter wheat stubble, despite inoculation of growing crops with isolates of compatible mating type.     

How can research on pathogen population biology suggest disease management strategies? The example of barley scald (Rhynchosporium commune)

Barley scald fungus, Rhynchosporium commune, belongs to a host‐specialized species complex infecting grasses. Coalescent analyses of several genes indicate that R. commune originated c. 2500 years ago, after the domestication of barley. Phylogeographical analyses identified a diversity hotspot in Scandinavia, indicating an origin in northern Europe. After its emergence, R. commune became distributed globally on infected seeds, eventually invading the Fertile Crescent and infecting wild barley progenitors. Analyses of gene flow identified historical routes of migration out of Scandinavia and indicate a high degree of modern gene flow among South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. About 76% of global species diversity is found within barley fields, with all field populations showing a genetic structure consistent with sexual recombination. High levels of regional gene flow suggest wind‐dispersed ascospores and movement of infected seed. Quantitative traits, including pathogen aggressiveness, thermal sensitivity and fungicide resistance, showed high heritability and high levels of diversity within nine globally representative populations. Field experiments provided evidence for a fitness cost associated with complex virulence and a trade‐off between pathogenic and saprophytic fitness. All findings indicate that global R. commune populations have significant potential to evolve rapidly in response to environmental changes, including deployment of resistant cultivars, fungicide applications and global warming. Specific recommendations to improve management of barley scald include: (i) focus resistance breeding efforts in northern Europe, which offers the best location to screen germplasm and may provide useful sources of scald resistance; (ii) improve seed treatment, certification and quarantine programmes to limit long distance pathogen movement; (iii) manage barley stubble to decrease pathogen population size, limit production of sexual inoculum and reduce the pathogen's evolutionary potential.     

Effects of harvesting and stubble management on abundance of pest rodents (Mus musculus) in a conservation agriculture system

BACKGROUND

The shift to more environmentally sensitive agricultural practices over the last several decades has changed farmland landscapes worldwide. Changes including no-till and retaining high biomass mulch has been coincident with an increase in rodent pests in South Africa, India, South America and Europe, indicating a possible conflict between conservation agriculture (CA) and rodent pest management. Research on effects of various crop management practices associated with CA on pest rodent population dynamics is needed to anticipate and develop CA-relevant management strategies.

RESULTS

During the Australian 2020–2021 mouse plague, farmers used postharvest stubble management practices, including flattening and/or cutting, to reduce stubble cover in paddocks to lessen habitat suitability for pest house mice. We used this opportunity to assess the effects of both harvest and stubble management on the movement and abundance of mice in paddocks using mouse trapping and radio tracking. We found that most tracked mice remained resident in paddocks throughout harvest, and that mouse population abundance was generally unaffected by stubble management.

CONCLUSION

Recent conversions to CA practices have changed how pest house mice use cropped land. Management practices that reduce postharvest habitat complexity do not appear to reduce the attractiveness of paddocks to mice, and further research into new management strategies in addition to toxic bait use is required as part of an integrated pest management approach. © 2023 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.     

Mango malformation disease and the associated fusarium species

ABSTRACT Mango malformation disease (MMD) occurs in Asia, Africa, and the Americas and was first reported in India in 1891. The vegetative form of MMD was first reproduced in 1966 with Fusarium moniliforme and the floral form with isolates of F. moniliforme var. subglutinans from both vegetative shoots and floral tissue. The fungi were subsequently recognized as F. subglutinans. In 2002, a new species, F. mangiferae, was established based on nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequences; it included strains of F. subglutinans from Egypt, Florida, Israel, Malaysia, and South Africa, some of which had been shown to cause MMD by artificial inoculation. At least three additional taxa have been associated with MMD: F. sterilihyphosum from Brazil and South Africa, and Fusarium sp. nov. and F. proliferatum (teleomorph: Gibberella intermedia) from Malaysia. To date, Koch's postulates have not been completed with them. In the future, gene sequencing will be essential to identify the Fusarium spp. that are associated with MMD. Work remains to be done on the morphology, sexual compatibility, pathogenicity, and toxigenicity of these taxa.     

Species‐specific real‐time PCR for diagnosis of Phyllosticta citricarpa on Citrus species

Phyllosticta citricarpa (teleomorph Guignardia citricarpa) is the causal agent of citrus black spot, a disease causing lesions on fruits and leaves of different Citrus species in Asia, Australia, South Africa and South America. It is a quarantine organism in the European Union and the USA and hence a reliable differentiation between this species and other Phyllosticta species found on Citrus is essential. A differentiation based on morphology is often problematic, hence a range of molecular tests have been developed to distinguish P. citricarpa from other species present on citrus fruits, especially the endophyte Phyllosticta capitalensis (teleomorph Guignardia mangiferae). However, these tests cannot distinguish P. citricarpa from the closely related Phyllosticta citriasiana, the causal agent of tan spot disease. In this study, a real‐time PCR was designed which is specific for P. citricarpa and does not amplify P. citriasiana or P. capitalensis DNA.     

Isolation of R-type progeny of Tapesia yallundae from apothecia on wheat stubble in England

Apothecia of Tapesia yallundae were collected from a set-aside straw stubble site in Lincolnshire in March 1993. Single ascospore isolates were obtained which produced colonies with morphologies and growth rates characteristic of the R-pathotype of Pseudocercosporella herpotrichoides. Isolates were confirmed to be R-type by the use of randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. These observations confirm that T. yallundae is the teleomorph of the R-type of P. herpotrichoides and represent the first detection of the sexual stage of the R-type in the UK.     

The role of Poa annua in the epidemiology of barley yellow dwarf virus in autumn-sown cereals

Studies of cereal aphids and barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV) from 1989 to 1992 revealed that Poa annua is an abundant weed of commercial winter barley crops during the summer months. P. annua was frequently infected with BYDV, and there were usually similarities with the BYDV infection of the surrounding barley crop. These P. annua weeds were often infested by cereal aphids both in July (pre-harvest) and in September (in cereal stubble fields). Poa -infested cereal stubbles may be major local sources of viruliferous aphids, increasing the risk of BYDV in nearby winter cereals. P. annua plays an important role in the epidemiology of S. avenae -transmitted BYDV.     

A Compromised Mlo Pathway Affects the Response of Barley to the Necrotrophic Fungus Bipolaris sorokiniana (Teleomorph: Cochliobolus sativus) and Its Toxins

ABSTRACT In search of new durable disease resistance traits in barley to control leaf spot blotch disease caused by the necrotrophic fungus Bipolaris sorokiniana (teleomorph: Cochliobolus sativus), we developed macroscopic and microscopic scales to judge spot blotch disease development on barley. Infection of barley was associated with cell wall penetration and accumulation of hydrogen peroxide. The latter appeared to take place in cell wall swellings under fungal penetration attempts as well as during cell death provoked by the necrotrophic pathogen. Additionally, we tested the influence of a compromised Mlo pathway that confers broad resistance against powdery mildew fungus (Blumeria graminis f. sp. hordei). Powdery mildew-resistant genotypes with mutations at the Mlo locus (mlo genotypes) showed a higher sensitivity to infiltration of toxic culture filtrate of Bipolaris sorokiniana as compared with wild-type barley. Mutants defective in Ror, a gene required for mlo-specified powdery mildew resistance, were also more sensitive to Bipolaris sorokiniana toxins than wild-type barley but showed less symptoms than mlo5 parents. Fungal culture filtrates induced an H2O2 burst in all mutants, whereas wild-type (Mlo) barley was less sensitive. The results support the hypothesis that the barley Mlo gene product functions as a suppresser of cell death. Therefore, a compromised Mlo pathway is effective for control of biotrophic powdery mildew fungus but not for necrotrophic Bipolaris sorokiniana. We discuss the problem of finding resistance traits that are effective against both biotrophic and necrotrophic pathogens with emphasis on the role of the anti-oxidative system of plant cells.     

Integrated Management Practices for the Control of Maize Grey Leaf Spot

Grey leaf spot of maize, (Zea maydis L.) (Cercospora zeae-maydis) Tehon and Daniels, is one of the most destructive leaf diseases of maize. The distribution and severity of grey leaf spot has increased over the past 10 to 15 years. The United States and South Africa are main areas where research on the disease has been concentrated. The research results have provided valuable and significant insight into pathogen epidemiology and allowed an integrated management system to be developed. However, management options are a result of the agricultural system under which maize is produced. The pathogen survives only on maize, so crop rotation and stubble management are major factors in disease management, but resistant hybrids offer the best option for economic control. Many other factors, such as soil fertility, plant density, irrigation and chemical control, can significantly influence a grey leaf spot epidemic, although a single management practice will not control the pathogen effectively.     

Observations of apothecia of Tapesia yallundae and the cultural phenotypes of their progeny

Apothecia of Tapesia yallundae, the perfect state of Pseudocercosporella herpotrichoides, were found in March 1989 on wheat and barley stubble at nine of 37 naturally infested sites and also at one inoculated site in Germany. Apothecia were found on about 1% of stems collected from the naturally infested sites and 5% of stems from the inoculated site, and were first found in the second week of March, coinciding with the onset of an early spring. Apothecia were not found on either green plants or second-year stubble. In total, 143 single-spore isolates were obtained from the apothecia and described according to a range of morphological characteristics. The majority were ascribed to P. herpotrichoides var. herpotrichoides. This is the first isolation of this variety from T. yallundae apothecia in Germany. Even single-conidial isolates from one apothecium showed much variation, some being like var. herpotrichoides, some like var. acuformis and some intermediate.     

Survival of Leptosphaeria maculans and associated mycobiota on oilseed rape stubble buried in soil

Leptosphaeria maculans , the causal agent of phoma stem canker on oilseed rape, is an important pathogen in oilseed rape growing regions of the world, including Australia. Survival of L. maculans and associated mycobiota on oilseed rape stubble buried for 13 months in field soil and in sandy soil was studied under South Australian environmental conditions. Stubble weight decreased significantly by the end of the burial period, more so in field (53·7%) than in sandy soil (22%). Pseudothecia did not develop on stubble buried in field soil and few formed when buried in sandy soil. Moist incubation of stubble following retrieval from both media generated pseudothecia; however, pseudothecial development ceased on stubble that had been buried for 10 and 12 months in field and sandy soil, respectively. In total, 20 and 36 genera of fungi were isolated from stubble before and after burial, respectively. Alternaria spp., L. maculans and Stemphylium botryosum were isolated from 81·7, 70 and 60% of stubble pieces before burial, respectively. Isolation frequency of these species decreased significantly throughout the burial period in both media. Conversely, isolation frequency of Stachybotrys chartarum , Fusarium spp. and Trichoderma spp., having pre-burial frequencies of 26·7, 16·7 and 2·5%, respectively, increased over the burial period regardless of soil type. These findings suggest that inoculum production of L. maculans decreases with the increasing burial duration in field soil over 10 months, before ceasing, and this may be due to associated mycobiota.     

Genetic variation of the invasive Campuloclinium macrocephalum,Asteraceae in South Africa,inferred from molecular markers

Campuloclinium macrocephalum is native to Central and South America, but is a highly invasive weed in South Africa, where it is commonly known as the ‘pompom weed’. It is targeted for biological control, the success of which will depend on host specificity and biotype compatibility to its full genetic diversity in South Africa. We investigated the genetic diversity and phylogeography of 52 specimens from across South Africa, 14 from Argentina and three from Brazil using nuclear ribosomal ITS regions. We further explored the AFLP marker diversity in 54 South African, 25 Argentine and three Brazilian specimens. Maximum parsimony analysis of the ITS sequence data produced an unresolved phylogeny. However, three haplotypes were recognised via network analysis. All South African, one Brazilian and all bar one of the Argentine individuals shared a single haplotype. AFLP analyses generated two genetic clusters with a low net nucleotide distance of 0.115 and further revealed that most plants were a mixture of alleles from these two genetic clusters. Although there was a significant genetic variation among the populations, genetic differentiation and mean heterozygosity were low, suggesting that clonal reproduction may be occurring. The current South African populations may therefore be clonal products with different proportions of genetic admixture introduced more than once. The original point of entry appears to be Gauteng, South Africa. Long‐distance dispersal appears to have played a major role in its spread across South Africa. Candidate Argentine biological control agents should therefore be effective on C. macrocephalum in South Africa.     

DIRECT-DRILLING OF CEREALS AFTER USE OF PARAQUAT

Summary. Cereal crops were grown at Jealott's Hill in 1962 and 1963 without cultivations, following the use, before drilling, of paraquat to kill unwanted vegetation. This investigation was extended with a series of trials at outside centres. Three trials with winter wheat were drilled in the autumn of 1963, two into pasture and one into stubble. Three barley trials were drilled into stubble in spring 1964.
All the autumn trials and one spring trial compared direct-drilling with normal cultivations at two levels of nitrogen. The other two spring trials compared rates and times of application of paraquat without any plough comparison.
Individual trials showed significant yield differences between direct-drilling and ploughing, but there was no consistent advantage in favour of either technique.
Spraying in advance of drilling generally resulted in similar yields to spraying and drilling on the same day. Winter wheat drilled into pastures showed some retardation of spring growth when spraying and drilling had been carried out on the same day.
When averaged over times of application, yields after spraying paraquat at 2 lb/ac were significantly higher than after 1 lb/ac.
In the trials where two levels of nitrogen were included crops responded to an increase from 60 to 120 units nitrogen/ac as top dressing for winter wheat and from 60 to 90 units nitrogen/ac combine-drilled for spring barley; the response was not always significant.
Semis direct de céréales après application de paraquat     

Pathogenomic analyses of Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici supports a close genetic relationship between South and East Africa

Wheat stripe rust, caused by the fungal pathogen Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst), occurs in all major wheat-growing regions worldwide and poses a constant threat to production. In South Africa, Pst first emerged in 1996 in the Western Cape and has since caused frequent epidemics with three further distinct races (pathotypes) recorded to date. Herein, we undertook detailed genomic-based analyses of four Pst isolates that represent the four dominant Pst races in South Africa recorded between 1996 and 2005. This analysis identified a number of polymorphic genes with features of known effector proteins and provided additional support of the likely stepwise changes in virulence profile of these South African Pst isolates. Next, we carried out comparative genomic-based analyses with 54 additional Pst isolates collected across wheat-growing regions within South Africa between 1996 and 2017 and 58 Pst isolates from East Africa, Pakistan, the UK, and France. This revealed a close genetic relationship between Pst isolates in South Africa and a number from East Africa. Furthermore, we found the South African Pst isolates also grouped closely with isolates identified in the UK in 2013 that were specifically found on triticale, illustrating long-distance transmission of Pst isolates either between these regions or from a common independent source area. This highlights the critical need for close monitoring of Pst. With wheat being the most planted winter cereal crop in South Africa, investment in continuous surveillance is essential to rapidly identify any future introductions that could quickly lead to rust epidemics.     

Mapping rhizoctonia patch in consecutive cereal crops in Western Australia

Rhizoctonia patches in a field were mapped during consecutive seasons of cropping with wheat, oats or barley sown directly without tillage into the previous season's stubble. Distribution, size, shape and number of patches varied considerably between seasons. Less than a quarter of patches were circular and the others tended to be elongated parallel to seed-rows. Barley was most severely affected, followed by wheat and then oats.
It is proposed that changes in patch distribution, configuration and number between seasons is due to shifts in a balance of suppressive or conducive soil factors interacting with Rhizoctonia solani inoculum.     

Comparison of populations of the wilt pathogen Ceratocystis albifundus in South Africa and Uganda

Ceratocystis albifundus is an important fungal pathogen of Acacia mearnsii trees in South Africa. In a previous study, a high level of gene diversity was demonstrated in a South African population of C. albifundus . This, together with the occurrence of the pathogen on native Protea species and its exclusive occurrence in South Africa, led to the hypothesis that C. albifundus is probably native to that country. More recently, C. albifundus has been reported from A. mearnsii in south-western Uganda. The aim of this study was to compare the populations of C. albifundus from Uganda and South Africa based on genetic diversity, population structure and possible gene flow. This was achieved using codominant microsatellite markers developed for the closely related species Ceratocystis fimbriata . Available isolates for comparison were from six different areas of South Africa and six jungle stands in Uganda. Eight of the 11 available markers amplified loci in C. albifundus . Gene diversity was higher in the Ugandan population, but genotypic diversity was greater for the South African isolates. There were no common genotypes between the two populations and they shared only 22% of the total alleles. The populations were genetically isolated from each other and highly substructured within. There was no association between isolates collected from the same geographic locations, and gene flow between the two populations was low. Results suggest that C. albifundus was probably not introduced into Uganda from South Africa but rather that an ancestral population, yet to be discovered, is the source of both populations.     

Studies on the Australian Pathotype of Heterodera avenae1

Australian studies on populations of Heterodera avenae have been conducted in Victoria, Western Australia. South Australia, and New South Wales. Only one pathotype has been identified so far, and it is distinct from those recorded elsewhere. Few recognised sources of resistance in barley and oats are useable in Australian breeding programmes. The first commercially acceptable cultivars of wheat, barley, and oats resistant to cereal cyst nematode will be released in Victoria within the next year or two. Their resistances are derived from spring wheat(AUS 10894), Marocaine 079 (CI 8334), and Arena sterilis (Cc 4658) respectively.     

Development of the teleomorph of Ascochyta rabiei on culture media

Ascochyta blight caused by Didymella rabiei (anamorph: Ascochyta rabiei) is an important foliar disease of chickpea in many countries. The fungus is heterothallic and requires the pairing of two compatible mating types for the teleomorph to develop. In nature, the teleomorph only develops on chickpea debris that overwinters on the soil surface in the presence of both mating types. When natural and synthetic agar media were seeded with conidial suspensions of compatible isolates of D. rabiei from Spain and the United States and incubated under favourable conditions for teleomorph development, the teleomorph only developed on 2?% water agar amended with powdered chickpea stems or hot water extracts of chickpea stems, but not on 14 other natural or synthetic media. Ascospore isolates of D. rabiei from pseudothecia that developed on agar media were indistinguishable in cultural and morphological characteristics from isolates of the fungus from chickpea. Production of pseudothecia and ascospores on the best culture medium was always lower than on stem pieces of chickpea straw used as a control treatment. Ascospores discharged from pseudothecia that developed on powdered chickpea stem media onto chickpea seedlings were pathogenic, inducing symptoms identical to those caused by ascospores from chickpea stem pieces or conidia from a chickpea isolate of the fungus. This is the first report of the teleomorph of D. rabiei developing on culture media.     

Molecular characterization of Endothia gyrosa isolates from Eucalyptus in South Africa and Australia

Endothia gyrosa is a canker pathogen best known as the causal agent of pin oak blight in North America, and causes cankers on other woody hosts such as Castanea spp. and Liquidambar spp. In South Africa, Australia and Tasmania, a fungus identified as E. gyrosa has been recorded on Eucalyptus spp. Some morphological differences exist between the North American fungus and the isolates from Eucalyptus . Phylogenetic relationships between E. gyrosa from North America and E. gyrosa from South Africa and Australia, as well as that of the related fungi Cryphonectria parasitica and C. cubensis , were studied using PCR-based restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and sequences of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the rRNA operon. Endothia gyrosa isolates from South Africa produced the same RFLP banding patterns as those from Australia, which differed markedly from North American isolates of E. gyrosa . In a phylogram based on the DNA sequences, the Australian and South African isolates of E. gyrosa resided in a single, well resolved clade, distinct from North American isolates. Isolates of C. parasitica grouped in the same clade as the South African and Australian isolates of E. gyrosa , but C. cubensis was distantly related to them. The molecular data suggest that the E. gyrosa isolates from South Africa and Australia represent a distinct taxon, and probably belong to the genus Cryphonectria .