Wind-mediated spread of Rice yellow mottle virus (RYMV) in irrigated rice crops

A study was carried out to demonstrate that Rice yellow mottle virus (RYMV), a virus known to be transmitted by beetles, can spread between rice plants by direct leaf contact caused by wind. Almost all healthy plants surrounding an infected plant became infected when exposed to a fan blowing for 15 min at a distance of 50 cm. Spread of RYMV by plant contact, mediated by wind, was also demonstrated in field experiments, the extent of spread depending on plant density. Infection was almost 10 times higher in plots with a density of 33 plants m⁻² than in plots with 16 plants m⁻². Less spread was observed in plots protected by 1·5 m high windscreens. It is suggested that wind-mediated spread of RYMV may result from abrasive contact between leaves of plants.     

Resistance to <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rice yellow mottle virus</Emphasis> in rice germplasm in Madagascar

Rice yellow mottle virus (RYMV) is a recent and major threat to rice production in Madagascar. A large scale screening of resistance to RYMV in rice germplasm in Madagascar was conducted by visual symptom scoring and virus-assessment through ELISA tests. The response to virus inoculation of 503 local or introduced rice accessions was assessed. Most of them were susceptible to RYMV. A few cultivars expressed partial resistance at a level similar to the partially resistant Oryza sativa japonica cv. Azucena. Only one O. sativa cultivar expressed high resistance characterised by a lack of symptoms and an undetectable level of virus. It was a Malagasy traditional indica cultivar, named Bekarosaka, which originated from the northwest of the country. It was selected by farmers for its field resistance to RYMV. The response of cv. Bekarosaka to four pathotypes of RYMV was similar to that of cv. Gigante, the only other highly resistant indica cultivar. The sequence of the middle domain of the eIF(iso)4G, the genetic determinant of Rymv1 resistance on chromosome 4, of cv. Bekarosaka was similar to that of cv. Gigante. Subsequently, cvs Bekarosaka and Gigante probably carried the same resistance allele Rymv1-2. Rymv1-2 resistance was efficient against isolates of the major strains of RYMV, but was readily overcome by a pathotype from the northwest of Madagascar.     

Screening rice varieties for resistance to rice yellow mottle virus disease

Abstract

Rice yellow mottle virus (RYMV) is one of the major constraints to rice production in Kenya. The reactions of 30 varieties of rice to an isolate of RYMV were studied. The appearance and development of symptoms in the various varieties were scored on a 0–5 scale. The observed reactions ranged from highly susceptible to highly resistant. Thirty‐six per cent of the varieties showed a high level of resistance while 23.3% were highly susceptible. The intermediate reactions were 16.7% resistant, 6.6% susceptible and 16.7% moderately susceptible.     

Durability of natural and transgenic resistances in rice to <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rice yellow mottle virus</Emphasis>

A monogenic recessive resistance to Rice yellow mottle virus (RYMV) found in the Oryza sativa indica cultivar Gigante and in a few Oryza glaberrima cultivars provided a higher level of resistance than either a polygenic partial resistance found in some japonica cultivars which delayed symptom expression or transgenic resistances which were partial and temporary. This high resistance was overcome by several isolates, but the percentage of such virulent isolates in the fields was low. There was no relationship between the virulence of an isolate towards the high resistance and its aggressiveness in other cultivars. Isolates with either of the two components of pathogenicity – virulence and aggressiveness – were found in each strain and in all regions of Africa, in both wild and cultivated grass species. There was no loss of fitness of resistance-breaking (RB) isolates as they were not counter-selected, impaired or outperformed after serial passages in susceptible cultivars, even in mixture with avirulent quasi-isogenic wild type isolates. Resistance breaking was highly dependent on the amount of virus inoculated and on the mode of transmission. Implications of these results for the durability of the resistances to RYMV and for the development of integrated disease management strategies are discussed.     

Bionomics and importance of two species ofChaetocnema in rice yellow mottle virus transmission in lowland rice in Tanzania

Regular samplings were done of two important vectors in farmers’ fields during the 1999/2000 and 2000/01 rice seasons at crop stages susceptible to rice yellow mottle virus (RYMV) on a traditional rice variety (‘Supa’) under rainfed lowland conditions to provide information on the bionomics and importance of these vectors in the disease transmission. The population ofChaetocnema sp. (nr.varicornis Jacoby) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) was significantly higher in hotspot than non-hotspot areas. However, there was no significant difference in theC. pulla Chapuis population between these two areas. In general, theChaetocnema sp. population was higher than that ofC. pulla, and both vectors reached the peak of their population at 63 days after planting. Early planting in the hotspot areas is suggested as a disease management strategy. Both vectors are naturally infective andChaetocnema sp. proved more efficient thanC. pulla in the transmission of RYMV.     

Cultural management of tomato yellow leaf curl disease in Cyprus

Cultural management of tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) by roguing old, overwintered tomato crops was investigated in a small, isolated production centre in the southern coastal zone of Cyprus. Control measures were applied on an area-wide basis during March-April, before emergence of adult whitefly ( Bemisia tabaci Genn.) vectors, for three consecutive years (1980-82). In all three years, primary virus spread to spring plantings was almost completely prevented, while further secondary spread to summer plantings was kept below 5%, compared with 40-50% in 1978 and 1979. When control measures were discontinued disease incidence increased to 15% in 1983 and 40% in 1984. The disease could also be controlled by early transplanting in the spring or by late transplanting in the autumn. Several cultural practices were evaluated to prevent or reduce infection of seedlings before transplanting. Seedlings produced in the summer in a coastal region were infected by TYLCV (virus incidence 7-42%), with a higher incidence in seedbeds situated near infected tomato crops. Infection was significantly reduced by covering seedbeds with an insect-proof tunnel, and was completely prevented by producing seedlings in inland areas, where no commercial tomato crops were grown. The use of healthy transplants delayed subsequent disease development in the field but had little effect on final disease incidence.     

A major quantitative trait locus for rice yellow mottle virus resistance maps to a cluster of blast resistance genes on chromosome 12

ABSTRACT Two doubled-haploid rice populations, IR64/Azucena and IRAT177/ Apura, were used to identify markers linked to rice yellow mottle virus (RYMV) resistance using core restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) maps. Resistance was measured by mechanical inoculation of 19-day-old seedlings followed by assessment of virus content by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay tests 15 days after inoculation. IR64/Azucena and IRAT177/Apura populations, 72 and 43 lines, respectively, were evaluated, and resistance was found to be polygenic. Resistance was expressed as a slower virus multiplication, low symptom expression, and limited yield loss when assessed at the field level. Bulked segregant analysis using the IR64/Azucena population identified a single random amplified polymorphic DNA marker that mapped on chromosome 12 and corresponded to a major quantitative trait locus (QTL) evidenced by interval mapping. When pooling RFLP data, integrated mapping of this chromosome revealed that the QTL was common to the two populations and corresponded to a small chromosomal segment known to contain a cluster of major blast resistance genes. This region of the genome also reflected the differentiation observed at the RFLP level between the subspecies indica and japonica of Oryza sativa. This is consistent with the observation that most sources of RYMV resistance used in rice breeding are found in upland rice varieties that typically belong to the japonica subspecies.     

Rice Yellow Mottle Virus is Seed-borne but not Seed Transmitted in Rice Seeds

Seed transmission of two pathogroups of rice yellow mottle virus from Soudano-Sahelian areas of West Africa was studied in several rice genotypes. The virus was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and the highly susceptible rice variety BG 90-2 was used for infectivity assays. In most of the rice genotypes studied (17 out of 21), rice yellow mottle virus was detected in all seed parts including glumella, endosperm and embryo at a rate ranging from 65 to 100%. Nevertheless, no seed-borne infection was found. Infectivity of the virus decreased throughout the process of seed formation suggesting inactivation of the virus as a result of seed maturation and desiccation. It was concluded that rice yellow mottle epidemics do not develop from seed-borne infections in rice seeds.     

北京地区花生病毒病及流行规律研究

1985—1987年研究表明北京地区花生上流行的病害主要有黄瓜花叶病毒CA株系(CMV-CA)引起的黄花叶病害和花生轻斑驳病毒(PMMV)引起的轻斑驳病害。血清鉴定451份花生病害样品,黄花叶病害样品受CMV-CA侵染占95.7％,轻斑驳病害样品受PMMV侵染占91.3％,中后期病害样品受CMV-CA和PMMV复合感染较普遍。CMV种传率2％左右,种传病苗在花生出苗后开始出现,6月病害进入高峰。三年CMV-CA流行程度明显不同,主要取决于苗期蚜虫发生早晚、发生量及苗期降雨量。PMMV种传率低于1％,病苗出现稍晚,但病害扩散快,6月上旬进入高峰,7月上、中旬发病率达100％。三年流行程度差异不明显。     

Emergence of Resistance-breaking Isolates of Rice yellow mottle virus during Serial Inoculations

Two sources of resistance to Rice yellow mottle virus were challenged in host passage experiments. Pronounced changes in pathogenicity occurred over serial passages of virus isolates inoculated to partially or highly resistant cultivars. The changes encompassed the known existing pathogenic variability of field isolates. Ultimately, the high resistance of the Oryza indica cv. Gigante was overcome and the partial resistance of the O. sativa japonica cv. Azucena broke down. The effect was resistance-specific as different isolates overcame partial and high resistance, and may also be allele-specific as different isolates overcame the resistance of cultivars carrying the same resistance gene. The ability of isolates to break resistance was not linked to a high initial pathogenicity of the isolates and did not result in higher virus content in the infected plants. Implications for resistance breeding and deployment are discussed.     

Effect of various crop establishment methods practised by Asian farmers on epidemics of rice sheath blight caused by Rhizoctonia solani

Establishment methods for rice crops in tropical Asia are very diverse, leading to variation in the structure of rice canopies. Differences in canopy structure can in turn affect the spread of the rice sheath blight pathogen, Rhizoctonia solani . Rice sheath blight epidemics were compared during two seasons in crops established by different methods: direct broadcasting of pregerminated rice seeds, and transplanting of rice seedlings at spacings of 20 × 20 cm, 13 × 25 cm and 25 × 25 cm between hills (i.e. along and between rows, respectively). In both years, the apparent infection rate based on incidence data and the terminal severity of sheath blight were lower in the direct-seeded crops than in any of the transplanted ones, regardless of spacing. The frequency of leaf-to-leaf contacts ( CF ) between hills (or plants) was highest in direct-seeded rice, and lowest in rice transplanted at a spacing of 25 × 25 cm. Larger CF is known to favour rice sheath blight epidemics. The apparent contradiction between higher incidence and lower CF in the transplanted stands than in the direct-seeded stands is interpreted in terms of accessibility of healthy host tissues to the spread of the pathogen in the canopy, and accounts for within-host (rice hill or plant) and between-host (hill or plant) disease spread. The analysis of incidence-severity relationships indicated a less aggregated distribution of the disease in direct-seeded rice, which was related to the spatial distribution of the tillers. These findings have direct implications for the management of the disease.     

Transmission of rice blast from seeds to adult plants in a non‐systemic way

Rice blast, caused by the fungal pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae, is a serious threat to rice production worldwide. In temperate regions, where rice is not cultivated for several months each year, little is known about the initial onset of the disease in the field. The main overwintering and primary inoculum sources reported are infested residues and seeds, but the subsequent steps of the disease cycle are largely unknown, even though a systemic infection has been proposed but not demonstrated. The present work follows rice blast progression in infected seeds from germination to seedling stage, with direct and detailed microscopic observations under both aerobic conditions and water seeding. With the use of GFP‐marked M. oryzae strains, it was shown that spores are produced from contaminated seeds, infect emerging seedling tissues (coleoptile and primary root) and produce mycelium that colonizes the newly formed primary leaf and secondary roots. Using different rice cultivars exhibiting distinct levels of resistance/susceptibility to M. oryzae at the 2/4‐leaf stage, it was observed that resistance or susceptibility of a considered genotype is already established at the seedling stage. The results also showed that when plants are inoculated either at ripening stage (mature panicles), heading stage (flowering/immature panicles) or even before heading (flag leaf fully developed), they produce infested seeds. These seeds produce contaminated seedlings that mostly die and serve as an inoculum source for healthy neighbouring plants, which gradually develop disease symptoms on leaves. The possible rice blast disease cycle was reconstructed on irrigated rice in temperate regions.     

Symptomless Spread of Blight-inducing Strains of Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris on Cabbage Seedlings in Misted Seedbeds

Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris induces two types of symptoms, namely, black rot and blight. Black rot symptoms are V-shaped lesions and black veins on the leaf, and blight symptoms are sudden collapse of interveinal tissues following the lack of veinal necrosis at early stages of infection. These two symptoms can occur simultaneously. However, the tendency to induce either symptom type is strain-dependent. Six strains were evaluated for their rate and pattern of spread in misted seedbeds by using strain-specific monoclonal antibodies and miniplate enrichment/ELISA. Data on pathogen incidence was defined as the presence of the pathogen in or on plants rather than visual symptoms. The results indicated that blight-inducing strains spread to more seedlings than black rot-inducing strains. The high incidences of blight-inducing strains in experimental plots were associated with non-randomness of spatial pattern of pathogen spread, indicating that high incidence is primarily due to the spread from adjacent plants by leaf contact and water splash. Most ELISA-positive seedlings were symptomless, indicating that the sensitivity of the system used in this study was adequate for detection of latent or epiphytic spread.     

水稻稻瘟病拮抗细菌的筛选与防治初探

从水稻作物根际分离筛选得到的 2 0 8个细菌菌株对稻瘟病病菌具有较强的抑制能力 ;抑菌圈直径在 2 0mm以上的有 65株。选用室内拮抗性较稳定的 8株细菌菌株经两年的田间防病试验 ,不同菌株间防效差异显著 ,其中两年防效较好的菌株是Ma 3 2 (蜡状芽孢杆菌 )和Xi 55(枯草芽孢杆菌 )。一些菌株处理种子对秧苗生长有促进作用。     

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.     

Retention of Rice dwarf virus by Descendants of Pairs of Viruliferous Vector Insects After Rearing for 6 Years

ABSTRACT Rice dwarf virus (RDV) is characterized by its unusual ability to multiply in both plants and leafhopper vector insects and by its transovarial mode of transmission. Colonies of Nephotettix cincticeps, derived originally from pairs of leafhoppers infected with an ordinary strain of RDV, were maintained for 6 years in the laboratory and were found, at the end of this time, still to harbor RDV. Moreover, the isolate of RDV, designated RDV-I, obtained from these colonies retained the ability to infect rice plants. When we raised leafhoppers separately from eggs that had been placed individually on pieces of water-soaked filter paper and reared them in the presence of healthy rice seedlings, we found that all of these leafhoppers harbored RDV. This observation suggested that RDV-I had been maintained in the leafhoppers by transovarial transmission. Two further observations, namely, the low rate of acquisition of RDV by virus-free insect nymphs on symptomless plants on which viruliferous insects had been reared, and the fact that only 2 to 5% of plants had symptoms when rice seedlings were inoculated via RDV-I-viruliferous insects, confirmed that the maintenance of RDV-I by any other mode of transmission through plants and insects was unlikely. This efficient and long-term maintenance of RDV in a population of viruliferous insects might explain the prolonged duration of rice dwarf disease in the field, once there has been a serious outbreak.     

Distribution,host range and some properties of a virus disease of sunflower in Kenya

Abstract

Apparently similar viruses were associated with two different disease symptoms in sunflower (Helianthus annuus) in Kenya, one a yellow blotch and the other a leaf crinkle. The virus occurred in all sunflower‐growing regions but the crinkle disease was confined to areas east of the rift valley. Disease incidence varied with locality and season. Mechanical transmission of virus from plants with either disease was possible, but the yellow blotch virus was also transmissible from an important alternate field host, Tridax procumbens by Aphis gossypii to 23 species in three families. Partially purified preparations of virus made from mechanically inoculated seedlings affected with either symptom type contained 26 nm virus particles which, in ISEM tests, reacted with antisera prepared against six members of the luteovirus group.     

秧田期施用中生菌素对本田期白叶枯病发生的影响

试验表明，水稻播种时用中生菌素６０倍５５～６０℃药液浸种，任其自然冷却４８ｈ；稻苗３～４叶期和移栽前５～７ｄ分别用中生菌素２００倍液喷雾１次，可推迟田间白叶枯病的发病始期２０ｄ以上，并显著降低其发病程度，对于轻病田或轻发生年份，大田可免于防治，重发生年份在８月上旬再用中生菌素２００倍液喷雾１次，可更有效地控制病情的发展。     

Contamination of bean seeds by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Xanthomonas axonopodis</Emphasis> pv. <Emphasis Type="Italic">phaseoli</Emphasis> associated with low bacterial densities in the phyllosphere under field and greenhouse conditions

Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. phaseoli and its variant fuscans are the causal agents of common bacterial blight of bean. Production of seeds is recommended in arid climates with the use of pathogen-free seeds. However, contamination of seeds still occurs in these seed production areas. To verify if low contamination levels of sown seeds could explain these field contaminations, we used seeds that were naturally contaminated with CFBP4834-R, a rifamycin-resistant X. axonopodis pv. phaseoli fuscous strain, to contaminate field plots at different rates. We also inoculated seeds to verify some parameters of plant colonization and seed transmission. In growth chambers, seedling contamination was always successful from seeds contaminated with CFBP4834-R having population sizes greater than 1 × 10³ CFU seed⁻¹ and were not successful below 1 × 10² CFU seed⁻¹. In the greenhouse, the efficiency of contamination of seeds was not significantly different between contaminated plants that had a low or a high CFBP4834-R population size and reached between 40% and 52% whatever the origin of the inoculum (aerial or seed-borne). In field experiments, under low relative humidity, plots with 0.1–0.003% contamination rates or plots sown with seeds that were inoculated with low CFBP4834-R population sizes (1 × 10² and 1 × 10⁴ CFU seed⁻¹) led to an asymptomatic colonization of bean during the entire growing season with low CFBP4834-R population sizes. Seeds were contaminated both in primary and secondary foci. The contamination of seeds without symptom expression during the growing season represents a risk for eventual disease outbreaks.     

Evaluation of morphology of infection structures in distinguishing between different Allium rust fungi

Three cultivars of white cabbage with different levels of resistance toMycosphaerella brassicicola were tested for seedbed infection. Seedlings grown in seedbeds, to which infected plant debris was added as an inoculum, showed typical ring spot lesions on the cotyledons and first two leaves before seedlings reached the transplanting stage, whereas non-inoculated controls had few lesions only. Differences in levels of resistance between cultivars were present in seedlings grown under field conditions. Disease severity of transplants at the end of the season reflected disease severity of seedlings before transplanting in each cultivar.To lower the risk of a severe epidemic of ringspot at the end of the growing season, the seedbed should be protected from infection byM. brassicicola.