• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.298-308
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• 2009

A flexuous rod-shaped virus was isolated from Cucurbita pepo leaves showing as green mosaic and puckering symptoms at Anseong, Korea. Based on the biological analysis, electron microscopy, and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), the virus isolate was identified as Papaya ringspot virus type watermelon (PRSV-W). From biological analysis, the host range of PRSV-W was limited to the families Cucurbitaceae and Chenopodiaceae. Most susceptible cucurbit species, such as Cucumis lanatus, Cucumis sativus, Cucurbita pepo, and Citrullus lanatus, showed symptoms of green mosaic, malformation, puckering, and narrow laminae by infection with PRSV-W. The local lesion were showed on the inoculated leaves of both Chenopodium amaranticolor and C. quinoa. Field survey of PRSV, Watermelon mosaic virus (WMV) and Zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV), three major viruses infecting cucurbit, was done during 2001 to 2003 on 173 commercial cucurbit cultivating fields distributed over the three regions of Gyeonggi, Gyeongbuk and Jeonnam Provinces where cucurbits are grown in different environmental conditions and cropping patterns. Typical viral symptoms were observed from 107 cultivating fields, and all three kinds of potyviruses were detected from 206 samples out of the 235 samples using RT-PCR. Watermelon mosaic virus (WMV) and Zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV) are the most widely distributed viruses in outdoor and retarding-culture fields, at an infection rating of 48 and 33 percents, respectively. PRSV was detected from 12 percent of 235 samples. The nucleotide and amino acid sequences of coat proteins (CP) of eight PRSV isolates, collected from several areas including Anseong, were determined and sequenced heterogeneity among the isolates was performed. The CP gene of PRSV showed 88.6~97.3 percent homology in nucleotide sequences and 95.1~99.3 percent homology in amino acid sequences with other PRSV isolates worldwide. The phylogenetic analysis indicated that the Korean PRSV isolates belong to the southern-east Asian cluster.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.93-105
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• 2015

This study was performed to analyze genetic relationships of the four major cucurbitaceous crops including watermelon, melon, cucumber, and squash/pumpkin. Among 120 EST-SSR primer sets selected from the International Cucurbit Genomics Initiative (ICuGI) database, PCR was successful for 51 (49.17%) primer sets and 49 (40.8%) primer sets showed polymorphisms among eight Cucurbitaceae accessions. A total of 382 allele-specific PCR bands were produced by 49 EST-SSR primers from 24 Cucurbitaceae accessions and used for analysis of pairwise similarity and dendrogram construction. Assessment of the genetic relationships resulted in similarity indexes ranging from 0.01 to 0.85. In the dendrogram, 24 Cucurbitaceae accessions were classified into two major groups (Clade I and II) and 8 subgroups. Clade I comprised two subgroups, Clade I-1 for watermelon accessions [I-1a and I-1b-2: three wild-type watermelons (Citrullus lanatus var. citroides Mats. & Nakai), I-1b-1: six watermelon cultivars (Citrullus lanatus var. vulgaris S chrad.)] a nd C lade I -2 for melon and cucumber accessions [I-2a-1 : 4 melon cultivars(Cucumis melo var. cantalupensis Naudin.), I-2a-2: oriental melon cultivars (Cucumis melo var. conomon Makino.), and I-2b: five cucumber cultivars (Cucumis sativus L.)]. Squash and pumpkin accessions composed Clade II {II-1: two squash/ pumpkin cultivars [Cucurbita moschata (Duch. ex Lam.)/Duch. & Poir. and Cucurbita maxima Duch.] and II-2: two squash/pumpkin cultivars, Cucurbita pepo L./Cucurbita ficifolia Bouche.}. These results were in accordance with previously reported classification of Cucurbitaceae species, indicating that watermelon EST-SSRs show a high level of marker transferability and should be useful for genetic study in other cucurbit crops.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.401-408
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• 2015

Horticultural traits and genetic relationship were evaluated for 83 melon (Cucumis melo L.) cultivars. Survey of a total of 36 characteristics for seedling, leaf, stem, flower, fruit, and seed and subsequent multiple analysis of variance (MANOVA) were conducted. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that 8 principle components including fruit weight, fruit length, fruit diameter, cotyledon length, seed diameter, and seed length accounted for 76.3% of the total variance. Cluster analysis of the 83 melon cultivars using average linkage method resulted in 5 clusters at coefficient of 0.7. Cluster I consisted of cultivars with high values for fruit-related traits, Cluster II for soluble solid content, and Cluster V for high ripening rate. Genotyping of the 83 cultivars was conducted using 15 expressed-sequence tagged-simple sequence repeat (EST-SSR) from the Cucurbit Genomics Initiative (ICuGI) database. Analysis of genetic relatedness by UPGMA resulted in 6 clusters. Mantel test indicated that correlation between morphological and genetic distance was very low (r = -0.11).

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.201-208
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• 2016

The main areas for field-grown vegetable production in Iran were surveyed during the years of 2012-2014 to determine the occurrence of begomoviruses infecting these crops. A total of 787 leaf samples were collected from vegetables and some other host plants showing virus-like symptoms and tested by an enzymelinked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using polyclonal antibodies produced against Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV). According to the ELISA results, 81 samples (10.3%) positively reacted with the virus antibodies. Begomovirus infections were confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using previously described TYLCV-specific primer pair TYLCV-Sar/TYLCV-Isr or universal primer pair Begomo-F/Begomo-R. The PCR tests using the primer pair TYLCV-Sar/TYLCV-Isr resulted in the amplification of the expected fragments of ca. 0.67-kb in size for ELISA-positive samples tested from alfalfa, pepper, spinach and tomato plants, confirming the presence of TYLCV. For one melon sample, having a week reaction in ELISA and no reaction in PCR using TYLCV-specific primers, the PCR reaction using the primer pair Begomo-F/Begomo-R resulted in the amplification fragments of the expected size of ca. 2.8 kb. The nucleotide sequences of the DNA amplicons derived from the isolate, Kz-Me198, were determined and compared with other sequences available in GenBank. BLASTN analysis confirmed the begomovirus infection of the sample and showed 99% identities with Tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus (ToLCNDV); phylogenetic analysis supported the results of the database searches. This study reports the natural occurrence of TYLCV in different hosts in Iran. Our results also reveal the emergence of ToLCNDV in Iranian cucurbit crops.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.73-76
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• 2005

Oriental melon, Cucumis melo L. cv. Geumssaragieuncheon, grafted on Shintozoa (Cucurbit maxima ${\times}$ Cu. moschata) was planted in a greenhouse infested with Meloidogyne arenaria and root galls were examined five months after planting. A gram of root gall was volumed at ca. 10 cm3 and contained in an average of 363 females (170 developing and 193 matured females), 2,120 secondstage juveniles (J2), and 13,074 eggs. In addition, there was 56 J2 per $cm^3$ soil around the infested plant. An oriental melon had an average of 134.6 g of root gall (70% of total root weight) per 0.72 $m^2$ area. In a conservative estimation, an oriental melon plant could accommodate ca. 1.2 ${\times}$ $10^7$ eggs and J2 per 0.72 $m^2$. The eggs contained in root tissues could be an important inoculum source to the next crop and the fate of these eggs are well worth further investigation.

• Korean Journal Plant Pathology
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• v.1 no.3
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• pp.173-177
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• 1985

The objective of the study is to determine differences between cucurbits in the pathogenicity of Didymella bryoniae isolated from the naturally infected seeds of cucumber and pumpkin. Primary seedling infection of cucumber(Cucumis sativus L.), oriental melon(Cucumis melo var. makuwa Makino), pumpkin(Cucurbita pepo L.) and watermelon (Citrullus vulgaris Shrad.) occurred on the radicle, hypocotyl and cotyledons and symptoms on each crop were very similar. Infection of the radicle generally caused pre-emergence rot, while infection on the hypocotyl and cotyledons provided further inoculum for infection of the first true leaves and the stem. In cross inoculation tests, all isolates of D. bryoniae could infect cucumber, oriental melon, pumpkin and watermelon at different growth stages and there were not much differences in pathogenicity or susceptibility between isolates of the pathogen and crops tested. The susceptibility of cucumber and pumpkin was markedly influenced by prevailing humid conditions.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.69-79
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• 2001

Meloidogyne arenaria race 2 (59%) is widely distributed, followed by M. incognita race 1 (23%), and an unknown race of M. incognita (18 ％) in greenhouses in southern Korea. The key character to distinguish between M. arenaria and M. incognita is excretory pore in female head. When oriental melon, Cucumis melo L., grafted on Shintozoa (Cucurbit maxima x Cu. moschata) is transplanted in February in a plastic tunnel inside a greenhouse infested with M. arenaria, nematodes produced egg masses on roots at 40 days after transplanting and the soil juveniles (J2) population reach maximum in July to 3,817/100 ㎤. Juveniles are distributed relatively uniform over the 180-cm-wide row horizontally and the highest density occurs at 0-25 cm soil depth. For the control of root-knot nematodes, rice rotation, solarization, and soil addition treatments are the most effective (P=0.05); treatments reduce number of J2 over 90% and increase yield two times. Corn retation, fosthiazate, and soil drying treatment are moderately effective, while sesame and green onion rotations are not effective. The relationship between M. arenaria and yield of oriental melon is adequately described by a linear regression model. In the test with wild Cucumis genetic sources introduced from U.S.Dept. of Agriculture (USDA), one of C.heptadactylus, two of C.anguria, two of C. anguria var. longaculeatus, nine of C. metuliferus are resistant to both species of root-knot nematodes.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.93-97
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• 2011

For quarantine purpose, we selected five plant RNA viruses including Cucumber vein yellowing virus (CVYV), Cucurbit yellow stunting disorder virus (CYSDV), Potato aucuba mosaic virus (PAMV), Potato yellow dwarf virus (PYDV), and Tomato chlorosis virus (ToCV), which are not reported in Korea and cause serious economic losses to the family Cucurbitaceae or Solanaceae. To detect those viruses, we employed RT-PCR technique with specific oligonucleotide primer pairs and tested their detection efficiency for each virus. To design RT-PCR primers, coat protein was used for CVYV, CYSDV, and ToCV whereas RNA polymerase and nucleocapsid regions were used for PAMV and PYDV, respectively. The development of an RT-PCR based method proved a useful tool for rapid detection and identification of quarantine virus infections.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.522-532
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• 2022

Gummy stem blight (GSB), a common and serious disease in cucurbits worldwide, is caused by three genetically distinct species: Stagonosporopsis cucurbitacearum (syn. Didymella bryoniae), S. citrulli, and S. caricae. In Korea, however, the three species of Stagonosporopsis have been barely characterized. In this study, 21 Stagonosporopsis isolates were recovered from watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) and muskmelon (Cucumis melo) leaves and stem showing blight symptoms collected from 43 fields in Korea. Sequence analysis performed with an internal transcribed spacer region was not competent to differentiate the Stagonosporopsis isolates. On the contrary, analysis of β-tubulin (TUB) genes and three microsatellite markers, Db01, Db05, and Db06, successfully differentiated Stagonosporopsis isolates. Further sequence analysis identified two Stagonosporopsis species, S. citrulli and S. caricae, and one previously unknown species of Stagonosporopsis. Representative isolates from three species caused dark water-soaked lesions on the detached watermelon and muskmelon leaves with no significant differences in the aggressiveness. Our results indicate that the S. citrulli, S. caricae, and unknown Stagonosporopsis sp. are all causal agents of GSB for both watermelon and muskmelon. This is the first report of a new species and the population structure of Stagonosporopsis species causing GSB in Korea.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.235-244
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• 2023

Acidovorax citrulli (Ac) is a phytopathogenic bacterium that causes bacterial fruit blotch (BFB) in cucurbit crops, including watermelon. However, there are no effective methods to control this disease. YggS family pyridoxal phosphate-dependent enzyme acts as a coenzyme in all transamination reactions, but its function in Ac is poorly understood. Therefore, this study uses proteomic and phenotypic analyses to characterize the functions. The Ac strain lacking the YggS family pyridoxal phosphate-dependent enzyme, AcΔyppAc(EV), virulence was wholly eradicated in geminated seed inoculation and leaf infiltration. AcΔyppAc(EV) propagation was inhibited when exposed to L-homoserine but not pyridoxine. Wild-type and mutant growth were comparable in the liquid media but not in the solid media in the minimal condition. The comparative proteomic analysis revealed that YppAc is primarily involved in cell motility and wall/membrane/envelop biogenesis. In addition, AcΔyppAc(EV) reduced biofilm formation and twitching halo production, indicating that YppAc is involved in various cellular mechanisms and possesses pleiotropic effects. Therefore, this identified protein is a potential target for developing an efficient anti-virulence reagent to control BFB.