• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
• /
• v.42 no.1
• /
• pp.45-47
• /
• 1999

Two phytotoxic compounds were isolated from a culture of Exserohilum monoceras Inu-1, a fungal pathogen of Barnyard grass. The structure was determined by spectroscopic analyses including 2D NMR experiments. During the isolation procedure, the toxic components were monitored by the assay using Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.), a host plant of the pathogen. The compounds inhibited the root growth of the host plant seedlings at a level of 100 ppm. While no substantial inhibition was observed even at 300 ppm in non-host plant seedlings such as lettuce and tomato.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
• /
• v.35 no.2
• /
• pp.156-163
• /
• 2019

Our study investigated the available chlorine content, contact time and difference among strains of each pathogen for sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) to control chemically against soil-borne fungal pathogens, such as Phytophthora rot by Phytophthora cactorum, violet root rot by Helicobasidium mompa, and white root rot by Rosellinia necatrix, causing die-back symptom on apple trees. As a result, the colony growth of Phytophthora cactorum was inhibited completely by soaking over 5 s in 31.25 ml/l available chlorine content of NaOCl. Those of H. mompa and R. necatrix were inhibited entirely by soaking over 160 s in 62.5 and 125 ml/l available chlorine content in NaOCl, respectively. Also, inhibition effect on available chlorine in NaOCl among strains of each soil-borne pathogen showed no significant difference and was similar to or better than that of fungicides.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
• /
• v.24 no.2
• /
• pp.202-206
• /
• 2008

Antifungal activity of Korean and Chinese lichen-forming fungi (LFF) was evaluated against plant pathogenic fungus of Colletotrichum acutatum, causal agent of anthracnose on hot pepper. This is the first attempt to evaluate antifungal activity of LFF, instead of lichen thalli, against C. acutatum. Total 100 LFF were isolated from the lichens with discharged spore method or tissue culture method. Among the 100 isolates, 8 LFF showed more than 50% of inhibition rates of mycelial growth of the target pathogen. Especially, Lecanora argentata was highly effective in inhibition of mycelial growth of C. accutatum at the rate of 68%. Antifungal activity of other LFF was in the order of Cetrelia japonica (61.4%), Ramalina conduplicans (59.5%), Umbilicaria esculenta (59.5%), Ramalina litoralis (56.7%), Cetrelia braunsiana (56.5%), Nephromopsis pallescensn (56.1%), and Parmelia simplicior (53.8%). Among the tested LFF, 61 isolates of LFF exhibited moderate antifungal activity against the target pathogen at the inhibition rates from 30 to 50%. Antifungal activity of the LFF against C. acutatum was variable at the species level rather than genus level of LFF. This study suggests that LFF can be served as a promising bioresource to develop novel biofungicides.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
• /
• v.35 no.6
• /
• pp.598-608
• /
• 2019

Endophytic fungi have received much attention as plant growth promoters as well as biological control agents against many plant pathogens. In this study, 30 endophytic fungal species, isolated from various plants in China, were evaluated using in vitro dual culture assay against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum, causing wilt in cucumber. The results of the present study clearly showed that all the 30 endophytic fungal isolates were highly capable of inhibiting the mycelial colony growth of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum with inhibition % over 66% as compared to control treatments. Among all of them, 5 isolates were highly effective such as, Penicillium sp., Guignardia mangiferae, Hypocrea sp., Neurospora sp., Eupenicillium javanicum, and Lasiodiplodia theobromae, respectively. The Penicillium sp. and Hypocrea sp. were highly effective as compared to other isolates. From in vitro results 10 best isolates were selected for greenhouse studies. The results of the greenhouse studies showed that among all of them 3 endophytic fungal isolates successfully suppressed wilt severity when co-inoculation with pathogen Fusarium. oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum. The endophytic fungi also enhanced plant growth parameters of the host plants, the antagonistic fungal isolates increased over all plant height, aerial fresh, and dry weight as compared to control.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
• /
• v.44 no.3
• /
• pp.339-347
• /
• 2017

Sclerotium rolfsii causing southern blight on numerous vegetable and fruit crops was isolated from stems of chili peppers showing wilting symptoms. The pathogen was identified by morphological observation and DNA sequencing analysis of ITS region. To select an effective fungicide for control of southern blight, we investigated the inhibition efficacy of thirty fungicides included in nine groups of fungicides with different mechanisms of action. A fungal growth inhibition assay was conducted through an agar dilution method by using mycelial discs and sclerotia of the pathogen as inoculum, respectively. When mycelial discs were used as an inoculum, several fungicides showed good inhibitory activity against the mycelial growth of S. rolfsii 12-6. All DMI fungicides tested had a good inhibition except for prochloraz which had low inhibitory effect. All strobilurin fungicides tested except for kresoxim-methyl and all SDHI fungicides tested except for boscalid and fluopyram, had a good inhibition. Also, fludioxonil, a protective fungicide and fluazinam had a good inhibitory effect. Interestingly, when sclerotia were used as an inoculum, inhibition efficacy was increased for fluopyram, a SDHI fungicide, and for some protective fungicides such as propineb, chlorothalonil, dithianon, and folpet. All the fungicides selected in this study should be tested in the field for their control activities against stem rot for practical use in chili pepper cultivation.

• Plant Biotechnology Reports
• /
• v.5 no.4
• /
• pp.301-308
• /
• 2011

This study tested the relative and combined efficacy of ShPx2 and ShPAL transgenes by comparing Nicotiana tabacum hybrids with enhanced levels of $_L$-phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) activity and cationic peroxidase (Prx) activity with transgenic parental lines that overexpress either transgene. The PAL/Prx hybrids expressed both transgenes driven by the 35S CaMV promoter, and leaf PAL and Prx enzyme activities were similar to those of the relevant transgenic parent and seven- to tenfold higher than nontransgenic controls. Lignin levels in the PAL/Prx hybrids were higher than the PAL parent and nontransgenic controls, but not significantly higher than the Prx parent. All transgenic plants showed increased resistance to the necrotrophs Phytophthora parasitica pv. nicotianae and Cercospora nicotianae compared to nontransgenic controls, with a preponderance of smaller lesion categories produced in Prx-expressing lines. However, the PAL/Prx hybrids showed no significant increase in resistance to either pathogen relative to the Prx parental line. These data indicate that, in tobacco, the PAL and Prx transgenes do not act additively in disease resistance. Stacking with Prx did not prevent a visible growth inhibition from PAL overexpression. Practical use of ShPAL will likely require more sophisticated developmental control, and we conclude that ShPx2 is a preferred candidate for development as a resistance transgene.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
• /
• v.25 no.1
• /
• pp.38-46
• /
• 2009

Lichen-forming fungi (LEF) were isolated from 67 Hungarian lichen species from ascospores or thallus fragments. LFF were successfully isolated from 26 species with isolation rate of 38.8%. Of the total number of isolation from ascospores (27 species) and thallus fragments (40 species), 48% and 32.5% of the species were successfully isolated, respectively. Comparison of rDNA sequences of ITS regions between the isolated LFF and the original thallus confirmed that all the isolates originated from the thallus fragments were LEF. The following 14 species of LEF were newly isolated in this study; Acarospora cervina, Bacidia rubella, Cladonia pyxidata, Lasallia pustulata, Lecania hyaline, Lecanora argentata, Parmelina tiliacea, Parmotrema chinense, Physconia distorta, Protoparmeliopsis muralis, Ramalina pollinaria, Sarcogyne regularis, Umbilicaria hirsuta, Xanthoparmelia conspersa and X. stenophylla. Antifungal activity of the Hungarian LFF was evaluated against plant pathogenic fungi of Colletotrichum acutatum, C. coccodes and C. gloeosporioides, causal agent of anthracnose on hot pepper. Among the 26 isolates, 11 LFF showed more than 50% of inhibition rates of mycelial growth of at least one target pathogen. Especially, LFF of Evernia prunastri, Lecania hyalina and Lecanora argentata were remarkably effective in inhibition of mycelial growth of all the tested pathogens with antibiotic mode of action. On the other hands, five isolates of Cladonia furcata, Hypogymnia physodes, Lasallia pustulata, Ramalina fastigiata and Ramalina pollinaria exhibited fungal lytic activity against all the three pathogens. Among the tested fungal pathogens, C. coccodes seemed to be most sensitive to the LFF. The Hungarian LFF firstly isolated in this study can be served as novel bioresources to develop new biofungicides alternative to current fungicides to control hot pepper anthracnose pathogenic fungi.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
• /
• v.39 no.3
• /
• pp.205-212
• /
• 2011

Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) from the maize pathogen Ustilago maydis was analysed immunologically to obtain insights into the structural relationships between plant PAL and fungal PAL and between PAL and histidine ammonia-lyase (HAL). Cross-reactivity was found among all the PAL proteins from different species tested, using antibodies raised against both plant and fungal PALs. Both anti-Alfalfa and anti-popular PAL antibodies strongly recognized plant PALs but only weakly recognized fungal PALs. Antibodies raised against U. maydis PAL only weakly recognized the Rhodotorula glutinis yeast PAL. The anti-U. maydis PAL antibodies showed low affinity for the plant PALs but they bound strongly to Pseudomonas bacterial HAL. Significant cross-reactivity between the two plant PAL antibodies and the bacterial HAL was also observed. Both the anti-Ustilago PAL and the anti-poplar PAL antibodies displayed similar enzyme inhibition patterns, including moderate inhibition of bacterial HAL activity. However, the bacterial HAL antibody inhibited only Ustilago PAL. The PAL and HAL antibodies tested showed no inhibition against yeast PAL. This is first report on the immunological relationships between PAL and HAL.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
• /
• v.34 no.1
• /
• pp.44-58
• /
• 2018

Pseudomonas chlororaphis 30-84 is a biological control agent selected for its ability to suppress diseases caused by fungal pathogens. P. chlororaphis 30-84 produces three phenazines: phenazine-1-carboxylic acid (PCA), 2-hydroxy-phenazine-1-carboxylic acid (2OHPCA) and a small amount of 2-hydroxy-phenazine (2OHPHZ), and these are required for fungal pathogen inhibition and wheat rhizosphere competence. The two, 2-hydroxy derivatives are produced from PCA via the activity of a phenazine-modifying enzyme encoded by phzO. In addition to the seven biosynthetic genes responsible for the production of PCA, many other Pseudomonas strains possess one or more modifying genes, which encode enzymes that act independently or together to convert PCA into other phenazine derivatives. In order to understand the fitness effects of producing different phenazines, we constructed isogenic derivatives of P. chlororaphis 30-84 that differed only in the type of phenazines produced. Altering the type of phenazines produced by P. chlororaphis 30-84 enhanced the spectrum of fungal pathogens inhibited and altered the degree of take-all disease suppression. These strains also differed in their ability to promote extracellular DNA release, which may contribute to the observed differences in the amount of biofilm produced. All derivatives were equally important for survival over repeated plant/harvest cycles, indicating that the type of phenazines produced is less important for persistence in the wheat rhizosphere than whether or not cells produce phenazines. These findings provide a better understanding of the effects of different phenazines on functions important for biological control activity with implications for applications that rely on introduced or native phenazine producing populations.

• Research in Plant Disease
• /
• v.14 no.3
• /
• pp.187-192
• /
• 2008

Five environment-friendly farm materials including $Chitomate^{(R)}$, $Diegyun^{(R)}$, IC-$66D^{(R)}$, Gold $Bordo^{(R)}$, and $Biospot^{(R)}$ were examined for their growth inhibition effect of the 7 fungal pathogens of grape in vitro. $Diegyun^{(R)}$, being composed of natural ingredients which are extracted from a plant, was the most effective in suppression of mycelial growth of the fungi. $Diegyun^{(R)}$ inhibited the mycelial growth of all of fungi over 75% at $2,500{\mu}g{\cdot}mL^{-1}$ on potato dextrose agar(PDA) except Colletotrichum gloeosporioides 04-159. Growth inhibition effect of $Chitomate^{(R)}$, being composed of the chitosan, varied depending on the fungal pathogens on PDA. It inhibited the mycelial growth of the Botrytis cinerea 06-063 at the rate of 75.8% at $40,000{\mu}g{\cdot}mL^{-1}$ on PDA while it inhibited the mycelial growth of the C. gloeosporioides 04-159 at the rate of 6.5%. IC-$66D^{(R)}$ and Gold $Bordo^{(R)}$ are two different formula of the Bordeaux mixture, showed different control effects on mycelial growth inhibition. Except of Acremonium sp. the growth inhibition of IC-$66D^{(R)}$ was a little higher than Gold $Bordo^{(R)}$. $Biospot^{(R)}$, a chlorine formula, showed the strongest growth inhibition on C. gloeosporioides 04-159 among the farm materials used. Inhibition of spore germination of $Chitomate^{(R)}$, $Biospot^{(R)}$ and Gold $Bordo^{(R)}$ was higher than mycelial growth inhibition for Pseudocercospora vitis 04-152. The results suggest that the different types of environment-friendly farm materials are needed for different disease control in organic grape farm.