Identification of Fungal rDNA Associated with Soil Suppressiveness Against Heterodera schachtii Using Oligonucleotide Fingerprinting

ABSTRACT To understand the nature of a soil with suppressiveness against Heterodera schachtii, an rDNA analysis was used to identify fungi associated with H. schachtii cysts obtained from soils possessing various levels of suppressiveness. Because H. schachtii cysts isolated from these suppressive soils can transfer this beneficial property to nonsuppressive soils, analysis of the microorganisms associated with the cysts should lead to the identification of the causal organisms. Five soil treatments, generated by mixing different amounts of suppressive and fumigation-induced nonsuppressive soils, were infested with second-stage juveniles of H. schachtii and cropped with mustard-greens. Fungi were identified through an rDNA analysis termed oligonucleotide fingerprinting of ribosomal RNA genes (OFRG). Cysts obtained from soil mixtures consisting of 10 and 100% suppressive soil predominantly contained fungal rDNA with high sequence identity to Dactylella oviparasitica. The dominant fungal rDNA in the cysts isolated from the soil mixtures composed of 0.1 and 1% suppressive soil had high sequence identity to Fusarium oxysporum. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplifications performed with sequence-selective primers corroborated the treatment-specific distribution of rDNA clones obtained by the OFRG analysis. When these sequence-selective PCR primers were used to examine H. schachtii cysts from biocidal soil treatments that produced various levels of suppressiveness, only the D. oviparasitica-like rDNA was consistently identified in the highly suppressive soils.     

Induction of Beet-Cyst Nematode Suppressiveness by the Fungi Dactylella oviparasitica and Fusarium oxysporum in Field Microplots

ABSTRACT The ability of Dactylella oviparasitica and Fusarium oxysporum to suppress Heterodera schachtii numbers was examined in field microplots. Fungi were individually added to fumigated field soil that was seeded with sugar beet. Four weeks later, soils were infested with H. schachtii second-stage juveniles (J2). At two harvests, 11 weeks and 19 weeks (1,469 and 2,547 degree days (base 8 degrees C), respectively) after nematode-infestation, H. schachtii cyst and egg numbers were assessed. At both time points, D. oviparasitica reduced H. schachtii population densities to those in the naturally suppressive soil, even when additional H. schachtii J2 were added to the microplots after the first harvest. Although F. oxy-sporum did not alter H. schachtii population densities after 11 weeks, significant reductions were detected after 19 weeks. The sustainability of the H. schachtii suppressiveness created by single applications of the fungi at the beginning of the microplot trials was further examined in a greenhouse study. Soil collected at the completion of the microplot trials was potted and seeded with sugar beet. Four weeks later, each pot was infested with H. schachtii J2. Approximately 16 weeks (1,389 degree days) after seeding, the D. oviparasitica-amended soil produced greater fresh root weights and considerably smaller nematode population densities than the nonamended control.     

Biological Suppression and Natural Population Decline of Heterodera schachtii in a California Field

ABSTRACT Soil suppressiveness to Heterodera schachtii was demonstrated in a field at the research station of the University of California, Riverside. In two field trials planted to Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris), introduced H. schachtii multiplied 2.7 and 1.7 times more in preplant metam sodium-fumigated plots than in nontreated plots in 1994 and 1995, respectively. In greenhouse experiments, preplant treatments with metam sodium, methyl bromide, methyl iodide, formaldehyde, and aerated steam reduced suppressiveness of soil against H. schachtii to undetectable levels. H. schachtii multiplied significantly less in nontreated soil than in treated soil on Swiss chard. At harvest, the number of infective second-stage juveniles in suppressive soil was close to the lowest detection level, whereas high numbers were encountered in soils initially treated. In a crop rotation trial with host crops of H. schachtii, introduced H. schachtii populations were monitored for five cropping periods over 30 months in initially fumigated versus nontreated suppressive field plots. In fumigated plots, H. schachtii population levels increased in the first and second cropping periods and then declined in the third cropping period. In the fourth and fifth cropping periods, the nematode reproduction factor in the initially fumigated plots was not significantly different from that in suppressive plots.     

Transfer of Biological Soil Suppressiveness Against Heterodera schachtii

ABSTRACT Heterodera schachtii-suppressive soil at a rate of either 1 or 10% (dry wt/wt) transferred suppressiveness against the beet cyst nematode to fumigated field plots when mixed into the upper 10-cm soil layer. Soil suppressiveness was established after 1 month of moist fallow and 77 days of Swiss chard cropping in the 10% transfer treatment and after 230 days in the 1% transfer treatment. The number of infective second-stage juveniles (J2) of H. schachtii, monitored initially at 150 degree-day intervals and later at 300 degree-day intervals, indicated the status of suppressiveness in the different treatments during the cropping period. In a greenhouse experiment, amending fumigated field soil with 0.1, 1.0, or 10% suppressive soil, suppressed multiplication of H. schachtii when soils were infested with an additional 5,000 J2. In a second greenhouse experiment, a fumigated sandy loam amended with 10 or 25% suppressive soil and a fumigated loam amended with 25% suppressive soil had significantly fewer eggs per cyst than the nonamended fumigated treatments when 1,000 J2 were added.     

Effect of mixed and single crops on disease suppressiveness of soils

ABSTRACT The effect of mixed cropping on disease suppressiveness of soils was tested for two cropping systems, Brussels sprouts-barley and triticale-white clover. Disease suppressiveness of field soils was evaluated in bioassays for the soilborne pathogens Rhizoctonia solani, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lini, and Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici. For both cropping systems, mixed cropping did not enhance disease suppressiveness of the soils. In some cases, soil cropped to barley alone was significantly more suppressive to F. oxysporum f. sp. lini than soils cropped to Brussels sprouts or the mixture of Brussels sprouts and barley. Analyses of the diversity of the indigenous bacterial and fungal microflora by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis of amplified 16S- and 18S-rDNA fragments, respectively, revealed, in most cases, no significant differences between mixed and mono-cropped soils. In conclusion, in this study, mixed cropping of soils with Brussels sprouts and barley or with triticale and white clover did not enhance microbial diversity or disease suppressiveness of soils to three different soilborne plant pathogens.     

具防病并提高植物耐旱功能的小链霉菌HS57的筛选

本研究旨在寻找防治黄瓜枯萎病并提高植物抗逆能力的多功能菌株。从连作田健康黄瓜根际土中分离筛选到1株放线菌HS57。平板对峙法测定菌株HS57对尖孢镰刀菌、茄病镰刀菌和立枯丝核菌的抑制作用,平皿对扣共培养法测定其挥发性物质对尖孢镰刀菌的抑制作用,温室盆栽法测定其对黄瓜枯萎病的防病效果及对小麦耐旱能力的影响,结合菌株形态特征和16S rRNA基因序列分析对其进行鉴定。结果表明,菌株HS57可抑制3种病原菌生长,其中对尖孢镰刀菌的抑制率为52.4%;其挥发性物质对尖孢镰刀菌的抑制率为32.1%。浓度为10^7个/mL的HS57孢子悬浮液浸种对黄瓜枯萎病的防效最好,为51.0%;小麦种子经浓度为10^7、10^8个/mL的HS57孢子悬浮液浸种,麦苗经连续7 d缺水处理后再浇水,比对照恢复得更好。初步鉴定HS57菌株为小链霉菌Streptomyces parvus,是一株非常有潜力的多功能菌株。     

拟粗壮螺旋线虫对棉花的致病力及其与棉枯萎病的复合症

 温室测定结果:拟粗壮螺旋线虫(Helicotylenchus pseudorobusius)接种量在每100cm³土壤100~1000条的条件下,接种30天后棉苗生长量比无线虫对照苗显著降低(P<0.05)。抗枯萎品种86-1在单接枯萎菌无线虫处理中不发生枯萎病,在枯萎菌(Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. vasinfectum)接种量为每克土7.5×10⁵孢子和线虫(每100cm³±500~1000条)组合处理中发病,棉苗枯萎病情指数与线虫接种量之间呈正相关(γ=0.97)。田间试验结果表明:防治线虫和枯萎病复合症用薰蒸剂棉隆每m²8~14g处理土壤比用非薰蒸性杀线虫剂克百威(呋哺丹),丙线磷(益收宝)和克线磷的效果更好。     

Interactions Between Meloidogyne artiellia, the Cereal and Legume Root-Knot Nematode, and Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceris Race 5 in Chickpea

ABSTRACT In the Mediterranean Basin, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceris and the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne artiellia coinfect chickpea. The influence of root infection (after inoculation with 20 nematode eggs and second-stage juveniles per gram of soil) by two M. artiellia populations, from Italy and Syria, on the reaction of chickpea lines and cultivars with partial resistance to Fusarium wilt (CA 252.10.1.OM, CA 255.2.5.0, CPS 1, and PV 61) and with complete resistance to F. oxysporum f. sp. ciceris race 5 (CA 334.20.4, CA 336.14.3.0, ICC 14216 K, and UC 27) was investigated under controlled conditions. In genotypes with partial resistance, infection by M. artiellia significantly increased the severity of Fusarium wilt, irrespective of the fungal inoculum density (3,000 or 30,000 chlamydospores per gram of soil), except in cultivar CPS 1 at the lower fungal inoculum density. In genotypes with complete resistance to Fusarium wilt, infection by M. artiellia overcame the resistance to F. oxysporum f. sp. ciceris race 5 in CA 334.20.4 and CA 336.14.3.0 but not in ICC 14216 K, irrespective of the fungal inoculum density, and overcame the resistance in UC 27 only at the higher inoculum density. Infection by the nematode significantly increased the number of propagules of F. oxysporum f. sp. ciceris race 5 in root tissues of genotypes with complete resistance to Fusarium wilt, compared with roots that were not inoculated with the nematode, irrespective of the fungal inoculum density, except in ICC 14216 K, in which this effect occurred only at the higher inoculum density. Reproduction of an M. artiellia population from Syria in the absence of F. oxysporum f. sp. ciceris race 5 was significantly higher than that of a population from Italy in all tested chick-pea genotypes except ICC 14216 K. However, there was no significant difference between the reproduction rates of the two nematode populations in plants infected with F. oxysporum f. sp. ciceris race 5, irrespective of the fungal inoculum density and the reaction of the genotypes to the fungus.     

国外甜菜孢囊线虫发生危害、生物学和控制技术研究进展

甜菜孢囊线虫(Heterodera schachtii Schmidt)是全世界重要检疫性有害生物,对甜菜具有毁灭性危害,该线虫已在全世界50多个国家或地区有分布,22个国家将其列为检疫对象。甜菜孢囊线虫寄主多达23科95属218种植物,可导致甜菜产量损失达25%~70%,甚至绝产,在欧洲每年造成的经济损失已超过9 000万欧元,严重威胁当地甜菜生产和制糖业。甜菜孢囊线虫是我国重要进境检疫性有害生物,因其对甜菜具有毁灭性危害,我国各级农业行政主管部门对甜菜孢囊线虫都高度重视,严防该线虫的暴发和危害,本文介绍国外甜菜孢囊线虫研究进展。     

黄柄曲霉ASD对辣椒疫病根际真菌菌群结构及土壤功能的影响

为阐明辣椒疫病生防菌黄柄曲霉ASD的土壤微生态调控机理,本研究利用化学方法与Illumina HiSeq平台分析了ASD菌液对罹病辣椒根际土壤特性及真菌多样性的影响.结果表明,ASD菌液的施入可以明显提高罹病土壤硝态氮与有效钾含量,降低铵态氮含量与N-乙酰基-β-D-氨基葡糖苷酶活性.ASD菌液增加了罹病辣椒根际土壤真...     

水稻拟禾本科根结线虫生防细菌的分离鉴定与防治效果评价

为获得对水稻拟禾本科根结线虫具有较高杀线虫活性的生防细菌,初筛以马铃薯腐烂茎线虫、复筛以拟禾本科根结线虫2龄幼虫为靶标线虫,采用直接触杀法对土壤分离细菌进行筛选。获得8株具有较高杀线虫活性的菌株,其中D45菌株发酵液的杀虫活性最好。其发酵液上清5倍稀释液处理24、48 h后,马铃薯腐烂茎线虫和拟禾本科根结线虫2龄幼虫的死亡率分别为69.8%、72.1%和60.9%、70.4%。盆栽试验和田间试验表明,在拟禾本科根结线虫侵染前采用D45菌株发酵液进行土壤处理,可显著减少水稻根结数。D45高活性菌株产生的杀线虫物质对蛋白酶稳定,但不耐热和酸。经生理生化测定结合16S rRNA基因序列分析,D45菌株为巨大芽胞杆菌Bacillus megaterium。D45菌株对防治水稻拟禾本科根结线虫具有应用潜力。     

Suppression of Rhizoctonia solani in potato fields. 1. Occurrence

A search was made forRhizoctonia solani-suppressive soils by establishing many small experimental plots, half of which were planted withRhizoctonia-infected seed potatoes and the other half with disinfected seed stock. The sclerotium index of the harvested tubers was compared witht that of the seed potatoes. In suppressive soils, the sclerotium index of the harvest is much lower than that of the seed potatoes. None of the plots on holocene marine soils (loamy sand, sandy loam, clay loam and clay) proved to be suppressive in 1978 and 1979. Only on pleistocene, slightly acid sandy soil suppressiveness was observed. In 1978, four out of twelve plots showed suppressiveness when the plots were planted with seed potatoes produced on a sandy soil. In 1979, only two out of thirtyone plots were slightly suppressive when planted with seed potatoes produced on a young clay loam from a new polder. A higher percentage of sclerotia on tubers from sandy soils proved to be infected with antagonistic fungi (73%) than of those on tubers from marine clay or loam soils (25%). Factors that influence suppressiveness are suggested.     

潜在外来入侵甜菜孢囊线虫在中国的适生性风险分析

本文应用MAXENT与GARP两种生态位模型对甜菜孢囊线虫在中国的适生性进行了风险分析和预测。结果表明甜菜孢囊线虫可在中国17个省市生存,适生范围为26°N～48°N,77.6°E～136°E。甜菜孢囊线虫入侵的高风险区:内蒙古南部、新疆西部、河北中南部、山西东北部、宁夏、甘肃北部;中风险区:北京、天津、陕西、山西大部、内蒙古西部和东南部、吉林西部、新疆北部;低风险区:河南、陕西南部、山东、内蒙古中东部、新疆中部、辽宁、吉林大部、黑龙江南部、江苏、安徽、湖北、湖南、江西、浙江北部;而青海、新疆南部、西藏、四川、重庆、云南、贵州、广西、广东、福建、海南、内蒙古少数地区和黑龙江部分地区属于基本不发生区。我国内蒙古、新疆、辽宁等省市甜菜种植区均适合甜菜孢囊线虫发生,对上述地区的进出口岸应加强甜菜孢囊线虫的检疫工作。     

Comparison of sandy soils suppressive or conducive to ectoparasitic nematode damage on sugarcane

ABSTRACT Two South African sandy soils, one suppressive and the other conducive to ectoparasitic nematode damage on monoculture sugarcane, were compared. Analysis of field transects indicated that the suppressive soil displayed a comparatively higher population of the weak ectoparasite Helicotylenchus dihystera, whose predominance among ectoparasitic nematodes is known to limit yield loss caused by more virulent phytonematodes. Soil type was identical at both sites (entisols), but the suppressive soil had a higher organic matter content and a lower pH, which correlated with H. dihystera population data. In contrast, microclimatic differences between the two field sites were unlikely to be responsible for the suppressive or conducive status of the soils, as shown in a greenhouse experiment. The two soils exhibited a bacterial community of the same size but with different genetic structures, as indicated by automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (RISA). The number of culturable fluorescent pseudomonads was higher for the conducive soil, probably because extensive root damage caused by ectoparasitic nematodes favored proliferation of these bacteria. This study shows that apparently small differences in soil composition between fields located in the same climatic area and managed similarly can translate into contrasted nematode communities, ectoparasitic nematode damage levels, and sugarcane yields.     

Interactions of Pratylenchus thornei and Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceris on Chickpea

ABSTRACT Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceris and the root-lesion nematode Pratylenchus thornei coinfect chickpeas in southern Spain. The influence of root infection by P. thornei on the reaction of Fusarium wilt-susceptible (CPS 1 and PV 61) and wilt-resistant (UC 27) chickpea cultivars to F. oxysporum f. sp. ciceris race 5 was investigated under controlled and field conditions. Severity of Fusarium wilt was not modified by coinfection of chickpeas by P. thornei and F. oxysporum f. sp. ciceris, in simultaneous or sequential inoculations with the pathogens. Root infection with five nematodes per cm(3) of soil and 5,000 chlamydospores per g of soil of the fungus resulted in significantly higher numbers of propagules of F. oxysporum f. sp. ciceris with the wilt-susceptible cultivar CPS 1, but not with the wilt-resistant one. However, infection with 10 nematodes per cm(3) of soil significantly increased root infection by F. oxysporum f. sp. ciceris in both cultivars, irrespective of fungal inoculum densities (250 to 2,000 chlamydospores per g of soil). Plant growth was significantly reduced by P. thornei infection on wilt-susceptible and wilt-resistant chickpeas in controlled and field conditions, except when shorter periods of incubation (45 days after inoculation) were used under controlled conditions. Severity of root necrosis was greater in wilt-susceptible and wilt-resistant cultivars when nematodes were present in the root, irrespective of length of incubation time (45 to 90 days), densities of nematodes (5 and 10 nematodes per cm(3) of soil), fungal inocula, and experimental conditions. Nematode reproduction on the wilt-susceptible cultivars, but not on the wilt-resistant one, was significantly increased by F. oxysporum f. sp. ciceris infections under controlled and field conditions.     

Differential Colonization of Tomato Roots by Nonpathogenic and Pathogenic Fusarium oxysporum Strains May Influence Fusarium Wilt Control

ABSTRACT Histochemical staining, beta-glucuronidase (GUS) activity, or placing roots on agar were methods used to characterize interactions between the pathogenic fungus, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici, and the nonpathogenic biocontrol F. oxysporum strain 70T01 with respect to colonization behaviors, interaction sites, and population densities on tomato roots. Mycelia of strain 70T01, a genetic transformant expressing stable GUS activity, hygromycin B resistance, and effective disease control, were localized in epidermal and cortex cell layers of tomato roots in a discontinuous and uneven pattern. In contrast, mycelia of F. oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici were found in the vascular bundles. Thus, direct interactions between the two fungi likely happen in the root surface cell layers. Colonization density of strain 70T01 was related to the inoculation density but decreased with distance from the inoculation site. Host defense reactions, including increased cell wall thickness or papilla deposits, were adjacent to 70T01 hyphae. Experiments done in soil showed that strain 70T01 densities in roots were highest at inoculation zones and barely detectable for root segments more than 2 cm away from the inoculation sites. F. oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici densities were lowest at 70T01 inoculation zones and highest (>10 times) where strain 70T01 was not directly applied. Newly elongating roots where strain 70T01 did not reach were available for infection by the pathogen. The higher strain 70T01 density was always found when the plants were simultaneously infected by F. oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici, suggesting that F. oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici has as much influence in predisposing the plant to colonization by strain 70T01 as strain 70T01 has on providing disease protection against the pathogen.     

Assessment of Host-Induced Selection on Three Geographic Isolates of Heterodera schachtii Using RAPD and AFLP Markers

ABSTRACT The hypothesis that host plants exert selection pressure on Heterodera schachtii populations was tested. Host selection of genotypes from three genetically distinct isolates of H. schachtii was assessed using cabbage, sugar beet, oilseed radish (Raphanus sativus), and white mustard (Sinapis alba). The plants represent a range of susceptibility to H. schachtii and included R. sativus and S. alba, because cultivars of those species have been used as trap crops for H. schachtii in Europe. Genotypic differences in amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers were detected among the isolates after they reproduced on the different hosts. The poorest host plant, R. sativus, resulted in the greatest number of changes in both AFLP and RAPD markers. Oilseed radish selected nematode genotypes in less than four nematode generations. The nematode population genotypes detected by RAPD analyses after selection on oilseed radish were observed even after nematode populations were transferred back to the other three hosts. The genetic markers that were detected after selection were influenced by the genotypes of the original nematode isolates. The results indicate the utility of RAPDs and AFLPs for identifying and monitoring intraspecific genetic variability in nematodes and for understanding nematode population responses to host plants. Nematode management practices such as using resistant cultivars may alter gene frequencies, thereby reducing the efficacy of the tactic and exacerbating the nematode's potential to damage subsequent crops.     

Molecular Relationships of Fungi Within the Fusarium redolens-F. hostae Clade

ABSTRACT The evolutionary relationships of fungi in the Fusarium redolens-F. hostae clade were investigated by constructing nuclear and mitochondrial gene genealogies for 37 isolates representing the known genetic and pathogenic diversity of this lineage, together with 15 isolates from putative sister groups that include the Gibberella fujikuroi and F. oxysporum species complexes and related species. Included in the analyses were 29 isolates of F. redolens from Asparagus, Convallaria, Dianthus, Fritillaria, Hebe, Helleborus, Hordeum, Linum, Pisum, Pseudotsuga, and Zea spp., and from soil. Isolates of F. hostae analyzed included two reference isolates from Hosta spp. and six isolates from Hyacinthus spp. that originally were classified as F. oxysporum f. sp. hyacinthi. DNA sequences from a portion of the nuclear translation elongation factor 1alpha (EF-1alpha) gene and the mitochondrial small subunit (mtSSU) ribosomal RNA (rRNA) were analyzed individually and as a combined data set based on results of the nonparametric Wilcoxon signed ranks Templeton combinability test. Maximum parsimony analysis of the combined data set identified the F. redolens-F. hostae clade as a sister group to a phylogenetically diverse clade in which the G. fujikuroi species complex formed the most basal lineage. Also included in this latter clade were two unnamed Fusarium spp. that are morphologically similar to F. oxysporum and putative sister taxa comprising the F. oxysporum complex and a F. nisikadoi-F. miscanthi clade. Phylogenetic diversity in F. redolens was small; all isolates were represented by only three EF-1alpha and two mtSSU rDNA haplotypes. Both the isolates of F. redolens f. sp. asparagi and those of F. redolens f. sp. dianthi were nearly evenly distributed in the combined molecular phylogeny between the two major subclades within F. redolens.     

连作土壤中大豆胞囊线虫种群数量减少的原因探讨

 通过对双河、宝泉岭和白城3个大豆胞囊线虫病抑制性土壤样品土质、定殖于大豆胞囊线虫上真菌以及土壤特性(土壤抑制性、传导性、杀真菌剂处理)的研究,表明多年连作会引起大豆胞囊线虫种群数量的减少。在此类土壤中胞囊数量一般小于100个/100g土,且空胞囊率达80%以上。胞囊上真菌分离频率高,种类较单纯,其中宝泉岭土样中定殖真菌有明显的优势种-淡紫拟青霉(Paecilomyces lilacinus)。大豆胞囊线虫衰退土壤中具有抑制因子,经物理灭菌和杀真菌剂多菌灵处理后,原有抑制特性丧失,3个土样大豆根部胞囊数量分别增加140.0%、165.5%、68.2%和141.9%、215.2%、139.3%。大豆胞囊线虫抑制性土壤具有传导特性,当抑制土与无菌土按1:9混合后胞囊数量较灭菌土分别减少70.0%、26.5%和51.8%。本文证明了连作土壤中引起大豆胞囊线虫种群数量减少的主要原因是生物因子,并初步确定为食线虫真菌的作用,同时证明土壤状况与大豆胞囊线虫的衰退也有一定关系。     

Transgenically enhanced expression of indole-3-acetic Acid confers hypervirulence to plant pathogens

ABSTRACT Fusarium oxysporum and F. arthrosporioides, pathogenic on Orobanche aegyptiaca, were transformed with two genes of the indole-3-acetamide (IAM) pathway leading to indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) to attempt to enhance virulence. Transgenic F. oxysporum lines containing both the tryptophan-2-monooxyngenase (iaaM) and indole-3-acetamide hydrolase (iaaH) genes produced significantly more IAA than the wild type. IAM accumulated in culture extracts of F. oxysporum containing iaaM alone. F. arthrosporioides containing only iaaM accumulated IAM and an unidentified indole. Some transformants of F. oxysporum expressing only the iaaM gene also produced more IAA than the wild type. Sub-threshold levels (that barely infect Orobanche) of transgenic F. oxysporum expressing both genes and of F. arthrosporioides expressing iaaM were more effective in suppressing the number and size of Orobanche shoots than the wild type on tomato plants grown in soil mixed with Orobanche seed. Stimulating an auxin imbalance enhanced pathogen virulence by affecting the host in a manner similar to low doses of auxin herbicides such as 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid.