Population dynamics ofEpicoccum nigrum, a biocontrol agent against brown rot in stone fruit

Gnomoniopsis castaneae is the cause of the chestnut brown rot but has been also regarded as an important mortality factor for the chestnut gall wasp Dryocosmus kuriphilus. The question to whether G. castaneae could serve as a natural biocontrol agent against insect pests is investigated in the present study. We used three serious insect pests as experimental model insects: Plodia interpuctella and Trogoderma granarium, which are important pests of stored products, and Myzus persicae, a cosmopolitan, serious pest of annual and perennial crop plants. Although chemical pesticides represent effective control means, they are also related to several environmental and health risks. In search for alternative pest management methods, scientific interest has been focused, inter alia, on the use of entomopathogenic fungi. While Isaria fumosorosea has long been recognized as an effective control agent against several pests, G.castaneae has been very little studied. The present study examined whether and to what extent G. castaneae and I. fumosorosea exhibit insecticidal activity against fourth-instar larvae of P. interpunctella and T. granarium and adults of M. persicae. Mortality was examined in interrelation with dosage and time exposure intervals. Both fungi exhibited pesticidal action. However, G. castaneae induced noteworthy mortality only at very high doses. In general, we concluded that G. castaneae failed to cause high insect pathogenicity at normal doses and may not be an efficient biocontrol agent compared with other entomopathogens. On the other hand, our study reiterates the pathogenic potential of I. fumosorosea. More studies are needed to further our insight into the potential of EF species as a component of IPM.

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Deciphering the Monilinia fructicola Genome to Discover Effector Genes Possibly Involved in Virulence

Genes ◽

10.3390/genes12040568 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (4) ◽

pp. 568

Author(s):

Laura Vilanova ◽

Claudio A. Valero-Jiménez ◽

Jan A.L. van Kan

Keyword(s):

Brown Rot ◽

Biological Properties ◽

Effector Proteins ◽

Stone Fruit ◽

Rna Seq ◽

Sequencing Technology ◽

Pathogen Virulence ◽

Effector Genes ◽

Gene Models ◽

High Quality Genome

Brown rot is the most economically important fungal disease of stone fruits and is primarily caused by Monilinia laxa and Monlinia fructicola. Both species co-occur in European orchards although M. fructicola is considered to cause the most severe yield losses in stone fruit. This study aimed to generate a high-quality genome of M. fructicola and to exploit it to identify genes that may contribute to pathogen virulence. PacBio sequencing technology was used to assemble the genome of M. fructicola. Manual structural curation of gene models, supported by RNA-Seq, and functional annotation of the proteome yielded 10,086 trustworthy gene models. The genome was examined for the presence of genes that encode secreted proteins and more specifically effector proteins. A set of 134 putative effectors was defined. Several effector genes were cloned into Agrobacterium tumefaciens for transient expression in Nicotiana benthamiana plants, and some of them triggered necrotic lesions. Studying effectors and their biological properties will help to better understand the interaction between M. fructicola and its stone fruit host plants.

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Identification and Characterization of Benzimidazole Resistance in Monilinia fructicola from Stone Fruit Orchards in California

Applied and Environmental Microbiology ◽

10.1128/aem.69.12.7145-7152.2003 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 69 (12) ◽

pp. 7145-7152 ◽

Cited By ~ 127

Author(s):

Zhonghua Ma ◽

Michael A. Yoshimura ◽

Themis J. Michailides

Keyword(s):

Dna Sequences ◽

Point Mutations ◽

Brown Rot ◽

Stone Fruit ◽

Monilinia Fructicola ◽

Tubulin Gene ◽

Benzimidazole Fungicides ◽

Specific Pcr ◽

Allele Specific ◽

Fruit Orchards

ABSTRACT Low and high levels of resistance to the benzimidazole fungicides benomyl and thiophanate-methyl were observed in field isolates of Monilinia fructicola, which is the causative agent of brown rot of stone fruit. Isolates that had low levels of resistance (hereafter referred to as LR isolates) and high levels of resistance (hereafter referred to as HR isolates) were also cold and heat sensitive, respectively. Results from microsatellite DNA fingerprints showed that genetic identities among the populations of sensitive (S), LR, and HR isolates were very high (>0.96). Analysis of DNA sequences of theβ -tubulin gene showed that the LR isolates had a point mutation at codon 6, causing a replacement of the amino acid histidine by tyrosine. Codon 198, which encodes a glutamic acid in S and LR isolates, was converted to a codon for alanine in HR isolates. Based on these point mutations in the β-tubulin gene, allele-specific PCR assays were developed for rapid detection of benzimidazole-resistant isolates of M. fructicola from stone fruit.

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Radio Frequency Treatment to Control Postharvest Brown Rot in Stone Fruit

Post-harvest Pathology ◽

10.1007/978-3-319-07701-7_8 ◽

2014 ◽

pp. 89-99

Author(s):

M. Sisquella ◽

C. Casals ◽

P. Picouet ◽

I. Viñas ◽

R. Torres ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Radio Frequency ◽

Brown Rot ◽

Stone Fruit

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Population dynamics ofSpalgis epius(Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae), a candidate biocontrol agent of mealybugs and its interaction with mealybug-attendant ants

Biocontrol Science and Technology ◽

10.1080/09583157.2015.1115823 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 26 (3) ◽

pp. 337-350 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Anegunda S. Dinesha ◽

Melally G. Venkatesha

Keyword(s):

Population Dynamics ◽

Biocontrol Agent

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Spatial and temporal characteristics of dicarboximide‐resistant strains ofMonilinia fructicolaand brown rot incidence in stone fruit

Plant Pathology ◽

10.1046/j.1365-3059.1998.00266.x ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 47 (4) ◽

pp. 530-536 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

P. A. G. Elmer ◽

R. E. Gaunt ◽

C. M. Frampton

Keyword(s):

Brown Rot ◽

Stone Fruit ◽

Temporal Characteristics ◽

Resistant Strains ◽

Spatial And Temporal Characteristics

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Dispersion, persistence, and stability of the biocontrol agent Penicillium frequentans strain 909 after stone fruit tree applications

Environmental Science and Pollution Research ◽

10.1007/s11356-019-06023-y ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 26 (28) ◽

pp. 29138-29156 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Belen Guijarro ◽

Inmaculada Larena ◽

Laura Vilanova ◽

Rosario Torres ◽

Marta Balsells-Llauradó ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Biocontrol Agent ◽

Fruit Tree ◽

Stone Fruit ◽

Penicillium Frequentans ◽

Stone Fruit Tree

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Improvement of microwave treatment with immersion of fruit in water to control brown rot in stone fruit

Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies ◽

10.1016/j.ifset.2014.06.010 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 26 ◽

pp. 168-175 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

María Sisquella ◽

Pierre Picouet ◽

Inmaculada Viñas ◽

Neus Teixidó ◽

Joan Segarra ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Brown Rot ◽

Microwave Treatment ◽

Stone Fruit

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Detection of Latent Monilinia Infections in Nectarine Flowers and Fruit by qPCR

Plant Disease ◽

10.1094/pdis-11-16-1682-re ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 101 (6) ◽

pp. 1002-1008 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

C. Garcia-Benitez ◽

P. Melgarejo ◽

A. De Cal

Keyword(s):

Prunus Persica ◽

Brown Rot ◽

Stone Fruit ◽

Monilinia Fructicola ◽

Latent Infections ◽

Established Method ◽

Latently Infected ◽

Dna Amounts

Most stone fruit with a latent brown rot infection caused by Monilinia do not develop visible signs of disease until the arrival of fruit at the markets or the consumer’s homes. The overnight freezing-incubation technique (ONFIT) is a well-established method for detecting latent brown rot infections, but it takes between 7 to 9 days. In this report, we inform on the advantages of applying a qPCR-based method to (i) detect a latent brown rot infection in the blossoms and fruit of nectarine trees (Prunus persica var. nucipersica) and (ii) distinguish between the Monilinia spp. in them. For applying this qPCR-based method, artificial latent infections were established in nectarine flowers and fruit using 10 Monilinia fructicola isolates, 8 M. fructigena isolates, and 10 M. laxa isolates. We detected greater amounts of M. fructicola DNA than M. laxa and M. fructigena DNA in latently infected flowers using qPCR. However, greater DNA amounts of M. laxa than M. fructicola were detected in the mesocarp of latently infected nectarines. We found that the qPCR-based method is more sensitive, reliable, and quicker than ONFIT for detecting a latent brown rot infection, and could be very useful in those countries where Monilinia spp. are classified as quarantine pathogens.

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Monilinia spp. Causing Brown Rot of Stone Fruit in Serbia

Plant Disease ◽

10.1094/pdis-07-14-0732-re ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 99 (5) ◽

pp. 709-717 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Jovana Hrustić ◽

Goran Delibašić ◽

Ivana Stanković ◽

Mila Grahovac ◽

Branka Krstić ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽

Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽

Brown Rot ◽

Morphological Characterization ◽

Stone Fruit ◽

Monilinia Laxa ◽

Chain Reaction ◽

Polymerase Chain ◽

Rot Disease ◽

First Time

Brown rot is one of the most important pre- and postharvest fungal diseases of stone fruit worldwide. In Serbia, where production of stone fruit is economically important, Monilinia laxa and M. fructigena are widely distributed. In surveys from 2011 to 2013, 288 isolates of Monilinia spp. were collected from 131 localities in 16 districts and from six hosts in Serbia. Using multiplex polymerase chain reaction, phylogenetic analysis, and morphological characterization, three species of Monilinia were identified as the causal agents of brown rot of stone fruit: M. laxa (89% of isolates), M. fructigena (3%), and M. fructicola (8%). In 2011, M. fructicola was reported for the first time on stone fruit in Serbia, with only one isolate detected. More isolates of M. fructicola were detected in 2012 (2 isolates) and 2013 (20 isolates). The presence of M. fructicola, as well as its increased frequency of detection during the survey, may indicate a change in the population structure of these pathogens, which could have an important impact on brown rot disease management in Serbia.

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