Phylodynamic Insights into Global Emergence and Diversification of the Tomato Pathogen Xanthomonas hortorum pv. gardneri.

The emergence of plant pathogens is often associated with waves of unique evolutionary and epidemiological events. Xanthomonas hortorum pv. gardneri is one of the major pathogens causing bacterial spot disease of tomatoes. After its first report in the 1950s, there were no formal reports on this pathogen until the 1990s, despite active global research on the pathogens that cause tomato and pepper bacterial spot disease. Given the recently documented global distribution of X. hortorum pv. gardneri, our objective was to examine genomic diversification associated with its emergence. We sequenced the genomes of X. hortorum pv. gardneri strains collected in eight countries to examine global population structure and pathways of emergence using phylodynamic analysis. We found that strains isolated post-1990 group by region of collection and show minimal impact of recombination on genetic variation. A period of rapid geographic expansion in X. hortorum pv. gardneri is associated with acquisition of a large plasmid conferring copper tolerance by horizontal transfer and coincides with the burgeoning hybrid tomato seed industry through the 1980s. The ancestry of X. hortorum pv. gardneri is consistent with introduction to hybrid tomato seed production and dissemination during the rapid increase in trade of hybrid seeds.

Hyperspectral imaging for the detection of plant pathogens in seeds: recent developments and challenges.

Food security, a critical concern amid global population growth, faces challenges in sustainable agricultural production due to significant yield losses caused by plant diseases, with a multitude of them caused by seedborne plant pathogen. With the expansion of the international seed market with global movement of this propagative plant material, and considering that about 90% of economically important crops grown from seeds, seed pathology emerged as an important discipline. Seed health testing is presently part of quality analysis and carried out by seed enterprises and governmental institutions looking forward to exclude a new pathogen in a country or site. The development of seedborne pathogens detection methods has been following the plant pathogen detection and diagnosis advances, from the use of cultivation on semi-selective media, to antibodies and DNA-based techniques. Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) associated with artificial intelligence can be considered the new frontier for seedborne pathogen detection with high accuracy in discriminating infected from healthy seeds. The development of the process consists of standardization of methods and protocols with the validation of spectral signatures for presence and incidence of contamined seeds. Concurrently, epidemiological studies correlating this information with disease outbreaks would help in determining the acceptable thresholds of seed contamination. Despite the high costs of equipment and the necessity for interdisciplinary collaboration, it is anticipated that health seed certifying programs and seed suppliers will benefit from the adoption of HSI techniques in the near future.

Sepsis prevalence among patients with suspected infection in emergency department: a multicenter prospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: In the emergency department (ED), the early identification of patients suspected of infection is a challenge for emergency physicians. Sepsis prevalence among patients with suspected infection in the ED remains uncertain. Our objective was to determine how many cases of sepsis occurred among patients with suspected infections in the ED. METHODS: This multi-center, prospective, observational study was conducted in 19 EDs in France. For 1 week, all consecutive ED patients with suspected infection (according to the emergency physician) were included. The primary endpoint was the prevalence of sepsis in the ED according to the 'sepsis-3' definition. Secondary endpoints involved comparisons among patients with and without sepsis. RESULTS: During the study period, 13 904 patients were screened; 494 (3.6%) consulted for suspected infection and were included in the study. Among them, 172 patients [39%, 95% confidence interval (CI) (34-44)] were diagnosed with sepsis. The total hospital mortality for patients with a suspected infection was 4.7% and the hospital mortality for sepsis patients was 9.9%. CONCLUSION: In the ED, among patients with a suspected infection, the prevalence of sepsis as per the 'sepsis-3' definition was 39% [95% CI (34-44)].

Intervals and Number of Applications of Acibenzolar-S-Methyl for the Control of Bacterial Spot on Processing Tomato.

Acibenzolar-S-methyl (ASM) is a plant activator that triggers systemic acquired resistance that is labeled for use in Brazil for managing tomato bacterial spot. The aim of this study was to define the optimum relationship between interval and number of applications of ASM for the most efficacious control of bacterial spot on processing tomato. Four intervals between applications (4, 7, 10, and 14 days) and four application frequencies (4, 6, 8, and 10 applications) were evaluated in five trials performed between 2010 and 2011 in Brasília, Distrito Federal, and in Morrinhos, in the state of Goiás. Copper hydroxide (CH) was applied after ASM applications to complete 13 applications per growing season. Two check treatments were added: standard CH weekly applications and untreated. The following variables were evaluated: severity of bacterial spot, yield, percentage of ripe and rotten fruit, soluble solids content, and the benefit/cost ratio. Disease severity varied between treatments in three trials and yield varied in two trials. A greater number of applications resulted in a reduction of bacterial spot, and the ideal interval between applications was between 8 to 10 days. However, there was a reduction in yield with 10 ASM applications. The temporal effect of ASM applications on bacterial spot severity was evaluated under greenhouse conditions. Reduction in disease severity was observed up to 6 days following ASM application. Additionally, the weekly treatment of seven applications of ASM followed by six applications of CH was compared with a standard program of CH under commercial production conditions in Itaberaí, Goiás, where bacterial spot occurred naturally. The program with ASM and CH resulted in significantly less foliar disease severity than the standard program, which did not result in yield gains. In addition, no differences were detected between the two programs for soluble solids content, industrial yield, plant height, and percentage of ripe and rotten fruit.

Controle químico da mancha bacteriana em mudas de tomate para processamento industrial / Chemical control of bacterial spot in seedlings of tomato for industrial processing

Com o objetivo de avaliar opções de produtos para o controle da mancha bacteriana em mudas de tomate, foram realizados dois ensaios independentes, em viveiro comercial, no município de Rio Verde ­ GO, nos períodos de novembro a dezembro de 2009. Os experimentos foram conduzidos em delineamento experimental inteiramente casualizado com três repetições, utilizando o híbrido Heinz 9553. A parcela foi representada por 450 mudas em uma bandeja comercial. O primeiro ensaio consistiu nos tratamentos: 1 - testemunha; 2 - oxicloreto de cobre; 3 - hidróxido de cobre; 4 - acibenzolar-S-metil; 5 - metiram + piraclostrobina; 6 - famoxadona + mancozebe; 7 - cloreto de benzalcônio. O segundo ensaio consistiu nos mesmos tratamentos do primeiro ensaio acrescidos da aplicação do regulador de crescimento - paclobutrazol. As aplicações foram realizadas via pulverização foliar, utilizando pulverizador costal de barra com pressão constante. Após 29 dias da semeadura, o isolado EH 2008-13 de X. perforans, foi inoculado por meio da imersão das mudas em bandeja. A severidade da mancha bacteriana foi avaliada em 15 folíolos de cada parcela aos 16 dias após a inoculação. Não houve diferenças significativas no primeiro ensaio, mas detectou-se diferença significativa no segundo onde houve a aplicação do regulador de crescimento (P= 0,001). Os tratamentos acibenzolar-S-metil e famoxadona + mancozebe apresentaram valores médios de severidade inferiores à testemunha, no entanto, não diferiram significativamente dela. O tratamento metiram + piraclostrobina apresentou maior severidade da mancha bacteriana, não demonstrando ser eficaz no controle da doença em mudas nas condições testadas neste ensaio. Os resultados indicam possível efeito do regulador de crescimento sobre a ação dos produtos testados.

With the aim of evaluate chemical options to the control of bacterial spot in tomato seedlings, two independent experiments were carried out at a commercial tomato nursery in Rio Verde, Goiás, during the periods of November to December of 2009. The hybrid Heinz 9553 was used. The trials were in a completely randomized design with three replications. The plots were represented by a commercial plantlet trays of 450 cells. The treatments were: 1 - control; 2 - copper oxicloreto; 3 - copper hydroxide; 4 - acibenzolar-S-methyl; 5 - metiram + pyraclostrobin, 6 - famoxadone + mancozebe ; 7 ­ benzalkonium chloride. The experiments differed as for the paclobutrazol application, in the second experiment. The products were applied by using a CO2 portable sprayer with constant pressure. The inoculation occurred at 29 days after sowing, with isolated EH 2008-13 of Xanthomonas perforans which was originated from Rio Verde. The aerial part of the plantlets were immersed during 1 minute in a 18 L of the bacterial suspension placed in a large plastic tray. Disease severity was evaluated on 15 leaflets per plot at 16 days after inoculation. It was expressed in terms of average percentage of foliar area with symptoms by using the computational program Quant 2002. For the experiment without use of growth regulator there were not significant differences among the treatments. Despite presenting significant differences, in the for the paclobutrazol application, except for treatment metiram + pyraclostrobin, which resulted in the higher disease value, all treatments were not significantly different from the check-control. In that trial, acibenzolar-S-methyl following by famoxadone + mancozebe, were the only ones that presented inferior values comparing with the check-control, however not being significantly different. It can be inferred that interaction between the growth regulator and some treatments should exist.

Avaliação do cloreto de dodecil dimetil amônio para o controle da mancha bacteriana do tomateiro / Evaluation of didecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride for the control of tomato bacterial spot

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a sensibilidade de isolados do complexo Xanthomonas spp. associado à mancha bacteriana do tomateiro ao cloreto de dodecil dimetil amônio e a sua eficiência no controle da doença. Este produto apresentou maior inibição in vitro aos isolados avaliados em relação ao hidróxido de cobre e aos cloretos de benzalcônio. Entretanto, não se observou redução da severidade da doença quando da utilização deste produto in vivo.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of didecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride in vitro inhibition of Xanthomonas spp. and the control of tomato bacterial spot. This product showed a higher in vitro inhibition of the pathogen, compared to copper hydroxide and benzalkonium chloride. However, there was no reduction in disease severity when the product was sprayed on the plants.

Outbreaks of Bacterial Spot Caused by Xanthomonas gardneri on Processing Tomato in Central-West Brazil.

Severe epidemics of bacterial spot have been observed in central-west Brazil in fields of processing tomato. Several xanthomonads, Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. vesicatoria, X. vesicatoria, or X. gardneri, can cause the disease; therefore, attempts were made to identify the pathogen species present in this region. A total of 215 strains were obtained from 10 commercial areas in 1997, 1998, and 2000. The strains were characterized using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and by their amylolytic and pectolytic activities. Representative strains from each PFGE haplotype then were tested for pathogenicity on tomato and pepper, carbon source utilization, and whole protein sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. rRNA sequence comparisons also were performed. All strains recovered from six fields were classified as X. gardneri, whereas X. vesicatoria and X. axonopodis pv. vesicatoria also were detected in the remaining four fields. Strains of X. gardneri, which could be grouped into two PFGE haplotypes, were unable to hydrolyze starch and pectate and to utilize gentiobiose and maltose. They expressed the ß protein of 27 kDa and were pathogenic on tomato but variable on pepper. This is the first report of outbreaks of bacterial spot on tomato caused by X. gardneri.