A faster inoculation assay for Armillaria using herbaceous plants

Armillaria (honey fungus) is a virulent necrotrophic pathogen that causes Armillaria root disease. Conventional Armillaria inoculation assays use young saplings as hosts and consequently are cumbersome, frequently conducted outdoors, and take many years from establishment to analysis of infection. We have developed and evaluated a faster inoculation assay for Armillaria that uses herbaceous plants as hosts, is carried out in controlled conditions, and reduces experimental durations to 3 months. Plant species of known susceptibility to Armillaria and comparisons between virulent A. mellea and opportunistic A. gallica were used to validate the assay. Mortality and diagnostic symptoms of Armillaria root disease such as epiphytic rhizomorphs and mycelial fans were used to assess levels of infection. We also attempted to reduce assay preparation time by substituting woody inocula with agar inocula, but typical symptoms of Armillaria root disease were only observed on plants infected with woody inocula. Through our assay, we identified five new potential herbaceous hosts of Armillaria: Kniphofia hirsuta, Hordeum vulgare, Lobelia cardinalis, Nicotiana tabacum and Helenium hoopesii – further expanding the extensive list of plants with susceptibility to Armillaria and suggesting infection of herbaceous species may be more widespread than currently acknowledged.     

Pathogenicity and Virulence of the Two Dutch VCGs of Verticillium dahliae to Woody Ornamentals

Two experiments were performed in two consecutive years to test whether isolates of different vegetative compatibility groups (VCGs) differ in their ability to cause disease in woody ornamentals, to study the host specificity of the isolates and to get an insight into disease development in woody hosts. A range of woody ornamental plant species, including Acer campestre, Acer platanoides, Acer pseudoplatanus, Catalpa bignonioides, Cotinus coggygria, Robinia pseudoacacia, Rosa canina, Syringa vulgaris and Tilia cordata, were root-dip inoculated with six isolates of Verticillium dahliae, belonging to the two VCGs that occur in the Netherlands (VCG NL-1 and VCG NL-2). Isolates belonging to each VCG caused severe symptoms of verticillium wilt in most plant species tested. Disease progress differed between plant species, but was generally the same for the two VCGs. No overall differences in virulence were observed between the two VCGs for external wilt symptoms, number of dead plants, or shoot length. No significant VCG × plant species interactions were present for these characteristics. However, isolates of VCG NL-1 caused more vascular discolouration than did isolates of VCG NL-2. Isolates within VCGs often differed considerably in their virulence to certain hosts, as shown by highly significant isolate × plant species interactions. Isolates were more virulent on their original host. These findings imply that VCG identification does not contribute to disease prediction for a range of woody hosts.     

Paraphoma root rot of alfalfa (Medicago sativa) in Inner Mongolia,China

Root rot symptoms were observed in fields of alfalfa in Chifeng city, Inner Mongolia, China in 2016. Disease incidences of seven alfalfa varieties planted in 2014 ranged from 56% to 95%, while incidence of Gongnong No. 1 planted in 2016 was 8%, 31% and 76% in 2016, 2017 and 2018, respectively. Paraphoma isolates were consistently recovered from black necrotic root tissues of diseased plants with a frequency of 77.1%. Based on morphological characters and phylogenetic analysis of rDNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS), elongation factor 1-α (EF1-α) and β-tubulin (TUB), this fungus was identified as Paraphoma radicina. Glasshouse pathogenicity experiments showed that P. radicina significantly reduced above- and below-ground biomass of alfalfa plants 2 months after inoculation. Paraphoma radicina infected 70% of the plants inoculated with a root dip in conidia, and these symptoms were consistent with the symptoms in the field. Paraphoma radicina was successfully reisolated from disease roots of the inoculated alfalfa plants. This is the first report of P. radicina as the causal agent of alfalfa root rot in China.     

河北省棉花黄萎病菌致病性与ISSR遗传分化

 从河北省17个主要植棉县采集棉花黄萎病株,分离获得52个黄萎病菌单孢菌系,对其培养特性、致病性和ISSR(Inter-simple sequence repeat)遗传分化进行了研究。菌系培养性状研究表明,在采集的52个菌系中,菌核型菌系最多,其次是菌丝型,最少的是中间型,3种类型菌系分别占总菌系的51.9%,38.5%和9.6%。利用7个抗、感不同的鉴别寄主在光、温、湿可控的生长室鉴定了病菌的致病性,供试菌系可分为致病力强、中、弱3种类型(Ⅰ型、Ⅱ型和Ⅲ型),分别占供试菌系的51.9%,21.2%和26.9%。在供试菌系中存在比落叶型菌系致病力还要强的非落叶型菌系。基于病情指数的聚类分析结果表明,河北省棉花黄萎病菌系存在明显致病力分化,但与地理来源无关。菌核型菌系和中间型菌系多表现为强致病力或中等致病力,而菌丝型菌系的致病力变化较大。在136个ISSR标记中,80个属于多态性标记,多态性位点百分率达58.8%。基于ISSR的聚类分析结果表明,河北省棉花黄萎病菌的遗传分化较小,并且遗传分化与地理来源相关。     

利用胚性细胞悬浮系研究香蕉枯萎病抗性离体筛选技术

以香蕉(Musa spp. AAA group)胚性细胞悬浮系(Embryogenic Cell Suspension,ECS)为试材,进行抗枯萎病离体筛选技术研究。首先测试不同的γ射线(60Co)辐射剂量对ECS植株再生能力的影响;在此基础上,以不同浓度的枯萎病病原菌毒素粗滤液(FOC)为选择压力,研究FOC对ECS植株再生能力的影响,并进行离体抗性筛选。结果表明,ECS的植株再生能力与辐射剂量之间呈负相关,半致死剂量为70～80Gy。同样地,未经辐射处理的ECS其植株再生能力也随着FOC体积分数的增加而急剧下降,但经辐射处理过的ECS其植株再生能力与CK相比成倍地增加;当FOC体积分数达到12%后,只有从经80Gy辐射后的ECS获得了再生植株。这表明ECS耐FOC的能力随着辐射剂量的增加而增强。     

三峡库区山地高效生态农业复合产业群的研究

从三峡库区脆弱的生态环境、农村贫困化现状以及移民安置容量进行分析,阐明了三峡库区农业手根本出路在于发展山地高效生态农业的紧迫性,同时根据当地的自然条件和资源特点提出了山地高效生态农业的构建及其建议和措施。     

金龟子绿僵菌防治竹笋禾夜蛾幼虫试验

在室内采用5种不同的金龟子绿僵菌菌株对竹笋禾夜蛾4龄幼虫进行感染试验,结果表明:Ma1291菌株对竹笋禾夜蛾幼虫的感染效果最好,校正死亡率达75.44%,其LT50值为8.2 d;其次是MaWP-04菌株,其校正死亡率达70.18%,LT50值为10.3 d。进一步对Ma1291和MaWP-04菌株的致病力测定结果表明,随着浓度的增加,致病力加强,其LC50分别为2.02×106孢子.mL-1和6.36×106孢子.mL-1;其致死中时间随着浓度的增加而缩短。利用Ma1291和MaWP-04菌株分别采用对笋撒菌粉和拌细砂土撒施的方法实施林间防治试验,结果表明:Ma1291菌株对竹笋禾夜蛾幼虫的防治效果达77.06%~81.36%以上,MaWP-04菌株防治效果为59.73%~67.06%。综合分析结果表明,Ma1291和MaWP-04菌株均有较好的应用效果。     

基于AHP/BCG的农业气象服务效益评估方法研究

为了科学、准确地对农业气象服务效益进行评估和分析,结合威武市当地农业气象服务的特点,利用AHP（层次分析法）与BCG（波士顿矩阵）相结合的方法,将复杂的效益评估系统数学化、层次化、系统化,构建适合当地特色的新型农业气象服务效益评估模型,结合2015年武威市农业气象服务满意度调查问卷进行效益评估。结果表明,“气象部门对当地农业气象需求的了解程度与带来的社会和经济效益”、“预报要素准确率”、“气象服务产品特性”、“农业气象产品内容丰富性”等4类指标属于核心类项目,成为农气象服务中产生良好社会和经济效益的主要指标项目,“用户未来打算”属于发展型项目,具有良好的发展潜力。此次评估结果,能够使气象部门合理确定服务产品重点、改进服务内容,积极拓宽服务信息发布渠道,有效分配农业气象服务资源,对提高农业气象防灾减灾水平有着重要意义。     

利用捕食螨搭载白僵茵控制柑橘木虱的研究

进行捕食螨搭载白僵菌控制柑橘木虱的研究,结果表明：捕食螨对木虱卵、若虫有一定的捕食作用;白僵菌I2菌株对柑桔木虱卵、若虫、成虫均有很强的致病作用,第3d后死亡率达100％,对低龄若虫致病率达100％。用捕食螨搭载白僵菌孢子粉对柑桔木虱卵和成虫3d后的死亡率和致病率分别达98．4％和98．8％,对低龄若虫感染率达100％...     

我国水稻白叶枯病菌致病力分化研究

综述了我国水稻白叶枯病菌致病力分化及其致病基因和致病机制的研究进展 ,查明稻白叶枯病菌致病力分化状况是进行水稻抗白叶枯病育种及其抗性品种利用的基础。