Factors influencing internal fruit rot of cucumber caused by Didymella bryoniae

Several factors influencing the incidence of internal fruit rot of cucumber caused byDidymella bryoniae were studied.Internal infection of fruits is achieved via the flower. However, in most cases the majority of the fruits escaped infection after flower inoculation. It took more than two days for the fungus to reach the fruit after infection of the style. A mechanical barrier was not detected in the fruit tip within three days after inoculation of the open flower.Inoculation of wilted flowers resulted in 60% less infection than inoculation of fresh flowers. Blossom excision reduced fruit infection with ca 75%. Growing plants under drought stress markedly increased the incidence of internal fruit rot.Neither the method of inoculation, nor the composition of the inoculum, nor the relative humidity influenced the incidence of internal fruit rot. Fruit thinning, duration of fruit growth, flowering period and the removal of parts of the flower had no effect either on fruit infection.Cultivars resistant to powdery mildew were also resistant to internal fruit infection. The resistance was associated with a long style and a short flowering period.Growing cultivars in which the flowers quickly fall away from the fruitlets or in which the flowers have no style may solve the problem of internal fruit rot in cucumber.Samenvatting Factoren die van invloed kunnen zijn op het ontstaan van inwendig vruchtrot van komkommer, veroorzaakt doorDidymella bryoniae, werden onderzocht.Inwendige vruchtinfectie vindt plaats via het bloempje. Bijna altijd ontsnapte echter het grootste deel van de vruchten aan een aantasting als de bloem werd geïnoculeerd. Het duurde meer dan twee dagen voordat de schimmel via de stijl de vrucht had geïnfecteerd. In de punt van de vrucht werd binnen drie dagen na inoculatie van de open bloem geen mechanische barrière gevonden.Na inoculatie van verwelkte bloemen kwam 60% minder aantasting voor dan na inoculatie van bloemen die pas open waren. Het verwijderen van het bloempje reduceerde de aantasting met ca. 75%. Het optreden van inwendig vruchtrot nam aanzienlijk toe door de planten onder droge omstandigheden te telen.Noch de methode van inoculatie, noch de samenstelling van het inoculum, noch de relatieve luchtvochtigheid beïnvloedden het optreden van inwendig vruchtrot. Vruchtdunning, duur van de vruchtgroei, bloeiduur en het verwijderen van delen van de bloem hadden ook geen effect op de aantasting.Cultivars die resistent waren tegen echte meeldauw vertoonden ook resistentie tegen inwendige vruchtaantasting. De resistentie was gecorreleerd met een lange stijl en met een korte bloeiduur.De teelt van cultivars waarvan de bloemdelen snel van de vruchtbeginsels afvallen, of waarvan de bloempjes geen stijl hebben, zou het probleem van inwendig vruchtrot bij komkommer kunnen oplossen.     

Influence of humidity on incidence of Didymella bryoniae on cucumber leaves and growing tips under controlled environmental conditions

The influence of relative humidity, leaf wetting, mechanical injury and inoculum concentration on the incidence ofDidymella bryoniae on growing tips and young and older leaves of cucumber was studied in growth chambers.Infection was rare at 60% r.h. It increased at 95% r.h. and was most serious if the leaves were kept wet. A period of 1 hour of free water was sufficient for the initial stage of infection. For further expansion of the disease, leaf wetness was required.A high relative humidity did not predispose leaves to infection byD. bryoniae. Wounding was essential for infection of older leaves, but not for infection of young plant tissue.A higher conidial concentration increased infection. Without keeping, the leaves wet at 95% r.h. a tenfold conidial concentration was needed to get equal infection as with leaf wetting.To control the disease by means of the climate, it is of major importance to prevent the presence of free water on plant parts.Samenvatting De invloed van de relatieve luchtvochtigheid, het bevochtigen van het blad, mechanische beschadiging en inoculumconcentratie op het optreden vanDidymella bryoniae op groeipunten en jonge en oudere bladeren van komkommer is in klimaatkasten onderzocht.Aantasting kwam zelden voor bij 60% R.V., nam toe bij 95% R.V. en was het ernstigst als de bladeren nat werden gehouden. Voor de eerste fase van infective was de aanwezigheid van vrij water gedurende 1 à 2 uur voldoende. Voor een verdere uitbreiding van de aantasting moest het blad nat zijn.Een hoge relatieve luchtvochtigheid had geen predispositie-effect of de infectie van bladeren doorD. bryoniae.Voor de infectie van oudere bladeren was verwonding nodig, voor die van jong planteweefsel niet.Een hogere concentratie van conidiën verhoogde de aantasting. Zonder het blad nat te houden, was een tienvoudige concentratie van conidiën nodig om een gelijke infectie te verkrijgen als met bladbevochtiging.Voor de bestrijding van de ziekte via het klimaat is het tegengaan van de aanwezigheid van vrij water op plantedelen van het grootste belang.Seconded to the Glasshouse Crops Research and Experiment Station, Zuidweg 38, 2671 MN Naaldwijk, the Netherlands.     

Influence of time of transition from night to day temperature regimes on incidence of Didymella bryoniae and influence of the disease on growth and yield of glasshouse cucumbers

The influence of transition from night to day temperature 3 h before, 1 h before, 1h after and 3 h after sunrise on the incidence ofDidymella bryoniae was studied both on inoculated and on uninoculated glasshouse-grown cucumber plants. The effect of inoculation on plant growth and fruit production was studied as well.The later the transition to day temperature took place, the longer were the periods with a high relative air humidity and of condensation of water on fruits.The time of transition had no effect on plant growth, yield, disease incidence on growing tips, number of lesions on the main stems of uninoculated plants and external fruit rot. The later the transition to day temperature took place, the more lesions on the main stem of inoculated plants appeared and the higher was the incidence of internal fruit rot.Inoculation of plants increased the number of lesions on the main stem, the disease incidence on growing tips, the production of misshapen fruits and the internal and external fruit rot. The number of secondary side shoots was incrreased but the total number of their internodes was reduced by inoculation.Inoculation caused an 18% reduction in number of internodes over a period of four weeks and a 10% reduction in number of fruits in the corresponding harvest period.The consequences of a more humid glasshouse climate and of a high infection pressure ofD. bryoniae for the grower are briefly discussed.Samenvatting De invloed van het 3 uur vóór, 1 urr vóór, 1 uur na en 3 uur na zonsopgang overgaan van de nacht-naar de dagtemperatuur op het optreden vanDidymella bryoniae werd zowel op geïnoculleerde als op niet-geïnocullerde planten van kaskomkommers onderzocht. De invloed van inoculatie op de groei van de planten en de produktie van vruchten werd eveneens nagegaan.Hoe later naar de dagtemperatuur werd overgegaan, hoe langer de perioden met een hoge relatieve luchtvochtigheid waren en hoe langer de perioden waarin condensatie van water op vruchten optrad.Het tijdstip van overgang had geen effect op de groei van de planten, de opbrengst, de aantasting van groeipunten, het aantal lesies op de hoofdstengel van niet geïnoculeerde planten en uitwendig vruchtrot. Hoe later naar de dagtemperatuur werd overgegaan, hoe meer lesies na vier weken op de hoofdstengel van geïnoculeerde planten en hoe meer vruchten met inwendig rot voorkwamen.Door inoculatie van de planten nam het aantal lesies op de hoofdstengel, de aantasting van groeipunten, de produktie van stekvruchten en het aantal vruchten met inen uitwendig rot toe. Het aantal zijscheuten van de tweede orde nam toe, maar het totaal aantal internodiën ervan nam door inoculatie af. Inoculatie reduceerde het aantal internodiën met 18% over een periode van vier weken en die van het aantal vruchten met 10% in de overeenkomstige oogstperiode. De praktische consequenties van eenSeconded to the Glashouse Crops Research and Experiment Station, Zuidweg 38, 2671 MN Naaldwijk, the Netherlands     

黄瓜绵腐病病原菌鉴定及防治药剂的筛选

为有效防控黄瓜绵腐病,本研究对自江西省南昌市南昌县武阳镇和八一乡采集的黄瓜绵腐病病样进行分离,基于致病性测定、形态学特征和分子生物学方法对其进行鉴定,并采用菌丝生长速率法测定甲霜灵、霜霉威、霜脲氰、烯酰吗啉4种常用杀菌剂对该病原菌和辣椒疫霉Phytophthora capsici的抑制效果。结果表明,自武阳镇和八一乡采集的病样经分离、纯化培养后分别获得12株和10株菌株;自武阳镇分离的病原菌的藏卵器柄较直,藏卵器大小为18.1~32.9 μm;自八一乡分离的病原菌的藏卵器柄较弯曲,藏卵器大小为15.1~25.3 μm;结合致病性测定及rDNA-ITS测序结果,将自武阳镇分离的病原菌鉴定为瓜果腐霉Pythium aphanidermatum,将自八一乡分离的病原菌鉴定为德里腐霉Py.deliense。室内毒力测定结果表明,甲霜灵对瓜果腐霉和德里腐霉抑制效果最好,EC₅₀分别为0.71 μg/mL和0.25 μg/mL;霜脲氰次之,EC₅₀分别为3.68 μg/mL和3.36 μg/mL,甲霜灵、霜霉威、霜脲氰3种杀菌剂对瓜果腐霉、德里腐霉和辣椒疫霉的抑制效果差别不大,但烯酰吗啉对瓜果腐霉、德里腐霉和辣椒疫霉抑制效果差异明显,EC₅₀分别为18.06、33.58和0.18 μg/mL,表明防治黄瓜绵腐病优先选择甲霜灵。     

Influence of calcium pretreatment on pectic substance evolution in cucumber fruit (cucumis sativus) duringbotrytis cinerea infection

The role of calcium in protecting plant tissue from infection byBotrytis cinerea was studied in cucumber fruit. A self-defense reaction, consisting of an increase in cell-wall-bound Ca, occurred in the plant tissue after an injury or an infection. However, it was not sufficient to protect the tissue from the spread of the fungus, which is accompanied by pectic substance digestion. The degradation induced mainly a decrease in acid- and chelator-soluble pectin levels, and an increase in water-soluble pectin. Ca treatment of the fruit prior to infection could amplify the cell-wall-bound Ca and therefore lessen pectin digestion by fungal pectinolytic enzymes.     

Stem and root rot of scarlet runner bean (Phaseolus coccineus) caused by Pythium myriotylum

A severe rot was found on the stems and roots of scarlet runner bean (Phaseolus coccineus) in Ibaraki Prefecture (Japan) in August 2004. The causal fungus was identified as Pythium myriotylum. We propose the name of stem and root rot of scarlet runner bean (“Kuki-negusare-byo” in Japanese) for this new disease.     

Occurrence of bacterial rot of onion bulbs caused by Burkholderia cepacia in Japan

In 2001, a bacterial rot of onion (Allium cepa L.) bulbs was observed in Japan. The causal agent was identified as Bukholderia cepacia (Palleroni & Holmes 1981 ex Burhkolder 1950) Yabuuchi, Kosako, Oyaizu, Yano, Hotta, Ezaki, and Arakawa 1993. The identified bacteria were divided into two groups (Y and W) based on colony colors, and several phenotypic and genetic characteristics. Based on recA polymerase chain reaction assays, the strains of the Y and W groups belong to genomovar I (B. cepacia sensu stricto) and genomovar III (B. cenocepacia), respectively.The nucleotide sequence data reported are available in the DDBJ/EMBL/GenBank databases under the accession numbers AB162427 and AB162428     

Studies of Didymella bryoniae: The influence of nutrition and cultural practices on the occurrence of stem lesions and internal and external fruit rot on different cultivars of cucumber

Cucumber plants of different cultivars grown under various levels of nutrient supply, climatic conditions and different pruning practices were inoculated withDidymella bryoniae (Auersw.) Rehm. Increased concentration of the nutrient solution in the rockwool, slabs leading to a higher amount of dry matter content in the plant tissue resulted in a lower percentage of internal and external fruit rot in the cultivars Daleva and LD 290/82 (Dæhnfeldt), and in lower percentage of internal fruit rot in cv. Aminex, whereas the effect on cv. Dalibor was insignificant. Differences between cultivars were observed, cv. Dalibor showing the highest level of resistance against internal fruit rot and lowest incidence of nodal and internodal lesions. Separate factors appear to affect the establishment of the pathogen in the nodal tissue and its invasion of the internodal tissue. By raising the temperature to daytime level 3 h before sunrise, the risk of extended periods with high humidity was limited and the incidence of internal fruit rot was reduced. An increased incidence of nodal and internodal lesions and external fruit rot was observed at reduced pruning, leaving wilted leaves and shoots on the plants.     

Root and stem rot of chrysanthemum caused by five <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pythium</Emphasis> species in Japan

Root and stem rot with wilt of above ground parts of cultivated chrysanthemums was first found in Ibaraki, Toyama and Kagawa prefectures, Japan in 2002 and 2003. Pythium species were isolated from the diseased tissues and identified as P. dissotocum, P. oedochilum, P. sylvaticum, P. ultimum var. ultimum and asexual strains of P. helicoides based on their morphologies and sequences of rDNA-ITS region. All the Pythium species were strongly pathogenic to chrysanthemums in pot conditions and were reisolated from the inoculated plants. Because Pythium root and stem rot of chrysanthemum has never been reported in Japan, we propose that this is a new disease that can be caused by the five Pythium species.     

Collar rot caused byPhytophthora citrophthora on pear trees in Greece

A severe crown rot of pear trees of cultivar ‘Kondoula’ grafted on quince rootstock was observed in Greece. Isolations from the affected tissues repeatadly yielded aPhytophthora sp. that was determined by morphological and physiological characteristics to beP. citrophthora. The pathogenicity of two of theP. citrophthora isolates was tested by inoculating trunks of 2-year-old pear trees by mycelial agar disks. Thirty-two days after inoculation all inoculated trees were infected. Although the pear isolates could not be differentiated from isolates ofP. palmivora orP. nicotianae based on isozyme profiles of α-esterase or lactate dehydrogenase, RAPD profiles with one selected primer differentiated the pear isolates from the other species and revealed an electrophoretic banding pattern similar to that of aP. citrophthora standard. This is the first report ofP. citrophthora on pear trees in Greece.     

Pythium rot of Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa L. subsp. pekinensis) caused by Pythium aphanidermatum

Severe rot was found at the base of leaves and stems of Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa L. subsp. pekinensis) in Ibaraki Prefecture every year in early September from 2002 through 2004. The causal fungus was identified as Pythium aphanidermatum (Edson) Fitzpatrick. This is the first report of P. aphanidermatum on Chinese cabbage. A similar disease of Chinese cabbage caused by P. ultimum Trow var. ultimum is known as Pythium rot. We propose adding P. aphanidermatum as a new pathogen of this disease.     

黄瓜嫁接苗与接种哈茨木霉菌黄瓜直根苗对根腐病防效及根系生理响应

为探明黄瓜嫁接栽培与木霉菌使用提高黄瓜幼苗抗根腐病的能力及生理调节的差异,利用哈茨木霉菌DQ002和根腐病病原菌孢子悬浮液对黄瓜直根苗根部接种与根腐病病原菌孢子悬浮液对黄瓜嫁接苗进行根部接种处理,测定黄瓜直根苗和黄瓜嫁接苗病害发生率及根系生理变化。结果表明：哈茨木霉菌DQ002通过激发黄瓜直根苗根系中POD、PPO、SOD活性而抑制了H₂O₂积累和O^-₂的产生速率,并促进了黄瓜直根苗根系PAL、几丁质酶、β-1,3-葡聚糖酶活性以及类黄酮含量升高,提高了抗病性;接种根腐病菌,黄瓜嫁接(T2)提高了根系中POD活性、培养前期PPO活性及培养后期SOD的活性,降低了H₂O₂的积累和O^-₂产生速率,促进了PAL、几丁质酶及培养后期的β-1,3-葡聚糖酶活性,但H₂O₂的积累和O^-₂产生速率显著高于哈茨木霉菌DQ002处理的黄瓜直根苗,而PAL、几丁质酶、β-1,3-葡聚糖酶活性以及类黄酮含量明显低于木霉菌处理的直根苗;T3(先接种病原菌后接种木霉菌)和T4(先接种木霉菌后接种病原菌)处理的黄瓜直根苗根腐病的发病率分别为22.39%和17.87%,病情指数分别为23.03%和14.33%,明显低于CK1(清水处理直根苗)和T1（单独病原菌处理直根苗）处理的发病率(35.82%和57.39%)和病情指数(37.10%和46.97%),以及黄瓜嫁接苗(T2)的发病率(42.90%)和病情指数(40.47%),但哈茨木霉菌使用时间不同则效果有异。黄瓜嫁接和哈茨木霉菌DQ002处理直根苗能提高黄瓜苗对根腐病的抗性,但是二者对黄瓜苗根系生理的调节作用存在差异,可能是导致根腐病发生存在差异的生理原因之一。     

A promising strain of endophytic <Emphasis Type="Italic">Streptomyces</Emphasis> sp. for biological control of cucumber anthracnose

In a survey for effective biocontrol agents of Colletotrichum orbiculare, causal agent of cucumber anthracnose, 43 (MBCu series) and 135 (MBPu series) endophytic actinomycete strains were recovered from surface-sterilized organs of cucumber (Cucumis sativus) and pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata) plants, respectively. The strains were cultured with C. orbiculare on IMA-2 agar medium to determine their in vitro antagonistic ability. Eleven strains that strongly inhibited hyphal growth of the pathogen were selected as potent antagonists. Detached cotyledons of cucumber were soaked in a spore suspension of an antagonistic strain 1 day before challenge-inoculation with the pathogen, and six of these antagonists (MBCu-32, 36, 42, 45, and 56, and MBPu-75) significantly reduced the number and size of the lesions on the cotyledons compared to the untreated control. In the same way, these six strains inhibited lesion development on attached leaves of 3-week-old cucumber seedlings. Strain MBCu-56, the most suppressive of the strains, was selected for further tests. Its suppressiveness increased as concentrations increased; pretreatment of leaves with the strain at 10⁷, 10⁸ and 10⁹ cfu/ml suppressed disease by 72, 79 and 93%, respectively. These results strongly indicated that MBCu-56 has strong potential for controlling cucumber anthracnose. Based on the taxonomic characteristics and 16S rDNA sequence, MBCu-56 was identified as Streptomyces sp. With scanning electron microscopy, the substrate mycelia of the strain were seen to colonize the surface of leaves above the cuticle. Some hyphae also penetrated and grew underneath the cuticle.     

Further suppression of<Emphasis Type="Italic">Botrytis cinerea</Emphasis> disease in cucumber seedlings by chitosan-copper complex as compared with chitosan alone

Chitosan-copper complex compared with chitosan alone enhanced suppression ofBotrytis cinerea rot development on four-true-leaf cucumber seedlings in controlled growth chambers. This paper constitutes the first report of such enhancement. The optimal concentrations for the most effective suppression ofBotrytis development were 0.2 gl ⁻¹ chitosan and 1.6 mmole copper. After 12 days’ incubation, marked and significantly better disease suppression was obtained with chitosan-copper complex (75% suppression) than with chitosan alone. The chitosan-copper complex could be a very promising decay control agent for use in both conventional and organic agriculture. http://www.phytoparasitica.org posting Dec. 18, 2002.     

Sclerotinia rot of blueberry caused by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sclerotinia sclerotiorum</Emphasis>

In 2002, rotted flower clusters and blighted shoot tips and leaves were observed on highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) and rabbiteye blueberry (V. ashei Reade) plants in Chiba, Japan. The causal fungus isolated from the diseased plants was morphologically identified as Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Libert) de Bary. The fungus reproduced natural symptoms after inoculation, then reisolated from the symptomatic parts. This is the first report of blueberry sclerotinia rot caused by S. sclerotiorum. The nucleotide sequence data reported are available in the DDBJ/EMBL/GenBank databases under accession numbers AB269903#(020501) and AB233346 (020505).     

Internal fruit rot of netted melon caused by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pantoea ananatis</Emphasis> (=<Emphasis Type="Italic">Erwinia ananas</Emphasis>) in Japan

An internal fruit rot with a malodor was found in netted melons (Cucumis melo L.) in commercial greenhouses in Kochi Prefecture, Japan, in 1998, despite their healthy appearance and lack of water-soaking or brown spots on the surface. A yellow bacterium was consistently isolated from the affected fruits. To confirm the pathogenicity of eight representative isolates of the yellow bacterium, we stub-inoculated ovaries (immature-fruits) 5–7 days after artificial pollination, with a pin smeared with bacteria. After the melon fruits had grown for 60 more days, an internal fruit rot resembling the natural infection appeared, and the inoculated bacterium was reisolated. The melon isolates had properties identical with Pantoea ananatis, such as gram-negative staining, facultative anaerobic growth, indole production, phenylalanine deaminase absence, and acid production from melibiose, sorbitol, glycerol, and inositol. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rDNA sequences showed that the melon bacterium positioned closely with known P. ananatis strains. The melon bacterium had indole acetic acid (IAA) biosynthesis genes (iaaM and iaaH) and a cytokinin biosynthesis gene (etz). The bacterium could be distinguished from the other ‘Pantoea’ group strains by rep-PCR genomic fingerprinting. From these results, the causal agent of internal fruit rot was identified as a strain of P.ananatis [Serrano in (Philipp J Sci 36:271–305, 1928); Mergaert et al. in (Int J Syst Bacteriol 43:162–173, 1993)]. The nucleotide sequence data reported are available in the DDBJ database under accessions AB297969, AB373739, AB373740, AB373741, AB373742, AB373743 and AB373744.     

德国鸢尾茎基腐病病原菌鉴定及生物学特性分析

为明确德国鸢尾Iris germanica茎基腐病病原菌及其生物学特性,利用组织分离法对采自云南省的感茎基腐病德国鸢尾样品进行分离和纯化,通过形态学特征和ITS、TUB2、EF-1α多基因序列分析对其进行鉴定,采用室内离体和活体接种法测定其致病性,并研究其生物学特性。结果表明,从25份发病德国鸢尾植株样本中分离得到15株菌株,依据形态学特征和显微观察,发现其中6株菌株形态特征一致,另外9株菌株形态特征一致,从中各选1株代表菌株YWMZ1、YWJB3进行接种后出现叶片萎蔫,茎基部腐烂,发病症状与田间一致。经形态学特征观察、多基因序列分析、致病性测定最终将代表菌株YWMZ1鉴定为木贼镰刀菌Fusarium equiseti,菌株YWJB3鉴定为尖孢镰刀菌F. oxysporum。2株菌株菌丝最适培养温度均为25℃;菌株YWMZ1和YWJB3最适pH分别为5和7;2株菌株在5种碳源和氮源上均可生长,其中菌株YWMZ1最适碳源为可溶性淀粉,YWJB3最适碳源为蔗糖,2株菌株均以硝酸钾为最适氮源;菌株YWMZ1和YWJB3最适光照条件分别为连续光照和12 h明暗交替。     

河北省甘薯镰孢菌腐烂与溃疡病的病原鉴定

为明确河北省甘薯镰孢菌腐烂与溃疡病的症状特点和病原种类,在不同种植区采集储藏期和育秧期病样,描述其症状特征;对病原菌进行分离纯化,采用柯赫氏法则回接验证,依据病原菌的形态特征和基因序列确定病原菌种类。结果表明,在储藏期甘薯发病可导致薯块表面腐烂的占总病薯的59.09%,端部腐烂的占40.91%;薯块带有褐色轮纹病斑的占61.36%,病斑没有轮纹或者轮纹不明显的占38.64%;发病初期薯块内部病斑浅、黑褐色的占27.27%,发病后期薯块内部形成空腔、布满白色菌丝的占72.73%;病斑带有苦味的占59.09%,病斑没有苦味或苦味不明显的占40.91%;在育秧田发病导致薯秧溃疡,表现为主茎基部呈点片发生黑色或者褐色病斑,部分有开裂。分离的病原菌能够同时侵染薯块和薯秧;病原菌单瓶梗产孢,大型分生孢子稍弯,两端钝圆,多数3~7个分隔,顶细胞钝圆,基细胞足跟较明显。其rDNA-ITS、EF-1α、β-tubulin基因序列与茄镰孢菌Fusarium solani的同源性分别为97%、99%和98%。初步确定甘薯镰孢菌腐烂与溃疡病的病原菌为茄镰孢菌F.solani。     

Occurrence of foliar rot of pak choy and Chinese mustard caused by Rhizoctonia solani AG1-IB in China

During December 2003, leaf rot was frequently observed on leaves of pak choy and Chinese mustard in Xishuangbanna district of Yunnnan Province, China. Isolates of Rhizoctonia solani, consistently obtained from the diseased leaves, were identical to anastomosis group (AG)-1 IB based on cultural characteristics and analysis of the ITS-5.8s rDNA region. This is the first report of foliar rot of pak choy and Chinese mustard caused by R. solani AG-1 IB in China.     

Occurrence and molecular characterization of azoxystrobin resistance in cucumber downy mildew in Shandong province of China

Cucumber downy mildew caused byPseudoperonospora cubensis (Berk. and Curt.) Rostov. limits crop production in Shandong Province of China. Since management of downy mildew is strongly dependent on fungicides, a rational design of control programs requires a good understanding of the fungicide resistance phenomenon in field populations of the pathogen. A total of 106 and 97 isolates ofP. cubensis were obtained in 2006 and 2007, respectively. The EC₅₀ values for the growth of all the 106 isolates collected in 2006 were 0.0063–0.0688μg ml⁻¹ (average: 0.0196±0.0048μg ml⁻¹) azoxystrobin and these were therefore considered sensitive isolates. However, 57 field isolates ofP. cubensis of the 97 collected in 2007 with EC₅₀ values that ranged from 0.609 to >51.2μg ml⁻¹ were considered resistant to azoxystrobin. Fragments of the fungicide-targeted mitochondrial cytochromeb gene from total pathogen DNA were amplified using polymerase chain reaction and their sequences analyzed to elucidate the molecular mechanism of resistance. A single point mutation (GGT to GCT) in the cytochromeb gene, resulting in substitution of glycine by alanine at position 143, was found in the three selected azoxystrobin-resistant isolates of downy mildew. This substitution in cytochromeb exhibited different resistance levels, with the resistance factor from 21.15 to greater than 2618.9. In addition, the different resistance levels seemed to appear within 1 year (between 2006 and 2007). Therefore, growers of Shandong Province in China now are faced with a challenge in managing the azoxystrobin resistance in cucumber downy mildew. http://www.phytoparasitica.org posting March 10, 2008.