• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.195-198
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• 2008

This study was carried out to investigate the potential use of Zanthoxylum schinifolium and Zanthoxylum piperitum A.P. DC. as a source of antimicrobial agents against food borne pathogens. Essential oils of Z. schinifolium and Z. piperitum A.P. DC. were collected by steam distillation and analyzed by GC-MS. The antimicrobial activity of the essential oils was examined using the agar diffusion and micro-dilution assays. The effectiveness of Z. schinifolium essential oil was greater against Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, and Vibrio parahaemolyticus than other pathogens, and the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values were 1.25, 2.5, and 1.25, 2.5, and $1.25\;{\mu}g/mL$, respectively. Z. piperitum A.P. DC. essential oil was the most effective against all pathogens tested except for Escherichia coli O157:H7, and the MIC values against B. cereus, Salmonella choleraesuis, and V. parahaemolyticus were 1.25, 2.5, and $1.25\;{\mu}g/mL$, respectively. Limonene, the major component of Z. piperitum A.P. DC. essential oils, had the highest inhibitory activity toward V. parahaemolyticus with a MIC value of $0.15\;{\mu}g/mL$. Meanwhile, citronellal and geranyl acetate, major components of both essential oils, displayed antibacterial activity against only B. cereus with MIC values of 1.25 and $5\;{\mu}g/mL$, respectively. Therefore, these essential oils could be useful as antimicrobial agents against foodborne pathogens.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.84-88
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• 2002

The effect of chitosan on the growth of plant pathogenic fungi was investigated. Chitosan solubilized in acetic acid showed much higher and more consistent antifungal activity than that solubilized in HCl. The antifungal activity was not significantly affected within a DA (degree of deacetylation) range of $57.3-99.2\%$ tested. Water-soluble and low molecular weight chitosan ($57.3\%$ DA) against 6 plant pathogens showed that Monosporascus canonballus and Pythium irregulare were the most susceptible to the chitosan, while Fusarium oxysporum and F. graminearum were the most resistant. At a concentration of 2.5 mg/ml, the growth of pathogens was completely inhibited except for F. oxysporum. The $MIC_50$ values varied depending on both the DA of the chitosan and the plant pathogens. A chitosan with $57.3\%$ DA exhibited the lowest $MIC_50$ (ranging <0.1-1.8 mg/ml) and that with $84.7\%$ DA the highest $MIC_50$ (ranging <0.4-4.0 mg/ml) depending on the pathogen.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.133-147
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• 2020

Hexanal, a C-6 aldehyde has been implicated to have antimicrobial properties. Hence, this study was conducted to determine the antifungal activities of hexanal vapor against major postharvest pathogens of banana viz., Colletotrichum gloeosporioides and Lasiodiplodia theobromae. The pathogens were cultured in vitro and exposed to hexanal vapor at 600, 800, 1,000 and 1,200 ppm. Mycelial growth of both fungal pathogens were inhibited completely at 800 ppm and the incidence of anthracnose and stem-end rot diseases reduced by 75.2% and 80.2%, respectively. The activities of peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase, phenylalanine ammonia-lyase and glucanase had transiently increased in hexanal vapor treated banana by 5 to 7 days and declined thereafter. Postharvest treatment of banana with hexanal vapor resulted in phospholipase D inhibition and also resulted in cell wall thickening of the treated fruit, which impeded the penetration of the pathogenic spores. This was further confirmed by scanning electron micrographs. The defense-related protein intermediaries had increased in hexanal vapor treated banana fruit, which suggests induced resistance against C. gloeosporioides and L. theobromae, via., the phenylpropanoid pathway which plays a significant role in hindering the pathogen quiescence. Delayed ripening due to inhibition of phospholipase D enzyme, inhibition of mycelial growth and induced systemic resistance by defense enzymes collectively contributed to the postharvest disease reduction and extended shelf life of fruit.

• Mycobiology
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.87-96
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• 2019

Fungi produce various secondary metabolites that have beneficial and harmful effects on other organisms. Those bioactive metabolites have been explored as potential medicinal and antimicrobial resources. However, the activities of the culture filtrate (CF) and metabolites of whiterot fungus (Schizophyllum commune) have been underexplored. In this study, we assayed the antimicrobial activities of CF obtained from white-rot fungus against various plant pathogens and evaluated its efficacy for controlling anthracnose and gray mold in pepper plants. The CF inhibited the mycelial growth of various fungal plant pathogens, but not of bacterial pathogens. Diluted concentrations of CF significantly suppressed the severity of anthracnose and gray mold in pepper fruits. Furthermore, the incidence of anthracnose in field conditions was reduced by treatment with a 12.5% dilution of CF. The active compound responsible for the antifungal and disease control activity was identified and verified as schizostatin. Our results indicate that the CF of white-rot fungus can be used as an eco-friendly natural product against fungal plant pathogens. Moreover, the compound, schizostatin could be used as a biochemical resource or precursor for development as a pesticide. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the control of plant diseases using CF and active compound from white-rot fungus. We discussed the controversial antagonistic activity of schizostatin and believe that the CF of white-rot fungus or its active compound, schizostatin, could be used as a biochemical pesticide against fungal diseases such as anthracnose and gray mold in many vegetables.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.313-322
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• 2022

Seed-borne pathogens in crops reduce the seed germination rate and hamper seedling growth, leading to significant yield loss. Due to the growing concerns about environmental damage and the development of resistance to agrochemicals among pathogen populations, there is a strong demand for eco-friendly alternatives to synthetic chemicals in agriculture. It has been well established during the last few decades that plant seeds harbor diverse microbes, some of which are vertically transmitted and important for plant health and productivity. In this study, we isolated culturable endophytic bacteria and fungi from soybean seeds and evaluated their antagonistic activities against common bacterial and fungal seed-borne pathogens of soybean. A total of 87 bacterial isolates and 66 fungal isolates were obtained. Sequencing of 16S rDNA and internal transcribed spacer amplicon showed that these isolates correspond to 30 and 15 different species of bacteria and fungi, respectively. Our antibacterial and antifungal activity assay showed that four fungal species and nine bacterial species have the potential to suppress the growth of at least one seed-borne pathogen tested in the study. Among them, Pseudomonas koreensis appears to have strong antagonistic activities across all the pathogens. Our collection of soybean seed endophytes would be a valuable resource not only for studying biology and ecology of seed endophytes but also for practical deployment of seed endophytes toward crop protection.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.41 no.8
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• pp.600-604
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• 1998

Methanol extracts from 53 species of oriental medicinal plants in 34 families were tested for their fungicidal activities against Pyricularia grisea, Rhizoctonia solani, Phytophthora capsici, Phytophthora infestans, Collectotrichum dematium, Botryospaeria dothidea, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum, Botrytis cinerea, Puccinia recondita, and Erysiphe graminis. In in vitro study using impregnated paper disc method, the efficacy varied with both plant pathogen and plant species tested. Methanol extracts of Asarum sieboldii roots, Sinomenium acutum roots, Pinus densiflora leaves, Rheum undulatum root barks, Coptis japonica roots, and Phellodendron amurense barks showed potent fungicidal activities against the various pathogens when treated with 10 mg/disc. In a whole plant test, methanol extracts of P. densiflora leaves and roots and C. japonica roots were highly effective against a variety of plant pathogens. As a naturally occurring fungicide, P. densiflora- and C. japonica-derived materials could be useful as new fungicidal products against various plant diseases induced by plant pathogenic fungi.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.575-579
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• 2016

Burkholderia glumae (bacterial grain rot), Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (bacterial leaf blight), and Acidovorax avenae subsp. avenae (bacterial brown stripe) are major seedborne pathogens of rice. Based on the 16S and 23S rDNA sequences for A. avenae subsp. avenae and B. glumae, and transposase A gene sequence for X. oryzae pv. oryzae, three sets of primers had been designed to produce 402 bp for B. glumae, 490 bp for X. oryzae, and 290 bp for A. avenae subsp. avenae with the $63^{\circ}C$ as an optimum annealing temperature. Samples collected from naturally infected fields were detected with two bacteria, B. glumae and A. avenae subsp. avenae but X. oryzae pv. oryzae was not detected. This assay can be used to identify pathogens directly from infected seeds, and will be an effective tool for the identification of the three pathogens in rice plants.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.472-481
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• 2022

Brown blotch disease, caused by Pseudomonas tolaasii, is one of the most serious diseases in mushroom cultivation, and its control remains an important issue. This study isolated and evaluated pathogen-specific bacteriophages for the biological control of the disease. In previous studies, 23 varieties of P. tolaasii were isolated from infected mushrooms with disease symptoms and classified into three subtypes, Ptα, Ptβ, and Ptγ, based on their 16S rRNA gene sequences analysis and pathogenic characters. In this study, 42 virulent bacteriophages were isolated against these pathogens and tested for their host range. Some phages could lyse more than two pathogens only within the corresponding subtype, and no phage exhibited a wide host range across different pathogen subtypes. To eliminate all pathogens of the Ptα, Ptβ, and Ptγ subtype, corresponding phages of one, six, and one strains were required, respectively. These phages were able to suppress the disease completely, as confirmed by the field-scale on-farm cultivation experiments. These results suggested that a cocktail of these eight phages is sufficient to control the disease induced by all 23 P. tolaasii pathogens. Additionally, the antibacterial effect of this phage cocktail persisted in the second cycle of mushroom growth on the cultivation bed.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.522-527
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• 2023

The occurrence of postharvest kiwifruit rot has caused great economic losses in major kiwifruit-producing countries. Several pathogens are involved in kiwifruit rot, notably Botryosphaeria dothidea, and Diaporthe species. In this study, a recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) assay was developed for the rapid and sensitive detection of the pathogens responsible for posing significant threats to the kiwifruit industries. The RPA primer pairs tested in this study were highly specific for detection of B. dothidea and D. eres. The detection limits of our RPA assays were approximately two picograms of fungal genomic DNA. The optimal conditions for the RPA assays were determined to be at a temperature of 39℃ maintained for a minimum duration of 5 min. We were able to detect the pathogens from kiwifruit samples inoculated with a very small number of conidia. The RPA assays enabled specific, sensitive, and rapid detection of B. dothidea and D. eres, the primary pathogens responsible for kiwifruit rots in South Korea.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2014

Acetylation of histone lysine residues occurs in different organisms ranging from yeast to plants and mammals for the regulation of diverse cellular processes. With the identification of enzymes that create or reverse this modification, our understanding on histone acetylation has expanded at an amazing pace during the last two decades. In fungal pathogens of plants, however, the importance of such modification has only just begun to be appreciated in the recent years and there is a dearth of information on how histone acetylation is implicated in fungal pathogenesis. This review covers the current status of research related to histone acetylation in plant pathogenic fungi and considers relevant findings in the interaction between fungal pathogens and host plants. We first describe the families of histone acetyltransferases and deacetylases. Then we provide the cases where histone acetylation was investigated in the context of fungal pathogenesis. Finally, future directions and perspectives in epigenetics of fungal pathogenesis are discussed.