Evolution of the Toxb Gene in Pyrenophora tritici-repentis and Related Species.

Pyrenophora tritici-repentis (tan spot) is a destructive foliar pathogen of wheat with global impact. This ascomycete fungus possesses a highly plastic open pangenome shaped by the gain and loss of effector genes. This study investigated the allelic variations in the chlorosis-encoding gene ToxB across 422 isolates representing all identified pathotypes and worldwide origins. To gain better insights into ToxB evolution, we examined its presence and variability in other Pyrenophora spp. A ToxB haplotype network was constructed, revealing the evolutionary relationships of this gene (20 haplotypes) across four Pyrenophora species. Notably, toxb, the homolog of ToxB, was detected for the first time in the barley pathogen Pyrenophora teres. The ToxB/toxb genes display evidence of selection that is characterized by loss of function, duplication, and diverse mutations. Within the ToxB/toxb open reading frame, 72 mutations were identified, including 14 synonymous, 55 nonsynonymous, and 3 indel mutations. Remarkably, a, ∼5.6-kb Copia-like retrotransposon, named Copia-1_Ptr, was found inserted in the toxb gene of a race 3 isolate. This insert disrupted the ToxB gene's function, a first case of effector gene disruption by a transposable element in P. tritici-repentis. Additionally, a microsatellite with 25 nucleotide repeats (0 to 10) in the upstream region of ToxB suggested a potential mechanism influencing ToxB expression and regulation. Exploring ToxB-like protein distribution in other ascomycetes revealed the presence of ToxB-like proteins in 19 additional species, including the Leotiomycetes class for the first time. The presence/absence pattern of ToxB-like proteins defied species relatedness compared with a phylogenetic tree, suggesting a past horizontal gene transfer event during the evolution of the ToxB gene. [Formula: see text] Copyright © 2024 His Majesty the King in Right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food. This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.

Draft genome sequence data of Cercospora kikuchii, a causal agent of Cercospora leaf blight and purple seed stain of soybeans.

Cercospora kikuchii (Tak. Matsumoto & Tomoy.) M.W. Gardner 1927 is an ascomycete fungal pathogen that causes Cercospora leaf blight and purple seed stain on soybean. Here, we report the first draft genome sequence and assembly of this pathogen. The C. kikuchii strain ARG_18_001 was isolated from soybean purple seed collected from San Pedro, Buenos Aires, Argentina, during the 2018 harvest. The genome was sequenced using a 2 × 150 bp paired-end method by Illumina NovaSeq 6000. The C. kikuchii protein-coding genes were predicted using FunGAP (Fungal Genome Annotation Pipeline). The draft genome assembly was 33.1 Mb in size with a GC-content of 53%. The gene prediction resulted in 14,856 gene models/14,721 protein coding genes. Genomic data of C. kikuchii presented here will be a useful resource for future studies of this pathosystem. The data can be accessed at GenBank under the accession number VTAY00000000 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nuccore/VTAY00000000.

Effect of potassium and manganese phosphites in the control of Pythium damping-off in soybean: a feasible alternative to fungicide seed treatments.

BACKGROUND: Use of fungicide seed treatments for control of soybean soilborne diseases such as Pythium damping-off has increased worldwide. However, emergence of Pythium strains resistant to metalaxyl-M has prompted the need for alternative technologies to fungicides for damping-off control. The use of phosphites (Phis) has been proposed as a method to control oomycetes, but their use as seed treatments in soybean is limited by the lack of information on their efficacy. The effect of potassium (K) and manganese (Mn) Phis (as seed treatments) in the control of Pythium damping-off in soybean was evaluated in vitro and in vivo. In vitro, treated seeds and a control were placed on potato dextrose agar and the damping-off severity caused by Pythium aphanidermatum (Edson) Fitzpatrick, Pythium irregulare Buisman, and Pythium ultimum Trow was assessed 5 days after incubation using an ordinal scale. In vivo, treated seeds and a control were planted in polystyrene pots and emergence was evaluated 21 days after planting. RESULTS: Analysis of the in vitro data using a multinomial generalized linear model showed that the probabilities of non-germinated, dead seeds ranged from 0.64 to 1.00 in the control and from 0 to 0.13 in the Phi treatments in each of the Pythium species. Probabilities of seed germination without or with damping-off symptoms were significantly higher for seeds treated with the Phi products than for the control. In the in vivo experiment, the Phi-based products increased seedling emergence by up to 29% on average compared with the untreated control. CONCLUSION: Mn and K Phis are feasible alternatives as seed treatments to control Pythium damping-off in soybean. This study is the first, worldwide, to document the efficacy of K and Mn Phis in the control of soybean Pythium damping-off. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

[In vitro susceptibility of Trichoconiella padwickii to various active ingredients used as fungicides in the cultivation of rice]. / Sensibilidad in vitro de Trichoconiella padwickii a diversos principios activos usados como fungicidas en el cultivo del arroz.

The aim of this study was to evaluate in vitro the mycelial susceptibility of Trichoconiella padwickii to different active ingredients through average median concentration IC50 calculation. Inoculum disks were seeded on bean agar at different concentrations (0.1; 1; 10; 30, 50; 100 and 1000mg/l) of various fungicides. After seven days the colony diameter was measured. The data obtained were fitted to nonlinear regression models. Susceptibility was classified using the scale proposed by Edgington. The results show that the pathogen is very sensitive to products that act on the respiratory chain (quinone outside inhibitors [QoI] and succinate dehydrogenase inhibitors [SDHI]) and cell membrane (multi-site contact activity), and moderately sensitive to those products interfering with cell division (methyl benzimidazole carbamates [MBC]), synthesis of nucleic acids (phenylamides [PA]) and osmotic signal transduction (multi-site contact activity). This work is the first record on the sensitivity of T. padwickii.

Sensibilidad in vitro de Trichoconiella padwickii a diversos principios activos usados como fungicidas en el cultivo del arroz / In vitro susceptibility of Trichoconiella padwickii to various active ingredients used as fungicides in the cultivation of rice

El objetivo de este trabajo fue evaluar in vitro la sensibilidad micelial de Trichoconiella padwickii a diferentes principios activos por medio del cálculo de la concentración inhibitoria media (CI50). Para ello se realizaron siembras de discos de inóculo en agar poroto con distintas concentraciones (0,1; 1; 10; 30, 50; 100 y 1.000 mg/l) de diversos fungicidas. A los 7 días se midió el diámetro de crecimiento de la colonia (cm). Los datos obtenidos se ajustaron a modelos de regresión no lineal. La sensibilidad se clasificó utilizando la escala de Edgington. Los resultados obtenidos demuestran que el patógeno es muy sensible a los productos que actúan sobre la cadena respiratoria (quinone outside inhibitors QoI y succinate dehydrogenase inhibitors SDHI) y la membrana celular (multisitio), y moderadamente sensible a los que interfieren en la división celular (metil benzimidazol carbamatos MBC), en la síntesis de ácidos nucleicos (fenilamidas PA) y en la transducción de la señal osmótica (actividad multisitio). Este trabajo es el primer antecedente sobre la sensibilidad in vitro de T. padwickii a principios activos fungicidas.

The aim of this study was to evaluate in vitro the mycelial susceptibility of Trichoconiella padwickii to different active ingredients through average median concentration IC50 calculation. Inoculum disks were seeded on bean agar at different concentrations (0.1; 1; 10; 30, 50; 100 and 1000 mg/l) of various fungicides. After seven days the colony diameter was measured. The data obtained were fitted to nonlinear regression models. Susceptibility was classified using the scale proposed by Edgington. The results show that the pathogen is very sensitive to products that act on the respiratory chain (quinone outside inhibitors QoI and succinate dehydrogenase inhibitors SDHI) and cell membrane (multi-site contact activity), and moderately sensitive to those products interfering with cell division (methyl benzimidazole carbamates MBC), synthesis of nucleic acids (phenylamides PA) and osmotic signal transduction (multi-site contact activity). This work is the first record on the sensitivity of T. padwickii.