Investigations on Adult Plant Resistance of Barley Against Erysiphe graminis f.sp. hordei

Spring barley cultivars and lines were tested for 3 years in field studies for adult plant resistance against Erysiphe graminis f.sp. hordei. The cultivars Osiris and Asse were selected for further detailed cytological studies and compared with the susceptible cultivar Peruvian. Under controlled greenhouse conditions, the percentage of conidia that had formed a functional haustorium and secondary hyphae (infection efficiency) was reduced in fifth leaves of the adult plant resistant cultivars. On fifth and flag leaves of adult plant resistant cultivars, papillae were formed more frequently under primary germ tubes and appressoria, and fungal penetration was prevented more often than on the susceptible cultivar Peruvian. In ultrastructural studies various types of papillae were observed, but could not be strictly correlated with penetration success or failure of the fungus.     

Further Electron Microscopical Studies of Induced Resistance of Barley against Erysiphe graminis f. sp. hordei

Barley leaves were treated with a resistance inducer and inoculated with Erysiphe graminis two days later. 68 hours after inoculation many infection sites with cytoplasmic aggregations with increased number of golgi apparatus and increased endoplasmic reticulum could be observed. The extrahaustorial membrane invaginated and some free pieces of membrane appeared in the matrix. The haustoria vacuolized partially and curly filamentous electron dense material occurred. These changes took place after protective as well as after curative treatment. Due to cytochemical studies the vacuolar electron dense material in the vacuoles of the haustoria contained polymers of mannose or glucose.     

Quantitative Studies of Resistance Induced By Avirulent Cultures of Erysiphe graminis f. sp. hordei in Barley

Quantification of resistance induced by avirulent cultures of Erysiphe graminis f. sp. hordei against virulent cultures in barley was attempted. Four mildew cultures and 4 barley varieties with known genes of virulence and resistance respectively were used. Pre, post and simultaneous inoculation of leaves was done with avirulent and virulent cultures. Pre-inoculation with avirulent cultures induced resistance in the host such that the pustule number and spore production by later inoculation of virulent cultures was reduced significantly. Once induced, such resistance was active up to 8 days. There was some indication of induced susceptibility if the inducing culture was characterized by medium virulence. Increase of inceulum density of the avirulent (inducer) culture increased the amount of induced resistance Further studies of the phenomenon of induced resistance are needed in relation to possible applications for disease control through inoculations. varietal mixtures and multilines.     

The Effect of Infection by Erysiphe graminis f.sp. hordei on Protein Synthesis in Vivo in Leaves of Barley

The effect of infection by Erysiphe graminis f.sp. hordei onprotein synthesis in a susceptible cultivar of Hordeum vulgarehas been studied using in vivo labelling. Results have indicateda decline in protein synthesis in the chloroplasts at 1, 3 and5 days after inoculation and in the cytoplasm at 3 and 5 daysafter inoculation. The most extensive effect of the pathogenwas on the synthesis of a 32 Kd protein synthesised in the chloroplasts. (Received May 16, 1984; Accepted July 10, 1984)     

Activity of triadimefon vapour against Erysiphe graminis f. sp. hordei

A series of experiments from 1978 to 1983 investigated the activity of triadimefon vapour against barley powdery mildew (Erysiphe graminis f. sp. hordei). In early experiments there was a pronounced protectant action when the dry product was used as the vapour source, and this protection persisted after test seedlings had been removed from the vicinity of the vapour source. In a glasshouse, sprayed seedlings remained sources of active vapour for at least 6 wk after spraying. In later experiments, effects of triadimefon vapour were much smaller, probably because the pathogen had become less sensitive to the fungicide. The dry product was no longer an effective vapour source but infection of test seedlings was still decreased if they were exposed to vapour emanating from impregnated absorbent paper or sprayed seedlings, presumably because the effective surface areas were much greater. Possible benefits and problems that arise from vapour action in glasshouse and field experiments are discussed.     

Virulence Gene Frequency Change in Erysiphe graminis f. sp. hordei Due to Selection by Non-Corresponding Barley Mildew Resistance Genes and Hitchhiking

Individual isolates (in total 4040) of Erysiphe graminis f. sp. hordei were collected between 1989 and 1991 in fields of spring barley varieties with resistance genes Mla9, Mla12 and Ml(La) in the local air spora, i.e. remote from barley fields, in Hesse, Germany. Their virulence pattern was determined on a 13-partite differential set. In the air spora. virulence complexity (the number of virulence genes per isolate) increased by 30% (4.2 vs. 5.5) between 1989 and 1991. This was mainly due to an increase of pathotypes with virulence genes Va7, Val3, Vk and V(La). In each mildew field population, frequencies of several non-corresponding virulence genes, e.g. V(La) on Mla9 variety, greatly increased during the period. Such change can be caused by hitchhiking selection, i.e. indirect selection resulting from asexual reproduction, and direct selection by non-corresponding resistance genes. To separate the two effects, the aerial barley mildew population of 1991 was sampled on cv. Pallas and near-isogenic lines of Pallas. Frequencies of non-corresponding virulence genes as observed in samples from the near-isogenic lines were compared to expected non-corresponding virulence frequencies which were obtained by subdividing the sample on Pallas into 12 subsamples, comprising all isolates virulent to line 1 through 12, respectively. Among 90 resistance/virulence gene combinations selection for non-cor-responding virulence was significant in five cases (e.g. Va9 on Mla7 host) and against non-corresponding virulence in nine cases (e.g. Vk on Ml(La) host). Hitchhiking selection was significant in eight cases. In 11 cases the two types of selection were significant in combination but not individually. It is suggested to monitor the stability of selection against non-corresponding virulence genes in race surveys and utilize it in diversified barley crops such as variety mixtures in order to retard the evolution of complex races.     

Decrease in Three Messenger RNA Species Coding for Chloroplast Proteins in Leaves of Barley Infected with Erysiphe graminis f. sp. hordei

Cloned hybridization probes have been used to investigate the effect of infection of susceptible Hordeum vulgare cv Prior by Erysiphe graminis f. sp. hordei on the abundance of host mRNAs coding for the large (LSU) and precursor to the small (SSU) subunits of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase and the rapidly metabolized 32kD thylakoid protein (32kDP). In leaf RNA preparations from control (noninoculated) plants the amount of mRNA for the LSU and SSU declined from 7 to 11 days after sowing, whereas that for the 32kDP increased over this period. Following inoculation at 6 days after sowing, the abundance of each of the mRNA species was significantly reduced below that of controls at 1, 3, and 5 days later. Results indicate that infection causes a rapid and extensive reduction in host mRNA species coding for proteins with important photosynthetic functions.     

Seasonal changes in infection of barley seedlings by Erysiphe graminis f.sp. hordei

Infection of artificially inoculated barley seedlings, exposed out of doors, was variable but there was a seasonal trend. As temperature affects both incubation time and the proportion of successful infections, these two factors will have additive effects on disease development. Infections developed only slowly in winter but, in both 1972 and 1973, conditions became much more favourable to infection in late April or early May.     

Increase of Complex Pathotypes of Erysiphe graminis f. sp. hordei in Two-Component Mixtures of Spring Barley Cultivars

Pathotypes of Erysiphe graminis f. sp. hordei were monitored at fortnightly intervals in pure stands of cultivars Golf with Laevigatum resistance [gene Ml(La)], Steina with Arabische resistance (Mla 12) and Harry with Monte Cristo resistance (Mla9), as well as in two two-component mixtures [Golf + Steina (G + S) and Golf + Harry (G + H)] during the course of mildew epidemics in replicated field trials. The number of colonies per main tiller was also recorded. Virulence complexity (i.e. the average number of virulence genes per isolate with respect to the two matching resistance genes of the mixed cultivars) was always higher in mixtures than in pure stands. Linear regression of complexity on the number of elapsed mildew generations (based on actual temperature data) gave significant b-values (slopes) of 0.039, 0.034, 0.022 and 0.018 on Golf in G + S, Steina in G + S, Golf in G + H and Harry in G + H, respectively. In pure stands, there, was no significant complexity increase on any cultivar. The fact that b-values were higher on either component in the G + S than in the G + H mixture indicates stronger selection for the complex, i.e. two-virulence, pathotypes in G + S. Complex pathotypes had a higher relative fitness than simple (one-virulence) pathotypes in both mixtures but not in the pure stands. The absolute frequencies of complex pathotypes as measured by the area under the colony frequency curve (AUCFC) were higher on all cultivars in mixtures than in pure stands, except on Steina.     

Seasonal changes in incubation time of Erysiphe graminis f.sp. hordei.

Incubation time of Erysiphe graminis f.sp. hordei varied seasonally, but between early May and late September it was always between 5 and 8 days. This is approximately the time of year when the 30-year weekly mean air temperature exceeds 10^oC. Amount of infection during summer was decreased by hot, dry weather. In winter, incubation times were more variable and long incubation times were usually associated with few infections. Variation in incubation time during the summer is unlikely to be of practical importance in determining the rate of epidemic development.