Phytophthora root and crown rot of raspberry in Bulgaria

Root and crown rot of raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.) was observed in a plantation at the experimental station of small fruits in Kostinbrod, Bulgaria. Isolates ofPhytophthora spp. were obtained from diseased plants. Colony morphology, growth rates, features of asexual and sexual structures were studied and as a result twoPhytophthora species were identified:Phytophthora citricola Saw. andPhytophora citrophthora (R.E. Sm. & E.H. Sm.) Leonian. Their pathogenicity was confirmed in artificial inoculation experiments. The isozyme (-esterase) patterns ofP. citrophthora andP. citricola isolates from raspberry and from the collection of the CBS, Baarn the Netherlands were compared, using micro-gel electrophoresis. Both species are reported for the first time as pathogens of raspberry in Bulgaria. This is only the second report in phytopathological literature ofP. citrophthora on raspberry, the first being from Chile [Latorre and Munoz, 1993].     

Variable response of open-pollinated seedling progeny of avocado to Phytophthora root rot

Phytophthora root rot, caused byPhytophthora cinnamomi Rands, is the most important disease of avocado (Persea americana Miller). In an attempt to identify root rot-resistant rootstocks that could ultimately be used under conditions in southern Florida, we screened open-pollinated progeny of avocado from the National Germplasm Repository in Miami. From 1996 to 1998, a total of 2,355 seedlings from 51 accessions were examined in potting mix artificially infested withP. cinnamomi. Most seedlings developed severe root rot, but tolerance was observed in some families (i.e., progeny of certain accessions). Although the most susceptible families developed mean disease ratings of up to 97% root necrosis, mean ratings for the most tolerant families were less than 60%. There was also a strong relationship between the racial background of the female parent and the tolerance of seedlings. Seedlings of the West Indian race and hybrids between it and the Guatemalan race were significantly more tolerant than those from other parents (P< 0.05). Individuals in several families developed < 50% root necrosis, the arbitrary standard of tolerance in this study. Twelve families accounted for 82% (188 of 229) of the tolerant seedlings, and only two of these did not have a West Indian or Guatemalan × West Indian pedigree. Broad-sense heritability for PRR tolerance was 0.45. This is the first report on the inheritance of PRR tolerance in avocado and on the influence of genotype and racial pedigree under controlled conditions.     

Evaluation of Trichoderma harzianum for controlling root rot caused by Phytophthora capsici in pepper plants

The ability of Trichoderma harzianum to control the rotting of pepper ( Capsicum annuum ) plant roots caused by Phytophthora capsici was studied. Interactions between the fungi were assessed in vitro on three culture media (V8c, Czapek and 2% water agar) and in vivo in plants grown in a substrate inoculated with P. capsici and T. harzianum . Studies on mutual antagonism in vitro showed that P. capsici was inhibited by T. harzianum ; however, the intensity of inhibition differed according to the medium used, being greatest on Czapek. Analysis of the fungal populations in the plant growth substrate showed that T. harzianum consistently reduced that of P. capsici over time. This reduction in the pathogen population was associated with a reduction in root rot of between 24 and 76%, although plant growth (dry weight) was still reduced by 21.2–24.7%, compared with the uninoculated control. In the absence of T. harzianum with the same pathogen inoculum levels, the reduction in dry weight was 59.8–68.6%, suggesting that T. harzianum reduced the damage.     

Pathogenicity and RAPD analysis of Phytophthora nicotianae pathogenic to pepper in Tunisia

Nine isolates of Phtophthora nicotianae were isolated from infected pepper plants. Their pathogenicity was studied in Capsicum annuum in comparison with P. nicotianae isolates from tomato and tobacco. The pathogenicity test showed that pepper isolates of P. nicotianae are adapted to their host. Banding patterns obtained by RAPD analysis with six oligonucleotide primers revealed polymorphism that grouped the isolates independently of the plant host. The polygenic dendrogram showed that pepper isolates were more similar to tomato isolates than to tobacco isolates. The RAPD bands of 1300 and 1500 bp, detected with primers OPD-01 and OPD-10, respectively, appeared specific to the most pathogenic pepper isolates. The OPK-08-1950 seems specific to the isolates of P. nicotianae from tomato. These results suggest that host specified might occur in P. nicotianae and that may be due to interspecific hybridization events resulting in novel pathogenic behavior.     

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

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

Molecular and Pathogenicity Characteristics of Phytophthora nicotianae Responsible for Root Necrosis and Wilting of Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) in Tunisia

Isolates of Phytophthora from pepper, produced in Tunisia, were characterised according to molecular and pathogenicity criteria. Polymerase chain reaction amplification of the ITS1 region in the ribosomal DNA resulted in different sized fragments. The pepper isolates and P. nicotianae yielded a fragment of 310bp that distinguished it from P. capsici with a fragment of 270bp. The ribosomal RNA gene amplicons of both internal transcribed spacers and the 5.8 S of the pepper Phytophthora and P. nicotianae were digested with 8 endonucleases. The patterns generated, with the 2 enzymes that cut, were identical for both taxa. This molecular analysis corroborated the morphological and biological characteristics and suggests strongly that the isolates of Phytophthora from pepper belong to the species P. nicotianae. Inoculation of pepper, tomato, eggplant and tobacco plants with the isolates of P. nicotianae from pepper showed they were highly pathogenic on pepper but not on tobacco, while their pathogenicity was weak on tomato and eggplant and was associated with atypical symptoms not observed in the field. These pathogenicity tests suggest that pepper isolates of P. nicotianae are particularly adapted to their host and may thus constitute a forma specialis of P. nicotianae.     

Occurrence of pepper yellow vein in the Netherlands

Samenvatting Het verschijnsel van geelnervigheid bij paprika (Capsicum annuum) kon door verenting en met de schimmelOlpidium brassicae worden overgebracht. Hierdoor bleek de ziekte identiek te zijn met een eerder in Engeland gemelde ziekte. Door inoculatie met zoösporen of rustsporen vanO. brassicae werden ook symptomen verkregen inC. baccatum, C. chacoense enC. frutescens. S. villosum bleek een waardplant te zijn voor het geelnervigheidsagens, waarbij zwakke nerfchlorosen werden waargenomen.Seconded to the Glasshouse Crops Research Station, P.O. Box 8, 2670 AA Naaldwijk, the Netherlands.     

Effect of prior tillage and soil fertility amendments on dispersal of Phytophthora capsici and infection of pepper

Organic soil amendments including composted cotton gin trash, composted poultry manure, an incorporated rye-vetch green manure, or synthetic fertilizer were applied to subplots, and main plots were either tilled frequently or surface-mulched in experimental field plots between 1997 and 2004. Soil from each replication of the tillage and fertility treatments was sampled in August of 2001, 2002, and 2003, brought to the greenhouse, and infested with Phytophthora capsici to study the effect of previous soil treatments on disease incidence and dispersal of the pathogen. Both the previous tillage and fertility amendments affected the incidence of disease and dispersal of the pathogen. Final disease incidence, AUDPC and the distance of pathogen spread were significantly greater in soils with previous surface mulch applications than in frequently tilled soils. Final disease incidence, AUDPC and the distance of pathogen spread were also significantly higher in soils amended with cotton gin trash, than rye-vetch green manure, poultry manure, or synthetic fertilizer. Soils amended with cotton gin trash had higher soil water content, lower bulk density, higher humic matter content, higher porosity and higher levels of mineralizable N, than soils with other fertility amendments. Soil water content, soil porosity, humic matter content, and net mineralizable levels nitrogen were positively correlated and bulk density was negatively correlated with final incidence of disease.     

Intraspecific Variation in Phytophthora citrophthora from Citrus Trees in Eastern Corsica

Isolates of Phytophthora pathogenic to citrus crops on Eastern Corsica and associated with gummosis were identified by PCR-RFLP of internal transcribed spacers (ITS) sequences and characterized by the random amplified microsatellites (RAMS) technique. A sample of 114 isolates collected from diseased trunks and fruits, and from soil, were overwhelmingly Phytophthora citrophthora. Further analysis indicated that the P. citrophthora population was not homogeneous in citrus groves. There were two groups, with a few (4%) atypical isolates in two marginal groups. The major groups have been re-examined in the light of mating behaviour, RFLPs of mitochondrial DNA and sequence comparisons of ITS regions of rDNA. They were found distinct with all these criteria and perhaps constitute distinct taxa. The results indicate that important modifications occurred in the population structure of P. citrophthora over time in Corsican groves. These changes may have impact on the recent outbreaks of gummosis.     

DNA sequence analysis of ribosomal ITS region 1 of Phytophthora vignae f. sp. adzukicola, the pathogen that causes stem rot of adzuki bean

Sequences of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region 1 were used to examine the phylogenetic relationships among races of 19 isolates of Phytophthora vignae f. sp. adzukicola and between this forma specialis and three isolates of the closely related P. vignae f. sp. vignae. The ITS 1 sequences were highly conserved (> 98.7% similarity) among representatives of both formae speciales groups. The results of this study indicate that P. vignae is a monophyletic group. The nucleotide sequence data reported are available in the DDBJ/EMBL/GenBank databases under the accession nos. AB120062–AB120080 and AB120122     

The characteristics of mineral oils in relation to their inhibitory activity on the aphid transmission of potato virus Y

In greenhouse trials paraffinic mineral oils, characterized by a viscosity gravity constant (VGC) of 0.790–0.819, and with viscosities between 12 and 30 cSt at 37°C (66–150 SUS) proved to have the best aphid transmission inhibiting activity of potato virus Y to red peppers. The activity decreased rapidly with decreasing viscosities but only slowly with increasing values.Effective oils are further characterized by an unsulfonated residue (USR) of 95–100, indicating the near or total absence of aromatic structures, which are inactive and known to be phytotoxic. The paraffine-pourpoint should be below 0°C, indicating that n-paraffines do not form a very important part of the oil, since they are also inactive. Naphthenic structures seem equally inert, their percentage in the oil depending on the origin of the crude oil, because they cannot be separated from the paraffinic structures by refining procedures.Mineral oils which one commercialize for agricultural practice normally have an USR above 95 and a paraffine-pourpoint below 0°C. Therefore, the information on the classification, based on a VGC value and on the viscosity, is already sufficient to allow an evaluation of those oils of their suitability as inhibitor of the virus transmission by aphids.Samenvatting In kasproeven bleken minerale paraffine oliën, gekenmerkt door een VGC (viscositeits-dichtheidsconstante) van 0.790–0.819 en een viscositeit tussen 12 en 30 cSt bij 37°C (66–150 SUS) de beste werking te bezitten tegen de overdracht van aardappelvirus Y naar paprika door bladluizen. De werking verminderde snel bij afnemende viscositeiten beneden 12 cSt, slechts langzaam bij toenemende waarden boven 30 cSt.De minerale olie met de meest gunstige eigenschappen met betrekking tot verhindering van de virusoverdracht wordt verder nog gekenmerkt door een USR (nier-sulfoneerbare rest) van 95–100. Dit betekent het geheel of bijna geheel afwezig zijn van aromatische verbindingen, die bekend zijn om hun fytotoxische eigenschappen en bovendien niet werkzaam zijn. Het stollingspunt moet bij voorkeur onder 0°C liggen wat betekent dat n-paraffinen geen al te belangrijk bestanddeel van de olie vormen, aangezien deze eveneens onwerkzaam zijn. Naphthenische structuren bleken ook onwerkzaam te zijn. Het gehalte hiervan in de oliefractie hangt echter van de herkomst van de ruwe olie of, omdat ze niet door raffineren van de paraffinestructuren kunnen worden gescheiden.Minerale oliën die aanbevolen worden voor landbouwkundige doeleinden, bezitten normalerwijze een USR boven 95 en een stollingspunt onder 0°C. Dit betekent dat informatie over de aard der oliën op grond van een VGC waarde en over de viscositeit voldoende is om dergelijke oliën te beoordelen op hun geschiktheid de virusoverdracht door bladluizen te kunnen verhinderen.     

Bicarbonate solutions control powdery mildew (Leveillula taurica) on sweet red pepper and reduce the development of postharvest fruit rotting

Disease severity of powdery mildew (causal agentLeveillula taurica (Lév.) Arn.) on pepper (Capsicum annuum), defoliation and fruit sunscald rating were significantly reduced (P=0.05) by foliar applications of sodium or potassium bicarbonate solutions, compared with water or penconazole (Ophir). Preharvest application of bicarbonate solutions significantly reduced (P=0.05) postharvest decay development on sweet red pepper fruits.     

Phytophthora boehmeriae boll rot: a new threat to cotton cultivation in the mediterranean region

A boll rot of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) was observed for the first time in Greece in August 1993 in Larissa and Volos counties, and in August and September 1995 in Trikala and Phthiotis counties. Fungi of the genusPhytophthora were isolated from diseased plants. Morphological characteristics of the pathogen were recorded on mounts made directly from the infected tissues or after growth of the isolated fungus on corn meal agar or sterile distilled water. Colony morphology, growth rates, features of asexual and sexual structures and maximum growth temperatures were examined. APhytophthora species new to Europe,Phytophthora boehmeriae Sawada, attacking cotton bolls, was identified. The pathogenicity of the isolates was confirmed by artificial inoculations of detached cotton bolls. Analysis of α-esterase isozymes revealed unique banding patterns for isolates ofP. boehmeriae compared with those ofP. cactorum andP. parasitica, which arePhytophthora species with similar morphology.     

辽宁省辣椒疫霉菌生理小种的生物学特性及生物制剂对辣椒疫病的防效

为了明确辽宁省辣椒疫霉菌Phytophthora capsici优势小种的生物学特性及生物制剂对辣椒疫病的影响,于2013—2014年在辽宁省辣椒种植区采集样品,采用组织分离法获得33个分离物,对分离物进行单孢子囊纯化鉴定,采用单基因鉴别寄主技术鉴定生理小种,研究了不同培养条件对优势小种生长发育的影响,并测定了生物制剂对辣椒疫病的防效。结果表明,菌株Pc-2、Pc-5和Pc-6等23株菌株为3号生理小种,占分离物总数的69.7%;菌株Pc-2在9种供试培养基上均可生长,菌丝生长最适培养基为燕麦片培养基,最适pH为9,温度为28℃;番茄培养基、pH为10和光暗交替有利于其形成孢子囊;pH为7、温度为5℃以及全光照处理是游动孢子释放的最佳条件;游动孢子萌发受酸碱度和光照的影响均不明显,28℃是其萌发的最适温度;在先灌药后接种处理中肃克对辽椒12号疫病的防效为78.2%。研究表明,3号生理小种为辽宁省辣椒疫霉菌的优势小种,低温促进游动孢子的释放,肃克防效优于其它生物制剂。     

寡雄腐霉GAQ1对辣椒疫病的防效及对辣椒的促生作用

为明确自主分离的生防菌株寡雄腐霉Pythium oligandrum GAQ1对辣椒疫病的生防效果及其防御机制,通过平板拮抗和盆栽防效试验测定寡雄腐霉菌株GAQ1对辣椒疫霉Phytophthora capsici菌丝的拮抗作用、对辣椒疫病的防效和对辣椒的促生效果,同时应用实时荧光定量PCR技术检测菌株GAQ1处理后辣椒抗性基因表达的变化。结果表明,寡雄腐霉菌株GAQ1的菌丝可以缠绕并吸附寄生在辣椒疫霉菌丝表面或穿入菌丝体内,使辣椒疫霉菌丝细胞死亡;菌株GAQ1发酵液处理辣椒离体叶片再接种辣椒疫霉后产生的病斑直径较对照组显著减少,离体防效为30.79%;接种菌株GAQ1菌丝球后,辣椒疫病的病情指数较对照组显著降低,盆栽防效达69.16%;经菌株GAQ1处理辣椒后可诱导相关抗性基因PR1、WRKY40、WRKY53、ACCO和GST的相对表达量出现不同程度的升高,说明菌株GAQ1可诱导辣椒植株产生不同程度的防御系统应答。菌株GAQ1对辣椒具有良好的促生效果,处理后第5周其株高、株重及根重分别较对照组提高10.11%、33.23%和24.72%,其叶片中叶绿素a、叶绿素b及类胡萝卜素的含量分...     

Differential Interactions of aColletotrichum gloeosporioides isolate with green and red pepper fruits

Differential interactions ofColletotrichum gloeosporioides isolate KG 13 with green and red pepper fruits (Capsicum annuum were found when it was inoculated on unwounded and wounded fruits. The isolate produced the typically necrotic, sunken anthracnose symptom on unwounded and wounded green fruits, and wounded red ones, but not on unwounded red ones. Appressorial formation of the fungus on the surfaces of compatible green fruits was higher than on incompatible red ones up to 12 h after inoculation. More and longer infection pegs from appressoria were produced on green than on red fruits. When cuticular wax layers of green and red fruits were removed by dipping in chloroform, red ones only produced larger lesions and more conidia than water-dipped controls did. However, differences in lesion diameter and conidial production were not observed between green and red fruits wounded by pin-pricking. In addition, concentrations of wax extracted from the surface of green and red fruits affected conidial germination and appressorial formation of the fungus. These findings suggest that the isolate KG 13 ofC. gloeosporioides may react differentially to green and red pepper fruits, probably due to the physical and chemical differences in cuticular layers of the fruits.     

Interaction between root rot basidiomycetes and Phytophthora species on pedunculate oak

Forest declines are usually complex multifactorial phenomena that involve interactions between different factors. The possible interaction between different types of mycelial pathogens was investigated through artificial inoculation of oak seedlings, involving two root rot basidiomycetes, Collybia fusipes and Armillaria mellea, and two Phytophthora species, P. cinnamomi and P. cambivora. These pathogens were inoculated onto young Quercus robur saplings in greenhouse conditions, either alone or combining a root rot basidiomycete with a Phytophthora species. Three out of the four Phytophthora spp.*root rot basidiomycete combinations tested resulted in significantly greater damage to the oak host than the sum of the damages induced by the individual pathogens. This positive interaction could be significant in oak decline syndrome.     

Possibilities of biological and chemical control of Verticillium wilt in pepper

In pathogen populations in Serbia, the incidence, pathogenic and morphological characters ofVerticillium spp. were studied. Biological and chemical control ofVerticillium was investigated in pepper plants (Capsicum annuum L. cv. ‘Soroksari’) with the biofungicide Polyversum^® (Pythium oligandrum) and the conventional fungicides benomyl and propamocarb-hydrochloride. On the basis of macroscopic and microscopic characters of the isolates originating from eight localities in Serbia, it was established that they apparently belong to the speciesVerticillum dahliae. The isolates differed in their pathogenic characters. However, all of them caused marked wilting symptoms on pepper plants 40 days after inoculation, conducted when there were more than nine fully developed leaves on the primary stem. The fungicides were applied either before or after inoculation. Benomyl was the most efficient fungicide in wilt control (88.2% when applied after inoculation and 94.6% when applied before inoculation). Polyversum proved more efficient (66.6%) when applied before rather than after inoculation. Propamocarb-hydrochloride provided sufficient Verticillium wilt control; its efficacy and that of Polyversum were similar, and less efficient than benomyl, but still significantly different from the disease control.     

海南省胡椒瘟病病原鉴定及发生规律

采用形态特征观察、致病性测定及rDNA-ITS序列分析等方法,对海南省主产区胡椒瘟病病原进行鉴定,通过田间实地调查对胡椒瘟病的发生规律进行了研究。结果表明,该病病原为辣椒疫霉(Phytophthora capsici),月平均降雨量对该病的发生有着显著的影响。降雨量越大,持续降雨天数越多,发病率越高。