Ustilago maydis populations tracked maize through domestication and cultivation in the Americas

The domestication of crops and the development of agricultural societies not only brought about major changes in human interactions with the environment but also in plants' interactions with the diseases that challenge them. We evaluated the impact of the domestication of maize from teosinte and the widespread cultivation of maize on the historical demography of Ustilago maydis, a fungal pathogen of maize. To determine the evolutionary response of the pathogen's populations, we obtained multilocus genotypes for 1088 U. maydis diploid individuals from two teosinte subspecies in Mexico and from maize in Mexico and throughout the Americas. Results identified five major U. maydis populations: two in Mexico; two in South America; and one in the United States. The two populations in Mexico diverged from the other populations at times comparable to those for the domestication of maize at 6000-10000 years before present. Maize domestication and agriculture enforced sweeping changes in U. maydis populations such that the standing variation in extant pathogen populations reflects evolution only since the time of the crop's domestication.     

Europe as a bridgehead in the worldwide invasion history of grapevine downy mildew,Plasmopara viticola

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Microbial studies of compost: bacterial identification,and their potential for turfgrass pathogen suppression

Composting is the degradation of organic materials through the activities of diverse microorganisms. This research examined microbial community dynamics, population levels and identification of bacteria throughout the composting process and in storage. In addition, an evaluation was performed to determine the potential for dominant bacterial isolates to suppress selected turfgrass pathogens: Sclerotinia homoeocarpa, Pythium graminicola, Typhula ishikariensis, and Microdochium nivale, responsible for causing the turfgrass diseases dollar spot, pythium blight, typhula blight, and fusarium patch, respectively. Composts supported high population levels of bacteria with 78% of cultures tested being Gram-negative. Proteolytic activity, found in 29% of cultures tested is a potential mechanism of suppression or competition with other microorganisms. Although the Biolog system did not identify a wide range of bacteria, the main Gram-negative genera identified in mature compost were Pseudomonas (28%), Serratia (20%), Klebsiella (11%), and Enterobacter (5%). Twenty-one percent of isolates tested were not identified by Biolog, and many more had similarity indexes < 0.50. The microbial identification system, based on whole cell fatty acid analysis, identified a wide range of bacteria, with a higher proportion of similarities than the Biolog system. Genera common to both testing procedures included Pseudomonas, Serratia, and Enterobacter. All Gram-positives were identified as Bacillus spp. Phospholipid fatty acid analysis, used to estimate the diversity of microbial communities, was useful in monitoring changes in microbial population in storage and during composting, as well as estimating levels of compost maturity. Plate challenge experiments revealed a number of cultures with antagonistic activity against turfgrass pathogens. There were 52, 31, 32 and 19% of the bacterial isolates tested that exhibited antagonistic activity against S. homoeocarpa, P. graminicola, T. ishikariensis, and M. nivale, respectively. Improved understanding of microbial populations and their dynamics in composts will expand their potential to act as suppressants on pathogenic fungi or turfgrass.     

Host plant interactions of the corn planthopper, Peregrinus maidis Ashm. (Homoptera: Delphacidae) in maize and sorghum agroecosystems

The corn planthopper, Peregrinus maidis (Ashmead) (Homoptera: Delphacidae) causes serious economic losses in corn and sorghum. The insect occurs mostly at humid low elevations in the tropics and coastal areas of subtropical and temperate regions of all continents, the Caribbean Islands, and islands in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. This review provides a detailed compilation on the chronological progress made in basic and strategic aspects of research on the interactions between P. maidis and various host plants. The nature of damage by P. maidis and its economic impact, ecobiology in relation to host diversity, abiotic, and seasonal interactions; and life tables and alary polymorphism are discussed. Host plant resistance studies indicate that very few sources of resistance to P. maidis have been identified in maize, sorghum, or pearl millet, warranting a need to standardize rapid and reliable screening methods. The behavioral responses vis-à-vis mechanisms of resistance show the predominance of antixenosis for colonization and/or oviposition with variable degrees of antibiosis affecting life cycle parameters of P. maidis on maize and sorghum. The role of morphological traits, physiological mechanisms, and biochemical factors governing resistance are described. Population dynamics based on density-dependent and density-independent interactions are also discussed. In addition, aspects of P. maidis on chemical control, biological control, and trophobiosis interactions are listed. Future thrusts on research approaches are also discussed. Genetic engineering techniques involving lectin genes in the development of transgenic plants, and the molecular mapping of genes conferring resistance to both P. maidis and its transmitted virus diseases may stimulate further research and lead to better understanding of P. maidis—host plant interactions. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.