Fungicide resistance profile and genetic structure of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Botrytis cinerea</Emphasis> from greenhouse crops in Cyprus

Botrytis cinerea is a complex species prone to fungicide resistance and characterized by enormous genetic diversity. During 2013, 220 B. cinerea isolates causing gray mold were collected from greenhouse-grown crops in the regions of Ammochostos, Larnaca, and Limassol (Cyprus). Sensitivities of the sampled populations to seven botryticides with different modes of action were screened in vitro. The results of this in vitro screening highlighted the widespread phenomenon of fungicide resistance in greenhouses, since only 8.6 % of the isolates were sensitive to all botryticides. Resistance to thiophanate-methyl was the most prevalent, with frequencies ranging from 53.8 % to 80 %. Similarly, high resistance frequencies were observed for pyraclostrobin (27.1 to 78.9 %) and boscalid (28.2 to 66.2 %). Multiple fungicide resistant phenotypes were predominant, covering 67.3 % of the population, with frequencies of 80.0, 37.5, 53.8, 83.1, and 60.2 % in cucumber, eggplant, green bean, strawberry, and tomato, respectively. No fludioxonil-resistant isolates were observed. Botrytis cinerea and Botrytis group S genotypes comprised the gray mold population. B. cinerea was predominant within cucumber, eggplant and strawberry, whereas both genotypes were in equilibrium in green bean and tomato. However, Botrytis group S was found in all hosts. B. cinerea was the most prevalent in the majority of fungicide resistance phenotypes from strawberry, while genotype distributions within tomato were generally more balanced. B. pseudocinerea was not detected in the sampled population. Overall, frequency of the mating type allele MAT1–1 was higher to MAT1–2, underlying their unequal distribution in the population. However, cases of 1:1 distribution were apparent within particular subpopulations, suggesting that mating in the field cannot be excluded.     

Resistance to polyoxin AL and other fungicides in Botrytis cinerea collected from sweet basil crops in Israel

A total of 568 B. cinerea isolates were collected from diseased sweet basil plants and the air in 10 sweet basil greenhouses. Mycelial growth tests were used to evaluate the sensitivity of these isolates to benomyl, fenhexamid, iprodione, polyoxin AL and pyrimethanil. EC₅₀ values for polyoxin, the main botryticide on sweet basil in Israel, ranged from 0.4 to 6.5 μg ml^?1 and had a bimodal distribution; the EC₅₀ values for sensitive isolates ranged from 0.4 to 1.5 μg ml^?1 and the EC₅₀ values for low-level resistant isolates ranged from 4 to 6.5 μg ml^?1. Among populations that had not been exposed to polyoxin treatments, 20 to 35 % of the collected isolates were low-level resistant for polyoxin. Polyoxin treatments in an experimental greenhouse shifted the equilibrium in favour of low-level resistant isolates, and the change occurred rapidly: from a frequency of 20 % low-level resistant isolates in the population that had never been treated with polyoxin to a frequency of 72 % after a few treatments over two seasons. Prolonged use of polyoxin in Israeli basil crops (in some sites for more than 10 years) does not appear to have led to the development of high-level resistance, but low-level resistant isolates were found in commercial greenhouses with the frequency of up to 73 %. High-level resistance to benzimidazoles was common (60 to 80 % of isolates) in greenhouses with a history of benzimidazole treatments; whereas 15–25 % of the isolates from greenhouses in which fungicides were not used were resistant. Low-level resistance to dicarboximides was fairly widespread (frequency of 30 to 80 % depending on the greenhouse) and a few cases of moderate resistance to dicarboximides were also noted (frequency of 0 to 9 %). Neither high- nor low-level resistance to anilinopyrimidines was common in sweet basil commercial greenhouses (0 to 7 %). However, 34 % of the isolates were strongly resistant in the experimental greenhouse, following a few treatments with anilinopyrimidine fungicides during the previous season. Before those treatments, the proportion of anilinopyrimidines resistant isolates had been 1 %. About 3 % of the isolates exhibited low-level resistance to fenhexamid and no isolates were found to be strongly resistant to fenhexamid. Low-level resistance to one fungicide was often associated with low-level resistances to other fungicides. Thirty-two phenotypes exhibiting resistance to one or more of the tested fungicides were noted among B. cinerea isolates. Resistant isolates showed similar or reduced fitness parameters in comparison to wild-type isolates.     

Sequence variation in the two-component histidine kinase gene of Botrytis cinerea associated with resistance to dicarboximide fungicides

The complete two-component histidine kinase gene (Bos1) was sequenced from eight dicarboximide-resistant (D^R) and six-sensitive (D^S) field isolates of Botrytis cinerea. Comparisons in the predicted amino acid sequences of Bos1 showed that each two D^R isolates had a single point mutation at amino acid position 365 from an isoleucine to serine (I365S) or to an asparagine (I365N). Three D^R isolates were characterized with a change from glutamine to proline at position 369 (Q369P) as well as an asparagine to serine at the position 373 (N373S). These mutations located within the 90-amino-acid repeats of Bos1 have been reported previously. One new mutation, however, was found in the D^R isolate 65-E8. In this isolate, a null mutation at the amino acid position 1040 in the Bos1 was detected. Inoculation tests showed that this isolate was nearly nonpathogenic to cucumber. After the Bos1 gene from the sensitive isolate 38B1 was transferred into the resistant isolate 65-E8, all transformants tested were sensitive to iprodione and capable of infecting cucumber. DNA fingerprint generated by micro-satellite primed-PCR showed that isolates were not clustered based on their sensitivity to iprodione. Results from this study indicate that mutations in the Bos1 gene associated with dicarboximide resistance are diverse in B. cinerea, and the Bos1 gene is associated with virulence of B. cinerea.     

Failure to detect highly resistant strains in dicarboximide resistant field populations of Botrytis cinerea1

Field isolates of Botrytis cinerea with moderate levels of resistance to dicarboximide fungicides (ED50 1.0–4.9 μg ml^?1) and to dicloran were obtained from glasshouses where vinclozolin and iprodione failed to control grey mould. From sensitive and moderatcly-resistant cultures, laboratory isolates were selected on dicarboximide-amended medium, which were highly resistant to these fungicides (ED50 125->3000 μg ml^?1). Conidia of all the resistant isolates germinated well on media amended with 100 μg ml^?1 of the dicarboximides vinclozolin, iprodione, procymidone and myclozolin and with 5 μg ml^?1 of metomeclan. However, the spores of the moderately resistant isolates did not germinate on 100 μg ml^?1 metomeclan while the spores of the highly resistant isolates germinated well. Using media with 100 μg ml^?1 of metomeclan to distinguish between the two phenotypes, no highly resistant strain was detected among 312 resistant samples from five cucumber glasshouses with a high frequency of moderately resistant strains. From air-borne inoculum of five glasshouses with 100% resistant populations, 1604 colonies were recovered on vinclozolin-amended (100 μg ml^?1) medium and none on metomeclan-amended (100 μg ml^?1) medium. It is concluded that strains of B. cinerea highly resistant to dicarboximides are absent from field populations.     

The advantage of tbz + iprodione treatment for control of gray mold decay of celery caused by the heterogenic spore population ofBotrytis cinerea in Israel

A combined TBZ — iprodione treatment was more effective in inhibiting growthin vitro ofBotrytis cinerea isolates obtained from decayed celery than either of the fungicides applied separately. This was exhibited for both TBZ-resistant and TBZ-sensitive isolates. TBZ at 500 (μg ml^-1 plus iprodione at 1000 μg ml^-1 reduced celery decay beyond the reduction obtained by each fungicide alone. When applied prior to inoculation, the combined treatment prevented decay by the TBZ-sensitive/iprodione-resistant isolates and reduced initial decay by the TBZ-resistant/iprodione-sensitive isolates to 3–10% of the level without treatment. Under natural infection conditions iprodione showed better decay control than TBZ, and at 1500 μg ml^-1 it reduced initial decay during prolonged storage to 3% of the no-treatment level. Although TBZ (500 μg ml^-1) or iprodione (1000 μg ml^-1) applied separately reduced decay significantly, the combination of lower concentrations of each fungicide was sufficient to eliminate decay development almost totally. The combined treatment also inhibited decay bySclerotinia sclerotiorum, which contributed 3% of the total soft rot in stored celery.     

Comparison of RAPD and AFLP Marker Analysis as a Means to Study the Genetic Structure of Botrytis cinerea Populations

To assess the genetic relationships of Botrytis cinerea populations in Almería (Spain), 44 isolates of B. cinerea, collected from six commercial greenhouses (subpopulations), were analysed by Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and amplified-fragment length polymorphism (AFLP). Polymorphisms were more frequently detected per primer with AFLP than with RAPD (16 compared to 4). However, RAPD detected polymorphisms more frequently per loci than AFLP (56% compared to 32%). The analysis of population structure revealed that the genetic diversity within subpopulations (H_S) accounted for 96% of the total genetic diversity (H_T) , while genetic diversity among subpopulations represented only 4% of the total diversity, independently of whether they were analysed with RAPD or AFLP markers. The relative magnitude of gene differentiation between subpopulations (G_ST) and the estimate of the number of migrants per generation (N_m) averaged similar values when estimated with RAPD or AFLP markers (0.039 and 0.036, or 12.32 and 13.39, respectively). The results obtained in dendrograms were in accordance with the gene diversity analysis. However, the diversity of B. cinerea was higher when analysed by RAPD than with AFLP. In these cases, the isolates could not be grouped by greenhouse or fungicide resistance (except those sensitive to carbendazim and resistant to procymidone). Both the RAPD and AFLP technologies are suitable for studies of genetic structure of B. cinerea populations, although RAPD generated more polymorphisms per loci than AFLP, and provided a better explanation of the genetic relationships between isolates.     

Survival of dicarboximide-resistant strains ofBotrytis cinerea in plant debris during summer in Israel

Survival- ofBotrytis cinerea was monitored during two summer seasons. Mycelium and conidia were found dead on the surface of plant debris within 2 months of incubation, whereas a high level of viability was detected in thallus of the pathogen which was 1–2 mm inside the dry host tissue. Of the 148 samples of infected senescing cucumber female fruits, 8% survived seven warm months; half of these isolates ofB. cinerea were resistant to dicarboximides (5 (μ/ml iprodione). Of the stems of cucumber infected withB. cinerea in winter, 18% yielded the pathogen at the beginning of the following winter; 15% of the surviving isolates were resistant to dicarboximides. Cucumber seedlings artificially infected byB. cinerea did not yield the pathogen longer than 9 weeks after establishment of infection, even when incubated in the shade. Plant debris with symptoms of gray mold were kept in the shade during the summer; at the beginning of winter it was possible to establish infection ofB. cinerea from the dry debris.     

Multiple resistance of Botrytis cinerea from kiwifruit to SDHIs,QoIs and fungicides of other chemical groups

BACKGROUND: Botrytis cinerea Pers.: Fr. is a high‐risk pathogen for fungicide resistance development that has caused resistance problems on many crops throughout the world. This study investigated the fungicide sensitivity profile of isolates from kiwifruits originating from three Greek locations with different fungicide use histories. Sensitivity was measured by in vitro fungitoxicity tests on artificial nutrient media. RESULTS: Seventy‐six single‐spore isolates were tested for sensitivity to the SDHI fungicide boscalid, the QoI pyraclostrobin, the anilinopyrimidine cyprodinil, the hydroxyanilide fenhexamid, the phenylpyrrole fludioxonil, the dicarboxamide iprodione and the benzimidazole carbendazim. All isolates from Thessaloniki showed resistance to both boscalid and pyraclostrobin, while in the other two locations the fungal population was sensitive to these two fungicides. Sensitive isolates showed EC₅₀ values to boscalid and pyraclostrobin ranging from 0.9 to 5.2 and from 0.04 to 0.14 mg L^?1 respectively, while the resistant isolates showed EC₅₀ values higher than 50 mg L^?1 for boscalid and from 16 to > 50 mg L^?1 for pyraclostrobin. All QoI‐resistant isolates carried the G143A mutation in cytb. Sensitivity determinations to the remaining fungicides revealed in total eight resistance phenotypes. No isolates were resistant to the fungicides fenhexamid and fludioxonil. CONCLUSION: This is the first report of B. cinerea field isolates with resistance to both boscalid and pyraclostrobin, and it strongly suggests that there may be a major problem in controlling this important pathogen on kiwifruit. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

Effect of Phenylpyrrole-resistance Mutations on Ecological Fitness of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Botrytis cinerea</Emphasis> and their Genetical Basis in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ustilago maydis</Emphasis>

Mutants of Botrytis cinerea and Ustilago maydis highly resistant to fludioxonil were isolated at a high frequency, after nitrosoguanidine or UV mutagenesis, respectively, and selection on media containing fludioxonil. Tests on the response of mutant strains to high osmotic pressure resulted in the identification of two fludioxonil-resistant phenotypes (FLD_osm/s and FLD_osm/r), regarding the sensitivity to high osmolarity. Approximately 95% of fludioxonil-resistant mutants were found to be more sensitive to high osmotic pressure than the wild-type parent strains. Genetic analysis of phenylpyrrole-resistance in the phytopathogenic basidiomycete U. maydis, showed that fludioxonil-resistance was coded by three unlinked chromosomal loci (U/fld-1, U/fld-2 and U/fld-3), from which only the U/fld-1 mutation coded an osmotic sensitivity similar to that of the wild-types. Cross-resistance studies with fungicides from other chemical groups showed that the mutations for resistance to phenylpyrroles affect the sensitivity of mutant strains to the aromatic hydrocarbon and dicarboximide fungicides, but not to the benzimidazoles, anilinopyrimidines, phenylpyridinamines, hydroxyanilides or the sterol biosynthesis inhibiting fungicides. A study of fitness parameters in the wild-type and fludioxonil-resistant mutants of B. cinerea, showed that all osmotic sensitive (B/FLD_osm/s) isolates had significant reductions in the characteristics determining saprophytic fitness such as mycelial growth, sporulation, conidial germination and sclerotial production. Contrary to that, with the exception of mycelial growth, the fitness parameters were unaffected or only slightly affected in most of the osmotic resistant (B/FLD_osm/r) isolates. Tests on cucumber seedlings showed that the osmotic-sensitive strains were significantly less pathogenic compared with the wild-type and B/FLD_osm/r strains of B. cinerea. Preventative applications of the commercial products Saphire 50 WP (fludioxonil) and Rovral 50 WP (iprodione) were effective against lesion development on cotyledons by the wild-type and the mutant strains of B. cinerea that were resistant to the anilinopyrimidine cyprodinil (B/CPL-27) and to the hydroxyanilide fenhexamid (B/FNH-21), but ineffective, even at high concentrations, against disease caused by the fludioxonil-resistant isolates (B/FLD) and a mutant strain resistant to the dicarboximide iprodione (B/IPR-1). Experiments on the stability of the fludioxonil-resistant phenotype showed a reduction of resistance, mainly in osmotic-sensitive isolates, when the mutants were grown on inhibitor-free medium. A rapid recovery of the high resistance was observed after mutants were returned to the selection medium. Studies on the competitive ability of mutant isolates against the wild-type parent strain of B. cinerea, by applications of a mixed conidial population, showed that, in vitro, all mutants were less competitive than the wild-type strain. However, the competitive ability of osmotic-resistant mutants was higher than the osmotic-sensitive ones. Furthermore, competition tests, in planta, showed a significant reduction of the frequency of both phenylpyrrole-resistant phenotypes, with a respective increase in the population of the wild-type strain of the pathogen.     

Persistence of dicarboximide-fungicide resistance in populations ofbotrytis cinerea in a warm,dry temperate agroclimate

Failures to control gray mold with vinclozolin and iprodione in cucumber greenhouses in Israel, during the winter and spring of 1981, were attributed to the development of resistance to dicarboximide fungicides in populations ofBotrytis cinerea Pers. In seven out of eight greenhouses where resistance had been found in 1981, most or all of theB. cinerea population was resistant also in January 1982. This demonstrates the capability of resistant strains to survive during the warm and dry Mediterranean summer, and to provide competitive inoculum for crop infection in the subsequent winter.     

Molecular characterization of benzimidazole-resistant B. cinerea field isolates with reduced or enhanced sensitivity to zoxamide and diethofencarb

Sensitivity profiles of Botrytis cinerea field isolates to zoxamide and the molecular basis of the resistance mechanism involved in cross-resistance relationships between benzamides, benzimidazoles and N-phenylcarbamates were investigated. B. cinerea isolates collected from southern, central and northern Greece were characterized based on their sensitivity to zoxamide, the benzimidazole carbendazim and the N-phenylcarbamate diethofencarb. Isolates exhibiting baseline sensitivity to carbendazim and zoxamide but no sensitivity to diethofencarb were considered wild type (S phenotype) and accounted for 44% of the total strains sampled. Thirty-three percent of the isolates had increased sensitivity (HS phenotype) to zoxamide and diethofencarb and were highly resistant to carbendazim compared to S isolates. Eight percent of the sample was highly resistant (HR phenotype) to all anti-tubulin agents studied. The rest of the isolates were moderately resistant to zoxamide (MR phenotype) and equally sensitive to benzimidazoles and N-phenylcarbamates compared to isolates of the S phenotype. Fungitoxicity tests with botrycides belonging to other chemical classes revealed no cross-resistance relationships between zoxamide and the phenylpyrrole fludioxonil, the dicarboximide iprodione, the hydroxyanilide fenhexamid, the anilinopyrimidine cyprodinil, the carboxamide boscalid and the strobilurin-type fungicide pyraclostrobin. Study of fitness characteristics did not show any significant difference between zoxamide resistant and sensitive isolates with respect to the parameters tested. PCR-RFLP analysis of a part of the β-tubulin gene sequence detected mutations in position 198 for both HS and HR zoxamide-sensitivity phenotypes. DNA sequence analysis of the B. cinerea β-tubulin gene revealed two previously described benzimidazole-resistance-conferring mutations. The first one was the glutamic acid (GAG) to alanine (GCG) change at position 198 (E198A), which was identified in all HS isolates. The second mutation (E198K) was a GAG-to-AAG substitution resulting in the replacement of glutamic acid with lysine present in all B. cinerea isolates highly resistant to all three anti-tubulin classes of fungicides. A number of mutations in other positions of the β-tubulin gene were detected in the moderately zoxamide-resistance phenotype.     

Yellow sigatoka epidemics caused by a panmictic population of Mycosphaerella musicola in Brazil

The genetic structure of Mycosphaerella musicola has never been investigated in Brazil to address epidemiologically related questions associated with yellow sigatoka. A total of 223 single‐conidium isolates from four regions (North, South, Zona da Mata and Triângulo Mineiro) of Minas Gerais State, Brazil, were used to assess the population genetic structure of M. musicola. Isolates were characterized regarding the frequency of the MAT1‐1‐1 or MAT1‐2‐1 idiomorphs and polymorphism at nine microsatellite loci. The mating‐type ratio in three of the four subpopulations was c. 1:1. A total of 87 alleles and 216 multilocus genotypes were identified. The overall population was in linkage equilibrium. Most (93.9%) genetic variation was detected within the subpopulations and there was weak differentiation between them. In total, eight genetic groups were detected and isolates of seven groups were present in all regions. The population of M. musicola in Minas Gerais seems to have high evolutionary potential: it is panmictic and both sexual reproduction and gene flow affect genetic variability. Strategies to avoid fungicide resistance should be enforced and breeding programmes need to consider quantitative resistance in the banana cultivars.     

Detection and characterization of fungicide resistant phenotypes of Botrytis cinerea in lettuce crops in Greece

The development of resistance to chemical control agents needs continuous monitoring in Botrytis cinerea. 790 isolates from lettuce and other vegetable crops were collected from six widely separated sites in Greece and tested for their sensitivity to 11 fungicides from nine unrelated chemical groups. 44 of the isolates exhibited multiple resistance to fenhexamid (hydroxyanilides), azoxystrobin and pyraclostrobin (QoI’s), boscalid (SDHI’s), cyprodinil and pyrimethanil (anilinopyrimidines), fludioxonil (phenylpyrroles), carbendazim (benzimidazoles) and iprodione (dicarboximides). Thirty per cent of such phenotypes were detected in an experimental glasshouse with lettuce crops, the third year after commencing fungicide applications. The average resistance factor (R_f) for mycelial growth to fenhexamid, pyraclostrobin, boscalid, cyprodinil and fludioxonil, was over 40, 1,000, 100, 700 and 50, respectively. Some strains with high resistance to anilinopyrimidines (14 %) or moderate to fludioxonil (7 %) were detected even in isolates collected from vegetable crops prior to commercial use of these fungicides in Greece. Isolates with fludioxonil moderate resistance and fenhexamid high resistance, were detected for the first time in Greece. The results suggested the high risk in chemical control of grey mould due to development of resistance to most fungicides with site-specific modes of action. Isolates with resistance to fluazinam (phenylpyridinamines) and to chlorothalonil (phthalonitriles) were not found. The inclusion of appropriate multi-site inhibitors like chlorothalonil in fungicide anti-resistance strategies was indispensable.     

Effect of aerated compost tea on grapevine powdery mildew, botrytis bunch rot and microbial abundance on leaves

Aerated compost tea (ACT), prepared from immature compost, was applied to foliage and fruit of grapevines (Vitis vinifera) to assess its potential for suppressing two important diseases: botrytis bunch rot, caused by Botrytis cinerea, and powdery mildew, caused by Erysiphe necator. An ACT applied to leaves of Cabernet Sauvignon vines in pots 7 days before inoculation with E. necator conidia reduced mean powdery mildew severity on the three youngest expanded leaves (at inoculation) to less than 1 %; mean severity on non-treated, inoculated leaves was 15 %. Multiple applications of ACTs at two vineyards in different growing seasons suppressed powdery mildew to <1 % mean severity on Chardonnay leaves (non-treated 79 % severity) and bunches (non-treated 77 % severity), and on Riesling leaves (non-treated 24 % severity). The same treatments reduced the incidence of Chardonnay bunches with latent B. cinerea and Riesling bunches with sporulating B. cinerea, although the level of botrytis bunch rot in both experiments was not economically damaging. The numbers of culturable bacteria, fungi and yeasts on Chardonnay leaves were higher than pre-treatment levels 10 days after ACT application, as were fungal numbers on Riesling leaves 21 days after treatment. Suppression by ACTs of two fruit and foliar pathogens of grapevine with different biology and epidemiology indicated potential for their use as a tactic in integrated disease management. Further testing of ACTs in a range of viticultural environments and application regimes will contribute to a better understanding of the impact of this tactic on disease, grape and wine quality.     

Copper resistance in Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris affecting crucifers in Trinidad

Fifty-six native isolates collected in 12 farming districts of Trinidad and seven reference strains of Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris were evaluated for resistance to copper in buffered (pH 7.0) and unbuffered (pH 5.6) nutrient agar media. All isolates and reference strains were pathogenic and elicited typical black rot symptoms on a susceptible variety of Brassica olearceae, ‘Copenhagen Market’. Thirty-four and thirty-three native isolates were highly resistant to copper (growth on?≥?200 ppm copper) in buffered and unbuffered media, respectively; however, all the reference strains were highly susceptible to copper. The mean minimum inhibition concentration for the 56 native isolates was 224.6 ppm copper indicating that high levels of copper resistance are present in X. campestris pv. campestris in Trinidad. The association between growth of the 56 isolates and seven reference stains on buffered and unbuffered media was strong (Pearson’s and Spearman’s r?=?0.93; P?<?0.01) suggesting that either medium can be used to evaluate resistance to copper in X. campestris pv. campestris. There was also a strong association between length of time of continuous applications of copper formulations to treat black rot disease and proportion of the native X. campestris pv. campestris with resistance to copper (Pearson’s r?=?0.96; Spearman’s r?=?0.93); however, there was no association between resistance to copper and aggressiveness at 10 days after inoculation.     

Sensitivity of<Emphasis Type="Italic">Botrytis cinerea</Emphasis> from greenhouse vegetables to DMIs and fenhexamid

Two hundred isolates ofBotrytis cinerea were collected from greenhouse vegetables between 2003 and 2006 to determine their baseline sensitivity to triadimefone, penconazole, tebuconazole and fenhexamid. Mean values of 50% effective concentrations (EC₅₀) of inhibiting growth were 4.853±5.102, 0.41±0.215, 0.19±0.099 and 0.36±0.891 mgl ⁻¹, respectively (mean±SD). Individuals ofB. cinerea in the population differed by a factor (EC₅₀ of the least sensitive isolate/EC₅₀ of the most sensitive isolate) of 6625, 20, 603 and 1800, respectively. Naturally fenhexamid-resistant isolates were detected with an unexpected high frequency of 10% although the pathogen population had never been exposed to this fungicide. The resistance level (mean EC₅₀ of resistant isolates / mean EC₅₀ of sensitive isolates) was 19.5. These naturally resistant isolates also were resistantin vivo, and there was no significant difference in growth rate, conidial production or pathogenicity ability between naturally resistant and wild sensitive isolates. These results indicated that there was a potential risk of practical resistance if fenhexamid was applied alone. Negative cross-resistance was observed between fenhexamid and tebuconazole in 90% of the naturally resistant isolates. Moreover, an obvious synergism of the antifungal activity of fenhexamid by tebuconazole was demonstrated in some of the naturally fenhexamid-resistant isolates. http://www.phytoparasitica.org posting May 9, 2007.     

浙江省果蔬灰葡萄孢对啶酰菌胺的抗性

以2004—2006年从浙江、江苏等地采集的灰葡萄孢对啶酰菌胺的敏感性基线[EC₅₀ = (1.07 ± 0.11) mg/L]为依据,采用菌丝生长速率法连续监测了浙江省果蔬灰葡萄孢群体对啶酰菌胺的敏感性变化。结果表明:浙江省果蔬灰葡萄孢对啶酰菌胺的抗性发展迅速,2012—2013年和2017—2018年的平均EC₅₀值分别为 (5.23 ± 7.79) 和 (24.30 ± 49.33) mg/L。其中,2012—2013年的抗药性菌株频率为15.3%,且均为低水平抗性 (LR) 菌株;而2017—2018年的抗药性频率上升至53.2%,并出现了7.5%的中等水平抗性 (MR) 菌株和1.3%的高水平抗性 (HR) 菌株。啶酰菌胺抗性菌株的菌丝生长速率、产孢量、产菌核数和致病力与敏感菌株相比均无显著差异。抗药性分子机制研究表明:啶酰菌胺抗性菌株的琥珀酸脱氢酶B亚基 (SDH B) 均发生了点突变,共包括H272R、P225F和N230I 3种类型,其中H272R型突变占88.5%;其SDH A和SDH D均未发生点突变;而SDH C的突变 (G85A + I93V + M158V + V168I) 与对药剂敏感性之间无明显联系。     

Adaptation to pyrrolnitrin in Botrytis cinerea and cost of resistance

The objective of this work was to estimate the risk of a decrease in the efficacy of biocontrol as a result of selection pressure exerted by biocontrol agents on Botrytis cinerea, focusing on pyrrolnitrin, an antibiotic identified in diverse biocontrol agents having an effect on B. cinerea. To evaluate a possible decrease in sensitivity to pyrrolnitrin, 10 successive generations of five isolates of B. cinerea were produced in vitro in the presence of a sublethal dose (10 μg L^?1) of the antibiotic. For one isolate, a significant reduction in the sensitivity to pyrrolnitrin at the fifth generation was observed with a resistance factor of c. 11. The production of 10 additional generations for four of these isolates, with increasing doses of pyrrolnitrin (100–4000 μg L^?1), resulted in the development of variants of B. cinerea with high levels of resistance to the antibiotic (RF > 1000) and a reduced sensitivity in vitro to a pyrrolnitrin‐producing bacterium. Reverse adaptation of resistant variants after 10 additional generations in the absence of selection pressure was not observed, suggesting stability of the resistance. Comparison of the pyrrolnitrin‐resistant generations and their sensitive parental isolates for mycelial growth, sporulation and aggressiveness on plant tissues revealed that the high level of resistance to pyrrolnitrin resulted in a high fitness cost. Mycelial growth was reduced between 1·7 to 3·6 times and sporulation reduced 3·8 to 6·6 times that of sensitive parental isolates. Similarly, aggressiveness was 7 to 10 and 3 to 10 times lower for resistant isolates on tomato and apple, respectively. This study provides evidence that a fungal plant pathogen is able to gradually build up resistance to an antibiotic produced by a biocontrol agent.     

Screening of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Botrytis cinerea</Emphasis> isolates from vineyards in Israel for resistance to fungicides

Plots in two vineyards in the Golan Heights, Israel were treated with six botryticides during three growing seasons with 3 applications per season. Applications of fenhexamid, pyrimethanil and cyprodinil + fludioxonil were effective, resulting in 52–65% and 53–63% mean reduction in grey mould incidence and severity, respectively. Carbendazim, fluazinam and iprodione were ineffective or slightly effective. Five hundred and sixteen B. cinerea isolates were collected from infected berries or trapped from the air in the vineyards, and profiles of sensitivity to benomyl, fenhexamid, fluazinam, fludioxonil, iprodione and pyrimethanil were established for each of the isolates based on a mycelial growth test. Seventy-four percent of the isolates were sensitive to the six tested fungicides, and the other 26% of the isolates were classified into 10 phenotypes characterized by resistance to one or more fungicides. Resistant isolates showed fitness parameters similar or reduced in comparison to sensitive isolates. Resistance to benzimidazoles and to dicarboximides was the most frequent (up to 25%) and apparently pre-existed in the populations tested. Increased frequency of benzimidazole resistance, but not dicarboximide resistance, was observed following the 3 years of applications of the fungicides. High level resistance to pyrimethanil was present at a frequency of about 2% in both vineyards in the first 2 years of the sampling survey and reached 10% in the third year at Site 2. A few isolates were resistant to fenhexamid or fludioxonil (0.8 or 0.2%, respectively). No strong resistance to fluazinam was detected, although numerous, less sensitive isolates, presumably possessing multi-drug resistance traits, were recovered at higher frequency from the plots treated with fluazinam than from the untreated plots.     

Molecular characterization of the Fusarium graminearum species complex in Eastern China

Members of the Fusarium graminearum species complex (FGSC) cause Fusarium head blight in small cereal grains all over the world. To determine the species and trichothecene chemotype composition and population structure of FGSC in Jiangsu and Anhui provinces, an area where epidemics occur regularly, 891 isolates were collected in two consecutive years (2011 and 2012) and characterized with species- and chemotype-specific polymerase chain reaction. Of the 891 isolates typed, 83 were F. graminearum sensu stricto (s. str.) and 808 were F. asiaticum. All 83 F. graminearum s. str. isolates were of a 3ADON (26.51 %) or 15ADON (73.49 %) type, while F. asiaticum isolates included 696 3ADON producers, 46 15ADON producers, and 66 NIV producers. Eight variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) markers were tested on a representative 384 F. asiaticum isolates from 55 sampling sites. VNTR analysis showed high gene diversity and genotypic diversity but low linkage disequilibrium in both populations Fg2011 and Fg2012 grouped based on the year of collection. Low genetic differentiation (F _ST ? =?0.026) and high gene flow (N _m ?=?15.13) was observed between the two populations and among subpopulations within the same population (N _m ?=?3.53 to 48.37), indicating that few influence of temporal and spatial variations on population differentiation in this area. Similar result was obtained from 3ADON, 15ADON and NIV populations or carbendazim resistant and sensitive populations, indicating that chemotype of Fusarium isolates and carbendazim application had minor influence on population subdivision.