Biological control of the wheat root rot caused by Fusarium graminearum using some PGPR strains in Saudi Arabia

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of selected bacterial strains against the wheat soil‐borne pathogen Fusarium graminearum under greenhouse conditions. The most potent isolates were 3 isolates out of 18 isolates, which have numbers 3, 9 and 10 with in vitro inhibition index 42.5%, 41.3% and 46.3% respectively. Isolates 3 and 10 were selected for the following experiments. Isolates 3 and 10 were identified as Bacillus subtilis MAA03 and Pseudomonas fluorescens MAA10, respectively according to International Identification Keys and, confirmed by using Biolog system and 16S rDNA where the strains exhibited more than 99.5% sequence identity. Their close taxonomic relationship was further documented by phenotypic similarities. The using of B. subtilis and P. fluorescens separately or in mixture as biocontrol agent against F. graminearum on wheat significantly increased the final germination percent, the mean daily germination and germination index of wheat cultivar, while the mean germination time was significantly decreased relative to infested control. The final infection percent, the mean daily infection and infection index were decreased significantly, while the mean infection time was significantly increased relative to infested control. The use of P. fluorescens as biocontrol agent was the most efficient than B. subtilis or in mixture and the best treatment was seed coating. The application of B. subtilis and P. fluorescens separately or in combination significantly affected the growth parameters of wheat cultivar Tabuki, the root length was significantly increased in seed coating and seed soaking treatments, while non‐significantly decreased in case of soil drench treatment relative to infested control. Shoot length was significantly decreased in case of seed coating treatment relative to infested control. The shoot fresh and dry weights were significantly increased in seed coating and seed soaking treatments relative to infested control. The root fresh and dry weights were significantly increased in seed coating and seed soaking treatments relative to infested control. The number of leaves was significantly increased in all treatments relative to infested control.     

软枣猕猴桃镰孢菌根腐病的病原

在辽宁丹东新发现一种软枣猕猴桃根腐病害,罹病植株叶片枯萎,老叶变干凋谢,最后干枯死亡。通过组织分离法和单孢分离法获得纯化菌株HMQAU150043和HMQAU150044。经形态学观察、ef‐1a序列分析、mt SSU序列分析及柯赫氏法则验证,确定两株病原菌均为多见镰孢Fusarium commune。这是该菌所致软枣猕猴桃根腐病的首次发现。     

Selection for Fusarium root rot resistance in red clover

Intercrossing red clover plants, selected for reaction to Fusarium root rot (F. avenaceum), produced progenies with lower root rot scores than the parental cultivar Hermes II. Eleven percent of the progenies had less than 2 mm root rot after two cycles of selection, compared to less than 1% in the parental cultivar. Root rot severity in two old local strains of red clover, as well as in two populations of wild red clover, was lower than in cv. Hermes II. This could indicate that a natural selection for root rot resistance can occur in red clover.     

The transfer and characterization of resistance to common root rot from Thinopyrum ponticum to wheat.

Common root rot, caused by Cochliobolus sativus (Ito and Kurib) Drechs. ex Dastur, is a major soil-borne disease of spring and winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L. em Thell.) on the Canadian prairies. Resistance to common root rot from Thinopyrum ponticum (Podp.) Liu and Wang was transferred into wheat via crossing with Agrotana, a resistant wheat - Th. ponticum partial amphiploid line. Evaluation of common root rot reactions showed that selected advanced lines with blue kernel color derived from a wheat x Agrotana cross expressed more resistance than the susceptible T. aestivum 'Chinese Spring' parent and other susceptible wheat check cultivars. Cytological examination revealed 41 to 44 chromosomes in the advanced lines. Genomic in situ hybridization, using total genomic DNA from Pseudoroegneria strigosa (M. Bieb) A. L?ve (St genome) as a probe, demonstrated that the blue kernel plants had two pairs of spontaneously translocated J-Js and Js-J chromosomes derived from the J and Js genome of Th. ponticum. The presence of these translocated chromosomes was associated with increased resistance of wheat to common root rot. The lines with blue aleurone color always had a subcentromeric Js-J translocated chromosome. The subtelocentric J-Js translocated chromosome was not responsible for the blue kernel color. The genomic in situ hybridization analysis on meiosis revealed that the two spontaneous translocations were not reciprocal translocations.     

TaRLK-6A promotes Fusarium crown rot resistance in wheat

<正>Fusarium crown rot (FCR), mainly caused by the soil-borne fungus Fusarium pseudograminearum, is a devastating disease of wheat (Triticum aestivum (Ta)). Fusarium crown rot causes substantial yield losses and generates mycotoxins in wheat grains that can cause serious health problems in humans and livestock (Powell et al., 2017).     

Effect of soil temperature on root rot of rough lemon caused by Fusarium solani

Rough lemon seedlings were root dip-inoculated in Fries liquid cultures of two Fusarium solani isolates, one from California and one from Florida. Plants were potted and placed in soil temperature tanks at 15, 21, 27, and 33 C. Plant height, trunk diameter, and fresh weight of inoculated plants significantly differed from the control at 15 and 21 C. Plant height was the only growth parameter significantly affected by inoculation at 27 and 33 C. Height of plants inoculated with the California isolate was significantly less than the control at 27 but not at 33 C. Height of plants inoculated with the Florida isolate did not differ from the controls at 27 and 33 C. Significantly more root rot occurred on inoculated plants at 15 and 21 C, but not at 27 and 33 C. Formerly at the University of Florida, IFAS, Agricultural Research and Education Center, P.O. Box 1088, Lake Alfred, FL 33850, USA     

Induction of systemic resistance against Fusarium crown and root rot disease by blast processing

The effect of fan-forced wind on the severity and growth of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. radicis-lycopersici (FORL) was examined in this study. The discoloration severity of the total root system was significantly reduced in plants treated with air blasting for 30?min at a wind speed of 4?m/s compared with the control. In addition, the number of colony-forming units of FORL per gram of fresh root weight was significantly reduced (p?≤?0.05) in plants treated with air blasting at a wind speed of 4?m/s for 30?min, and the root extracts of these plants had a significantly lower production of FORL budding cells. Booster wind treatments significantly reduced the severity and growth of FORL compared with single and control treatments. Furthermore, RT-PCR analysis indicated that the expression of defense-related genes was induced in the leaves of seedlings treated with air blasting at a wind speed of 4?m/s.     

Influence of Fusarium solani on citrus root rot caused by Phytophthora parasitica and Phytophthora citrophthora

Interactions between Fusarium solani and Phytophthora parasitica or F. solani and P. citrophthora influenced the development of root rot of citrus but depended on the temporal order of inoculation with F. solani or the two Phytophthora spp. Inoculation of citrus with either Fusarium solani and Phytophthora parasitica or Phytophthora citrophthora increased root rot compared to inoculation with P. parasitica or P. citrophthora alone when plants were inoculated with Phytophthora by dipping their roots in zoospore suspensions and subsequently transplanted into soil infested with F. solani. However, root rot was not increased by simultaneous co-inoculation of P. parasitica and F. solani or when plants were inoculated with F. solani first. Root rot was not increased when heat-stressed or non-stressed plants were inoculated with P. parasitica 30 days after transplanting into soil infested with F. solani. In most but not all experiments, F. solani alone reduced growth of tops or roots a small but significant amount.Co-inoculation of citrus by root-dipping into zoospore suspensions of P. parasitica and transplanting into soil infested with F. solani reduced feeder root length by 62% and root weight by 61% but did not significantly reduce the percentage of living roots when compared to inoculation with P. parasitica alone. When citrus roots were immersed in zoospore suspensions of P. citrophthora and transplanted into soil infested with F. solani, feeder root length was reduced by 68%, but feeder root weight and the percentage of living roots were not significantly reduced when compared to plants inoculated with P. citrophthora alone.Propagule densities of both P. parasitica and P. citrophthora in the rhizosphere of plants inoculated by root-immersion and then transplanting into soil infested with F. solani were not significantly different than propagule densities from plants transplanted into non-infested soil. Propagule densities of P. parasitica were suppressed an average of 41% when citrus was inoculated with P. parasitica 30 days after transplanting into soil infested with F. solani and by 41% when citrus was co-inoculated by transplanting into soil infested with both F. solani and P. parasitica.     

Screening of certain barley lines for resistance to root rot disease caused by Fusarium graminearum

This investigation was conducted in 2005/2006 and 2006/2007 to test 235 barley lines plus two varieties Giza 127 and Giza 128 for resistance and susceptibility to Fusarium graminearum. All screened barley lines showed varied significant degrees of infestation to root rot pathogen. A screening system is described for identifying barley lines which are effective in controlling resistant or susceptible lines. By detecting small but consistent differences in root rot severity, the bioassay proved effective in large-scale screening for partial resistance: already 335 barley lines and two varieties have been screened. We found five groups (7.12%), 22 barley lines and both varieties are resistant (R) (8.31%); 28 barley lines are moderately resistant (MR) (19.29%); 65 barley lines are moderately susceptible (MS) (27.89%); 94 barley lines are susceptible (S) and (37.39%) 126 barley lines are highly susceptible (HS). The high degree of precision makes this an invaluable tool in the understanding of pathogen aggressiveness, host specialisation and parasitic fitness. Disease scale was strongly negative and had moderate correlation with germination (?0.309?? and ?0.649??) under normal and disease treatment. The correlation between yield and normal and disease treatment during two seasons was strong and negative (?0.834?? and ?0.847??, respectively were detected).     

Antagonistic Activity in Fusarium acuminatum

Ten of 19 (53%) tested isolates of Fusarium acuminatum , from different geographical origins and sources, showed in vitro antagonistic activity (inhibition at distance) to mycelial growth of F. moniliforme. Moreover, when F. acuminatum ITEM-728 was tested against 25 different fungal species, an initial inhibition at a distance was observed which was followed by the spread of the F. acuminatum mycelium over the opposite fungal colony to various degrees. Most of the F. acuminatum isolates which showed antagonistic activity proved to be enniatin B (EB) producers, and some of them also formed moniliformin (MF). The toxic activity of the methanol extract of F. acuminatum ITEM-728 towards some test microorganisms was closely related to the EB concentration. In particular, Bacillus subtilis proved to be a very sensitive test microorganism.     

Comparison of Fusarium acuminatum and Fusarium culmorum isolates by means of tandem-crossed immunoelectrophoresis

F. acuminatum and F. culmorum strains were compared by means of tandemcrossed immunoelectrophoresis in order to estimate the possiblities of serological classification in Fusarium sections Gibbosum and Discolor. On the basis of qualitative similarity the two species could be distinguished well. By the use of anti-F. acuminatum serum a similarity of S_SM=0.52 was found between F. acuminatum and F. culmorum, but the S_SM coefficient reached a value of 0.67 when the anti-F. culmorum serum was tested. This asymmetric nature of the qualitative similarity is discussed. In the majority of cases the quantitative differences of the common antigens did not allow differentiation between the species.     

Bacillus subtilis subsp. spizizenii MB29 controls alfalfa root rot caused by Fusarium semitectum

Medicago sativa L. is the most important forage legume in China. Reducing production losses caused by disease is an essential aspect of maximising alfalfa production. In the current study a Fusarium semitectum isolate collected from alfalfa roots exhibiting symptoms of root rot was proven to infect alfalfa by fulfilling Koch's postulates. A bacterial strain, MB29, also collected from alfalfa roots, was evaluated as a potential biocontrol agent against F. semitectum and a range of other alfalfa pathogens using in vitro tests. It was found that MB29 reduced the mycelia growth of all the pathogens assessed, and in the case of F. semitectum by as much as 84.47%. Furthermore, in vivo test showed that MB29 reduced the severity of rot symptoms in alfalfa seedlings resulting from F. semitectum infection. Strain MB29 was subsequently classified as Bacillus subtilis subsp. spizizenii using the Biolog MicroLog microbial identification system and sequence analysis of its 16S rDNA gene. Taken together these results indicate that B. subtilis subsp. spizizenii MB29 has great potential for the control of root rot diseases in alfalfa.     

Ice Nucleation Activity in Fusarium acuminatum and Fusarium avenaceum

Twenty fungal genera, including 14 Fusarium species, were examined for ice nucleation activity at −5.0°C, and this activity was found only in Fusarium acuminatum and Fusarium avenaceum. This characteristic is unique to these two species. Ice nucleation activity of F. avenaceum was compared with ice nucleation activity of a Pseudomonas sp. strain. Cumulative nucleus spectra are similar for both microorganisms, while the maximum temperatures of ice nucleation were −2.5°C for F. avenaceum and −1.0°C for the bacteria. Ice nucleation activity of F. avenaceum was stable at pH levels from 1 to 13 and tolerated temperature treatments up to 60°C, suggesting that these ice nuclei are more similar to lichen ice nuclei than to bacterial ones. Ice nuclei of F. avenaceum, unlike bacterial ice nuclei, pass through a 0.22-μm-pore-size filter. Fusarial nuclei share some characteristics with the so-called leaf-derived nuclei with which they might be identified: they are cell free and stable up to 60°C, and they are found in the same kinds of environment. Highly stable ice nuclei produced by fast-growing microorganisms have potential applications in biotechnology. This is the first report of ice nucleation activity in free-living fungi.     

Genetic and virulence variation in Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cepae causing root and basal rot of common onion in Iran

Root and basal rot of common onion (Allium cepae L.) caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cepae is one of the most important diseases causing tremendous losses in onion‐growing areas worldwide. In this study, random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), intersimple sequence repeats (ISSR) and virulence studies were conducted to analyse 26 F. oxysporum f. sp. cepae isolates obtained from the main onion‐growing regions of Iran, including Fars, Azerbaijan and Isfahan states. Cluster analysis using UPGMA method for both RAPD and ISSR markers revealed no clear grouping of the isolates obtained from different geographical regions, and the isolates were observed to derive probably from the same clonal lineage. Pathogenicity test indicated that all F. oxysporum f. sp. cepae isolates were pathogenic on onion; however, virulence variability was observed among the isolates. The grouping based on virulence variability was not correlated with the results of RAPD and ISSR analyses.