Role of Blossoms in Watermelon Seed Infestation by Acidovorax avenae subsp. citrulli

ABSTRACT The role of watermelon blossom inoculation in seed infestation by Acidovorax avenae subsp. citrulli was investigated. Approximately 98% (84/87) of fruit developed from blossoms inoculated with 1 x 10(7) or 1 x 10(9) CFU of A. avenae subsp. citrulli per blossom were asymptomatic. Using immunomagnetic separation and the polymerase chain reaction, A. avenae subsp. citrulli was detected in 44% of the seed lots assayed, despite the lack of fruit symptoms. Furthermore, viable colonies were recovered from 31% of the seed lots. Of these lots, 27% also yielded seedlings expressing bacterial fruit blotch symptoms when planted under conditions of 30 degrees C and 90% relative humidity. A. avenae subsp. citrulli was detected and recovered from the pulp of 33 and 19%, respectively, of symptomless fruit whose blossoms were inoculated with A. avenae subsp. citrulli. The ability to penetrate watermelon flowers was not unique to A. avenae subsp. citrulli, because blossoms inoculated with Pantoea ananatis also resulted in infested seed and pulp. The data indicate that watermelon blossoms are a potential site of ingress for fruit and seed infestation by A. avenae subsp. citrulli.     

Location of Acidovorax citrulli in infested watermelon seeds is influenced by the pathway of bacterial invasion

Watermelon seeds can become infested by Acidovorax citrulli, the causal agent of bacterial fruit blotch (BFB) of cucurbits via penetration of the ovary pericarp or by invasion of the pistil. This study investigated the effect of these invasion pathways on A. citrulli localization in seeds. Seed samples (n = 20 or 50 seeds/lot) from pistil- and pericarp-inoculated lots were dissected into testa, perisperm-endosperm (PE) layer, and embryo tissues and tested for A. citrulli by species-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and by plating on semiselective media. Less than 8% of the testa samples were A. citrulli-positive regardless of the method of seed inoculation. Additionally, the difference in percentages of contaminated testae between the two seed lot types was not significant (P = 0.64). The percentage of A. citrulli-positive PE layer samples as determined by real-time PCR assay was significantly greater for seeds from pistil-inoculated lots (97%) than for seeds from pericarp-inoculated lots (80.3%). The mean percentage of A. citrulli-positive embryo samples was significantly greater for seeds from pistil-inoculated lots (94%) than for seeds from pericarp-inoculated lots (≈8.8%) (P = 0.0001). Removal of PE layers and testae resulted in a significant reduction in BFB seed-to-seedling transmission percentage for seeds from pericarp-inoculated lots (14.8%) relative to those from pistil-inoculated lots (72%). Additionally, using immunofluorescence microscopy, A. citrulli cells were observed in the PE layers and the cotyledons of pistil-inoculated seeds but only in the PE layers of pericarp-inoculated seeds. These results suggest that pericarp invasion results in superficial contamination of the testae and PE layers while pistil invasion results in the deposition of A. citrulli in seed embryos.     

甜瓜细菌性果斑病菌致病性突变体筛选与hrcR基因的克隆

 细菌性果斑病(Bacterial Fruit Blotch,BFB)是西瓜和甜瓜的重要病害。本实验从发病甜瓜果实上分离得到致病菌株MH21,经鉴定为燕麦食酸菌西瓜亚种(Acidovorax avenae subsp. citrulli)。利用转座子Mini-Tn5构建MH21菌株的突变体库,Southern印迹杂交结果显示Mini-Tn5在菌株MH21染色体上可随机、单拷贝插入。通过浸种处理甜瓜种子进行突变体的致病性检查,筛选得到1株致病性完全丧失的突变体M543。对M543中转座子插入基因的克隆和测序表明其突变基因为燕麦食酸菌Ⅲ型分泌系统(TTSS)中的保守基因hrcR。推测菌株MH21中hrcR基因编码的蛋白定位于细菌内膜,是分泌通道主要成分之一。hrcR基因互补菌株的致病性检查结果显示其致病力恢复到野生型的84%。研究同时发现hrcR基因突变后MH21菌株丧失了在烟草上诱导过敏性坏死反应的能力。本研究从遗传学角度说明TTSS是西甜瓜果斑病菌致病性的重要因子。     

New subspecies-specific polymerase chain reaction-based assay for the detection of Acidovorax avenae subsp. citrulli

New subspecies-specific primers for the detection of Acidovorax avenae subsp. citrulli ( Aac ), the seedborne bacterium which causes bacterial fruit blotch of cucurbits, were designed based on PCR fragments obtained in ERIC- and BOX-PCR profiles of Aac strains. PCR with both primer sets identified 30 strains from different locations and hosts, but did not amplify DNA from other closely related species and subspecies assessed, with the exception of DNA of one strain of A. avenae subsp. avenae , which was amplified by one of the primer sets, named BX-S. This primer set, based on a BOX-PCR fragment, performed under high-stringency conditions without losing its detection sensitivity. The primers were also evaluated for their ability to detect the pathogen in contaminated watermelon and melon seed samples. The BX-S primers facilitated the detection of the pathogen from washings of 5000-seed samples with 0·02% infestation. This primer set was also assessed for detection using immunomagnetic separation polymerase chain reaction (IMS-PCR) and was shown to be as sensitive as a previously described primer set (AACF2/R3), detecting 0·02% infestation in seed samples. This highly specific and sensitive primer set could be used to improve PCR-based detection of this important pathogen.     

Investigating Intraspecific Variation of Acidovorax avenae subsp. citrulli Using DNA Fingerprinting and Whole Cell Fatty Acid Analysis

ABSTRACT To assess the diversity of Acidovorax avenae subsp. citrulli, 121 strains from watermelon, cantaloupe, and pumpkin were compared using pulse field gel electrophoresis of SpeI-digested DNA and gas chromatographic analysis of fatty acid methyl esters. Twenty-nine unique DNA fragments resulted from DNA digestion, and 14 distinct haplotypes were observed. Based on cluster analysis, two subgroups, I and II, were recognized, which accounted for 84.8% (eight haplotypes) and 15.2% (six haplotypes) of the strains, respectively. Results of cellular fatty acid analysis varied quantitatively and qualitatively for the A. avenae subsp. citrulli strains and supported the existence of the two subgroups. Group I includes strains from cantaloupe and pumpkin as well as the ATCC type strain, which was first described in the United States in 1978, whereas group II represents the typical watermelon fruit blotch-causing strains that appeared in the mainland United States in 1989. Knowledge of the two A. avenae subsp. citrulli groups may be useful in screening for watermelon fruit blotch resistance.     

甘肃省西瓜细菌性果斑病的诊断

对从甘肃采集到的疑似西瓜果斑病的病瓜及种子中分离获得的菌株,通过形态学特征、革兰氏染色、致病性测定以及利用美国Agdia公司的专化型免疫凝聚试剂条测定和16S rDNA分子生物学方法进行了诊断鉴定,结果表明,该菌株符合燕麦噬酸菌西瓜亚种(Acidovorax avenae subsp. citrulli)的特性,因此,确定甘肃省已发生西瓜果斑病,结果为甘肃省有效控制此病提供了依据。     

Bio-PCR方法检测葫芦科作物种子携带 西瓜嗜酸菌的特异性引物筛选

 由西瓜嗜酸菌(Acidovorax citrulli)引起的细菌性果斑病是一种毁灭性的种传病害,可为害多种葫芦科作物并造成重大经济损失。该病原菌为检疫性有害生物,种子带菌是田间病害发生的最重要初侵染来源,因此,种子健康检测成为病害综合防控过程中的重要环节。Bio-PCR是当前种子携带细菌检测的常用方法,而特异性引物的选择和使用是检测的关键。本研究使用已报道的7对引物对17株西瓜嗜酸菌、10株嗜酸菌属其它种的菌株和6株其它属的植物病原细菌进行了Bio-PCR检测,筛选出对西瓜嗜酸菌特异性最好的引物为SEQID4^m/SEQID5。研究表明:使用该引物对西瓜嗜酸菌MH21纯菌菌悬液的检测限度为10² CFU·mL^-1;在人工添加菌悬液的模拟带菌西瓜种子中,使用ASCM和EBBA两种半选择性培养基结合引物SEQID4^m/SEQID5进行Bio-PCR检测,ASCM对种子中带菌量的检测限度可达到0.01 CFU·g^-1,EBBA对种子中带菌量的检测限度为0.1 CFU·g^-1。     

哈蜜瓜种子带细菌性果斑病菌检测技术的研究

哈蜜瓜细菌性果斑病是世界性的检疫对象之一,主要以种子带菌进行远距离传播,本文通过温室育苗、室内分离和PCR(聚合酶链式反应)技术对哈蜜瓜种子带菌情况和主要带菌部位进行了检验,结果表明:3种方法都可以对种子带菌情况进行检测,分离检测和PCR检测还可以确定种子的带菌部位,PCR技术具有特异性强、灵敏度高、检测时间短等特点.另外检测结果也表明种子带菌以种皮为主,种仁的带菌量较少.     

种子引发处理对无籽西瓜幼苗生长的影响和对细菌性果斑病菌消毒的效果

 种子出苗率低和传带细菌性果斑病菌是制约三倍体无籽西瓜生产的主要原因。本试验利用KMnO₄、CuSO₄和ZnSO₄的不同浓度溶液对无籽西瓜种子进行不同时间引发处理, 通过滤纸发芽试验, 观测其对种子发芽和幼苗生长的促进作用;借助平板法测定引发溶液对细菌性果斑病菌FC247的抑制作用, 免疫凝聚试纸条和传统PCR检测引发处理对种子人工接菌FC247的消毒效果。结果表明:0.1% CuSO₄溶液引发处理4 h和0.2% ZnSO₄溶液引发处理24 h, 分别比未引发处理的无籽西瓜种子发芽率提高71.1%和73.3%, 并能显著提高发芽整齐度和幼苗素质;同时, 引发溶液对细菌性果斑病菌有显著抑制作用, 并对人工接菌种子表现出-定程度的消毒效果。     

不适温度条件诱导西瓜嗜酸菌进入VBNC状态的研究

由西瓜嗜酸菌(Acidovoraxcitrulli)引起的瓜类果斑病,是危害西瓜和甜瓜等葫芦科作物的一种典型的种传细菌性病害.已有文章报道西瓜嗜酸菌在铜离子诱导下可进入"有活力但不可培养"(viable but non-culturable,VBNC)状态,并在适当条件下复苏,成为生产中潜在的病害初侵染来源.本文结合实...     

Establishment of Bacterial Antagonists of Erwinia amylovora on Pear and Apple Blossoms as Influenced by Inoculum Preparation

The influence of inoculum preparation on the establishment of bacterial antagonists that suppress fire blight and Erwinia amylovora on blossoms was evaluated. Aqueous suspensions of Pseudomonas fluorescens A506, E. herbicola C9-1R, or E. amylovora 153N were prepared from cells harvested from the surface of an agar medium or from cells that were lyophilized after culture under similar conditions. Bacterial suspensions (1 x 10(8) CFU/ml) were sprayed on pear and apple trees at 50% bloom near midday. The incidence of recovery (proportion of blossoms containing detectable populations) and the population sizes of the bacteria on individual blossoms with detectable populations were followed over a period of several days. Fluorescent microspheres (1 mum in diameter) were added to sprays at a concentration of 1 x 10(7) microspheres per ml to mark blossoms that were open during application of bacteria. After dilution-plating, the stigmas and styles of each blossom were examined for the presence of microspheres with an epifluorescence microscope. In three of five trials, bacteria applied as suspensions of lyophilized cells were recovered from a greater proportion of blossoms than bacterial cells harvested directly from culture media. Every blossom harvested within 6 days after spraying had microspheres present on the surfaces of the styles and stigmas; thus, lack of establishment of detectable populations, rather than escape of blossoms from spray inoculation, accounted for the differences in proportion of blossoms colonized by the different preparations of bacteria. The use of lyophilized cells in field trials decreased variability in the establishment of bacteria on blossoms.     

免疫凝聚试纸条和TaqMan探针实时荧光PCR检测西瓜细菌性果斑病菌比较研究

 以西瓜细菌性果斑病菌(Acidovorax avenae subsp.citrulli)菌悬液和田间采集的病组织为试材,研究了免疫凝聚试纸条和实时荧光PCR技术检测的灵敏度和适应性。结果表明,免疫凝聚试纸条检测灵敏度为10⁶ cfu/mL,具有简便、快速、易操作特点,适用于田间快速检测和病害诊断;TaqMan探针实时荧光PCR检测灵敏度达10^3~4 cfu/mL,比传统PCR检测灵敏度(10⁵ cfu/mL)提高了10~100倍,且不需要琼脂糖凝胶电泳、溴化乙锭染色和Southern杂交。但需要昂贵的仪器和试剂,适用于室内检测及相关研究。     

哈密瓜细菌性果斑病菌群体感应系统的检测

本文利用群体感应信号报告菌Agrobacterium tumefaciens NTL4(pZLR4),在LB报告平板上对燕麦食酸菌西瓜亚种的19个菌株进行了初步检测,发现18个菌株有群体感应信号产生.用琼脂条法对菌株Pslb-94进一步检测,证实菌株Pslb-94存在群体感应系统.提取了该菌株信号物质,反相薄层层析(TLC)检测证明该菌株能产生群体感应信号分子.     

应用微滴数字PCR同时检测瓜类种子携带果斑病菌和角斑病菌

细菌性果斑病和角斑病是葫芦科作物两大重要细菌病害,病原菌分别为西瓜嗜酸菌Acidovorax citrulli和丁香假单胞菌黄瓜致病变种Pseudomonas syringae pv.lachrymans。两种菌均可通过种子、种苗带菌进行远距离传播。种子检测是预防和控制这两种病害发生的首要环节。本研究应用微滴数字PCR技术(droplet digital PCR,ddPCR)建立了同时检测种子携带西瓜嗜酸菌和丁香假单胞菌的方法。结果显示:两种细菌菌悬液和DNA样品等浓度混合时,ddPCR能同时检测到两种靶标菌的最低混合菌悬液浓度和最低DNA浓度分别为10³ cfu/mL和10^-3 ng/μL,其检测灵敏度是平行测试的real-time PCR方法的10倍;对于非等浓度混合的菌悬液和DNA样品,两种靶标菌菌悬液按浓度比1∶1000(10³∶10⁶ cfu/mL)混合或其DNA浓度比为1∶10000(2.28×10^-3 ng/μL∶22.8 ng/μL)条件下,ddPCR可检测到低浓度的靶标菌,检测灵敏度同样是real-time PCR的10倍。此外,在人工接菌种子测试中,西瓜、甜瓜单粒种子平均带菌量10⁵~10⁶ cfu/粒时,ddPCR方法可检测到带菌率0.2%(n=500)的西瓜、甜瓜种子样品。将分别携带两种菌的种子按比例1∶10混合时ddPCR方法可以准确检出浓度相对低的靶标菌;而使用相同检测引物的real-time PCR检测方法则只能检出西瓜嗜酸菌和丁香假单胞菌带菌率分别为0.2%和2%(n=500)的甜瓜种子混合样品中的西瓜嗜酸菌,未能稳定检出丁香假单胞菌。综上所述,本研究基于ddPCR技术建立了可同时检测两种重要葫芦科种传细菌的方法,检测结果稳定可靠,丰富了当前种传病原细菌的检测技术体系。     

An Extracellular Protease of Pseudomonas fluorescens Inactivates Antibiotics of Pantoea agglomerans

ABSTRACT Pseudomonas fluorescens A506 and Pantoea agglomerans strains Eh252 and C9-1 are biological control agents that suppress fire blight, an important disease of pear and apple caused by the bacterium Erwinia amylovora. Pseudomonas fluorescens strain A506 suppresses disease largely through competitive exclusion of E. amylovora on surfaces of blossoms, the primary infection court, whereas Pantoea agglomerans strains Eh252 and C9-1 produce antibiotics that are toxic to E. amylovora. In this study, an extracellular protease produced by A506 is characterized and evaluated for its capacity to inactivate the antibiotics produced by the strains of Pantoea agglomerans. Activity of the extracellular protease was optimal at pH 9 and inhibited by zinc- or calcium-chelators, indicating that the protease is an alkaline metalloprotease. In an agar plate bioassay, partially purified extracellular protease inactivated the antibiotics mccEh252 and herbicolin O, which are produced by Pantoea agglomerans strains Eh252 and C9-1, respectively. Derivatives of A506 deficient in extracellular protease production were obtained by transposon mutagenesis, and the aprX gene encoding the protease was cloned and sequenced. Strain A506 inactivated mccEh252 and herbicolin O in agar plate bioassays, whereas the aprX mutant did not inactivate the antibiotics. Both A506 and the aprX mutant were insensitive to antibiosis by C9-1 and Eh252; thus, the protease was not required to protect A506 from antibiosis. These data highlight a previously unknown role of the extracellular protease produced by Pseudomonas fluorescens A506 in interactions among plant-associated microbes.     

Crab apple blossoms as a model for research on biological control of fire blight

ABSTRACT Nonseasonal availability of pomaceous flowers could improve laboratory detection and prefield testing of biocontrol agents for fire blight of pear and apple. Crab apple was selected as a model because of its high flower productivity on 1-year-old wood, high susceptibility to fire blight, and availability from nurseries. Cultivars Manchurian and Snowdrift were manipulated to bloom once by transferring dormant nursery trees from a cold room to a greenhouse and a second time by defoliating trees and applying 1% cytokinin and 0.1% gibberellins to the buds with a brush. Different sets of trees were induced at different times to bloom, so that flowers were produced 12 months in the year. When known bacterial antagonists (Erwinia herbicola strain C9-1 and Pseudomonas fluorescens strain A506) were applied alone or in combination to the stigmas of detached crab apple blossoms prior to inoculation with the pathogen (E. amylovora strain Ea153), population interactions over time were comparable to those reported in previous studies involving pear or apple. In a subsequent series of experiments, the relative effects of 12 bacterial strains on stigmatic populations of strain Ea153 were similar for detached blossoms of crab apple in the laboratory, blossoms of intact crab apple trees in the greenhouse, and blossoms of pear and apple in the field. Additionally, when stigmas of detached crab apple blossoms were inoculated with antagonists (strains C9-1 and A506) and the pathogen, and later subjected to a 24-h wetting period, bacterial populations in the flower hypanthium increased and disease was suppressed. These studies indicate that crab apple blossoms can serve as a suitable model for year-round evaluation and study of biocontrol agents for fire blight.     

Long‐term survival of Acidovorax citrulli in citron melon (Citrullus lanatus var. citroides) seeds

Long‐term survival of Acidovorax citrulli in citron melon (Citrullus lanatus var. citroides) seeds was investigated. Citron melon seed lots infected with A. citrulli were generated in the field by inoculating either the pistils (stigma) or pericarps (ovary wall) of the female blossoms. Seventeen A. citrulli isolates from 14 different haplotypes belonging to two different groups (group I and II) were used for inoculation. After confirming that 100% of seed lots were infected, they were stored at 4°C and 50% RH for 7 years. After storage, the viability of A. citrulli cells from individual lots was determined by plating macerated seeds on semiselective medium as well as growing seeds for 14 days and scoring for bacterial fruit blotch symptoms. The type of A. citrulli isolate (group I or group II) used did not significantly influence bacterial survival. However, A. citrulli survival was significantly greater in seed lots generated via pistil inoculation (52·9 and 29·4%) than via pericarp inoculation (23·5 and 17·6%). Repetitive extragenic palindrome (rep)‐PCR on A. citrulli isolated from citron melon seed lots after storage displayed similar fingerprinting patterns to those of the reference strains originally used for blossom inoculation, indicating that cross‐contamination did not occur. The results indicate that A. citrulli may survive/overwinter in citron melon seeds for at least 7 years and bacterial survival in seed was influenced more by method of blossom inoculation than by the type of bacterial isolate.     

Detection of Xanthomonas campestris pv. undulosa infested wheat seeds by combined liquid medium enrichment and ELISA

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was standardized for detecting Xanthomonas campestris pv. undulosa (Xcu) in plant tissues. Antiserum prepared against somatic antigens of Xcu reacted with cells of pathovars undulosa, cerealis, translucens and phleipratensis , but not with other bacterial species belonging to the genera Xanthomonas, Pseudomonas, Agrobacterium, Clavibacter , and Erwinia. The lower limit of detection of pure cultures was 5 × 10³ cfu/ml. A semi-selective enrichment broth (SSEB) improved the recovery of Xcu in cultures mixed with contaminating bacteria commonly found on wheat seeds. In ELISA tests the enriched samples gave two- to three-fold increases in A_405nm readings when viable cells of Xcu were present. By enrichment, X. campestris pathovars undulosa, cerealis, translucens and phleipratensis were detected in samples that originally had less than 5 × 10² cfu/ml. Semi-selective enrichment combined with ELISA (SSEB-ELISA) allowed for determination of the percentages of infestation of wheat seed lots. Potential seedling infection (PSI) of naturally infested wheat seed lots was obtained by growing seed samples in the greenhouse under conditions optimal for disease development. Three methods were evaluated for their capacity to estimate the PSI: ELISA, combined SSEB and ELISA, and direct plating onto semi-selective XTS agar. Percentages of seed infestation determined by combined SSEB and ELISA resulted in a highly significant correlation with the PSI (r = 0·87, P × 005), whereas determinations made by ELISA or direct plating onto XTS did not significantly correlate with the PSI determined in the greenhouse. This test may constitute a convenient tool for fast initial screening of wheat seed lots in wheat certification programmes.     

应用蛋白宏阵列快速检测西瓜细菌性果斑病菌

蛋白阵列(Protein array)也叫蛋白芯片,是生物芯片(Biochip)的一种,主要利用抗原/抗体可特异性结合原理制备而成。按阵列样点大小,蛋白阵列又可分为微阵列(Microarray)和宏阵列(Mac-roarray)两类。微阵列集成度极高,可进行高通量     

Neue Erkenntnisse zur Ökologie und Überwachung wichtiger Schädlinge im Apfelanbau

A large-scale three-year study on apple orchards in Havelland uncovered key knowledge about the ecology and control of significant pests for 3 different varieties. Experiments included a range of different blocks and varieties and focussed on the apple blossom weevil (Anthonomus pomorum), the rose tortrix moth (Archips rosana), the reticulated tortrix moth (Adoxophyes reticulana) and the European red mite (Panonychus ulmi). The experiments were divided according to season, from budding through flowering and finally at harvest. Infestation by the apple blossom weevil depended on the timing of flowering for the variety. The “Breuhahn” variety was the most heavily infested. Later and more delayed flowering resulted in higher infestation rates. The attack by pests had a thinning effect with corresponding flower infestation rates. There was no effect on yield when flowering tendency was normal. The flower clusters and leaves of the early-harvest variety “James Grieve” was most heavily infested by the rose tortrix moth (Archips rosana). The extent of the damage from pests that attack leaves could be determined exactly using the drying method. The rose tortrix showed significant differences only in the number of leaves in infected and healthy plants. There were significant differences in leaf mass between untreated controls and fruit clusters infested by the reticulated tortrix (Adoxophyes reticulana) for all 3 varieties. The “James Grieve” variety was most heavily infested. The results of the experiments involving the European red mite (Panonychus ulmi) in healthy and infested leaves and leaf number revealed preferential infestation of the “Golden Delicious” and “James Grieve” varieties. Overall, the study provided key information for the prognosis and control of key pests in apple cultivation.