One hundred isolates of Phytophthora infestans collected from 10 provinces in China between 1998 and 2004 were analyzed for mating type, metalaxyl resistance, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplotype, allozyme genotype, and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) with the RG-57 probe. In addition, herbarium samples collected in China, Russia, Australia, and other Asian countries were also typed for mtDNA haplotype. The Ia haplotype was found during the first outbreaks of the disease in China (1938 and 1940), Japan (1901, 1930, and 1931), India (1913), Peninsular Malaysia (1950), Nepal (1954), The Philippines (1910), Australia (1917), Russia (1917), and Latvia (1935). In contrast, the Ib haplotype was found after 1950 in China on both potato and tomato (1952, 1954, 1956, and 1982) and in India (1968 and 1974). Another migration of a genotype found in Siberia called SIB-1 (Glucose-6-phosphate isomerase [Gpi] 100/100, Peptidase [Pep] 100/100, IIa mtDNA haplotype) was identified using RFLP fingerprints among 72% of the isolates and was widely distributed in the north and south of China and has also been reported in Japan. A new genotype named CN-11 (Gpi 100/111, Pep 100/100, IIb mtDNA haplotype), found only in the south of China, and two additional genotypes (Gpi 100/100, Pep 100/100, Ia mtDNA haplotype) named CN-9 and CN-10 were identified. There were more diverse genotypes among isolates from Yunnan province than elsewhere. The SIB-1 (IIa) genotype is identical to those from Siberia, suggesting later migration of this genotype from either Russia or Japan into China. The widespread predominance of SIB-1 suggests that this genotype has enhanced fitness compared with other genotypes found. Movement of the pathogen into China via infected seed from several sources most likely accounts for the distribution of pathogen genotypes observed. MtDNA haplotype evidence and RFLP data suggest multiple migrations of the pathogen into China after the initial introduction of the Ia haplotype in the 1930s.
The fungus Corynespora cassiicola is primarily found in the tropics and subtropics, and is widely diverse in substrate utilization and host association. Isolate characterization within C. cassiicola was undertaken to investigate how genetic diversity correlates with host specificity, growth rate, and geographic distribution. C. cassiicola isolates were collected from 68 different plant species in American Samoa, Brazil, Malaysia, and Micronesia, and Florida, Mississippi, and Tennessee within the United States. Phylogenetic analyses using four loci were performed with 143 Corynespora spp. isolates, including outgroup taxa obtained from culture collections: C. citricola, C. melongenae, C. olivacea, C. proliferata, C. sesamum, and C. smithii. Phylogenetic trees were congruent from the ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer region, two random hypervariable loci (caa5 and ga4), and the actin-encoding locus act1, indicating a lack of recombination within the species and asexual propagation. Fifty isolates were tested for pathogenicity on eight known C. cassiicola crop hosts: basil, bean, cowpea, cucumber, papaya, soybean, sweet potato, and tomato. Pathogenicity profiles ranged from one to four hosts, with cucumber appearing in 14 of the 16 profiles. Bootstrap analyses and Bayesian posterior probability values identified six statistically significant phylogenetic lineages. The six phylogenetic lineages correlated with host of origin, pathogenicity, and growth rate but not with geographic location. Common fungal genotypes were widely distributed geographically, indicating long-distance and global dispersal of clonal lineages. This research reveals an abundance of previously unrecognized genetic diversity within the species and provides evidence for host specialization on papaya.
ABSTRACT A previously undescribed leaf spot disease of banana has been discovered in southern and Southeast Asia. The fungus identified as the causal agent of this leaf spot has a Mycosphaerella teleomorph stage and a Septoria anamorph stage. Isolation and reinoculation of the fungus to banana reproduced symptoms and confirmed its pathogenicity. Phylogenic analysis based on sequences of the internal transcribed spacer and 5.8S ribosomal DNA regions from the different leaf spot pathogens of bananas was consistent with the definition of a new species. M. eumusae (anamorph S. eumusae) is the name proposed for the causal agent and Septoria leaf spot as the name for the disease. The presence of the pathogen has been confirmed in leaf specimens from southern India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Mauritius, and Nigeria.
ABSTRACT Mango malformation disease (MMD) occurs in Asia, Africa, and the Americas and was first reported in India in 1891. The vegetative form of MMD was first reproduced in 1966 with Fusarium moniliforme and the floral form with isolates of F. moniliforme var. subglutinans from both vegetative shoots and floral tissue. The fungi were subsequently recognized as F. subglutinans. In 2002, a new species, F. mangiferae, was established based on nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequences; it included strains of F. subglutinans from Egypt, Florida, Israel, Malaysia, and South Africa, some of which had been shown to cause MMD by artificial inoculation. At least three additional taxa have been associated with MMD: F. sterilihyphosum from Brazil and South Africa, and Fusarium sp. nov. and F. proliferatum (teleomorph: Gibberella intermedia) from Malaysia. To date, Koch's postulates have not been completed with them. In the future, gene sequencing will be essential to identify the Fusarium spp. that are associated with MMD. Work remains to be done on the morphology, sexual compatibility, pathogenicity, and toxigenicity of these taxa.
ABSTRACT Genetic variation within a worldwide collection of 208 isolates of Fu-sarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense, representing physiological races 1, 2, 3, and 4 and the 20 reported vegetative compatibility groups (VCGs), was analyzed using modified DNA amplification fingerprinting. Also characterized were 133 isolates that did not belong to any of the reported VCGs of F. oxysporum f. sp. cubense including race 3 isolates from a Heliconia species and isolates from a symptomatic wild banana species growing in the jungle in peninsular Malaysia. The DNA fingerprint patterns were generally VCG specific, irrespective of geographic or host origin. A total of 33 different genotypes were identified within F. oxysporum f. sp. cu-bense; 19 genotypes were distinguished among the isolates that belonged to the 20 reported VCGs, and 14 new genotypes were identified among the isolates that did not belong to any of the existing VCGs. DNA fingerprinting analysis also allowed differentiation of nine clonal lineages within F. oxysporum f. sp. cubense. Five of these lineages each contained numerous closely related VCGs and genotypes, and the remaining four lineages each contained a single genotype. The genetic diversity and geographic distribution of several of these lineages of F. oxysporum f. sp. cubense suggests that they have coevolved with edible bananas and their wild diploid progenitors in Asia. DNA fingerprinting analysis of isolates from the wild pathosystem provides further evidence for the coevolution hypothesis. The genetic isolation and limited geographic distribution of four of the lineages of F. oxysporum f. sp. cubense suggests that the pathogen has also arisen independently, both within and outside of the center of origin of the host.
A highly efficient and reproducible Agrobacterium-mediated transformation protocol for Ganoderma boninense was developed to facilitate observation of the early stage infection of basal stem rot (BSR). The method was proven amenable to different explants (basidiospore, protoplast, and mycelium) of G. boninense. The transformation efficiency was highest (62%) under a treatment combination of protoplast explant and Agrobacterium strain LBA4404, with successful expression of an hyg marker gene and gus-gfp fusion gene under the control of heterologous p416 glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase promoter. Optimal transformation conditions included a 1:100 Agrobacterium/explant ratio, induction of Agrobacterium virulence genes in the presence of 250 μm acetosyringone, co-cultivation at 22°C for 2 days on nitrocellulose membrane overlaid on an induction medium, and regeneration of transformants on potato glucose agar prepared with 0.6 M sucrose and 20 mM phosphate buffer. Evaluated transformants were able to infect root tissues of oil palm plantlets with needle-like microhyphae during the penetration event. The availability of this model pathogen system for BSR may lead to a better understanding of the pathogenicity factors associated with G. boninense penetration into oil palm roots.
A weather-based simulation model, called Powdery Mildew of Cucurbits Simulation (POMICS), was constructed to predict fungicide application scheduling to manage powdery mildew of cucurbits. The model was developed on the principle that conditions favorable for Podosphaera xanthii, a causal pathogen of this crop disease, generate a number of infection cycles in a single growing season. The model consists of two components that (i) simulate the disease progression of P. xanthii in secondary infection cycles under natural conditions and (ii) predict the disease severity with application of fungicides at any recurrent disease cycles. The underlying environmental factors associated with P. xanthii infection were quantified from laboratory and field studies, and also gathered from literature. The performance of the POMICS model when validated with two datasets of uncontrolled natural infection was good (the mean difference between simulated and observed disease severity on a scale of 0 to 5 was 0.02 and 0.05). In simulations, POMICS was able to predict high- and low-risk disease alerts. Furthermore, the predicted disease severity was responsive to the number of fungicide applications. Such responsiveness indicates that the model has the potential to be used as a tool to guide the scheduling of judicious fungicide applications.
Fusarium spp. are ranked among the top 10 most economically and scientifically important plant-pathogenic fungi in the world and are associated with plant diseases that include fruit decay of a number of crops. Fusarium isolates infecting bell pepper in Trinidad were identified based on sequence comparisons of the translation elongation factor gene (EF-1a) with sequences of Fusarium incarnatum-equiseti species complex (FIESC) verified in the FUSARIUM-ID database. Eighty-two isolates were identified as belonging to one of four phylogenetic species within the subclades FIESC-1, FIESC-15, FIESC-16, and FIESC-26, with the majority of isolates belonging to FIESC-15. A comparison of the level of DNA polymorphism and phylogenetic inference for sequences of the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS1-5.8S-ITS2) and EF-1a sequences for Trinidad and FUSARIUM-ID type species was carried out. The ITS sequences were less informative, had lower haplotype diversity and restricted haplotype distribution, and resulted in poor resolution and taxa placement in the consensus maximum-likelihood tree. EF-1a sequences enabled strongly supported phylogenetic inference with highly resolved branching patterns of the 30 phylogenetic species within the FIESC and placement of representative Trinidad isolates. Therefore, global phylogeny was inferred from EF-1a sequences representing 11 countries, and separation into distinct Incarnatum and Equiseti clades was again evident. In total, 42 haplotypes were identified: 12 were shared and the remaining were unique haplotypes. The most diverse haplotype was represented by sequences from China, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Trinidad and consisted exclusively of F. incarnatum isolates. Spain had the highest haplotype diversity, perhaps because both F. equiseti and F. incarnatum sequences were represented; followed by the United States, which contributed both F. equiseti and F. incarnatum sequences to the data set; then by countries representing Southeast Asia (China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Philippines) and Trinidad; both of these regions were represented by only F. incarnatum sequences. Trinidad shared two haplotypes with China and one haplotype with the United States for only F. incarnatum isolates. The findings of this study are important for devising disease management strategies and for understanding the phylogenetic relationships among members of the FIESC.
The bacterium Ralstonia syzygii subsp. celebesensis causes Blood disease of banana, a vascular wilt of economic significance in Indonesia and Malaysia. Blood disease has expanded its geographic range in the last 20 years and is an emerging threat to Southeast Asian banana production. Many aspects of the disease cycle and biology are not well understood, including the ability of different parts of the female and male inflorescence of banana to act as infection courts. This study confirms that the banana varieties of Cavendish, and Kepok 'Kuning' are susceptible to Blood disease and that an inoculum concentration of 102 CFU.mL-1 of R. syzygii subsp. celebesensis is adequate to initiate disease following pseudostem inoculation. Data show that infection occurs through both the male and female parts of a banana inflorescence and the rachis when snapped to remove the male bell. The infection courts are the female flowers, the male bell bract scar, the male bell flower cushion, the snapped rachis, and deflowered fingers. The location of these infection courts concurs with the dye studies demonstrating that dye externally applied to these plants parts enters the plant vascular system. Thus, the hypothesis is supported that infection of R. syzygii subsp. celebesensis occurs through open xylem vessels of the male and female parts of the banana inflorescence.
Scientific communication is facilitated by a data-driven, scientifically sound taxonomy that considers the end-user's needs and established successful practice. In 2013, the Fusarium community voiced near unanimous support for a concept of Fusarium that represented a clade comprising all agriculturally and clinically important Fusarium species, including the F. solani species complex (FSSC). Subsequently, this concept was challenged in 2015 by one research group who proposed dividing the genus Fusarium into seven genera, including the FSSC described as members of the genus Neocosmospora, with subsequent justification in 2018 based on claims that the 2013 concept of Fusarium is polyphyletic. Here, we test this claim and provide a phylogeny based on exonic nucleotide sequences of 19 orthologous protein-coding genes that strongly support the monophyly of Fusarium including the FSSC. We reassert the practical and scientific argument in support of a genus Fusarium that includes the FSSC and several other basal lineages, consistent with the longstanding use of this name among plant pathologists, medical mycologists, quarantine officials, regulatory agencies, students, and researchers with a stake in its taxonomy. In recognition of this monophyly, 40 species described as genus Neocosmospora were recombined in genus Fusarium, and nine others were renamed Fusarium. Here the global Fusarium community voices strong support for the inclusion of the FSSC in Fusarium, as it remains the best scientific, nomenclatural, and practical taxonomic option available.
Moko disease in banana is a bacterial wilt caused by strains within Ralstonia solanacearum sensu stricto. The disease is endemic to Central and South America but has spread to the Philippines and peninsular Malaysia. Detecting new incursions early in Moko-free banana production regions is of utmost importance for containment and eradication, as Moko management significantly increases costs in banana production. Molecular studies have supported the classification of R. solanacearum sensu stricto into phylotypes IIA, IIB, and IIC, each comprising various sequevars based on nucleotide divergence of a partial sequence within the endoglucanase gene. Moko disease in banana is caused by strains classified as sequevars 6, 24, 41, and 53 within phylotype IIA and sequevars 3, 4, and 25 within phylotype IIB. To ensure accurate diagnostic assays are available to detect all Moko sequevars, we systematically validated previously published assays for Moko diagnostics. To be able to identify all sequevars, including the latest described sequevars, namely IIB-25, IIA-41, and IIA-53, we developed and validated two novel assays using genome-wide association studies on over 100 genomes of R. solanacearum sensu stricto. Validations using 196 bacterial isolates confirmed that a previous multiplex PCR-based assay targeting sequevars IIB-3, IIB-4, IIA-6, and IIA-24 and our two novel assays targeting sequevars IIB-25, IIA-41, and IIA-53 were specific, reproducible, and accurate for Moko diagnostics.