• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.100-106
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• 2023

In order to control the fire blight disease, all plants within the radius of the diseased orchard were removed in the early stage of the outbreak, or antibiotics control was performed for prevention. Since the beginning of antibiotics use on plants, the potential for development of resistance to antibiotics by the plant pathogen and unintended detrimental effects on the fruit trees and environment has become a problem. The purpose of this study is to determine the degree of phytotoxicity to fruit trees caused by excessive spraying of the fire blight disease disinfectant and to establish basic data for safe disinfectant guide. We analyzed whether damage to the fruit tree and the maximum residual limit of fruit was exceeded when three kinds of the fire blight disease disinfectants were continuously sprayed in excess of the number of safe use during the growing season. There was no phytotoxicity in apple 'Fuji' and pear 'Niitaka', and oxolinic acid was detected beyond the limit of quantitation in 'Fuji' grown without a bag, and the other disinfectants were detected below the maximum residue limit. When these disinfectants are continuously sprayed in excess of the number of safe, phytotoxicity may remain on the fruit. Therefore, it is necessary to observe the prescribed dilution factor and observe the safe frequency and the timing of use.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.331-341
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• 2022

This study was conducted to identify yeast species isolated from domestic pear blossom through gene sequencing and analysis of morphological characteristics, and to confirm specific yeast species inhibitory effects toward fire blight in immature apples, pears, and crab apple blossoms. Yeast morphological characteristics were consistent with the known characteristics of Aureobasidium pullulans. Nucleotide sequencing of the D1/D2 region of large-subunit (LSU) 26S ribosomal DNA and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region confirmed its identity as A. pullulans (MHAU2101). Inoculation of immature fruits with A. pullulans MHAU2101 before exposure to Erwinia amylovora prevented fire blight symptoms in apples and pears. A. pullulans MHAU2101 treated crab apple blossoms had a significantly lower flower infection rate than untreated blossoms, revealing 64% of the potency of streptomycin. The A. pullulans MHAU2101 treated group also displayed lower E. amylovora density in both pistil and hypanthium compared to the untreated group, especially in the hypanthium. This study confirms that A. pullulans MHAU2101 isolated from domestic pear blossom can effectively suppress the onset of fire blight.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.221-230
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• 2022

The fire blight caused by Erwinia amylovora (Ea) was first reported in 2015 in Korea, and the disease has rapidly spread to 22 regions until 2021. In Korea, all host plants in the apple and pear orchards where fire blight occurred should be eliminated and buried by the Plant Protection Act. To prevent the spread of the disease, all burial sites were prohibited from planting the new host plants for the next three years. To confirm the eradication efficiency of Ea and the reoccurrence of fire blight, the surveillance facilities were established on three burial sites from 2019 to 2020 in Anseong-si, Gyeonggi-do, and Chungju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do. As host plants, five apple trees of fire blight-susceptible cultivar 'Fuji', were planted in each facility. All facilities were enclosed with fences and nets and equipped with two CCTVs, motion sensors, and several other sensors for recording weather conditions to monitor the environment of the sentinel plants in real-time. The sentinel plants were checked for the reoccurrence of fire blight routinely. Suspicious plant parts were collected and analyzed for Ea detection by loop-mediated isothermal amplification polymerase chain reaction and conventional polymerase chain reaction. Until November 2022, Ea has not been detected in all sentinel plants. These results might support that the burial control of infected plants in soil works efficiently to remove Ea and support the possibility to shorten the prohibition period of host plant establishment in the burial sites.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Applied Microbiology Conference
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• 2001.06a
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• pp.169-170
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• 2001

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.881-892
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• 2022

Fire blight in apple and pear orchards, caused by Erwinia amylovora, is a global problem. Ongoing outbreaks have occurred since 2015. In 2020, 744 orchards were infected compared with 43 orchards in 2015 in Korea. When are insufficient. In Korea, all host plants in infected orchards are buried deeply with lime to eradicate the E. amylovora outbreak within a few days. Apple trees with infected trunks and branches and twigs with infected leaves and infected blooms were collected from an apple orchard in Chungju, Chungbuk province, where fire blight occurred in 2020. We used these samples to investigate the population density and internal distribution of E. amylovora on infected branches and twigs during early season infections. Infected branches and twigs were cut at 10 cm intervals from the infected site, and E. amylovora was isolated from tissue lysates to measure population density (colony-forming unit [CFU]·mL^-1). The polymerase chain reaction was performed on genomic DNA using E. amylovora specific primers. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed to detect E. amylovora in asymptomatic tissue. The objective of these assays was to collect data relevant to the removal of branches from infected trees during early season infection. In infected branches, high densities of greater than 10⁶ CFU·mL^-1 E. amylovora were detected within 20 cm of the infected sites. Low densities ranging from 10² to 10⁶ CFU·mL^-1 E. amylovora were found in asymptomatic tissues at distances of 40 - 75 cm from an infection site.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.160-170
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• 2024

Erwinia amylovora is a plant pathogen that causes fire blight on apples and pears. Bacteriophages, which are viruses that selectively infect specific species of bacteria and are harmless to animal cells, have been considered as biological control agents for the prevention of bacterial pathogens. In this study, we aimed to use bacteriophages that infect E. amylovora as biocontrol agents against fire blight. We isolated bacteriophages Fifi044 and Fifi318 infecting E. amylovora, and characterized their morphology, plaque form, and genetic diversity to use as cocktails for disease control. The stabilities of the two phages were investigated at various temperatures and pH values and under sunlight, and long-term storage experiment was conducted for a year. To evaluate whether the two phages were suitable for use in cocktail form, growth curves of E. amylovora were prepared after treating the bacterial cells with single phages and a phage cocktail. In addition, a disease control test was conducted using immature apples and in vitro cultured apple plantlets to determine the biocontrol effects of the phage cocktail. The two phages were morphologically and genetically different, and highly stable up to 50℃ and pH value from 4 to 10. The phages showed synergistic effect when used as a cocktail in the inhibition of host bacterial growth and the disease control. This study demonstrated that the potential of the phage cocktail as a biocontrol agent for commercial use.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.491-504
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• 2023

To explore fungal diversity in orchard soil where fire-blighted apple trees are buried, we collected soil samples from apple orchards in Chungju, Korea. Fungal isolates were obtained from DG18 agar and identified at the species level based on morphological features and phylogenetic analyses. The colony characteristics and microstructures were examined using a light microscope and a scanning electron microscope after culturing on potato dextrose agar (PDA), malt extract agar (MEA), Czapek yeast agar (CYA), and oatmeal agar (OA) The PCR-amplified products of the ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region and 28S large subunit of the nuclear ribosomal RNA gene, as well as partial sequences of the β-tubulin, calmodulin, and translation elongation factor 1-α genes were sequenced and analyzed phylogenetically. Seven previously unknown fungal species were explored in Korea. All samples, including Aspergillus aureolatus, Botryotrichum atrogriseum, Dactylonectria novozelandica, Fusarium denticulatum, Paecilomyces tabacinus, Sarcopodium tibetense and Talaromyces stollii, had ascomycetes. Herein, we report their descriptions and features.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.67-73
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• 2015

Bacterial blossom blight of kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa) caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae is known to be largely affected by weather conditions during the blooming period. While there have been many studies that investigated scientific relations between weather conditions and the epidemics of bacterial blossom blight of kiwifruit, no forecasting models have been developed thus far. In this study, we collected all the relevant information on the epidemiology of the blossom blight in relation to weather variables, and developed the Pss-KBB Risk Model that is based on the Maryblyt model for the fire blight of apple and pear. Subsequent model validation was conducted using 10 years of ground truth data from kiwifruit orchards in Haenam, Korea. As a result, it was shown that the Pss-KBB Risk Model resulted in better performance in estimating the disease severity compared with other two simple models using either temperature or precipitation information only. Overall, we concluded that by utilizing the Pss-KBB Risk Model and weather forecast information, potential infection risk of the bacterial blossom blight of kiwifruit can be accurately predicted, which will eventually lead kiwifruit growers to utilize the best practices related to spraying chemicals at the most effective time.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.23-38
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• 2023

The fire blight caused by Erwinia amylovora (Ea) is a devastating disease of Rosaceae plants, including commercially important apple and pear trees. Since the first report in Korea in May 2015, it has been spreading to neighboring regions gradually. Host plants can be infected by pollinators like bees, rainfall accompanied by wind, and cultural practices such as pruning. Many studies have revealed that wild Rosaceae plants such as Cotoneaster spp., Crataegus spp., Pyracantha spp., Prunus spp., and Sorbus spp. can be reservoirs of Ea in nature. However, wild Rosaceae plants in Korea have not been examined yet whether they are susceptible to fire blight. Therefore, the susceptibility to fire blight was examined with 25 species in 10 genera of wild Rosaceae plants, which were collected during 2020-2022, by artificial inoculation. Bacterial suspension (10⁸ cfu/ml) of Ea type strain TS3128 was inoculated artificially in flowers, leaves, stems, and fruits of each plant species, and development of disease symptoms were monitored. Moreover, the presence of Ea bacteria from inoculated samples were checked by conventional polymerase chain reaction. Total 14 species of wild Rosaceae plants showed disease symptoms of fire blight, and Ea bacteria were detected inside of inoculated plant parts. These results suggest that wild Rosaceae plants growing nearby commercial apple and pear orchards in Korea can be Ea reservoirs, and thus they should be monitored regularly to minimize the damage by Ea infection and spreading.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.294-300
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• 2003

Bacterial strains were isolated from diseased samples of shoot blight collected from different pear growing orchards of Chuncheon, Korea from 1995 to 1998. Forty-nine strains showed their pathogenicity on immature fruit and shoot of pear. Microbiological, physiological, and biochemical tests were performed on these pathogenic strains. One strain, designated as WT3 in this study, was selected as a representative strain as it was collected from the first outbreak area in Jichonri, Chuncheon in 1995. Further detailed characterization of the strain WT3 was done by PCR amplification using specific primers described previously for distinguishing Erwinia pyrifoliae from its close pathogen Erwinia amylovora. Based on phenotypical, biochemical, and molecular analyses, strain WT3 was identified as a shoot blight pathogen which was the same as E. pyrifoliae Ep16 previously described by a German group in 1999.