Phytophthora root rot of sweet pepper

Phytophthora capsici proved to be the causal agent of a root and crown rot of sweet pepper in the Netherlands.P. capsici was pathogenic on sweet pepper, tomato and sometimes on eggplant but not on tobacco Xanthi. Of these test plants only tomato was infected byP. nicotianae.No different symptoms in plants infected with eitherP. capsici orP. nicotianae were found. Dipping the roots of tomato and sweet pepper plants in a suspension ofP. capsici resulted in a more severe attack than pouring the suspension on the stem base.Resistance in tomato toP. nicotianae did not include resistance toP. capsici. A method to distinguishP. capsici fromP. nicotianae after isolation from soil is described. Both species were able to infect green fruits of tomato and sweet pepper.p. capsici survived in moist soil in the absence of a host for at least 15 months.Samenvatting Phytophthora capsici bleek de oorzaak te zijn van een voet-en wortelrot in paprika op twee bedrijven in 1977 in Nederland.P. capsici was pathogeen op paprika, tomaat en soms op aubergine maar niet op tabak Xanthi.P. nicotianae tastte van deze toetsplanten alleen tomaat aan. Verschillen in symptomen tussenP. nicotianae enP. capsici werden bij tomaat niet waargenomen.Het dompelen van de wortels in eenP. capsici suspensie gaf een ernstiger aantasting dan het begieten van de wortelhals met deze suspensie.Resistentie in tomaat tegenP. nicotianae bleek geen resistentie tegenP. capsici in te houden. P. capsici kan in grond worden aangetoond door groene paprikavruchten als vangsubstraat te gebruiken.P. capsici enP. nicotianae kunnen beide zowel vruchten van tomaat als paprika aantasten. P. capsici overleefde een periode van 15 maan den in vochtige grond waarop geen waardplant werd geteeld.     

Identification of two serological flagellar types (H1 and H2) inPseudomonas syringae pathovars

Flagellar antigen specificity was studied for the speciesPseudomonas syringae, P. viridiflava andP. cichorii. After checking their motility, bacteria were reacted against six polyclonal antisera containing anti-O (LPS) and anti-H (flagellar) antibodies by indirect immunofluorescent staining. Two distinct flagellar serotypes (H1 and H2) were described. The distribution of H1 and H2 serotypes was then determined for a collection of 88 phytopathogenicPseudomonas strains. Serotype H1 was possessed byP. syringae pv.aptata (12 strains),P. s. pv.helianthi (2),P. s. pv.pisi (11), andP. s. pv.syringae (13). Serotype H2 was possessed byP. cichorii (2),P. s. pv.delphinii (1),P. s. pv.glycinea (4),P. s. pv.lacrymans (1),P. s. pv.mori (1),P. s. pv.morsprunorum (10),P. s. pv.persicae (1),P. s. pv.phaseolicola (8),P. s. pv.tabaci (10) andP. s. pv.tomato (1).P. viridiflava (5) revealed HI, H2 and untyped flagella. The following isolates were untypable by the H1/H2 system:P. corrugata (3),P. fluorescens (2),P. tolaasii (1). H1/H2 serotypes distribution is not linked toP. syringae O-serogroups. On the other hand, H1/H2 distribution seems remarkably linked to the new genospecies of theP. syringae group.Abbreviations CFBP French Collection of Phytopathogenic Bacteria, Angers, France - ICMP International Collection of Micro-organisms from Plants, Auckland, New-Zealand - NCPPB National Collection of Plant Pathogenic Bacteria, Harpenden, Great Britain     

桃蛀螟对青霉菌侵染苹果的产卵选择与行为趋向反应

为探明桃蛀螟Conogethes punctiferalis偏好于在青霉菌Penicillium侵染的苹果上产卵的特点与机理,从苹果、玉米和柑橘上分离、纯化获得15株青霉菌,通过形态学和rDNA-ITS序列分析鉴定后,以健康苹果为对照,测试不同青霉菌菌株侵染的苹果对桃蛀螟产卵选择的影响,并利用四臂嗅觉仪测试桃蛀螟对青霉菌诱导的苹果挥发物的行为趋向反应。结果表明,15株青霉菌分别属于皮落青霉P. crustosum、橘青霉P. citrinum、苏门答腊青霉P. sumatrense和指状青霉P. digitatum的不同株型;桃蛀螟对其中的12株青霉菌侵染的苹果的产卵选择率均极显著高于健康苹果,尤其对皮落青霉CO5菌株、苏门答腊青霉OR3菌株和指状青霉OR5菌株侵染的苹果的产卵选择率最高,分别达到67.73%、61.50%和68.39%;桃蛀螟对感染皮落青霉CO5菌株和指状青霉OR5菌株的苹果挥发物的选择率分别为31.37%和29.19%,均显著高于对感染橘青霉OR1菌株和苏门答腊青霉OR3菌株的苹果挥发物的选择率18.14%和21.31%,且前二者之间、后二者之间均无显著差异。表明青霉菌可通过影响寄主植物挥发物释放,从而影响桃蛀螟对寄主植物的产卵选择和行为趋向反应。     

In vitro but not in planta encapsidation of Rice gall dwarf virus core particles by the outer capsid P8 protein of Rice dwarf virus expressed in transgenic rice plants

Transencapsidation of the Rice gall dwarf virus (RGDV) inner core by the Rice dwarf virus (RDV) outer capsid P8 protein was examined in vitro and in planta. When RGDV core particles were incubated with an extract from RDV P8-transgenic rice leaf tissue, RDV P8 encapsidated the RGDV core particles to form double-shelled virus-like particles in vitro. In contrast, when RDV P8-transgenic rice plants were inoculated with RGDV, progeny RGDV particles contained RGDV P8 but RDV P8 was not detectable in the virions. No significant differences were found in acquisition by the vector insects and subsequent transmission rates between RGDV infecting nontransgenic rice plants and those infecting RDV P8-transgenic rice plants. These results indicate that mechanisms of and/or requirements for interactions between P8 and the inner core particles of phytoreoviruses differ between in vitro and in planta.     

Identification and pathogenicity of Pythium species causing damping-off of kidney bean

Five Pythium species (Pythium irregulare, P. mamillatum, P. myriotylum, P. spinosum and P. ultimum var. ultimum) were isolated from the hypocotyls and roots of kidney bean plants with damping-off from a commercial field and from experimental plots that have undergone either continuous cropping with kidney bean or rotational cropping with arable crops. In inoculation tests, all five Pythium species were pathogenic to kidney bean. This is the first report of damping-off of kidney bean caused by Pythium species; we named this disease damping-off of kidney bean. The nucleotide sequence data reported are available in the DDBJ/EMBL/GenBank databases under accession numbers AB291811, AB291944 and AB291945.     

Genes responsible for coronatine synthesis in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pseudomonas syringae</Emphasis> present in the genome of soft rot bacteria

Primers for the PCR amplification of homologous genes encoding polyketide coronafacic acid and coronafacic ligase in the cells of Pectobacterium atrosepticum SCRI1043 (BX950851) were developed to study the presence of these genes in the genome of Pectobacterium sp. and Dickeya sp. Coronafacic ligase catalyses the formation of coronatine from polyketide coronafacic acid and coronamic acid. Coronatine is a toxin produced by Pseudomonas syringae and is one of the major virulence factors in this bacterium. This study using several strains of P. atrosepticum, P. carotovorum subsp. carotovorum and Dickeya sp. isolated in different countries, indicated that all strains of P. atrosepticum possess genes coding coronafacic acid (cfa gene cluster) and coronafacic ligase (cfl). However, these genes were present only in the genome of five out of 50 tested P. carotovorum subsp. carotovorum strains and two out of 34 strains of Dickeya sp. tested. The PCR products homologous to the sequence of cfa7 and cfl gene fragments were sequenced in order to check the level of homology between genes of P. atrosepticum, P. carotovorum subsp. carotovorum and Dickeya sp. The sequences of the gene fragments amplified from all P. atrosepticum strains were almost identical (100% and 99.97%, respectively). The homology of the sequences obtained for P. atrosepticum and sequences of five P. carotovorum subsp. carotovorum and two Dickeya sp. was lower, between 89.69% to 95.00% for the cfl gene fragment, and about 94% for the cfa7 gene fragment.     

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.     

Natural hybrids of resident and introduced <Emphasis Type="Italic">Phytophthora</Emphasis> species proliferating on multiple new hosts

Several atypical Phytophthora strains, isolated from a range of horticultural hosts, were tentatively identified as P. cactorum. Numerous abortive oospores were observed in these strains and isozyme analysis showed all were heterozygous for the dimeric malic enzyme (MDHP). More detailed comparisons indicated that their MDHP alleles matched those of both P. cactorum and P. hedraiandra. Cloning and sequencing of the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of the atypical P. cactorum strains demonstrated the presence of sequences characteristic for both P. cactorum and P. hedraiandra. It was concluded that the atypical strains represented hybrids between the resident P. cactorum and the apparently recently introduced P. hedraiandra. Most strains had the mitochondrially inherited cytochrome oxidase I (Cox I) gene typical of one putative parent P. hedraiandra, while one single strain had that of the other putative parent, consistent with the hybrid hypothesis. Our data also suggest that the hybrids are evolving. The hybrids have proliferated on multiple new hosts in the Netherlands.     

Bacterial induction of the accumulation of phaseollin,pisatin and rishitin and their antibacterial activity

Bean hypocotyls, pea pods and tomato fruits were tested for phaseollin, pisatin and rishitin production when challenged with the phytopathogenic bacteriaErwinia carotovora, Pseudomonas phaseolicola, P. pisi andP. solanacearum, and their isolated extracellular polysaccharides. All bacteria induced phytoalexin accumulation, whereas only phaseollin and pisatin, but not rishitin, were elicited by EPS. The inhibitory effect of these three phytoalexins on bacterial growth was studied in liquid medium; whereas phaseollin and pisatin strongly inhibited growth, only a slight inhibitory effect resulted from the presence of rishitin in the medium.Samenvatting Bonehypocotylen, erwtepeulen en tomatevruchten werden onderzocht op hun vermogen tot vorming van respectievelijk faseolline, pisatine en rishitine, na inoculatie met de fytopathogene bacteriënErwinia carotovora, Pseudomonas phaseolicola, P. pisi enP. solanacearum en na behandeling met oplossingen van hun extracellulaire polysacchariden (EPS). Alle bacteriesoorten induceerden fytoalexinevorming, terwijl hun EPS wel faseolline- en pisatine-, maar geen rishitinevorming induceerden. Faseolline en pisatine remden de groei van de bacteriën in vloeibaar medium sterk; rishitine daarentegen had slechts een geringe groeiremming tengevolge.     

Differential interactions ofPhytophthora capsici isolates with pepper genotypes at various plant growth stages

Pepper cultivars from diverse geographic origins were evaluated for resistance to different isolates ofPhytophthora capsici under controlled environmental conditions. All accessions tested were susceptible at the four-leaf stage to the six isolates ofP. capsici. Inoculation at the eight-leaf stage resulted in significantly different interactions among the accessions andP. capsici isolates. The Korean and U.S. cultivars tested were highly susceptible to the isolates ofP. capsici at this stage. In contrast, PI 201234 and PI 201238 had a differential interaction with someP. capsici isolates. At the twelve-leaf stage, Phytophthora blight developed slowly in the Korean and U.S. cultivars that were highly susceptible at the eight-leaf stage. Furthermore, the accessions from the Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center (AVRDC) became highly resistant toP. capsici at this stage.