Bacterial pathogens of rice in the Kingdom of Cambodia and description of a new pathogen causing a serious sheath rot disease

A study of rice diseases in Cambodia from 2005 to 2007 showed widespread occurrence of diseases caused by Acidovorax avenae subsp. avenae, Burkholderia gladioli, B. cepacia and Pantoea ananatis. This is the first report of these pathogens in Cambodia. Additionally, a pseudomonad causing a widespread disease similar to sheath brown rot (caused by Pseudomonas fuscovaginae) was isolated. The studied strains were pathogenic to rice cvs Sen Pidau and IR 66, producing similar, though slightly less severe, symptoms to those observed in the field. Based on comparative 16S rDNA gene sequence analysis, combined with cell wall fatty acid analysis and metabolic profiles, the isolated strains were allocated to the genus Pseudomonas. The novel species were differentiated from Pseudomonas fuscovaginae and P. putida by their inability to metabolize d ‐fructose, d ‐galactose, d ‐galactonic acid lactone, d ‐galacturonic acid, d ‐glucosaminic acid, d ‐glucuronic acid, p‐hydroxy phenylacetic acid, d ‐saccharic acid and urocanic acid. The major fatty acids were C_16:0, summed feature 3 (C_16:1ω7c and C_16:1ω6c) and summed feature 8 (C_18:1ω7c), representing 80% of the total. Partial 16S rRNA gene sequences (1460 bp) were identical, except for two nucleotide changes amongst the six strains. Alignment of the causal strains within type‐culture databases revealed similarities of 99·7% with Pseudomonas parafulva AJ 2129^T, 99·2% with P. fulva IAM 1592^T, 98·9% with P. plecoglossicidia FPC 951^T, and 98·1% with P. fuscovaginae MAFF 301177^T. On the basis of data from this polyphasic study, it is proposed that the unknown strains isolated from rice represent a novel species of the genus Pseudomonas.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Aphelenchoides gorganensis</Emphasis> n. sp. (Nematoda: Aphelenchoididae)<Emphasis Type="Italic">,</Emphasis> a new species from Iran

Phytophthora capsici infection of chili pepper seedlings can cause substantial losses due to damping-off and collar rot diseases. Chemical control is no longer effective due to reported resistance development, on top of the related environmental concerns and the consumer demands for reduced use of fungicides. Biological control is a sustainable option, with several agents having been reported to be effective against this pathogen. This research focused on optimizing the application of strain THSW13 of Trichoderma hamatum and a bacterial isolate BJ10–86 with the objectives of improving chili pepper seed germination, reduce damping-off disease incidence, and improve the growth of the seedlings. Bacterial isolate BJ10–86 was subjected to molecular identification and found to be Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Chili pepper seeds treated with the biocontrol agents, individually or in combination, were seeded into commercial nursery media that had been pre-inoculated with P. capsici zoospores. Over a period of 35 days the chili pepper seed treatments significantly (P = 0.008) reduced the disease incidence of seedlings damping-off. Combined application of T. hamatum and P. aeruginosa was the best biocontrol treatment with an area under disease curve of only 36.61 units compared to 92.87 units for the control treatment. Similar results were observed in vitro where T. hamatum and P. aeruginosa synergistically inhibited P. capsici growth by 73.2 %. The inhibition activity of this treatment was similar to mefenoxam treatment, which implies that it is an effective and sustainable alternative for chili pepper seed treatment. The biocontrol seed treatment had no effect on seed germination and seedling growth.     

Sodium bicarbonate enhances efficacy of Trichoderma harzianum DGA01 in controlling crown rot of banana

The efficacy of Trichoderma harzianum strain DGA01, sodium carbonate (SC), sodium bicarbonate (SBC) and sodium hypochlorite (SH) applied alone or in various combinations was evaluated in vitro against the most important postharvest pathogens of banana such as Lasiodiplodia theobromae, Thielaviopsis paradoxa, Colletotrichum musae, and Fusarium verticillioides. Trichoderma harzianum DGA01 was compatible with salts at a concentration of 1 % (w/v) as manifested by normal mycelial growth. The efficacy of the fungal antagonist in vitro was enhanced by 10.16–13.06 % in controlling mycelial growth of crown rot pathogens with the addition of salts. After a postharvest dip of fruit for 30 min in 10⁶ conidia of DGA01/mL of 1 % SBC, the incidence of crown rot was reduced by 92 %, but DGA01 combined with SC or SH had no additive effect in controlling crown rot. Thus, DGA01 and SBC was the best combination for crown rot control, with an efficacy similar to synthetic fungicides, and maintained the overall quality of banana even at conditions favourable for the pathogens (22–25 °C, 90–95 % relative humidity).     

水稻纹枯病菌拮抗细菌的筛选及鉴定

为获得对水稻纹枯病有生防效果的拮抗细菌,从江苏南京、徐州和常州等地采集的土样中分离细菌分离物1914株,采用平板对峙法筛选获得70株对水稻纹枯病菌有较强抑菌活性的分离物,其中11株对5种水稻病害病原菌均有抑制作用;对11株拮抗菌进行田间防效和室内促生试验,测定菌株分泌的抑菌物质和促生物质,并进行种属鉴定.结果表明,拮抗菌对水稻纹枯病的盆栽和田间小区防效在48.41％和43.03％以上;均可产生蛋白酶与嗜铁素,而不产生几丁质酶,除XF-174外其余10个菌株均可产生纤维素酶;对水稻苗株高和鲜重具有促生作用,并均可产生赤霉素(GA3);除ZF-273和XF-174外的9个菌株可产生吲哚乙酸(IAA),且细菌发酵液中IAA和GA3含量与水稻株高和鲜重的增长率呈正相关.结合各菌株形态特征、生理生化特性和16S rDNA与gyr-B序列分析结果,鉴定SF-181为枯草芽胞杆菌Bacillus subtilis,XF-174为荧光假单胞菌Pseudomonas fluorescens,其余9个菌株为解淀粉芽胞杆菌B.amyloliquefaciens.     

Improving control of crown rot disease and quality of pesticide-free banana fruit by combining Bacillus amyloliquefaciens DGA14 and hot water treatment

The present study aimed at improving the control of crown rot disease and quality of pesticide-free banana banana fruit by integrated approach combining Bacillus amyloliquefaciens DGA14 and hot water treatment (HWT). The efficacy of treatment combination was tested on cultures of crown rot-causing pathogens, Lasiodiplodia theobromae, Thielaviopsis paradoxa, Colletotrichum musae and Fusarium verticillioides, and postharvest application. Combination of DGA14 and HWT inhibited mycelium growth by 82.61 % as compared to 66.68 % by DGA14 and 37.90 % by HWT, as single treatments. Spore germination was totally inhibited in DGA14 with or without HWT. Postharvest application with DGA14 + HWT gave 90 % control of fruit decay comparable to 93 % of synthetic fungicide. Fruit treated alone with hot water or in combination with DGA14 incurred the lowest loss in weight. The over-all quality of fruit with DGA14 + HWT was better appearance and firmer texture which was statistically comparable with fungicide-treated banana. DGA14 + HWT was more consistent in crown rot control i.e., limited variation in severity of disease within a treatment as compared to DGA14 and HWT, as stand-alone treatments.     

Occurrence of Monilinia laxa and M. fructigena after introduction of M. fructicola in peach orchards in Spain

Seventeen field surveys were done in four commercial orchards during six consecutive fruit-growing seasons from 2006 until 2011 in order to determine the current frequencies of occurrence of M. laxa, M. fructigena, and M. fructicola and their relative contributions to postharvest brown rot in peaches and nectarines in the Ebro Valley. The relative frequencies of occurrence of Monilinia spp. were determined on three sources of primary inoculum and on three sources of secondary inoculum. The major relative frequencies of Monilinia spp. were significantly recorded (P?=?0.05) from mummified fruit on the trees (approx. 42 %) and 7-day-old harvested fruit with brown rot (32 %), followed by that recovered from mummified fruit on the orchard bed (14 %), pruned branches on the orchard bed (8 %) and latent infections of immature fruit (3 %). We found that: (a) the relative frequency of M. fructicola has increased over the years to coexist on the same level as at the time M. laxa, (b) M. fructigena is no longer a cause of brown rot in harvested peaches, (c), a progressive reduction in the time of the first appearance of Monilinia airborne conidia (r?=??0.30, P?=?0.003), and the time of the first latent infection (r?=??0.44, P?=?0.0001) was detected along years after correlation analysis, and (d) these displacements are not associated with an increased incidence of brown rot disease. The M. fructicola increase was due to its significantly increased presence in 7-day-old harvested fruit with brown rot (r?=?0.73, P?=?0.0009), in latent infections of immature fruit (r?=?0.68, P?=?0.002), on pruned branches on the orchard bed (r?=?0.56, P?=?0.018), and on mummified fruit sampled on the trees (r?=?0.53, P?=?0.03). This progressive increase was accompanied by a progressive reduction in the relative frequency of occurrence of M. laxa in 7-day-old harvested fruit with brown rot (r?=??0.55, P?=?0.021) and M. fructigena on mummified fruit sampled on the trees (r?=??0.51, P?=?0.03).     

Baseline sensitivity of Monilia yunnanensis to the DMI fungicides tebuconazole and triadimefon

Monilia yunnanensis was recently identified as a new species causing brown rot of peach in China. Sterol 14α-demethylase inhibitors (DMIs) continue to be important in the management of brown rot of Monilinia spp. worldwide. Tebuconazole and triadimefon are two kinds of DMI fungicides that may be used for brown rot control in China. To establish the baseline sensitivity of M. yunnanensis to these two DMI fungicides, 203 M. yunnanensis single spore isolates were collected. Measurements of sensitivity to the two fungicides were based on inhibition of mycelial growth. For both fungicides, the sensitivity distribution was a unimodal curve, with an EC₅₀ range (the effective concentration to inhibit mycelial growth by 50 %) of 0.0001–0.0644 μg/ml for tebuconazole and 0.2311–1.7477 μg/ml for triadimefon. The M. yunnanensis isolates were obtained from orchards where DMI fungicides have not been used for peach brown rot control, thus the fungicide sensitivity distribution established in this study can be considered as the baseline for monitoring the resistance development in M. yunnanensis once the DMI fungicides are used to control peach brown rot.     

Efficacy of various fungicides and indigenous biocontrol agents against red root rot disease of tea plants

An experiment was conducted to study the effectiveness of contact, systemic and botanical fungicides, and indigenous biocontrol agents in controlling red root rot disease of tea plants. In general, all tested bioagents, the combination of Pseudomonas fluorescens and Trichoderma atroviride reduced red root disease incidence recorded in two consecutive field experiments. Among the fourteen treatments tested, soil drenching of systemic fungicides was superior but similar to the combination between P. fluorescens and T. atroviride. In contrast, the maximum green leaf yield and plant growth was achieved when soil application of biocontrol agents was carried out. However, the performance of these biocontrol agents under various combinations was on par with systemic fungicides, but superior to botanical fungicides. Correspondingly, the physiological and biochemical parameters were also greatly increased in plants in several treatments when compared to untreated control. The disease increased from 31.5 % to 40.0 % in untreated control plots and those plants were unhealthy in terms of leaf yellowing, stunted growth with heavy flowering, drying of branches and sudden death of bushes. The tea quality parameters were significantly improved in treated plants including total liquor colour, thearubigins, theaflavins, highly polymerized substance and caffeine contents.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Stenotrophomonas maltophilia</Emphasis>: a new potential biocontrol agent of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ralstonia solanacearum</Emphasis>, causal agent of potato brown rot

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia was isolated from the rhizosphere of eggplant in the Nile Delta of Egypt, and its antagonistic potential against Ralstonia solanacearum race 3 biovar 2, the causal agent of potato brown rot, was in vitro evaluated on KB agar medium and in vivo on potato plants. In vitro, four isolates of S. maltophilia (PD3531, PD3532, PD3533, and PD3534) appeared antagonistic. The isolate (PD3533) was screened as the most promising antagonist for the in vivo tests. In the greenhouse, the antagonist was applied directly to soil or by bacterization of potato eyepieces. Stenotrophomonas maltophilia significantly suppressed potato brown rot in Egyptian clay soil but not in Dutch clay soil. Survival of a rifampicin and chloramphenicol-resistant S. maltophilia strain PD4560 was investigated in two pairs of clay soils, conventionally and organically managed, from Egypt and the Netherlands. The survival of S. maltophilia was significantly less in Dutch than in Egyptian soils, while the converse occurred for R. solanacearum. These results are in agreement with those obtained in the in vivo biocontrol tests. In conclusion, S. maltophilia may be useful for control of brown rot in the area where it was originally isolated, the Nile Delta in Egypt.     

A pith necrosis caused by Xanthomonas perforans on tomato plants

Pith necrosis is a common disease of tomato in Europe, mainly caused by Pseudomonas corrugata and other soil-borne species of Pseudomonas. During 2011–2012 a survey was conducted in soil-grown tomato crops in southeastern Sicily (Italy). Plants showed pith necrosis, brown discolouration of the vascular tissues, leaf chlorosis and sometimes wilting of leaves. Thirty bacterial isolates from symptomatic tissues, forming colonies on NA and KB, were identified by morphological, biochemical and physiological tests. Among them, seven isolates were analyzed for their 16S rDNA and 16S–23S spacer region sequence that resulted in 99 % identity to that of the Xanthomonas perforans type strain (GenBank accession number GQ46173over 2.085 bp.). Additional sequences of fusA, gapA, gltA, gyrB, lacF, and lepA from one selected isolate were 100% identical to sequences of the Xanthomonas perforans type strain. X. perforans local isolates showed similar genomic patterns with REP-PCR and fAFLP, and were clearly distinguished from other Xanthomonas spp. type strains. In stem-inoculation assays, bacteria isolated from symptomatic tomato plants identified as P. fluorescens, P. putida, P. marginalis, P. citronellolis, P. straminea, and Pantoea agglomerans induced discolouration of vascular tissues, while Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. atrosepticum isolates induced soft rot. Conversely, the isolates here identified as Xanthomonas perforans were able to induce pith necrosis, vascular discolouration, longitudinal splits and external lesions on stems. This report of X. perforans causing pith necrosis on tomato represents a potentially serious problem that may limit the productivity of tomato crops.     

In vitro and field efficacy of three fungicides against <Emphasis Type="Italic">Fusarium</Emphasis> bulb rot of garlic

Fusarium proliferatum has been identified as the main causal agent of bulb rot of garlic (Allium sativum L.). This disease occurs after the drying process and can rot almost 30 % of the bulbs. Few studies are available regarding the effectiveness of chemical treatments to reduce F. proliferatum incidence in garlic. The efficacy of three commercial fungicides of different chemical groups to reduce seven strains of F. proliferatum mycelial growth was tested in vitro. These three fungicides were also evaluated by foliar spreading of aqueous suspension in a field crop. Fluopyram 20 % + tebuconazole 20 % and tebuconazole 50 % + trifloxystrobin 50 % were highly effective at reducing mycelial growth in F. proliferatum with EC₅₀ values <2 ppm. In general, the effectiveness of the fungicides was enhanced with increasing dosage. Our results indicate that the fungicides evaluated in this study may lead to a risk of resistance appearing in F. proliferatum at low concentrations and this risk is maintained at higher doses for the fungicide dimethomorph 7.2 % + pyraclostrobin 4 %. Although several of the fungicides affected in vitro mycelial growth of F. proliferatum, as a part of an strategy to measure the efficacy of resistance management it is necessary to monitor the ongoing efficacy of fungicides under commercial conditions. All fungicidal treatments tested in field application failed to control garlic bulb rot during storage.     

油菜菌核病生防芽孢杆菌的分离鉴定及其脂肽化合物分析

采用平板拮抗筛选,分别从西藏日喀则地区和拉萨地区杂草根围土壤中筛选到2个对油菜菌核病菌有显著拮抗活性的芽孢杆菌菌株RJGP16和YBWC43。通过生理生化鉴定、16S rDNA序列分析和BOX-PCR指纹图谱分析,鉴定菌株RJGP16为萎缩芽孢杆菌Bacillus atrophaeus, 菌株YBWC43为解淀粉芽孢杆菌Bacillus amyloliquefaciens。离体叶片试验结果显示,菌株RJGP16和YBWC43对油菜菌核病菌防治效果分别为50.24%和100.00%。脂肽化合物种类分析显示,菌株RJGP16产生脂肽化合物表面活性素和芬枯草菌素,菌株YBWC43产生杆菌霉素D和芬枯草菌素。表明菌株RJGP16和YBWC43对油菜菌核病的防治效果与其产生的脂肽化合物有关。     

小麦茎基腐病生防菌株YB-161的分离鉴定及防效测定

为筛选防治小麦茎基腐病的高效生防菌株,采用稀释涂布法从小麦茎基腐病病土中分离细菌,以假禾谷镰孢Fusarium pseudograminearum为靶标菌,通过平板对峙培养法和室内盆栽试验筛选优良菌株并测定其田间防治效果,分析优良菌株发酵滤液对假禾谷镰孢的抑菌能力,并结合形态特征、Biolog微生物自动鉴定系统和gyrA序列分析对其进行种类鉴定,以及测定该菌株的抑菌谱。结果表明,10份供试土样中共分离到98株细菌,对假禾谷镰孢的菌丝生长抑制率超过40.00%的菌株有14株,其中菌株YB-161对假禾谷镰孢的菌丝生长抑制率最高,达63.50%。室内盆栽试验结果显示,菌株YB-161处理小麦的病情指数最低,为31.40,对小麦茎基腐病的防治效果最好,为68.15%,其对小麦也表现出较好的促生作用。田间调查结果显示,菌株YB-161菌液拌种处理对小麦茎基腐病的田间防治效果高于52.35%,并对小麦具有一定的增产作用。菌株YB-161的发酵滤液5倍稀释液和10倍稀释液对假禾谷镰孢的菌落抑制率分别达66.67%和44.33%,该菌株被鉴定为解淀粉芽胞杆菌Bacillus amyloliquefaciens。此外,菌株YB-161对辣椒炭疽病菌Colletotrichum capisci、烟草疫霉病菌Phytophthora parasitica等5种植物病原真菌均有较好的拮抗作用。表明生防菌株YB-161对绿色防控小麦茎基腐病具有良好的开发利用潜能。     

Epidemiology and management of brown rot on stone fruit caused by Monilinia laxa

Stone fruit is attacked by various pathogens, of which brown rot disease is one of the important diseases. There are three Monilinia species mainly responsible for the brown rot disease: Monilinia fructicola is mainly found in North America and Australasia, and M. laxa and M. fructigena mainly in Europe. Both M. fructicola and M. laxa can infect flowers, resulting in blossom blight, as well as both healthy and wounded fruit, resulting in brown rot. On the other hand, M. fructigena can only infect wounded fruit. Compared to the two other species, M. fructicola has been extensively studied, whereas the equally important M. laxa has had less attention. This paper addresses this imbalance and reviews research on the biology, epidemiology and management of M. laxa on stone fruits. Due to EU regulations, the number of fungicides available for controlling plant diseases has been steadily decreasing, particularly in the post-harvest environment. This has placed much more emphasis on alternative control methods, a focus of the present review. Numerous physical and biological approaches to control have achieved successful outcomes but often in small-scale trials and in isolation from integrated strategies. Promising physical control methods include removal of mummified fruit in orchards and post-harvest hot-water treatment. Many micro-organisms have been shown to have biocontrol potential against brown rot but only a few have been commercially formulated. It is generally agreed that the use of biocontrol agents needs to be integrated with other measures. Current research focuses on disease management from flowering to post-harvest period. Recent results have suggested that reducing overwintering inoculum should be considered as one of key aspects of integrated management of brown rot on stone fruit. Finally, we make recommendations about future research and development on integrated pest management strategies for control of M. laxa, especially on strategic deployment of biocontrol agents and interactions among brown rot pathogens.     

生防菌Bs-916离子注入突变高效菌株筛选及抑菌防病效果

枯草芽孢杆菌生防菌Bs-916是一种在水稻病害防治中发挥作用的生防因子,为进一步提高其拮抗性能,获得生防效果更好的高效菌种,利用不同剂量的N+对Bs-916进行离子注入处理,在1300个诱变处理的菌株中,经过初筛、复筛和定量筛选,筛选到11株拮抗性能比出发菌Bs-916提高10%以上的菌株,对筛选出的高效突变菌株进行室内抑菌和田间防病测定。结果表明,离子注入生防菌Bs-916的最适剂量为150～250×2.6×1013N+/cm2;突变菌株的抑菌拮抗带宽提高率比出发菌株Bs-916高4.3%～30.7%;防病效果比Bs-916高3.2%～19.1%。     

Biological control of Ralstonia wilt,Phytophthora blight,Meloidogyne root-knot on bell pepper by the combination of Bacillus subtilis AR12, Bacillus subtilis SM21 and Chryseobacterium sp. R89

In a previous study, we screened the combination of the three bacterial strains—Bacillus subtilis AR12, Bacillus subtilis SM21, and Chryseobacterium sp. R89—(BBC), which can control mixed diseases, including Ralstonia wilt, Phytophthora blight, and Meloidogyne root-knot on bell pepper with high biocontrol efficacy and yield increase under greenhouse and field conditions. In this study, to achieve the best biocontrol agents for separately controlling Ralstonia wilt, Phytophthora blight and Meloidogyne root-knot by BBC, the biocontrol efficacy by BBC-related BCAs (AR12, SM21, R89, AR12 + SM21, AR12 + R89, SM21 + R89 and AR12 + SM21 + R89) were compared regarding all three single diseases and the mixed diseases, respectively. BBC achieved the highest biocontrol efficacy against all three single diseases and the mixed diseases (biocontrol efficacies of 92.46 %, 81.81 %, 86.49 % and 87.31 % against Ralstonia wilt, Phytophthora blight, Meloidogyne root-knot and the mixed diseases, respectively), which were significantly more than that attained by the three single strains and the two-strain combinations AR12 + SM21, AR12 + R89 and SM21 + R89. Although a biomass increase of 4.86–21.14 % was attained by BBC-related BCAs without BBC, BBC achieved a maximum biomass increase of 64.67 %.     

Development and evaluation of water-in-oil formulation of Pseudomonas fluorescens (FP7) against Colletotrichum musae incitant of anthracnose disease in banana

Banana anthracnose incited by Colletotrichum musae (Berk & Curt.) Arx. is a serious disease both in the field and after harvest. Nineteen isolates of antagonistic bacteria and twelve isolates of yeast were screened for the biocontrol activity against this disease. Pseudomonas fluorescens (FP7) had the highest inhibition rate of mycelial growth of C. musae. Water-in-oil formulation of P. fluorescens (FP7) was developed by adding various oils such as coconut (28.50 %), rice bran (28.50 %) and castor (28.50 %) individually to the bacterial culture. Addition of these oils allowed bacterial populations to survive at various levels up to 210 days of storage, the duration of experiment; whereas in the control treatment (NA broth) it survived at high levels only up to 45 days. Biochemical and antibiotic characterization of P. fluorescens (FP7) in water in oil formulation showed more intensity up to 180 days. Two field trials were conducted to standardize the water in oil formulation. The application of water-in-oil formulation significantly increased the yield (63.56 t/ha), and nutritional factors.     

Genetic diversity and identification of race 3 of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Fusarium oxysporum</Emphasis> f. sp. <Emphasis Type="Italic">lactucae</Emphasis> in Taiwan

Sorghum is an important drought tolerant crop cultivated for food and fodder purposes. Anthracnose disease caused by Colletotrichum graminicola is a major constraint in sorghum productivity in India. Certain antagonistic fungi, that were isolated in the previous study from the rhizosphere and rhizoplane of perennial grasses in India, were studied for their antagonism in vitro to C. graminicola, root colonization ability and rhizosphere competence. Out of 138 isolates tested, 89 were antagonistic. Fifteen fungal isolates with greater than 70 % in vitro inhibition zone to the pathogen tested positive for root and rhizosphere colonization abilities. Three isolates – Chaetomium globosum isolate 57, Trichoderma harzianum isolate 184 and Fusarium oxysporum (NSF isolate 9) with prominent biocontrol potentials were tested for the control of sorghum anthracnose in greenhouse and field. Chaetomium globosum, Trichoderma harzianum and Fusarium oxysporum isolates decreased seedling mortality, and incidence and severity of disease at different growing stages. They promoted plant growth (dry biomass- 45.3, 40.0 and 46.7 %) and increased yield (grain biomass- 33.3, 23.8 and 49.2 %) respectively, over control in field. The population of the above fungi in soil was moderately high at harvest stage. The present investigation revealed that fungal isolates from rhizosphere and rhizoplane of perennial grasses could be employed to manage anthracnose and enhance plant growth and yield potentialities in sorghum, at the same time.     

First report of Monilia polystroma on apple in Hungary

A Monilinia fructigena-like isolate (UFT) was collected from apple shoots in northeastern Hungary (Újfehértó). Brownish dieback and buff-coloured stromata were observed on shoots and small fruits of cv. ‘Ashton Bitter’. On potato dextrose agar (PDA) the colonies were yellowish in colour and irregular black stromatal crusts occurred. Conidia (16.6?×?10.1 µm) were slightly smaller than the average of M. fructigena. The fungus caused brown rot on inoculated apple fruits, and produced numerous sporodochia. The sequences of the rDNA internal transcribed spacer regions of the UFT isolate were almost identical to that of a previously described Monilia polystroma isolate, containing all five nucleotides that distinguish it from M. fructigena. Comparison of a genomic sequence of unknown function revealed that repetitive sequence motifs occurred in different numbers as insertions in the genomes of M. fructigena, Monilia polystroma, and the UFT isolate. Classical and molecular characterisation indicated that the UFT isolate belonged to Monilia polystroma. To our knowledge this is the first report of Monilia polystroma in Europe.     

Effects of pH and titratable acidity on the growth and development of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Monilinia laxa</Emphasis> (Aderh. &amp; Ruhl.) <Emphasis Type="Italic">in vitro</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">in vivo</Emphasis>.

This investigation examines the effects of pH and titratable acidity on the growth and developments of a strain of Monilinia laxa (Aderhold & Ruhland) at seven different pH levels in Potato Dextrose Agar media and on peach fruit from formation to commercial maturity. The fungi growth was obtained by daily measurement of mycelia on the pH amended Potato Dextrose Agar. The sporulation performance was determined after 30 days of culture incubation. Fruits were inoculated with M. laxa, from fruit set to maturity, on weekly basis for brown rot susceptibility. The pathogen development, in vitro, was affected, by the pH (2.4–11.52) amended nutrient media. M. laxa exhibited variation in its growth and sporulation capacities on the seven pH amended PDA, preferring relatively moderate acidic conditions for optimum performance. In the in vitro analysis, there was mycelia growth at pH 2.40 to 8.84, while pH 11.52 did not support any mycelia growth. There was a continuous and stable increase in weight of fruit as it developed whereas the fruit size increased, then decreased and finally increased as the fruit develops. The acidity dynamics exhibited a non-sinusoidal waveform through the growth and development of the fruit. In all these characteristic variations, M. laxa did not develop infection or shown any brown rot incidence in the fruit until the period of commercial maturity.