Occurrence of Macrophomina phaseolina in Israel: Challenges for Disease Management and Crop Germplasm Enhancement

Macrophomina phaseolina is a soil-borne fungal pathogen infecting many important crop plants. The fungus, which can survive on crop debris for a long period of time, causes charcoal rot disease by secreting a diverse array of cell-wall degrading enzymes and toxins. M. phaseolina thrives during periods of high temperatures and arid conditions, as typically occuring in Israel and other countries with a Mediterranean climate. Crop losses due to charcoal rot can be expected to increase and spread to other countries in a warming global climate. Management of this pathogen is challenging, requiring an array of approaches for the various crop hosts. Approaches that have had some success in Israel include grafting of melons and watermelons on resistant squash rootstocks and soil application of fungicide to reduce disease incidence in melons, fumigation and alterations in planting date and mulching of strawberries, and alteration in irrigation regime of cotton. Elsewhere, these approaches as well as soil amendments, and addition of organisms that are antagonistic to M. phaseolina have had success in some crop situations. Management through host resistance would be the most sustainable approach, but requires identifying resistant germplasm for each crop and introgressing the resistance into the leading cultivars. Resistance to charcoal rot is under complex genetic control in most crops, posing a great challenge for its introgression into elite germplasm. Moreover, fast, reliable methods of screening for resistance would have to be developed for each crop. The toothpick-inoculation method used by us holds great promise for selecting resistant germplasm for melons and possibly for sesame, but other methodologies have to be devised for each individual crop.

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Crown Rot of Strawberry Caused by Macrophomina phaseolina in California

Plant Disease ◽

10.1094/pdis-92-8-1253b ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 92 (8) ◽

pp. 1253-1253 ◽

Cited By ~ 37

Author(s):

S. T. Koike

Keyword(s):

Disease Incidence ◽

Pathogenic Fungi ◽

Macrophomina Phaseolina ◽

The United States ◽

Crown Rot ◽

Charcoal Rot ◽

Crown Tissue ◽

Original Field ◽

Rot Disease ◽

Eventual Collapse

In 2006 and 2007, severely diseased strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) plants were observed in five commercial fields in southern California (Orange County). Disease generally occurred in discrete patches. Within such patches, disease incidence ranged from 10 to 75%. Symptoms consisted of wilting of foliage, drying and death of older leaves, plant stunting, and eventual collapse and death of plants. When plant crowns were dissected, internal vascular and cortex tissues were dark brown to orange brown. Fruiting bodies or other fungal structures were not observed. A fungus was consistently isolated from symptomatic crown tissue that had been surface sterilized and placed on acidified corn meal agar (LA-CMA). All isolates produced numerous, dark, irregularly shaped sclerotia that were 67 to 170 μm long and 44 to 133 μm wide. When isolates were grown on 1.5% water agar with dried and sterilized wheat straw, dark, ostiolate pycnidia and hyaline, single-celled, cylindrical conidia were produced. On the basis of these characters, all isolates were identified as Macrophomina phaseolina (1). The symptomatic plants tested negative for Colletotrichum spp., Phytophthora spp., Verticillium dahliae, and other pathogens. Inoculum for pathogenicity tests was produced by growing six isolates on CMA on which sterilized wood toothpicks were placed on the agar surface. After 1 week, toothpicks were removed and inserted 4 to 5 mm deep into the basal crown tissue of potted strawberry plants (cv. Camarosa) grown in soilless, peatmoss-based rooting medium. Ten plants were inoculated per isolate and one toothpick was inserted per plant. Ten control strawberry plants were treated by inserting one sterile toothpick into each crown. All plants were then grown in a shadehouse. After 2 weeks, all inoculated plants began to show wilting and decline of foliage. By 4 weeks, all inoculated plants had collapsed. Internal crown tissue was discolored and similar in appearance to the original field plants. M. phaseolina was isolated from all inoculated plants. Control plants did not exhibit any disease symptoms, and crown tissue was symptomless. The test was repeated and the results were similar. While M. phaseolina has been periodically associated with strawberry in California (3), to my knowledge, this is the first report of charcoal rot disease on commercial strawberry in California. Charcoal rot of strawberry has been reported in Egypt, France, India, Israel, and the United States (Florida and Illinois) (2,4). Similar to previous reports (2,4), many of the affected California fields were not preplant fumigated with methyl bromide + chloropicrin fumigants, and it is possible that under these changing production practices this pathogen may increase in importance in California. References: (1) P. Holliday and E. Punithalingam. No. 275 in: Descriptions of Pathogenic Fungi and Bacteria. CMI, Kew, Surrey, UK, 1970. (2) J. Mertely et al. Plant Dis.89:434, 2005. (3) S. Wilhelm. Plant Dis. Rep. 41:941, 1957. (4) A. Zveibil and S. Freeman. Plant Dis. 89:1014, 2005.

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SURVEY, VARIETAL REACTION AND CHEMICAL CONTROL OF STRAWBERRY CHARCOAL ROT IN EGYPT

Pakistan Journal of Phytopathology ◽

10.33866/phytopathol.031.01.0500 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 31 (1) ◽

pp. 55-66

Author(s):

Ramadan A. Bakr ◽

Abdullah S. Hamad

Keyword(s):

Disease Incidence ◽

Macrophomina Phaseolina ◽

Mycelium Growth ◽

Charcoal Rot ◽

In Vivo Experiments ◽

Survival Percentage ◽

Rot Disease ◽

Chemical Fungicides

A survey was carried out to know the occurrence of charcoal rot disease of strawberry caused by Macrophomina phaseolina in different selected locations representing different soil types during the growing season of strawberry in Badr and Kom Hamada Districts in El-Behira governorate, Egypt. Also, the effect of five chemical fungicides at five concentrations was determined in vitro and in vivo experiments against M. phaseolina compared to the control. A total of 69 strawberry samples collected from farmer’s fields. Disease incidence (DI) and percentage of disease incidence (PDI) and disease index were recorded. Results revealed that percentage of disease incidence varies among the surveyed locations. Macrophomina phaseolina isolates M3 and M4 were the most destructive isolates. Results indicate that the selected Four strawberry cultivars showed different susceptibility to charcoal rot and Festival was the high susceptible cultivar. Our findings revealed that at 100 ppm concentration the most of the fungicides used inhibited the M. phaseolina mycelium growth, however the higher rate was recorded with Sendo by 91.95 % followed by 91.12% in Rhizolex-T and the least rate was recorded with Ridomil gold plus by 31.67%. At 200 ppm Rhizolex-T gave the highest inhibition by 96.67%, followed by Sendo and Sandcur by 95.96 and 95.00 % respectively while Ridomil gold plus gave the least inhibition rate by 43.06%.Results illustrated that use of fungicides markedly increased the survival of strawberry plants. The highest plant survival percentage was recorded with Rhizolex-T by 80% followed Sendo by 60%, while least plants survival percentage was recorded with Ridomil gold plus by10% compared with infected untreated control.

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Biocontrol of Soybean Charcoal Root Rot Disease by Using Trichoderma spp.

Cercetari Agronomice in Moldova ◽

10.1515/cerce-2016-0014 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 49 (2) ◽

pp. 41-51 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

H. Barari ◽

A. Foroutan

Keyword(s):

Disease Incidence ◽

Macrophomina Phaseolina ◽

Field Trials ◽

Trichoderma Spp ◽

Charcoal Rot ◽

Oilseed Crops ◽

Glycine Max L ◽

Rot Disease ◽

Major Factors ◽

1000 Grain Weight

AbstractMacrophomina phaseolina (Tassi) Goid, causing charcoal rot disease of soybean, is one of the major factors threatening soybean production, especially in dry years. This pathogen remains the prevailing causal agent of charcoal rot disease that significantly suppresses the yield of a variety of oilseed crops. Its wide host range and ability to survive under arid conditions, coupled with the ineffective use of fungicides against it, have spurred scientific endeavours for alternative avenues to control this phytopathogen. Hence, the present study aimed to provide empirical evidence of the efficacy of fungal isolates of Trichoderma spp. as biological control agents against charcoal rot in soybean (Glycine max L.). In this study Trichoderma harzianum strains 6, 14, 17, 21, 44, T. asperellum 26 and T. virens 32 were evaluated as potential biological agents for control of this disease. Mycelial growth of M. phaseolina strain h-7 was reduced by cell-free and volatile metabolites of Trichoderma strains by 16.4 to 64.8%. T. harzianum strain Tj17 significantly (p≤0.05) reduced the incidence (to 7.3%) and severity (to 3%) of disease 42 days after inoculation and increased the 1000 grain weight (to 178 g) in greenhouse conditions. For confirmation of the greenhouse tests, the selected antagonists were re-examined in field trials, where this isolate reduced the disease incidence (to 10%) and severity (to 3%). The overall results of this study show high capability of used antagonists in reduction of disease severity and incidence, and resulting in increased weight of the product. Hence, the findings reported in the present study supported the applicability of Tj17 isolate as possible alternative to fungicides for the control of charcoal rot in soybean.

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Potential of few fungicides and plant extracts for managing charcoal rot of soybean caused by Macrophomina phaseolina (Tassi) Gold. in Madhya Pradesh, India

Journal of Applied and Natural Science ◽

10.31018/jans.v12i3.2335 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. 388-393

Author(s):

Sanjay ◽

Sanjeev Kumar ◽

Bal Kishan Chaudhary

Keyword(s):

Plant Extracts ◽

Field Condition ◽

Disease Incidence ◽

Macrophomina Phaseolina ◽

Madhya Pradesh ◽

Citrus Limon ◽

Charcoal Rot ◽

Thiophanate Methyl ◽

Rot Disease

Charcoal rot disease of soybean caused by Macrophomina phaseolina is a serious problem in most of the soybean growing area of Madhya Pradesh. In this study, seven plant extracts viz., leaves of Azadirachta indica, Citrus limon, Polyalthia longifolia, Parthenium hysterophorus and Ricinus communis, bulb of Allium sativum and Allium cepa and eight fungicides viz., Captan (0.25%), Mancozeb (0.25%), Carbendazim + Mancozeb (25%), Thiophanate Methyl (0.1%), Pyraclostrobin (0.2%), Carbendazim (0.1%) and Blue copper (0.3% ) were evaluated for an effective management of charcoal rot of soybean caused by M. phaseolina (Tassi) Goid under in vitro and in vivo condition. Among plant extracts, garlic clove extract was found most effective showing 77.3 % growth inhibition and poor microslerotia formation of M. phaseolina by 77.3 % followed by parthenium leaf extract (75.2% inhibition) at 15 % concentration. Two soil drenching of garlic clove extracts @ 15.0 % concentration also found most effective for the management of disease under field condition recorded minimum disease incidence (13.5%) and highest yield (14.6q/ha). Among fungicides, Carbendazim (0.1%) and Thiophanate Methyl (0.1%) showed 100 % inhibition of radial growth and microsclerotia production of M phaseolina under in vitro condition. Two soil drenching of Carbendazim @ 0.1% found to be most effective for the management of charcoal rot of soybean under field condition showing minimum disease incidence (5.36%) and producing highest yield (16.0 q/ha) followed by Thiophanate Methyl. These results suggested that the toxic effect of Carbendazim and Thiophanate Methyl and A. sativum inhibited maximum mycelium growth in vitro and provide management of charcoal rot disease under field conditions.

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Toxin Production in Soybean (Glycine max L.) Plants with Charcoal Rot Disease and by Macrophomina phaseolina, the Fungus that Causes the Disease

Toxins ◽

10.3390/toxins11110645 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (11) ◽

pp. 645 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Hamed K. Abbas ◽

Nacer Bellaloui ◽

Cesare Accinelli ◽

James R. Smith ◽

W. Thomas Shier

Keyword(s):

Culture Media ◽

Leaf Disc ◽

Toxin Production ◽

Macrophomina Phaseolina ◽

Economic Losses ◽

Limit Of Quantification ◽

Charcoal Rot ◽

Wide Range ◽

Soybean Plants ◽

Rot Disease

Charcoal rot disease, caused by the fungus Macrophomina phaseolina, results in major economic losses in soybean production in southern USA. M. phaseolina has been proposed to use the toxin (-)-botryodiplodin in its root infection mechanism to create a necrotic zone in root tissue through which fungal hyphae can readily enter the plant. The majority (51.4%) of M. phaseolina isolates from plants with charcoal rot disease produced a wide range of (-)-botryodiplodin concentrations in a culture medium (0.14–6.11 µg/mL), 37.8% produced traces below the limit of quantification (0.01 µg/mL), and 10.8% produced no detectable (-)-botryodiplodin. Some culture media with traces or no (-)-botryodiplodin were nevertheless strongly phytotoxic in soybean leaf disc cultures, consistent with the production of another unidentified toxin(s). Widely ranging (-)-botryodiplodin levels (traces to 3.14 µg/g) were also observed in the roots, but not in the aerial parts, of soybean plants naturally infected with charcoal rot disease. This is the first report of (-)-botryodiplodin in plant tissues naturally infected with charcoal rot disease. No phaseolinone was detected in M. phaseolina culture media or naturally infected soybean tissues. These results are consistent with (-)-botryodiplodin playing a role in the pathology of some, but not all, M. phaseolina isolates from soybeans with charcoal rot disease in southern USA.

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Progress of soybean charcoal rot under tillage and no-tillage systems in Brazil

Fitopatologia Brasileira ◽

10.1590/s0100-41582003000200002 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 28 (2) ◽

pp. 131-135 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Álvaro M. R. Almeida ◽

Lilian Amorim ◽

Armando Bergamin Filho ◽

Eleno Torres ◽

José R. B. Farias ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cropping Systems ◽

Disease Incidence ◽

Cropping System ◽

Macrophomina Phaseolina ◽

Conventional System ◽

Survival Times ◽

Charcoal Rot ◽

No Till ◽

Four Seasons ◽

Conventional Systems

The increase in incidence of charcoal rot caused by Macrophomina phaseolina on soybeans (Glycine max) was followed four seasons in conventional and no-till cropping systems. In the 1997/98 and 2000/01 seasons, total precipitation between sowing and harvest reached 876.3 and 846.9 mm, respectively. For these seasons, disease incidence did not differ significantly between the no-till and conventional systems. In 1998/99 and 1999/00 precipitation totaled 689.9 and 478.3 mm, respectively. In 1998/99, in the no-till system, the disease incidence was 43.7% and 53.1% in the conventional system. In 1999/00 the final incidence was 68.7% and 81.2% for the no-till and conventional systems, respectively. For these two seasons, precipitation was lower than that required for soybean crops (840 mm), and the averages of disease incidence were significantly higher in the conventional system. The concentration of microsclerotia in soil samples was higher in samples collected in conventional system at 0 - 10 cm depth. However, analysis of microsclerotia in roots showed that in years with adequate rain no difference was detected. In dry years, however, roots from plants developed under the conventional system had significantly more microsclerotia. Because of the wide host range of M. phaseolina and the long survival times of the microsclerotia, crop rotation would probably have little benefit in reducing charcoal rot. Under these study conditions it may be a better alternative to suppress charcoal rot by using the no-till cropping system to conserve soil moisture and reduce disease progress.

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Assessing the suitability of morphological and phenotypical traits to screen sesame accessions for resistance to Fusarium wilt and charcoal rot diseases

Plant Protection Science ◽

10.17221/10/2008-pps ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 45 (No. 2) ◽

pp. 49-58 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

S. El-Bramawy M A E-H ◽

E.-S. El-Hendawy S ◽

I. Shaban W

Keyword(s):

Fusarium Wilt ◽

Macrophomina Phaseolina ◽

Direct Selection ◽

Seed Color ◽

Seed Colour ◽

Branch Number ◽

Charcoal Rot ◽

Days To Maturity ◽

Rot Disease ◽

Infection Percentage

Since sesame accessions differ significantly in many morphological and phenotypical traits, some of these traits could be suitable for direct selection for resistance to Fusarium wilt and charcoal rot diseases. Forty-eight sesame accessions that originated from different countries were screened for their reaction to infection by Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. sesami (FOS) and Macrophomina phaseolina (MPH), the Fusarium wilt and charcoal rot pathogens, respectively, in 2005 and 2006. The level of infection and seed yield were measured. Number of branches and days to maturity as morphological traits and seed color as phenotypical trait, which represent some of the diversity among the accessions, were tested for possible correlation with infection percentage. We found that 57, 67 and 67% in 2005, and 77, 77 and 62% in 2006 of the accessions resistant to FOS, and 68, 77 and 64% in 2005, and 80, 76 and 60% in 2006 of the accessions resistant to MPH had a medium branch number, medium maturity and creamy seed colour. According to the analysis of regression, branch number and seed colour were significantly correlated with infection percentages by FOS and/or MPH. Therefore, these traits may be used for direct selection of sesame accessions that are resistant to Fusarium wilt and charcoal rot disease. However, no significant correlations were found between days to maturity and infection percentage by both fungi. Linear regression between infection percentage and three groups of branch number and seed colour indicated that the accessions with medium branch number and creamy or white seed colour were the only covariate which significantly correlated with the infection percentage by FOS and/or MPH.

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Resistance in soybean varieties against charcoal rot disease caused by Macrophomina phaseolina

Plant Disease Research ◽

10.5958/2249-8788.2019.00021.0 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 34 (2) ◽

pp. 124

Author(s):

Pawan K. Amrate ◽

M. K. Shrivastava ◽

M. S. Bhale

Keyword(s):

Macrophomina Phaseolina ◽

Charcoal Rot ◽

Rot Disease

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Inoculation of Euphorbia lathyris with cotton strings infested with Macrophomina phaseolina, causal agent of charcoal rot disease

Canadian Journal of Botany ◽

10.1139/b91-091 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 69 (3) ◽

pp. 682-685

Author(s):

Phyllis T. Himmel

Keyword(s):

Key Words ◽

Macrophomina Phaseolina ◽

Causal Agent ◽

Silica Sand ◽

Optimal Conditions ◽

Lesion Development ◽

Charcoal Rot ◽

Temperature Regimes ◽

Rot Disease ◽

Euphorbia Lathyris

Root infections caused by Macrophomina phaseolina were initiated under optimal conditions for the host, Euphorbia lathyris. Two-week-old Euphorbia lathyris seedlings were inoculated by tying roots with cotton strings infested with Macrophomina phaseolina. Ninety-three per cent of the inoculated roots developed infections after 2 weeks incubation in silica sand at 25 °C. By using infested strings, differences in the incidence of lesion development were detected when infected roots were subjected to differing temperature regimes. After approximately 6 weeks, there was a significantly [Formula: see text] greater incidence of lesion development at 34 °C than at 25 °C, whereas there was no difference in the incidence of infection. Aerial symptoms indicative of charcoal rot were not observed during the course of these studies. Key words: infested strings, charcoal rot.

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Potential Bacterial Antagonists for the Control of Charcoal Rot (Macrophomina phaseolina) in Strawberry

Horticulturae ◽

10.3390/horticulturae7110457 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (11) ◽

pp. 457

Author(s):

Josefina Viejobueno ◽

Natalia Rodríguez-Berbel ◽

Luis Miranda ◽

Berta de los Santos ◽

María Camacho

Keyword(s):

Disease Incidence ◽

Hydrolytic Enzymes ◽

Macrophomina Phaseolina ◽

Field Trials ◽

Dry Mass ◽

Dual Culture ◽

Plant Mortality ◽

Charcoal Rot ◽

Rdna Sequencing

The effect of antagonistic bacteria to control Macrophomina phaseolina was evaluated under in vitro, growth chamber, greenhouse and field conditions. A total of 177 bacteria, isolated from Athrocaulon macrostachyum rhizosphere of the Lebrija marsh, were screened for their potential against M. phaseolina (causes charcoal rot in strawberry) by dual culture assay. Of these isolates, 14 most promising strains were molecularly identified by the 16S rDNA sequencing method using the EzBioCloud database. These strains were tested for in vitro hydrolytic enzymes, HCN production, and biocontrol against M. phaseolina in strawberry plants. All the 14 strains produced, at least, one hydrolytic enzymatic activity and one of them, which belongs to Brevibacterium genus (Hvs8), showed the lowest records of disease incidence (20%) and severity (0.4). With these results, greenhouse and field trials were carried out with the Hvs8 strain, compared to non-treated control. In the greenhouse assays, Hvs8 strain increased root dry mass by 30%, over the control. In the field trials, production and fruit quality were not significantly different between Hvs8 treatment and non-treated control, but plant mortality and plant mortality associated to M. phaseolina decreased by more than 24% and 65% respectively, in Hvs8 treatment. This study suggests that Brevibacterium sp. Hvs8 strain could be a candidate for controlling charcoal rot in strawberry.

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