Repression of deoxynivalenol accumulation and expression of Tri genes in Fusarium culmorum by fungicides in vitro

A defined medium was developed in which to monitor deoxynivalenol (DON) accumulation, fungal growth and expression of genes involved in trichothecene biosynthesis (designated Tri genes). In liquid culture, DON accumulated shortly after maximum expression of Tri6 and coincident with expression of Tri5. This was generally 96 h after inoculation. The effects of sublethal concentrations of the fungicides azoxystrobin, trifloxystrobin, kresoxim-methyl and tebuconazole on biosynthesis of the trichothecene DON by Fusarium culmorum were studied using this medium. The strobilurin fungicides trifloxystrobin and azoxystrobin significantly reduced the accumulation of DON in culture medium at a range of concentrations. Kresoxim-methyl, also a strobilurin, and tebuconazole, a triazole, did not significantly reduce the accumulation of DON, although levels were lower than those in nonamended cultures. Trifloxystrobin significantly reduced the accumulation of DON when added to cultures before initiation of trichothecene biosynthesis. RT-PCR assays of the expression of Tri6 and Tri5 genes indicated that trifloxystrobin acted by inhibiting the initiation of trichothecene biosynthesis.     

Evaluation of the temporal distribution of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Fusarium graminearum</Emphasis> airborne inoculum above the wheat canopy and its relationship with Fusarium head blight and DON concentration

With the aim of unravelling the role of airborne Fusarium graminearum inoculum in the epidemic of Fusarium head blight (FHB) caused by this species in wheat spikes, a network of Burkard air samplers was set up in five wheat fields distributed in Belgium from 2011 to 2013. Each year from April to July, the daily amounts of F. graminearum inoculum above the wheat canopy were quantified using a newly developed TaqMan qPCR assay. The pattern of spore trapping observed was drastically different per year and per location with a frequency of detection between 9 and 66% and a mean daily concentration between 0.8 and 10.2 conidia-equivalent/m³. In one location, air was sampled for a whole year. Inoculum was frequently detected from the wheat stem elongation stage until the end of the harvesting period, but high inoculum levels were also observed during the fall. Using a window-pane analysis, different periods of time around wheat flowering (varying in length and starting date) were investigated for their importance in the relation between airborne inoculum and FHB parameters (FHB severity, frequency of F. graminearum infection and DON). For almost all the combinations of variables, strong and significant correlations were found for multiple window lengths and starting times. Inoculum quantities trapped around flowering were highly correlated with F. graminearum infection (up to R?=?0.84) and DON (up to R?=?0.9). Frequencies of detection were also well correlated with both of these parameters. DON concentrations at harvest could even be significantly associated with the F. graminearum inoculum trapped during periods finishing before the beginning of the anthesis (R?=?0.77). Overall, these results highlight the key role of the airborne inoculum in F. graminearum epidemics and underline the importance of monitoring it for the development of disease forecasting tools.     

Evaluation of the durability of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Barley yellow dwarf virus</Emphasis>-resistant <Emphasis Type="Italic">Zhong ZH</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">TC14</Emphasis> wheat lines

Serial passage experiments (SPE) of a Barley yellow dwarf virus-PAV (BYDV-PAV) isolate were performed on Zhong ZH and TC14 wheat lines to evaluate the durability of their resistance to BYDV. At different passage numbers (from the 2nd to the 114th), biological properties of the produced isolates were recorded either by monitoring infection percentages and virus titers of the first 3 weeks of viral infection or by measuring their impact on yield components. Statistical analyses using the area under pathogen progress curves and the area under concentration progress curves demonstrated that these two resistant lines induce, after only a few passages, a selection of variant(s) with significantly modified infection abilities. Isolates resulting from SPE performed on these lines induced important decreases of yield components. These results indicate that the use of Zhong ZH and TC14 lines in BYDV-resistant breeding programmes should be approached with caution.     

利用性诱剂防治花生田暗黑鳃金龟的研究

为明确暗黑鳃金龟(Holotrichia parallela Motschulsky)性诱剂对成虫的引诱效果及对幼虫虫口密度的降低作用,在全国主要花生产区开展了田间诱捕试验,调查诱捕成虫数、幼虫减退率及对花生的保果效果。结果表明:一台诱捕器一天内诱到的最大成虫数为977头;幼虫减退率最高可达78.8%,保果效果最高可达68.6%。表明暗黑鳃金龟性诱剂对成虫有很强的引诱效果,并能明显减轻幼虫为害。     

The use of Verticillium dahliae and Diplodia scrobiculata to induce resistance in Pinus halepensis against Diplodia pinea infection

The pathogenic fungi Verticillium alboatrum and Diplodia scrobiculata were assayed for biological control of Diplodia pinea on Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis) in Catalonia (north-eastern Spain). Young shoots were pre-treated with inoculations of either V. dahliae or D. scrobiculata, by placing colonized agar plugs on wounds made by removing a single needle fascicle. An inoculation with D. pinea was performed 15 days later. Two months after the shoot inoculations, the canker length on the stems was measured and the percentage of shoot dieback calculated. Verticillium dahliae and D. scrobiculata were found to significantly reduce the canker length of D. pinea (P < 0.05) when compared with positive controls. Diplodia pinea was slightly more sensitive to V. dahliae than to D. scrobiculata, but no significant differences (P > 0.05) were observed in the mean canker length between the two treatments. Trees pre-inoculated with V. dahliae resulted in 31.12% shoot dieback, while those pre-inoculated with D. scrobiculata resulted in 32.18% shoot dieback, compared with positive controls (42.85%).     

Biological diversity of citrus tristeza virus (CTV) isolates in Spain

A survey of citrus tristeza virus (CTV) isolates was carried out in most citrus-growing areas in Spain. Twenty-two isolates were selected by geographical origin, cultivar of source tree, and symptoms observed on the host or in preliminary tests, and were biologically characterized.
A wide range of variation in transmissibility by aphids and symptom intensity on nine different indicator species or scion-rootstock combinations was observed among CTV isolates. Mexican lime. Citrus macrophylla , and to a lesser extent citron were the most useful hosts for characterizing these isolates, and leaf symptoms and stem pitting were the most discriminating traits. Positive correlation was observed between symptoms induced on Mexican lime and C. macrophylla , but not between the symptoms induced on these indicators under greenhouse conditions and the homologous symptoms on plants grown in the screenhouse. Some of the traits studied enabled us to establish relatively well-defined groups of isolates, but in most cases a continuous range of variation was obtained and no clear group could be defined.     

Antifeedant and sublethal effects of imidacloprid on Asian citrus psyllid,Diaphorina citri

BACKGROUND: Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), Diaphorina citri Kuwayama, transmits the causal bacteria of the devastating citrus disease huanglongbing (HLB). Because of the variation in spatial and temporal uptake and systemic distribution of imidacloprid applied to citrus trees and its degradation over time in citrus trees, ACP adults and nymphs are exposed to concentrations that may not cause immediate mortality but rather sublethal effects. The objective of this laboratory study was to determine the effects of sublethal concentrations of imidacloprid on ACP life stages. RESULTS: Feeding by ACP adults and nymphs on plants treated daily with a sublethal concentration (0.1 µg mL^?1) of imidacloprid significantly decreased adult longevity (8 days), fecundity (33%) and fertility (6%), as well as nymph survival (12%) and developmental rate compared with untreated controls. The magnitude of these negative effects was directly related to exposure duration and concentration. Furthermore, ACP adults that fed on citrus leaves treated systemically with lethal and sublethal concentrations of imidacloprid excreted significantly less honeydew (7–94%) compared with controls in a concentration‐dependent manner suggesting antifeedant activity of imidacloprid. CONCLUSIONS: Sublethal concentrations of imidacloprid negatively affect development, reproduction, survival and longevity of ACP, which likely contributes to population reductions over time. Also, reduced feeding by ACP adults on plants treated with sublethal concentrations of imidacloprid may potentially decrease the capacity of ACP to successfully acquire and transmit the HLB causal pathogen. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

Two‐component cultivar mixtures reduce rice blast epidemics in an upland agrosystem

The effect of two‐component rice cultivar mixtures on the control of rice blast disease was studied in three different experiments under rainfed upland conditions in the Madagascar Highlands. The mixtures involved a susceptible cultivar (either susceptible or very susceptible) and a resistant cultivar in different mixture arrangements (random or row mixtures) and with different proportions of the susceptible cultivar (50, 20 and 16·7%), which were compared to the susceptible cultivar grown in a pure stand. The effect of these mixtures on the incidence and severity of leaf and panicle blast was measured weekly, and on yield and yield components at harvest time. The mixture effect was more efficient in reducing disease with a proportion of 16·7% susceptible component than with a proportion of 50%. Blast epidemic was significantly reduced in all three experiments. However, under high blast pressure, there was no reduction in the disease by the end of the epidemic and yields of the susceptible cultivar were almost zero whatever the mixture. In two other experiments performed under lower blast pressure, disease incidence and severity were significantly lower in mixtures, and yields of the susceptible cultivars grown in mixtures were higher than those of their respective pure stands. Cultivar mixtures are a promising strategy that could contribute to a more sustainable cultivation of rice under upland conditions in the context of subsistence agriculture in Madagascar, where all cropping operations are manual.     

精口恶唑禾草灵抗性及敏感菵草种群萌发条件的比较

为了比较对精口恶唑禾草灵抗性及敏感菵草种群在萌发特性上的差异,采用培养皿法研究了温度、光照、pH值、水势、盐胁迫对其萌发的影响。结果表明,pH值为4-10条件下,2个种群的萌发率无显著性差异;全光照条件下,抗性菵草的萌发率显著低于敏感菵草;10℃条件下,抗性菵草的萌发率显著低于敏感菵草;水势胁迫和盐分胁迫对抗性菵草萌发的影响大于敏感菵草,当水势为-0.5 MPa时,抗性菵草无萌发,敏感菵草萌发率为41.9%;当NaC l溶液浓度为160 mmol/L时,抗性菵草无萌发,敏感菵草的萌发率为51.7%。     

Development of specific PCR primers for identification and detection of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Phytophthora capsici</Emphasis> Leon

A PCR-based method was developed for the identification and detection of Phytophthora capsici in pepper plants. Three PCR primers (CAPFW, CAPRV1 and CAPRV2) specific for P. capsiciwere designed based on the sequence of its internal transcribed spacer regions. CAPFW/CAPRV1 amplify a 452 bp product from P. capsici DNA whereas CAPFW/CAPRV2 a 595 bp fragment; neither set amplifies DNA from pepper or several fungi pathogenic to pepper. In conventional (single-round) PCR, the limit of detection was 5 pg DNA for both primer sets, whereas in nested PCR the detection limit for both was of 0.5 fg. However, when the dilution series of target DNA were spiked with plant DNA, amplification declined two-fold in both conventional and nested PCR. The CAPFW/CAPRV2 set in conventional PCR was used to detect P. capsici DNA in inoculated plants. Detection occurred as soon as 8h post-inoculation in stem samples from infected but still symptomless plants. The method was also tested to detect fungal DNA in infected soils.